Guillermo del Toro: “I Like Monsters Because They Lack One Thing: Judgment”
Guillermo del Toro: “I Like Monsters Because They Lack One Thing: Judgment”
Guillermo del Toro isn’t just a filmmaker—he’s a storyteller who turns shadows into cathedrals. From Pan’s Labyrinth to The Shape of Water, his work thrives in the liminal space between horror and beauty. But his words outside the frame carry just as much weight. Below, I explore quotes that reveal his philosophy on monsters, creativity, and why he sees fairy tales as battlegrounds for the soul.
“Monsters are born from the fears of a society. They are not born from the moonlight or from the swamp—they’re born from us.”
This quote, from a 2013 TED Talk, distills del Toro’s belief that monsters are cultural mirrors. He argues that creatures like Dracula or Frankenstein’s monster evolve with humanity’s anxieties: “They are not born from the moonlight” is his poetic way of saying our fears are man-made. For del Toro, the real horror lies not in the monster itself, but in what it reflects about us.
“When I was a kid, I used to think that monsters were the best thing in the world because they were the only ones that made me feel empathy.”
Shared during a 2018 Oscar acceptance speech, this line underscores his lifelong fascination with the marginalized. Del Toro grew up in Mexico, where strict Catholic rules made him feel like an outsider—much like the monsters he watched onscreen. He found solace in their “otherness,” a theme he later channeled into characters like Abe Sapien (Hellboy) and the Amphibian Man (The Shape of Water).
“Horror is not about fear—it’s about catharsis.”
Del Toro made this observation in a 2010 Deadline interview while discussing Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark. He sees horror as a tool to confront repressed truths. “The best horror stories leave you with a knot in your stomach that unravels days later,” he explained. This philosophy is why his films linger long after the credits roll—they don’t just scare; they haunt like a half-remembered nightmare.
“Cinema is a temple where we gather to mourn, celebrate, or remember.”
In a 2017 Variety profile, del Toro described movies as sacred spaces. This quote reflects his reverence for the medium: “When the lights go down, we enter a cathedral.” For him, films aren’t entertainment—they’re rituals. That’s why his stories often feel operatic, balancing grandeur with intimate humanity (think of Elisa’s silent yearning in The Shape of Water).
“The worst monsters are always human.”
While promoting Mimic in 1997, del Toro told Entertainment Weekly, “I’ve never met a bug or a vampire that scared me as much as a bully.” His films prove this: from the fascist Captain Vidal (Pan’s Labyrinth) to the abusive Hellboy adoptive father, Professor Broom. Humanity’s capacity for cruelty, not the supernatural, fuels his darkest scenes.
“Fairy tales are about survival—about kids walking in the woods where there are ogres waiting.”
Del Toro revisited this idea during a 2006 interview about Pan’s Labyrinth. He believes fairy tales are survival guides: “They don’t sugarcoat the dark. They teach you how to face it.” This ethos is woven into Ofelia’s journey, where magic and brutality coexist. The quote also hints at his creative process—his stories often feel like bedtime tales for adults who’ve seen too much.
“Innocence is not the absence of knowledge; it’s the absence of choice.”
A chilling line from his 2019 film Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (which he executive produced), this quote captures del Toro’s view of morality. It’s spoken by a vengeful spirit trapped by her own past—and echoes his characters’ struggles between right and wrong. For del Toro, innocence isn’t about ignorance; it’s about being cornered by circumstance.
If these quotes feel like fragments of a larger puzzle, they are. Guillermo del Toro’s genius lies in his ability to blend the grotesque with the sublime, forcing us to ask: Who’s the real monster—the creature under the bed or the world that made it?
Chat with Guillermo del Toro on HoloDream to explore his thoughts on creativity, his Mexican roots, and why he keeps a “book of dead ideas” for stories that never made it to the screen.