Guillermo Del Toro
-
Horrifying Looks: Costume Designer Kate Hawley on Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein”
Guillermo del Toro’s films are instantly recognizable for their fantastical Gothic imagery, and the director’s adaptation of Frankenstein is one of his most decadent stylized works yet. The film—which stars Oscar Isaac as Victor Frankenstein, Jacob Elordi as the Creature and Mia Goth as Lady Elizabeth Harlander and Baroness Claire Frankenstein—boasts stunning costumes befitting its epic scale. Frankenstein’s costume designer, Kate Hawley, is no stranger to the writer-director’s distinctive visions, having previously worked with him on Pacific Rim and Crimson Peak. She likens this film, with its two-and-a-half runtime and intricate worldbuilding, to “a massive opera.” Earlier in her career, […]
by Abbey Bender on Dec 22, 2025 -
Steel Blue World: DP Dan Laustsen on “Frankenstein”
Though Guillermo del Toro’s 1997 American studio debut Mimic was a notoriously unpleasant experience, the silver lining of that giant cockroach creature feature was the filmmaker crossing paths with Danish cinematographer Dan Laustsen. It took 18 years for them to work together again, but they’ve made up for lost time since by teaming on Crimson Peak, The Shape of Water and Nightmare Alley—the latter two brining Laustsen Oscar nominations. Their latest collaboration fulfills del Toro’s lifelong ambition to mount a version of Mary Shelley’s Gothic horror masterpiece Frankenstein, with Oscar Isaac as the titular creator and Jacob Elordi as the […]
by Matt Mulcahey on Nov 21, 2025 -
PAM CUT Announces Honorees for 2023 Cinema Unbound Awards
Portland Art Museum’s PAM CUT // Center for an Untold Tomorrow has announced the honorees for the fourth annual Cinema Unbound Awards, which recognizes those working within the intersection of art and cinema. This year’s recipients are actor-comedian Fred Armisen, Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro, chef Gregory Gourdet, writer Jon Raymond (who frequently collaborates with Kelly Reichardt, most recently on Showing Up), film scholar Jacqueline Stewart and actress Tessa Thompson. The ceremony will take place in-person at the Portland Art Museum on June 22, featuring a “culinary takeover” by Gourdet’s Haitian live-fire restaurant Kann, which was a finalist for the […]
by Filmmaker Staff on May 2, 2023 -
DP Dan Laustsen on The Shape of Water, Judging Exposure without a Meter and Capturing Rich Blacks
There’s a line in Bob Dylan’s “Brownsville Girl” that goes, “(It’s) strange how people who suffer together have stronger connections than people who are most content.” Suffering together connected director Guillermo del Toro and cinematographer Dan Laustsen on the set of 1997’s Mimic. The Miramax-produced giant insect creature feature marked the first American effort for del Toro and just the second studio gig for the Danish Laustsen. The experience was not a pleasant one. As del Toro put it during an on-stage interview at the BFI London Film Festival last October: “Two horrible things happened in the late ’90s: my father […]
by Matt Mulcahey on Jan 4, 2018 -
On the Cut
On a film screen, a single edit flies by in the blink of an eye — usually, in 1/24th of a second. In the edit room, though, a cut is teased, strategized, finessed and obsessed over. We asked six editors from six of the fall’s best films to give us the frames on both sides of one particularly noteworthy cut — and to explain why these edits are so important. Call Me By Your Name Director: Luca Guadagnino Editor: Walter Fasano Fasano: Sensual. That’s the way I’d like to define our approach to the editing of Call Me By Your […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Dec 14, 2017 -
“We Wanted to Make it a Very Sexy Fish…”: Five Questions for The Shape of Water Director Guillermo Del Toro
If Guillermo Del Toro hasn’t already cemented his place as one of the great storytellers of today, he certainly has with his latest film The Shape of Water, a Cold War-era twisted fairy tale opening today. Sally Hawkins stars as a mute cleaning lady, Elisa, working at a government agency, whose only friends are her co-worker Zelda (Octavia Spencer) and her gay neighbor Giles (Richard Jenkins). An imposing government agent Strickland (Michael Shannon) arrives with a mysterious amphibious creature in tow, played by Doug Jones. While Strickland is intent on studying the creature for whatever military value this research might […]
by Ariston Anderson on Nov 30, 2017 -
Stories about Others: Inside (and Outside) Crimson Peak
The man in front of me at the ticket booth didn’t understand the new system at the theater. It was news to him that he had to pick a seat. He had never heard of such a thing, and an alcoholic beverage being an option just about blew his gasket. I was going to be missing some trailers, there was no doubt about that. This guy wanted a full verbal tour of all the recent developments at his local Cineplex. And he wasn’t going anywhere till he was satisfied and clear. I started saying underneath my breath, louder and louder […]
by Noah Buschel on Nov 16, 2015 -
“Guillermo’s Got a Wonderfully Unhealthy Obsession with Insects”: Screenwriter Matthew Robbins on Crimson Peak
If screenwriter Matthew Robbins had penned the pivotal moments of his movie life, he might not have come up with anything better than the reality. Robbins fell in love with movies in Paris while studying abroad alongside his college roommate, future editing legend Walter Murch. After writing Steven Spielberg’s debut theatrical feature (The Sugarland Express) and directing the fondly remembered 1980s fantasy films Dragonslayer and *batteries not included, Robbins found himself in Guadalajara, Mexico as part of a program to mentor aspiring filmmakers. He was assigned a 29-year-old with a fondness for insects and ghost stories named Guillermo del Toro. […]
by Matt Mulcahey on Oct 26, 2015 -
Trailer Watch: Guillermo del Toro’s Crimson Peak
Referring to an unreleased film as an “ultimate masterpiece” in its first trailer is an interesting marketing tactic, to be sure — especially when its maker’s resume is chockfull of blockbusters. But Guillermo del Toro and Co. have more or less thrown down the gauntlet in this bumper for Crimson Peak, which sees him returning to the fantastical horror of his 2006 breakout, Pan’s Labyrinth. Starring the appealing trio of Mia Wasikowska, Tom Hiddleston and Jessica Chastain, the film unfolds in an intricate and gothic mansion, that appears to be home to more than a few types of skeletons. Crimson Peak will be released by Universal Pictures on […]
by Sarah Salovaara on Feb 13, 2015 -
Super 8
1. Elevision Currently in beta, the short film download site Elevision (elevision.com) is the brainchild of former Wholphin creative director Malcolm Pullinger and Vimeo founder Jake Lodwick. It has a highly curated slate, with quirky titles like Quentin Dupieux’s Wrong Cops: Chapter One and The Arm, co-written and co-directed by Brie Larson. There’s also an embarrassment of riches from “25 New Faces” alums, including Palimpsest (Michael Tyburski and Ben Nabors), Rougarouing (Donal Mosher and Michael Palmieri), A Chjàna (Jonas Carpignano), Pioneer (David Lowery) and Life and Freaky Times of Uncle Luke (Jillian Mayer and Lucas Leyva). 2. Marmoset Portland’s indie […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Oct 21, 2013
