5 Best Guillermo del Toro Movies to Stream Before ‘Frankenstein’

There are a number of famous directors whose new movies are cultural events. These are the movies everyone highly anticipates, has high hopes for, and just generally can't wait to watch (or pretend they watched on social media). Whether it’s Christopher Nolan or Greta Gerwig, the biggest directors will always catch our collective attention. That's exactly what Guillermo del Toro does best.

Since making his directorial debut with horror film Cronos in 1993, the Mexican filmmaker has become one of the most renowned, respected, and visionary directors in Hollywood. He has created some of the most celebrated films of all time spanning multiple genres. Whether it's horror, superheroes, action, dark fantasy, or an animated musical, his movies create a whole new world.

Del Toro's latest film, the gothic sci-fi adaptation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, hit theaters in a limited release but arrives on Netflix worldwide for streaming on Friday, Nov. 7. The movie follows up the director's latest Oscar winner and stars Jacob Elordi, Oscar Isaac, Mia Goth, and Christoph Waltz. Before Frankenstein takes on award season, rediscover these del Toro-directed movies on streaming!

1. Hellboy (2004)
2. Pan's Labyrinth (2006)
3. Pacific Rim (2013)
4. The Shape of Water (2017)
5. Pinocchio (2022)

Hellboy (2004)

Before comic book adaptations were reinvented by The Dark Knight and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, they were still a bit campy and corny in the early 2000s (and delightfully so). After stepping in to direct Blade II for Marvel in 2002, del Toro continued to take his own stab at the superhero market with Dark Horse Comics' Hellboy in 2004. Some might have expected the movie to have been panned, especially given the 2004 of it all, but the movie was well received by critics and viewers.

Hellboy earned an 81 percent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and made enough of a splash to spawn the 2008 sequel Hellboy: The Golden Army. (A reboot in 2019 starring David Harbour was a non-starter.) Ron Perlman starred as the titular Hellboy, a demon on investigation attempting to stop paranormal enemies, including one intent on unleashing the apocalypse. Hellboy is worth revisiting before Frankenstein and is currently available to stream on Paramount+.

Pan's Labyrinth (2006)

While much of del Toro's earlier work is also worth checking out if you can get your hands on it, there's one movie in particular that always comes to mind when considering his legacy. That's unequivocally Pan's Labyrinth, the 2006 Spanish dark fantasy movie that earned the writer-director his first Academy Award nomination. The critically acclaimed pic scored del Toro a nomination for Best Original Screenplay, an award he still has yet to win (but he surely will).

Pan's Labyrinth takes place in 1944 (ironically when Hellboy begins) and travels between the real-world experiences of Ofelia in Francoist Spain while tracking her unexpected encounters in the mythical labyrinth full of magical creatures. While del Toro didn't win an Oscar, the movie did win three for art direction, cinematography, and makeup. To relive one of del Toro's most inventive worlds before diving into another, watch Pan's Labyrinth on Tubi.

Pacific Rim (2013)

The especially cool thing about Guillermo del Toro's filmography is how eclectic, diverse, and unpredictable it is. He doesn't stick to one genre or one kind of movie. He can do indie art house movies as well as he can big-budget blockbusters. In 2013, he took on Pacific Rim, which to date has the largest budget of any of his films at $190 million. Making $411 million worldwide, it's deemed a box office disappointment, but it spawned a sequel and remains del Toro's highest-grossing movie.

Pacific Rim looks like it should be based on a comic book, video game, or some kind of source material, but it's based on an original idea by del Toro's co-writer Travis Beacham. In the future, there's an attack from sea monsters leads to the creation of massive humanoid mechas (think Transformers). If you're hoping to sneak in a rewatch of Pacific Rim before Frankenstein, you'll have to hurry before it's removed from Netflix on Oct. 31. After that you'll have to track the action flick down elsewhere.

You May Also Like:

Add Mental Floss as a preferred news source!

The Shape of Water (2017)

If you're going to watch any of the movies that Guillermo del Toro has directed before watching Frankenstein, then you have to have the movie that finally won him his first Academy Award on your watch list. Can you believe it took the talented director and writer until 2018 to take home his first Oscar? Honestly, it couldn't have happened with a movie as innovative and completely del Toro-esque. The Shape of Water instantly became a classic in his filmography.

The Shape of Water was co-written, directed, and produced by del Toro based on a story he created about a mute janitor who happened to fall in love with an amphibian creature. The romantic dark fantasy sure spawned a lot of memes based on that synopsis, but the movie was beloved and ultimately won Best Picture and Best Director. While the movie isn't currently available to watch on a major streaming service, it's worth the rental or purchase for a reminder of del Toro's best work.

Pinocchio (2022)

Before Frankenstein, del Toro's most recent film was also a collaboration with Netflix. In 2022, the then-newly minted Academy Award winner debuted the musical animated feature Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio, which was a reimagining of the story we all know and love from our Disney days. Once again, the film earned del Toro widespread critical and fan acclaim with his darker take on Pinocchio, which was especially earned after the movie took many years to get off the ground.

Pinocchio was a huge hit for Netflix, most especially in terms of award wins. The film snagged a vast number of nominations and wins, ultimately winning Best Animated Feature Film, the top prize for animated movies at the Academy Awards. It's no doubt that between Pinocchio and Frankenstein, del Toro's production deal with Netflix will continue to be fruitful.

This one's the easiest to catch up on before his next project's release, since they're both streaming on the same platform.