Guillermo del Toro was born on 9 October 1964.

Del Toro is more than a psychotronic icon. I don’t have a word for it. He even makes great superhero films! I will admit that he picks good superheroes, though. Even his powers may falter under the weight of Thor.

In addition to writing and directing, del Toro has done a magnificent job supporting other artists. My favorite is Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities. Every episode of it is great and “Autopsy” is one of the best things I’ve ever seen.

When I first heard that del Toro was making a filmed version of Frankenstein, I was skeptical. But then I saw the trailer. And I felt a bit silly to have ever doubted.

Obviously, I don’t doubt the brilliance of Guillermo del Toro. But that doesn’t mean I always like his work. I’m not a big fan of dark fantasy. And that includes Pan’s Labyrinth. Not that it’s bad. I don’t think he’s ever done anything that isn’t good. I just don’t connect with it. And frankly, he has stayed away far too long. So I very much welcome Frankenstein.

But I doubt that any film he makes will ever compete with my favorite, The Devil’s Backbone. The film works on so many levels! The truth is, you could take the ghost story out and it would still be an excellent film. Sadly, few people seem to have seen the film. It’s probably because it’s in Spanish.

I highly recommend celebrating Guillermo del Toro’s 61st birthday by watching this film. But make sure you can focus. The film demands and deserves this.

Other 9 October Birthdays and Releases

Filmmakers

• Teruyoshi Nakano (1935-2022): Legendary Japanese special effects director who was dominant from the mid-1970s through the mid-1980s in films like Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla and The War in Space.
• Brian Blessed (1936-): Shakespearean actor who has been in a lot of psychotronic films like Flash Gordon and Cosmic Princess.
• Robert Wuhl (1951-): Character actor known for Batman and Cobb.
• Tony Shalhoub (1953-): Actor best known for the TV show Monk but also a great character actor in a wide variety of films like Barton Fink and Galaxy Quest.
• Scott Bakula (1954-): Actor best known for the TV show Quantum Leap but I quite like him in Necessary Roughness and Major League: Back to the Minors.
• Frank Mancuso Jr (1958-): Producer responsible for several later Friday the 13th films, Species, April Fool’s Day, and more.
• Michael Paré (1958-): Actor known for The Philadelphia Experiment and Bad Moon.
• Chris O’Dowd (1979-): Actor best known for The IT Crowd but he was excellent in Calvary.

Films

• Shanks (1974): A puppeteer can control dead bodies.
• Dead & Buried (1981): Strange deaths are taking place in a sleepy town, which indicate a dark conspiracy.
• The Grim Reaper (1981): Stranded tourists are attacked by a disfigured cannibal.
• Demons 2 (1986): People are trapped in a high-rise filled with demons.
• The Princess Bride (1987): A man returns from his travels to save the woman he loves.
• Alien Terminator (1995): Underground terror.
• Don’t Look Under The Bed (1999): Kids enlist an imaginary friend to fight against a bogeyman.
• Vampyre Tales (2005): Horror-comedy anthology.
• Hallowed Ground (2007): Crazy priest terrorizes a town.
• Splatter Beach (2007): A humanoid monster in the sea develops a taste for humans.
• Wrong Turn 2: Dead End (2007): Reality TV contestents run into a family of cannibals.
• After the Day 2: Before the Knight (2009): Zombie political comedy.
• Eyes of the Woods (2009): A monster hunts teens in the woods.
• The Good Sisters (2009): Good witches confront a new man in town.
• Invisible Sister (2015): A science project goes wrong and wouldn’t you know…

Image cropped from Guilliermo Del Toro by LucaFazPhoto under CC BY-SA 4.0.