A collection of books recommended by Guillermo del Toro
Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro is one of cinema’s most fantastical directors, indulging in vivid worlds that blend monstrosity and fantasy. Mixing a sense of childlike wonder with an exploration of the harshness of the real world, del Toro’s work is hauntingly beautiful.
Del Toro has always used fantasy and horror to convey broader socio-political themes, which are apparent in all of his movies. He once explained during an interview with Time: “Much like fairy tales, there are two facets of horror. One is pro-institution, which is the most reprehensible type of fairy tale: Don’t wander into the woods, and always obey your parents. The other type of fairy tale is completely anarchic and anti-establishment.”
Some of del Toro’s best-known movies include The Devil’s Backbone, Hellboy, Pan’s Labyrinth, Pacific Rim and The Shape of Water. The filmmakers’ penchant for horror, fairytales, and science-fiction comes from a lifelong obsession with otherworldly stories and ideas. From a young age, del Toro has consumed literature regarding such themes, influencing his filmmaking approach.
He cites many books as sources of inspiration, with many providing obvious sources of reference for del Toro. For example, The Neverending Story by Michel Ende, published in 1979, bears apparent similarities to Pan’s Labyrinth, with Ende’s story revolving around a boy who escapes into the magical world of Fantastica. The director once Tweeted about the book, calling it “magnificent.”
Elsewhere on the platform, del Toro called The Vampire, His Kith and Kin “one of the most engrossing books ever written on vampiric anthropology”. The book, penned by Montague Summers and published in 1928, sees the author contemplate the meaning and existence of vampires, with del Toro calling it a “fundamental” read.
Similarly, del Toro cites A Dictionary of Symbols by Juan Eduardo Cirlot as a necessary addition to his bookshelf. He called it a “vital book,” adding: “It helps me interpret paintings, cipher and decipher art and view the world.”
The short story collection The Gods of Pegāna by Lord Dunsany, penned in 1905, is also personally recommended by del Toro. The rare book is known for its strangeness, something that the director is certainly a fan of. He Tweeted: “His very first, miraculous, book. Dunsany is a poet, a conjurer and a master fantasist.”
Discover a collection of books recommended by del Toro below.
Guillermo del Toro’s favourite books:
- The Neverending Story – Michael Ende
- Day of the Triffids – John Wyndham
- The Chrysalids – Wyndham
- The Midwich Cuckoos – Wyndham
- Printer’s Error: Irreverent Stories from Book History – Rebecca Romney
- Stinger – Robert R. McCammon
- The Vampire, His Kith and Kiss – Montague Summers
- The Book of Three – Lloyd Alexander
- The Gods of Pegāna – Lord Dunsany
- A Dictionary of Symbols – Juan Eduardo Cirlot
- Dangerous Visions – Harlan Ellison
- Heavenly Bodies: Cult Treasures and Spectacular Saints from the Catacombs – Paul Koudounaris
- The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation – Ollie Johnston
- The Arrival – Shaun Tan
- The Lost Thing – Tan
- Making Movies – Sidney Lumet
- The Book of Monelle – Marcel Schwob
- The BOOK OF JOB – Stephen Mitchell
- Serenade – James M. Cain
- Pet Sematary – Stephen King
- Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things – Lafcadio Hearn
- Frankenstein – Mary Shelley
- Hitchcock – Francois Truffaut
- Fevre Dream – George R. R. Martin
- Sandkings – Martin
- The Vampire Tapestry – Suzy McKee Charnas
