Guillermo Del Toro is one of fantasy cinema`s great modern directors. From acclaimed Spanish language movies such as The Devil`s Backbone and Pan`s Labyrinth to high profile Hollywood blockbusters like Pacific Rim and Hellboy films, Del Toro`s gift for imaginative, exciting, scary, and often deeply moving cinema is unrivalled. He`s also delivered some of the most memorable monsters of recent times too. By tapping into the great tradition of movie creatures that goes back to the likes of Frankenstein and Creature From the Black Lagoon, Del Toro has ensured that his creations are a vital part of his storytelling and frequently unlike anything we`ve seen on screen before.His latest movie, The Shape of Water, is another masterpiece. Part period drama, part sci-fi thriller, part offbeat love story, it features another fantastic monster creation, played by the director`s regular creature collaborator, Doug Jones. So with the film nominated for 13 awards at the upcoming Oscars, let`s take a look at some of the other amazing monster creations in Del Toro`s filmography. 12. Cathedral-Head (Hellboy II: The Golden Army, 2008)Hellboy II is packed with weird and wonderful monstrous creations; so many that some of the best are on screen only fleetingly. Cathedral-Head is one of Del Toro`s most hilariously odd creatures. He runs a map shop in the Troll Market, and yes, has a cathedral for a head. Del Toro originally planned an even more lavish design for this creation: `Originally the idea was to have little humans running around the ramparts,` he said. `But the budget wouldn`t allow it.` 11. Karl Ruprecht Kroenen (Hellboy, 2004)Although Kroenen appeared in Mike Mingola`s Hellboy comics, he was dramatically reworked by Del Toro into the one of the first movie`s main bad guys. On the page he`s just a scientist in a gasmask, but on screen he became--to use Del Toro`s words--a `mechanical clockwork Nazi zombie.` We approve. 10. The Last Elemental (Hellboy II: The Gold ...
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