The 10 Creepiest Creatures In Guillermo Del Toro Movies, Ranked

Guillermo del Toro’s latest Netflix series was recently released and features some creepy creatures that only the mastermind of horror could summon. The Horror Writer’s Latest Offering, Guillermo del Toro’s Chamber of Curiosities, reinvents classic Gothic work and introduces many new horrors.

Del Toro’s reputation is built on the inventive and interesting creatures that adorn its fantastical worlds. It just isn’t a Guillermo del Toro movie without terrifying and mystical beings, but some of them are scarier than others.

10/10 Hellboy – Hellboy (2004)

hellboy is a 2004 fantasy film based on the comic book character of the same name and starring Ron Perlman and Selma Blair. This supernatural superhero film would be unrecognizable without its demonic star.

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While Ron Perlman’s Hellboy is iconic, thanks in no small part to the memorable fiendish character design, his larger-than-life personality isn’t as frightening as del Toro’s other creations. Between the original film and the 2019 reboot, Hellboy is a memorable creature, but he doesn’t instill fear.

9/10 Amphibian Man – The Shape of Water (2017)

The winner of the best picture 2018 The shape of the water follows the mute Elisa who falls in love with an amphibian-like creature while working for a secret government agency. This movie monster’s ethereal quality is both beautiful and frightening, reminiscent of movie monsters of yore like Creature from the Black Lagoon.

The monster at the center of this love story between species had to look scary yet beautiful, and Guillermo del Toro succeeded. The monster, while slimy and amphibious in design, was also an ethereal and majestic creature from the deep. Capitalizing on actor Doug Jones’ characteristic height and slender frame, the team were able to turn the monster into a sympathetic love interest.

8/10 The Faun – Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)

pan, off Pan’s Labyrinth, sends Ofelia on her adventure course, and as the film’s namesake, he’s incredibly well-known to fans. His practical character design is a marvel, but he’s both beautiful and terrifying.

The faun’s alluring and eerie character design gives the impression that this creature is both alien and familiar. With a clear mythological influence, the faun’s beauty and decay, from his snarling posture to his ability to mold himself into the ancient trees around him, make him sinister but less frightening than others.

7/10 Knifehead – Pacific Rim (2013)

2013 Pacific Rim is del Toro’s modern science fiction monster film starring Charlie Hunnam about humans at war with colossal sea monsters. The heroes of the film fight with giant humanoid robots against the sea monsters that emerge from a portal from the depths of the Pacific Ocean. One of the scariest creatures is a kaiju, called a knifehead.

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The titanic terror’s conceptual design is exceptionally strong with a long, broad, knife-like nose towering over the ocean waves. It easily cuts through the armor of opposing forces and is a terrifying sight when it comes out of the ocean without warning.

6/10 Ghost Spirits – Crimson Peak (2015)

This 2015 gothic romance is a horror film that disappointed the Redditors but is still worth checking out for fans of del Toro’s work. In it, Tom Hiddleston and Mia Wasikowska play a newly married couple in Edwardian England who find haunted creatures in their home. The film features creatures that are simpler in design but no less atmospheric.

The ghostly spirits of Crimson Peak could have been transparent apparitions, but instead they were tangible expressions of the pain they bore in their deaths. All ghosts are bloody in color, frozen in a half-bloody state, and eternally tormented. The ghost designs are original and this particular design makes them appear more than just passive but absolutely terrifying souls of the dead.

5/10 Sammael – Hellboy (2004)

An interesting character design to add to del Toro’s creature repertoire was Sammael, the demonic dog that Hellboy encounters in the sequel. When Hellboy seemingly defeats Sammael, he learns that every time the dog is killed he must destroy a pile of eggs.

Sammael might not be del Toro’s most memorable creature design, but the incredible practical effects of use speak to how realistic the design is. The saber-toothed creature has similar horned tusks and a seemingly impenetrable appearance that adds to the fear factor.

4/10 Reaper – Blade II (2002)

While vampires in movies like dusk Ethereal, romantic and likeable, The Reapers by the blade Sequel showed that vampires can also be downright scary. These vampires are more than a regular bloodsucker, and they bite more too.

The Reapers have a uniquely fearsome design, with horrific mandible-like mouths containing rows of venomous fangs and long tongues. Gone is the trapped humanity in these monsters as they are far more powerful, with immunity to garlic, silver, and a fondness for humans and other vampires alike.

3/10 The Judas Race – Mimic (1997)

The insect-like creatures at the center of one of del Toro’s earlier films, 1997 mimic weren’t his most popular, but his creature work was disturbing nonetheless. The invading bugs known as the Judas Breed are among the scariest.

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Many are afraid of insects, so the Judas Breed’s huge, detailed design was a disgusting intruder that struck viewers near its home. The realistic elements of the Judas race were perhaps the scariest trait, as they evolved enough to mimic humans and grow to human size.

2/10 The Pale Man – Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)

In this adapted fairy tale film, Ofelia is sent by Pan to retrieve an item and is instructed to do so without waking up a terrifying creature. The Pale Man is exactly the sort of child-eating monster a young girl would encounter in a grand quest, and his character design is extraordinarily terrifying Pan’s Labyrinth.

As if the mute, seated, shriveled figure weren’t unsettling, the moment The Pale Man awakens in Ofelia’s presence is pure nightmare fuel. The stark white sagging skin with eyes in the palms is a deceptively simple design, but no less terrifying as it represents greed and gluttony. Coupled with a voice that includes the sound of screaming children and a penchant for flesh and blood, this is one of del Toro’s creepiest creatures.

1/10 The Angel of Death – Hellboy Two: The Golden Army (2008)

The fantastic characters from Del Toro’s mind are rarely as terrifying as the Angel of Death in Hellboy 2: The Golden Army. In a scene in the sequel, Hellboy encounters the personification of the angel, who has the flashiest design of any character in his films to date.

With a dozen eyes spread over two wings, skeletal features, and a cracked crest above the head where eyes would be, the angel paints a very menacing figure. Despite only a few minutes of screen time, the angel’s design is both memorable and terrifying, with a stillness and grace that contrasts the weirdness of his facial features. Viewers can truly feel that this creature represents death, decay, and haunted beauty.

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