I am a gigantic Guillermo del Toro fan, and I was thrilled when I finally got to interview him at Comic-Con last week. Del Toro was at the convention to promote his upcoming gothic romance Crimson Peak. The film takes place in a massive house that “breathes, bleeds…and remembers”, and revolves around an aspiring author who is torn between the love for her childhood friend and the temptation of a mysterious soldier.

During my conversation with del Toro, we talked about where he was in the post-production process, how the film echoes The Devil’s Backbone and Pan’s Labyrinth, the challenges of getting financial backing for a film that isn’t ironic or post-modern, why he’s avoided seeing The Hobbit, if Pan’s Labyrinth is going into the Criterion Collection, updates on Pacific Rim 2, and more.

Watch the interview below. Crimson Peak opens October 16th. You can also watch him playing "Save or Kill" here.

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Guillermo del Toro

  • 0:07 – Where he is in post-production on Crimson Peak.
  • 1:33 – How he test screens a horror film and conveying “that the living are more dangerous than the dead.”
  • 2:50 – How the film echoes The Devil’s Backbone and Pan’s Labyrinth, but it also a classic gothic romance.
  • 4:16 – The challenges of getting backing for a film that isn’t meta or post-modern.
  • 5:21 – What “kink” means within the context of Crimson Peak.
  • 6:18 – How China plays into the story of Pacific Rim 2, and new Jaegers we can expect to see.
  • 8:05 – His thoughts on The Hobbit and why he’s avoided Peter Jackson’s adaptation.
  • 9:33 – If Pan’s Labyrinth might headed to the Criterion Collection.
  • 10:06 – Why he’s done trying to make video games.
  • 11:22 – When and where they plan to shoot Pacific Rim 2.
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Image via Universal