Wizard Of The Fright

Guillermo del Toro is not just a master of horror. He is an authority creating fascinating journeys based on the world’s history of fear. He speaks exclusively to Maxim about the legends of the genre, the difficulty of showcasing the macabre and his place in the annals of movie making.

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It is said that vincent price hated​ to be the hero of the horror history, because he considered it boring. That Boris Karloff was very worried that his make-up would scare the children who worked with him in his movies. That Alfred Hitchcock was scared of his own movies. And that Tim Burton’s worst fears have been provoked by ordinary, everyday people.

It appears Guillermo del Toro is not an exception to this rule. “I had an awful childhood, emotionally. I was never beaten or locked in closets, but I had a really intense relationship with the horrors of Catholic guilt. My grandmother was like Piper Laurie in Carrie. I was a chubbier version of Carrie. It was hard to come through this,” he says, his face mirroring his intense intent to look inside you.