Guillermo del Toro has shared a strangely fearless and welcoming attitude towards death during a talk on his 
Netflix movie Frankenstein at the Marrakech Film Festival. Del Toro frequently challenges ideas around life and death in his movies, but what about his own thoughts on the matter? It seems that not only does the Oscar-winning filmmaker have no fear of dying, but he has a good reason for looking forward to it.
As per Variety, del Toro shared his bold and mostly unique view on what it could mean to die. He said:
“Why should you want to live longer? I’m a big fan of death … I think death is really good. I’m certainly looking forward to it, because it’s the day you go, ‘Well, tomorrow I won’t have any problems.’”
Of course, there is no one out there hoping that del Toro’s appointment with the Grim Reaper happens just yet, but it seems that the director is more than happy to meet him when the time comes. It is something that is unavoidable in the end, so perhaps del Toro’s acceptance of the inevitable moment that we all know is coming is simply the easiest way to live life and just go with it when the end does arrive.
Guillermo del Toro Delivered a Heartbreaking Tale of Life and Death in ‘Frankenstein’
When it comes to stories of death, Frankenstein is a tale of death and life that is formed from it, and for del Toro it is a movie he has waited 50 years to make. The visually stunning version of Mary Shelley’s Gothic masterpiece is certainly striking and unlike many adaptations of the well-worn story.
Rather than following the usual approach many Frankenstein adaptations take, with a nuts-and-bolts monster and more horror than tragedy, del Toro brought a “beautiful and emotional” version of the story to life in his 149-minute movie on Netflix, and the 50-year wait paid off massively for both the filmmaker and audiences.
The film was a huge hit on Netflix, holding the top spot on the streamer’s global chart for a lengthy stint, and scoring incredibly well on Rotten Tomatoes. For a story that has been done to death, the critics’ score of 86% was good, but the audience rating of 94% speaks volumes for exactly how well the film connected with viewers. Jacob Elordi’s performance as the Monster easily became the highlight of the film, and has been hailed as Oscar-worthy by many. However, the combination of lavish sets, emotional melodrama, and some stunning performances from the entire cast delivers what, as a whole, is one of del Toro’s most accomplished works, and one that has very quickly found its way into many people’s top movies of the year lists.
- Release Date
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October 17, 2025
- Runtime
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149 Minutes