Few filmmakers have treated monsters with as much visual reverence as Guillermo del Toro. Across Pan’s Labyrinth, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, The Shape of Water, and Blade II, his creatures rarely feel like conventional horror creations; they are elaborate pieces of visual storytelling, shaped by classical illustrations, mythology, ornamentation, and the textures of the surrounding worlds.

Beauty and grotesqueness often exist side by side in his designs, with every detail, absence, and imperfection carrying its own purpose. And the same thing he did for Blade II, as he took inspiration from World War I for the terrifying Reapers.

Recently, the director shared what exactly went into its creation.

Guillermo del Toro often takes to Reddit to interact with his fans and pour his heart out. In a recent conversation on an r/movies thread, a fan praised his creatures, especially those in Pan’s Labyrinth and Hellboy II, and wondered what his favorites are and what goes on in the filmmaker’s mind when he conjures such striking creatures from his imagination. Naming a few of his favorites, Del Toro shared his inspiration behind the Reapers in Blade II: World War I.

While designing the film’s Reapers, he recalled seeing World War I photograph of people who had lost the lower portions of their faces and jaws. What stayed with him was not simply the gruesome nature of the images, but the unsettling effect of the missing facial features.

"I thought, Oh, the negative space is really scary. In designing, it’s not always what you put in the creature, but what you take out. If you think about it, the fact that the Pale Man has no eyes, and then has eyes in his hand. The Angel of Death has no eyes, but the wings have the eyes. It’s what you don't put where. You have to play with that," he said.

Del Toro’s answer also offered a window into the visual language behind his creatures. He spoke about drawing inspiration from classical illustrators such as Edmund Dulac, Arthur Rackham, and John Bauer, while also incorporating the ornamental traditions of Mexico into his designs. From the Alebrije-like creatures of Pacific Rim to the porcelain-like ghost in The Devil’s Backbone, he explained how texture, decoration, fragility, and even the absence of certain features can make a creature more evocative.

Is 'Pan’s Labyrinth' Available on Netflix? Where to Watch the Guillermo del Toro Horror Classic Online in 2026?

It seems that it is because of that same reverence for visual storytelling that explains why del Toro has become increasingly vocal about protecting the human hand behind the image.

That same reverence for visual storytelling also explains why Guillermo del Toro has become increasingly vocal about the threat AI poses to human creativity. At the BFI America dinner in Hollywood, the filmmaker warned that the growing use of AI could lead to “image illiteracy” and “cinema illiteracy,” as audiences become further removed from the human craft behind what they see.

For del Toro, the concern goes beyond technology replacing artists. He believes images carry an emotional and cultural connection that a machine can not simply replicate, framing visual storytelling as something deeply human. 

Del Toro’s monsters may be born from fear, but their beauty lies in the deeply human imagination behind every detail. From the Reapers to his warning against AI, his work continues to champion the irreplaceable power of human artistry.  

What do you think about Guillermo del Toro's revelation? Let us know in the comments.