Guillermo del Toro has long since earned the title of Honorary Torontonian. From shooting many of his films in the city, including Crimson Peak and Oscar-winning The Shape of Water, to advocating for the survival of the Revue Cinema when its doors threatened to close last year, the Mexican director is proudly fond of the film industry here. This summer, he's returning to Toronto to host a horror-themed lecture series titled "From Rabid to Skinamarink: Canadian Movie Madness," which will be taking place from July 9 to 13 at the TIFF Lightbox.
The series will run as part of TIFF's Cinematheque programme, celebrating Canadian horror with a slate of iconic films handpicked by del Toro himself. The gothic auteur will school audience members on frightening flicks such as David Cronenberg's body-horror classic Rabid (1977) and Vincenzo Natali's sci-fi thriller Cube (1997). The three other films filling out the programme are John Fawcett's coming-of-age nightmare Ginger Snaps (2000), Bruce McDonald's zombie thriller Pontypool (2008) and Kyle Edward Ball's recent directorial debut Skinamarink (2022).
Before del Toro graces the TIFF Lightbox, you can catch a free outdoor screening of The Shape of Water on July 8, curated by TIFF in celebration of their 50th anniversary this year and as part of the Harbourfront Centre's "free flicks" summer series.