After LA wildfire scare, Guillermo del Toro parts with horror treasures

TORONTO, Sept 12 — Director Guillermo del Toro is facing his own mortality and confronting the reality of frequent natural disasters by auctioning part of his collection of monsters and fantasy objects that are frequently the subject of his gothic films.

After a third of the items in his collection of film mementos and artwork are sold in a three-part auction starting this month, del Toro joked that visitors to his Bleak House collection in suburban Los Angeles wouldn’t be able to tell anything is missing. Still, choosing what to part with was hard.

“I’m not just going to auction things without them hurting a little,” del Toro said in an interview in Toronto, where he lives part time. His latest film Frankenstein screened at the Toronto International Film Festival this week.

Items for sale include concept sketches from his 1992 film Cronos, an original figure of the amphibian from The Shape of Water and two original plates from the adaptation of Frankenstein by Bernie Wrightson.

Items for sale include concept sketches from his 1992 film ‘Cronos’, an original figure of the amphibian from ‘The Shape of Water’ and two original plates from the adaptation of ‘Frankenstein’ by Bernie Wrightson. — Reuters pic

Del Toro, known for blending fantasy and horror in films, says he has been obsessed by Mary Shelley’s novel, first published in 1818, since he was a boy and had always wanted to create his own film version.

Deadly wildfires in Los Angeles earlier this year influenced del Toro’s decision to auction. Friends were able to move about 120 pieces as fires approached. It was the third time fires have threatened Bleak House, which has also survived an earthquake, del Toro said.

“I’m 60. You have to have a plan. These are all my children. I got to make sure they go to good homes,” he said. — Reuters 

The Guillermo del Toro Collection will be offered in a live auction by Heritage Auctions beginning on September 26, 2025. — Reuters pic