A critical study of the work of the Mexican director and producer Guillermo del Toro.

A critical exploration of one of the most exciting, original and influential figures to emerge in contemporary film, Guillermo del Toro: Film as Alchemic Art is a major contribution to the analysis of Guillermo del Toro's cinematic output. It offers an in-depth discussion of del Toro's oeuvre and investigates key ideas, recurrent motifs and subtle links between his movies. The book explores the sources that del Toro draws upon and transforms in the creation of his rich and complex body of work. These include the literary, artistic and cinematic influences on films such as Pan's Labyrinth, The Devil's Backbone, Cronos and Mimic, and the director’s engagement with comic book culture in his two Hellboy films, Blade II and Pacific Rim. As well as offering extensive close textual analysis, the authors also consider del Toro's considerable impact on wider popular culture, including a discussion of his role as producer, ambassador for ‘geek' culture and figurehead in new international cinema.

"As a scholar of del Toro myself, [after reading Film as Alchemic Art] I found my understanding of this filmmaker enriched by readings of his works that I had never considered and furthermore, my comprehension of contemporary auterism expanded. [...] McDonald and Clark's book lays a solid foundation for whatever work may follow in this impressive and comprehensive reading of del Toro's cinema." - Cinema Journal