Guillermo del Toro’s dark fairy tale about a mute janitor and a captive sea creature.

Entertainment · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Set in 1962, this romantic fantasy follows a lonely woman who discovers a humanoid amphibian at a secret government facility. Beyond its visual splendor, the film explores themes of otherness and trust, ultimately becoming a rare fantasy winner for Best Picture at the 90th Academy Awards.

Guillermo del Toro conceived the film after reflecting on his childhood desire to see the creature from the 1954 classic Creature from the Black Lagoon find love. He envisioned a story where the monster and the woman end up together, a concept he unsuccessfully pitched to Universal years earlier. When he finally brought the project to life in 2017, he chose to set the narrative in 1962 to create a fairy tale for troubled times, allowing audiences to engage with modern issues like prejudice and fear of the unknown without feeling defensive.

The production was a massive collaborative effort, filmed in Ontario, Canada, throughout late 2016. Sally Hawkins, whom del Toro had in mind for the lead role since 2014, portrays the mute protagonist, Elisa. To prepare for the silent performance, she studied the work of legendary physical comedians like Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. Doug Jones, a frequent collaborator of the director, played the Amphibian Man, spending hours in the studio to develop a movement style that felt both animalistic and regal.

The film’s score, composed by Alexandre Desplat, was designed to evoke the sensation of floating. Desplat avoided giving the villain, Colonel Strickland, a musical theme, instead focusing on melodies that mimic the movement of water. This artistic choice contributed to the film's critical success, earning it an Academy Award for Best Original Score. Despite facing legal challenges regarding its originality, the estate of playwright Paul Zindel eventually acknowledged that claims of plagiarism were unfounded, confirming del Toro as the sole creator.

Financially and critically, the film was a triumph, grossing over $195 million worldwide. It achieved a rare feat by winning Best Picture at the 2018 Oscars without securing any awards for acting or screenplay, a milestone not reached by a winner since 1986. It remains one of the few fantasy films to ever claim the industry's highest honor, solidifying its place as a modern masterpiece of genre cinema.

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