BUSAN — Legendary Mexican auteur Guillermo del Toro, renowned for the mythical and grotesque monsters of his films — including his latest work “Frankenstein” — expressed his interest in Korean monsters at the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF).

“I like Korean monsters,” said del Toro at a press conference during the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) held at the Busan Cinema Center in Haeundae District on Friday. The director’s latest horror sci-fi film, an adaptation of American writer Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel of the same name, was invited to the festival.


The director said it is "very hard to talk about Korean monsters" without having much background knowledge on the topic, but he added, "I'm very attracted."

The director shared that he'd received a book from the festival by Kwak Jae-sik titled “Encyclopedia of Korean Monsters” (translated), and also expressed interest in working on a Korean project.

"I thank you for this beautiful book. I would love to produce, I would love to visit, I would love to help Korean cinema,” he said.

However, he added that he would only begin working on a Korean project after thoroughly understanding the subject matter. “I need to talk about what I know better and I know very well,” he explained, citing his familiarity with writer Shelley's work before working on "Frankenstein" and the subject matter for the 2022 live-action adaptation “Pinocchio.”

He also shared his thoughts on Korean films, something he said that he turns to when he wants to feel “a little more alive,” sharing that he watched “Train to Busan” (2016) and “I Saw the Devil” (2010).

“I think Korea and Mexico have many things in common," the director said. "We are very repressed, very drunken and we are attracted to chaos. I like that very much because when we tackle a genre, we tackle it through the prism of our culture."

The Mexican filmmaker also shared his admiration for Korean filmmakers, mentioning Park Chan-wook and Bong Joon-ho.

"I’m in awe of director Bong and director Park because they bring the chaos, the ridiculous, the sublime, the poetic and the horrible, all in the same movie," he said.

Referring to Bong’s 2003 film “Memories of Murder,” he described it as “not an American procedural about a crime” but an “existential deep meditation” featuring “an imperfect investigation by imperfect police that themselves are corrupt.” He also praised Bong’s monster designs, bringing up “The Host” (2006).

Del Toro also referred to director Park as “one of the most beautiful, desperate existential romantics in cinema.”

“I'm very attracted to their cinema because I see things that are not being done in any other cinema before,” he said, describing Korean cinema as “unique.”

“And the more you become familiar with Korean cinema, the more you see the instincts being very pure and very strong.”

The 30th BIFF kicked off on Wednesday and will run through Sept. 26, with a total of 328 films screening. Numerous programs, special screenings and world premieres are scheduled during the festival, including Korea’s first-ever, sing-along event for Netflix’s hit animated film “KPop Demon Hunters.”


BY KIM JI-YE [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]