When it comes to borrowing movie recommendations from Hollywood’s most renowned directors, Guillermo del Toro is the one to be standing somewhere near Quentin Tarantino and Martin Scorsese.

Like his fellow filmmakers, del Toro has never been too shy to name his favorite movies, especially since the director’s love for compelling fantasy dramas left many wondering what his personal taste was like.

However, it might be surprising for some to find out that del Toro is actually very much into tough criminal dramas — specifically, into Martin Scorsese’s 1990 hit movie.

Guillermo del Toro Says ‘Goodfellas’ Is “Perfect in Every Aspect”

• On Rotten Tomatoes, Goodfellas has scores of 94% and 97% from critics and audiences
• On IMDb, the movie is rated 8.7/10

The director’s top picks among movies haven’t been a secret ever since he revealed some of his personal favorites for the Sight and Sound poll back in 2012.

Among those are Charles Chaplin’s iconic movie City Lights, James Whale’s Frankenstein and the Coen Brothers’ No Country for Old Men, but also Martin Scorsese’s 1990 cult classic criminal drama Goodfellas starring Robert De Niro.

“One of the most influential films of the last two decades. A movie that can be rewatched endlessly and remain fresh and surprising. Perfect in every aspect, behind and in front of the camera”, del Toro commented on his choice back then.

Guillermo del Toro’s ‘Frankenstein’ Isn’t a Horror Movie Many Hoped to See

Despite being based on Mary Shelley’s pretty intimidating story of the same name, del Toro’s Frankenstein will lean more into its narrative’s emotional aspect rather than jump-scares.

“Somebody asked me the other day, does it have really scary scenes?For the first time, I considered that. It’s an emotional story for me. It’s as personal as anything. I’m asking a question about being a father, being a son… I’m not doing a horror movie — ever. I’m not trying to do that”, the director revealed during an interview at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival (via Variety).

The movie, however, will still be a faithful adaptation, starring Oscar Isaac as Victor Frankenstein and Jacob Elordi as the mad scientist’s infamous monster.

Frankenstein will premiere at the upcoming Venice International Film Festival and will be released on Netflix sometime in November.