<b>Battle of Directors:</b> Guillermo del Toro vs. Sam Raimi

Battle of Directors: Guillermo del Toro vs. Sam Raimi

Battle of Directors is a weekly column that pits two filmmakers against one another, sheds light on their respective filmographies, and then asks readers to state which director they prefer. Thoughtful discourse and discussion is encouraged and desired. Enjoy!

The reasoning behind pairing Guillermo del Toro and Sam Raimi is quite simple: these are two filmmakers who make unique comic-book films, consistently enliven a grating horror genre, and are willing to craft ambitious cinema, even if the end result is a failure.

In the coming months both Rami and del Toro will release their latest endeavors to theaters across the globe. As per usual, they both will be exploring genres previously foreign to them. While I haven’t seen Pacific Rim yet, I can attest to the quality of Oz the Great and Powerful (our review will be running tomorrow morning).

If Raimi continues to makes movies like Oz, an opulent and wondrous escape from reality, then there’s no reason why his career won’t have longevity. We can only hope del Toro has similar luck down the road.

Let the debate begin …

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Eight example films from Sam Raimi:

The Evil Dead

Army of Darkness

Spiderman

For Love of the Game

Spider-Man 2

Drag Me to Hell

Evil Dead II

*Oz the Great and Powerful 

vs.

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Eight example films from Guillermo del Toro:

Pan’s Labyrinth

Cronos

Hellboy

Mimic

Hellboy II: The Golden Army

The Devil’s Backbone

Blade II

*Pacific Rim

…

So which filmmaker do you choose? 

The choice is yours. 

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17 thoughts on “Battle of Directors: Guillermo del Toro vs. Sam Raimi”

  1. I do like Sam Raimi’s work like the first 2 Spider-Man films, Drag Me to Hell, The Gift, A Simple Plan, and The Quick and the Dead though I’m eager to see the entire Evil Dead trilogy. Hopefully in October.

    Yet, I much prefer Guillermo del Toro. I think he’s a much better storyteller and filmmaker. He knows how to create these chilling moments of suspense and horror while infusing with an air of innocence and also is not afraid to be very funny. Plus, I could listen to this man talk about film for endless days. I just love his entire body of work with the exception of Mimic (though I recommend watching the director’s cut which is a bit of an improvement over the original film).

  2. Oof, this is really tough for me. I adore the first two Spider-Man films, the Evil Dead trilogy, and Drag Me To Hell so much. Yet Pan’s Labyrinth trumps all of them. Can’t decide.

  3. Honestly, I actually think del Toro is pretty overrated. HELLBOY 2 is fun, but I don’t get the love for PANS LABYRINTH at all. Raimi on the other had directed DRAG ME
    TO HELL and the EVIL DEAD films, which I adore. So it’s an easy choice for me this week!

  5. I do love the Evil Dead trilogy, but the Spider-Man trilogy doesn’t do much for me. And putting Rami up against del Toro is no competition for me. Del Toro is one of my favorite working directors. Pan’s Labyrinth and Hellboy II are among my personal favorites and I’m looking forward to what he does next much more than I’m looking forward to Rami’s next.

  6. It doesn’t get better than the Evil Dead films, but when it comes to overall quality, Guillermo del Toro is definitely superior.

  8. I thought this would be a no brainer, but looking over Raimi’s work made me think twice. I’m still going with Del Torro, “Pan’s Labyrinth” is immaculate and was the film that got me into movies, but Raimi’s Spider-man films (the first two) are close to my heart.