It’s as hard to explain as a sexual proclivity. Some guys like high-heeled shoes. I like horror.
Interpretation
Explaining personal preferences can be complex and subjective.
In this quote, Guillermo Del Toro reflects on the intricate nature of individual tastes and interests, comparing them to unconventional sexual desires. He emphasizes that while some people may find it easy to articulate their preferences, others, like himself with a passion for horror, may find such interests difficult to explain, highlighting the diversity in human appreciation.
In practice
Using the quote in a discussion about the subjectivity of art preferences.
I don't try to sanction other people's joy in monsters. I mean, I think the fact is, humor, fantasy - you know, like fear, desire or laughter - create genres of their own: comedy, melodrama, or erotic films or horror films... The boundaries cannot be defined. It's to each his own.
As a director, I design every movie to be true to itself, and damn it if they like it, and damn it if they don't.
If you ask me, I alternate between truly bizarre, what you would call 'Hollywood' movies and truly bizarre, what you would call 'arthouse' movies.
But I think we are seeing a resurgence of the graphic ghost story like The Others, Devil's Backbone and The Sixth Sense. It is a return to more gothic atmospheric ghost storytelling.
The saddest journey in the world is the one that follows a precise itinerary. Then you're not a traveler. You're a f@@king tourist.
When you start with Super 8, you are everything. You're the DP, the sound man, the effects guy. And what I started understanding, by working for other people, is that the best type of director is someone who rose through the ranks.
When I'm stuck for a closing to a lyric, I will drag out my last resort: overwhelming illogic.
Fantasy is totally wide open; all you really have to do is follow the rules you've set. But if you're writing about science, you have to first learn what you're writing about.
I sometimes have a horrible fear of turning up a canvas of mine. I'm always afraid of finding a monster in place of the precious jewels I thought I had put there!
Once I stop being a citizen of the U.S.S.R., I will not stop being a Russian poet.
In a way, editing is not unlike the movies. The best books, just like the best movies, are a collaboration. They're only as good as the compromise made between the artists involved.
Painting is another form of thinking.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.