Guillermo del Toro is hosting a horror film festival in Toronto this summer

World-famous director Guillermo del Toro is hosting a brand-new Canadian horror film festival in Toronto this summer.

You can't spell Toronto without Toro, and, at this point, the Oscar-winning director of The Shape of Water and Pan's Labyrinth, Guillermo del Toro, is right up there with Drake in terms of publicly expressing his love for the city.

From shouting out local businesses like Meeplemart, Vinegar Syndrome and Acadia Bookstore to frequenting restaurants like Hastings Snack Bar and Pai, the Guadalajara-born director and longtime Toronto resident never shies away from his passion for the city and Canada at large.

Now, he's taking things to the big screen with a brand-new horror film festival running from July 9 to 13, entitled From Rabid to Skinamarink: Canadian Movie Madness, and it's all taking place at the TIFF Lightbox.

The showcase features a lineup of films by Canadian filmmakers handpicked by del Toro himself, including David Cronenberg's Rabid (1977), Vincenzo Natali’s Cube (1997) and Kyle Edward Ball's directorial debut Skinamarink (2022).

Expect everything from creepy camp to downright bone-chilling as Guillermo del Toro explains and breaks down the tropes, tactics and thrills that make a great horror flick. 

To make things even spookier, TIFF and the Harbourfront Centre have also teamed up with del Toro to host a special screening of The Shape of Water to kick off their season of free outdoor movie screenings on July 8.

Tickets to the film series go on sale to TIFF members on June 11 and to the general public on June 13, and if you have a strong stomach and a high tolerance for jump scares, you'll want to hop on that ASAP.