...El Orfanato (2007)

A riveting, well-structured story, excellent camera work, and nice sound editing are just the tip of the El Orfanato (The Orphanage) iceberg. It's also an emotional histogram and a paranormal roller coaster as Belen Rueda (in a stunning performance) tries to find her son who has been missing for nine months. Capped by a surprise appearance from a Hollywood legend and presented lovingly by Guillermo del Toro (in the style of his classics Pan's Labrynth and Devil Inside), The Orphanage is unlike anything that's been spewn forth from Hollywood proper and thus is, unfortunately, ripe to be remade and ruined by the latter.

...Hellboy (2004)

Hellboy, based on the comic book of the same name, would be a good movie if it weren't for the rail-thin premise on which director Guillermo del Toro hangs the good acting and great special effects. At times the story bears on the ridiculous and the much-touted humor - espoused in a vacuum by Ron Perlman (as the titular freak) - is predictable and none too funny. I was more tuned in by the end when the story was more about good and evil (with a little love) but I could never get away from the inane Nazi theme.

...Pan's Labrynth (2006)

Pan's Labrynth is an excellent film with a complex script and outstanding performances - especially those by Maribel Verdú, Ivana Baquero, and Sergi López. Guillermo del Toro wrote and directed this fantastical thriller set physically in wartime Spain (around 1944) and thoughtfully in...um...Pan's labrynth. It's a multi-award winner (including three Oscars for art direction, makeup and cinematography) about a young girl and fascism and one of the best films I've seen in years.