Guillermo del Toro’s Chilling Night in a Haunted New Zealand Hotel
Ghost/Paranormal
Sunday 1st, December 2024
Acclaimed Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro, known for his work on The Shape of Water, Pan's Labyrinth, and The Devil’s Backbone, recently recounted a spine tingling encounter during a visit to New Zealand. The director, renowned for his fascination with the supernatural, found himself genuinely unnerved by an experience that has stayed with him for years.
The incident occurred while del Toro was scouting locations for The Hobbit, a project he eventually left. During his trip, he visited Waitomo, a region famous for its glowworm caves and rural charm. Del Toro chose to stay at a historic hotel known for its paranormal reputation. Opting for a room reputed to be haunted, he hoped to experience something unusual firsthand.
“I had read that there was an old hotel which had a haunted room”, he said. Del Toro, always curious about the mysterious, booked the room and settled in for the night.
Later that evening, while watching The Wire on DVD, he heard an unsettling noise. “It was a woman shrieking... horrible blood-curdling shrieks”, he recalled. The chilling sounds continued, joined by what he described as “a man sobbing and sighing with great regret”.
The noises persisted for over five minutes, prompting del Toro to investigate. “I was able to actually track the sounds to the bathroom”, he explained. “I tracked them to a vent above the toilet, which went down into the cellar”.
He noted the absence of any atmospheric conditions typically associated with ghostly encounters. “I was not in the middle of a seance, and it wasn’t a stormy night. It was completely inauspicious conditions for a ghost apparition”.
Despite his rational approach to identifying the source of the sounds, del Toro admitted the experience left him shaken. Unable to sleep for the rest of the night, he spent the hours awake in discomfort.
Del Toro’s encounter highlights how even a master of cinematic horror can be unsettled by real-life events. Though he didn’t elaborate on whether the experience changed his beliefs, it undoubtedly added a personal touch to his deep interest in the supernatural.
The incident occurred while del Toro was scouting locations for The Hobbit, a project he eventually left. During his trip, he visited Waitomo, a region famous for its glowworm caves and rural charm. Del Toro chose to stay at a historic hotel known for its paranormal reputation. Opting for a room reputed to be haunted, he hoped to experience something unusual firsthand.
“I had read that there was an old hotel which had a haunted room”, he said. Del Toro, always curious about the mysterious, booked the room and settled in for the night.
Later that evening, while watching The Wire on DVD, he heard an unsettling noise. “It was a woman shrieking... horrible blood-curdling shrieks”, he recalled. The chilling sounds continued, joined by what he described as “a man sobbing and sighing with great regret”.
The noises persisted for over five minutes, prompting del Toro to investigate. “I was able to actually track the sounds to the bathroom”, he explained. “I tracked them to a vent above the toilet, which went down into the cellar”.
He noted the absence of any atmospheric conditions typically associated with ghostly encounters. “I was not in the middle of a seance, and it wasn’t a stormy night. It was completely inauspicious conditions for a ghost apparition”.
Despite his rational approach to identifying the source of the sounds, del Toro admitted the experience left him shaken. Unable to sleep for the rest of the night, he spent the hours awake in discomfort.
Del Toro’s encounter highlights how even a master of cinematic horror can be unsettled by real-life events. Though he didn’t elaborate on whether the experience changed his beliefs, it undoubtedly added a personal touch to his deep interest in the supernatural.
