The road leading to this moment has been a long one for acclaimed genre director Guillermo del Toro, but he’s finally getting his much-deserved due with his own star on the prestigious Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles’s famed Hollywood Boulevard strip, which acknowledges his vast contributions to the entertainment industry.

The awards portion of the ceremony was presided over by singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey, and director/producer J.J. Abrams, who is a self-proclaimed life-long fan of del Toro and his work (aren’t we all?). Watch the full ceremony above, courtesy of Variety.

To everyone at LATIN HORROR this is an epic moment, as del Toro was the singular original inspiration for creating the site and brand as a means of providing a home for all the Latin creatives working in the genre of horror, who until then had not had a champion advocating for their place in the industry or promoting Latin horror as its own distinct genre. Del Toro’s work gave us the will to take on that challenge ten years ago.

We take a bow in honor of El Maestro…¡Punto!

[su_pullquote]“I don’t believe in magic, but if I can will a little bit of myself here in this ground, I will be here. I will spiritually be here for you anytime you want to come.” — Guillermo del Toro[/su_pullquote]

Born on October 9, 1964 in Guadalajara, Jalisco, México, del Toro started his career as a special effects and makeup as a means of funding his early independent films, and has worked tirelessly to become one of the industry’s most respected creatives, earning two Academy Awards for his work (Best Picture, Best Director, The Shape of Water (2018)). [Full bio]

Del Toro’s next thriller/horror project (as screenwriter/producer), Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, premieres on August 9, 2019. His fan-base is also anxiously awaiting his spin on Carlo Collodi’s morality fable, Pinocchio, which is in pre-production and has a tentative 2021 release date.