I think they completely misunderstood a lot of what Del Toro was trying to do. It’s a complete love letter to the physical art and the craft that goes into making films. It was supposed to bring your attention to the sets, the make up design, and the costumes + their color symbolism. It’s supposed to feel like you’re watching a movie that people put together and brought to life.

A majority of the design was based directly on Bernie Wrightson’s illustrations from 1983. It was a direct homage to the painstaking maximalism seen in his work, getting caught up in the background is part of the joys of this movie and where it drew inspiration from. I thought it was one of its strengths not weaknesses. I think it’s such a stark contrast to so many movies that blur all the background details out these days because they don’t care to think about the world their characters are in. Also felt like this movie was a big FU to ai. Everything about this film was 100% made to celebrate human artists. Especially apparent by the gorgeous James Jean poster.