With a deep and abiding love of cinema, a penchant for making bold artistic choices, and just a pinch of what medical professionals refer to as “batshit insanity,” Guillermo del Toro has proven himself to be one of the most dynamic and compelling filmmakers working today. Beginning with his 1993 feature film debut Cronos, del Toro has developed a reputation for creating visually stunning filmic worlds with lush visuals and oddball characters — often inspired by his passion for dark fantasy, gothic literature, and comic books. And these days, having such a distinct cinematic point of view is becoming increasingly rare. His latest film, Crimson Peak, hit theaters this weekend and threw audiences for a loop once more. While many were expecting a horror film based on the marketing, del Toro’s film is a finely crafted throwback to the films of yesteryear, a lurching, creeping fable of love, loss, and vengeance — with more than a few ghosts and ghouls sprinkled in for good measure.

However, Crimson Peak isn’t the only thing in del Toro’s life filled with ghosts; his career is, as well. That isn’t to say the undead tend to lurk about in his films (they do), but rather to point out that del Toro is one of the most prolific creators in Hollywood and, as a result, he could raise an army of skeletons from the bones of his dead projects. Were I a necromancer myself, I would raise more than a few of these from the dead (*cough, cough* At the Mountains of Madness), but I failed AP Blood Sacrifice, so here we are. Instead, on today’s episode of The Dan Cave, I’ll take you through a tour of what might have been as we look at 7 Guillermo del Toro movies that almost happened…but then never came to pass.

Which stalled-out Guillermo del Toro project would you most like to see come to fruition? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Want even more movies that never happened? Here are 9 Marvel movies that almost got made.

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Editor’s note: Nerdist Industries is a subsidiary of Legendary Digital Networks