On adapting other peoples' work: "Once the material is out, it belongs to all of us." And: "Adapting material is like marrying a widow. You have to be very respectful of the late husband's memory, but at some point you've gotta fuck."

The Science of Fairy Tales: An Inquiry into Fairy Mythology by Edwin Sidney Hartland, published in 1891, is the book that most influenced the Strain Trilogy (though it sounds like it's influenced a lot of del Toro's other stuff, too; it's available online for free.) "I needed to make Pan's Labyrinth feel like a real fairy tale... like it was ancient," del Toro said. "I think everything I write is a fairy tale, to a degree." Chapters of The Science of Fairy Tales include "Changelings," "Swan-Maidens," "Robberies form Fairyland," no fewer than three chapters on "The Supernatural Lapse of Time in Fairyland," "Fairy Births and Human Midwives," and, naturally, "Fairy Births and Human Midwives (Continued)." The first line from the book's preface:

The chief object of this volume is to exhibit, in a manner acceptable to readers who are not specialists, the application of the principles and methods which guide investigations into popular traditions to a few of the most remarkable stories embodying the Fairy superstitions of the Celtic and Teutonic peoples.

On writing: "If you get bored with nothing to do, you are not a writer." "We are in the business of reproducing reality from nothing. We are the biggest liars in the world, seeking truth." There will be a collection of his short fiction published, at some point, by Harper Collins.

He thanks people for listening to his DVD commentaries. He prepares his DVD and Blu-ray special features "very carefully" so that they're "as educational as possible." "DVDs are the most democratic way to teach film."

He's been wanting to make At the Mountains of Madness for 30 years; it was the first film he ever wanted to make. Lovecraft, he says, writes about "the existential insignificance of man in the universe."

"We fear the dark. Make no mistake about it: You can drive your Prius and and type on your iPad, but if we leave you in the dark, you will shit your pants."

At one point, a guy gets up to give del Toro some concept art he's drawn. He wants a job working on At the Mountains of Madness. Del Toro takes it, flips through it, says he likes it, asks if the guy's contact info is inside. Later, a kid asks how he can audition to be in At the Mountains of Madness. Del Toro says they'll probably shoot in Vancouver, "so it's not too far," tells the kid to email him at his personal address, and says he'll write back and let him know when auditions start. Later, an exceedingly nervous girl tells del Toro that his elaborate notebooks inspired her to start documenting her dreams. She's made a copy of these drawings for del Toro, she says, and would like to give it to him. He gladly accepts, thanking her and noting, "I show my dreams to everyone."

At the Mountains of Madness will be in 3D. So will his pal Alfonso Cuarón's next movie. 3D is no longer a gimmick.

"If you're not operating on an instinctive level, you're not an artist." Later: "Reason over emotion is bullshit, absolute bullshit." And: "We suffocate ourselves in rules. I find fantasy liberating."

"We live in a world that creates impossible standards... I say to all of that, 'Screw you and die.' We should celebrate imperfection, because that's the one thing all of us can achieve."