Though Guillermo del Toro took Hollywood by storm with movies like Hellboy and Pacific Rim, he truly made his mark with gothic indies like the Oscar-winning Pan's Labyrinth and the sumptuous Crimson Peak. Now he's back with The Shape of Water, another intimate look at the inner lives of monsters and the humans who love them.

Anyone who has been immersed in del Toro's lush, magical films knows he's a master of design, especially when it comes to creatures. Nearly all of his movies deal with the idea that monsters are better people than their human counterparts, and he always manages to get us to identify with giant hellbeasts and gore-soaked ghosts. Though del Toro's monsters have always been mesmerizing and gorgeous, The Shape of Water is the first of his movies to deal overtly with a human falling in love with one of these otherworldly creatures.

Like Pan's Labyrinth and Crimson Peak, The Shape of Water is also a period piece. Set in the early 1960s during the Cold War, it's about Elisa (Sally Hawkins), a mute janitor working at what seems to be a top-secret government facility. She's assigned to clean a lab where the government has imprisoned a beautiful, intelligent fish-like man (Doug Jones), sort of a glimmering cross between the Creature from the Black Lagoon and Aquaman.

Slowly, Elisa gains the creature's trust by feeding him and playing him music. From the trailer, it's clear that she's fallen in love with the fish creature, but we aren't sure whether he reciprocates. When the evil government scientists decide to dissect the creature, however, Elisa has to go rogue. What's appealing here, other than del Toro's incredible style, is the ambiguity of Elisa's relationship with the monster. What draws them together? Is she really connecting with him, or is human desire completely incomprehensible to him?

This flick looks like a terrific psychological drama, and a tragic love story with monsters. What could be better?

The Shape of Water hits theaters December 8.

Listing image by Fox Searchlight