for in the absence of God he had found Man. Man killing man, man helping man, both of them anonymous: the scourge and the blessing.

Imagine, there is almost no possibility for a foreign language film to be distributed in America right now. That doesn't just make the industry poorer, it makes the landscape of cinema poorer, in America. The impossibility to get a good release on a really good European, Latin American, Asian movie is a tragedy.

I only produce movies that have something stylistically different, so that I can learn from the experience of producing.

Hellboy is the first movie where both ends of the spectrum are combined

Screenplay is the toughest form of writing for me, because you need to be in present tense. You need to be describing things as they occur.

When I stage a violent scene, I try for it to serve a purpose. I do love those things, the makeup effects. But I love them more with the monsters. I never was much of a gore guy. I've always enjoyed just creating monsters.

If you're doing a big spectacle film, you've got to be mindful of large masses. Even then, you've got to be responsible only to your storytelling.