Sumith Prasad
Directed by Adrian Grünberg, ‘The Black Demon’ is a shark thriller film that revolves around a killer megalodon shark, which is locally known as the Black Demon, that lives in the Sea of Cortez. When Paul Sturges, a safety inspector, arrives at an oil rig located off the coast of Baja, he learns that the Black Demon has been killing the employees at the rig. Upon arriving at the establishment, he meets Toro, the pet of Chato and Junior, the surviving employees working at the rig. If Toro succeeded in captivating you, let us share everything you need to know about Chato and Junior’s canine companion! SPOILERS AHEAD.
Toro is Likely a Real Dog
Although the cast and crew of the film haven’t confirmed that Toro is a real dog, the chances of the pet chihuahua being real are extremely high. The production crew of the film includes an animal wrangler named Lorenzo Rocca and an assistant animal wrangler named Andrea Mendez. Since Toro is the only animal that features extensively in the film, apart from the artificially generated Black Demon, the wranglers might have been employed to look after the dog. Therefore, it is safe to conclude that Toro is a real dog.
As far as director Adrian Grünberg is concerned, Toro is an integral part of the narrative of the film. Through Toro, Grünberg wanted to explore the need for saving a “living element” from the Black Demon in addition to Paul’s family and Chato. The director describes Toro and the shark as “two saving characters” since they are the only “characters that have zero faults” and that “act out of just pure instinct.” Through juxtaposing Toro and the Black Demon, the film showcases how earthly creatures can be a comfort and death sentence.
Toro Does Not Die
Toro is Chato and Junior’s pet dog and the three of them are the only inhabitants of El Diamante. Toro provides comfort and company to the duo, who are forced to accept death and hopelessness due to the existence of the killer shark. Toro is also the one who greets Paul when he enters the rooms at the rig. When he makes plans to save his family and Chato, after the death of Junior, Toro gets included in the same. After Junior’s death, Paul realizes that he has to ensure the safety of the others, even if it means putting his own life on the line.
When Nixon Oil established El Diamante, Paul conducted an inspection and deemed the same unfit for operation. His corrupt superiors, however, didn’t accept the evaluation and forced the inspector to approve the rig by threatening to replace him. A newly-married Paul had to follow the instructions of his superiors, which paved the way for countless deaths in the rig. After Junior’s death, Paul promises to himself that he will do everything he can to save the living beings trapped at the rig, including Toro. He plans to feed a bomb to the Black Demon to kill the sea monster upon coming across one tied to the rig.
Paul then sends his family to the mainland under the care of Chato. When Chato prepares to leave, Toro gets into a bag without even waiting for the former’s order. Chato then closes the bag and carries it with him while sailing to the mainland with Paul’s family on a raft. Paul then ties the bomb to himself and lets the Black Demon swallow him, only for the bomb to explode and kill both of them. Meanwhile, a group of locals spot Chato’s raft and rescue him, Paul’s family, and Toro.
Read More: Is The Black Demon Based on a True Story? Was the Megalodon Real?
