The Devil's Backbone

A beautiful, atmospheric story about a haunted orphanage. To date, I think it's Del Toro's most "complete" film, combining his trademark visuals with a very touching story about war, death, guilt and grief - and ultimately hope.

Like 'Pan's Labyrinth' the story is set against the backdrop of the Spanish civil war (although here the war serves merely as a background noise). The film is so beautifully shot that I would recommend it even to people who don't normally like ghost stories (it does have some scary moments, mind); this one transcends the horror genre. 8 stars out of 10.

In case you're interested in more underrated masterpieces, here's some of my favorites:

imdb.com/list/ls070242495

Some people think horror is about busty teens and young rebels being picked off by mysterious killers or lots of gore from a made up creature. Well this film has neither so stay away.

What you do have is a stunning film with great actors playing real people with real issues. Three or four stories are interwoven perfectly, set off with great imagery...all set around the Spanish civil war and the haunting corridors of an orphanage for abandoned children.

While the film does contain a ghost -the murdered child, Santi- the real horror of the film comes from the greed of certain adults who occupy the orphanage with the children.

This film is intelligent poetry on screen -mortality, love, hate, jealousy, greed and redemption are all explored.

This film puts many films to shame just for having a great story at it's core.

THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE (El Espinazo del Diablo)

Aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Sound format: Dolby Digital

During the Spanish Civil War, a young orphan boy (Fernando Tielve) is sent to an isolated boarding school where he encounters the ghost of a murdered child (Junio Valverde) who warns him of impending disaster...

A masterpiece. Filmed in Spain by writer-director Guillermo del Toro following his unhappy Hollywood debut (MIMIC), this spellbinding melodrama works both as an examination of the political turmoil which characterized the Spanish Civil War, and as a simple ghost story in which a tragic spirit seeks vengeance for a terrible crime. Employing restless camera-work and atmospheric set designs to their best advantage, del Toro visualizes his own script (co-written with Antonio Trashorras and David Muñoz) as the story of a vulnerable child cast adrift in a strange new world, where he must contend not only with everyday problems (such as the school bully, Ínigo Garcés, whose motives are rather more complex than they first appear), but also his frequent encounters with the unhappy ghost, some of which are genuinely unsettling (watch out for the heart-stopping sequence in which Tielve is besieged in a closet by the enraged phantom).

Production values are first-class throughout, ranging from César Macarrón's evocative art direction and Salvador Mayolas' ultra-creepy sound design, through to Luis de la Madrid's crisp editing skills and Javier Navarrete's unforgettable music score. Visual effects and makeup designs are also superb, though deliberately underplayed for maximum emotional effect. The cast is toplined by Spanish movie veterans Marisa Paredes (a favorite of Pedro Almodóvar) and Federico Luppi (CRONOS), and there are impressive turns by Irene Visedo as a young woman whose loyalties are divided by circumstances, and rising star Eduardo Noriega (the Spanish equivalent of Brad Pitt) as Visedo's boyfriend, an orphan-turned-caretaker whose volatile nature leads to a dramatic conclusion, with appalling consequences for everyone around him. Tielve is magnificent as the wide-eyed innocent at the center of the narrative, and Garcés is every bit his equal as the bully who reclaims his dignity during a climactic showdown with the forces of evil. Released around the same time as THE OTHERS (2001) - another Spanish ghost story, filmed in English as a vehicle for Nicole Kidman - THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE was consigned to Art-house distribution by virtue of its status as a subtitled movie and suffered a comparative loss at the US box-office, though del Toro's magical fever dream is unquestionably the better of the two films.

(Spanish dialogue)

A classy Hispanic horror movie finely written by Antonio Trashorras, David Muñoz, and Guillermo Del Toro himself. Set late Spanish Civil War,1936-1939, after his Republican dad dies in battle , 10-year-old Carlos : Fernando Tielve, is left at a desert orphanage. There he faces off a bully boy and suffers bullying and isolation. The orphanage formed by waif pupils is run by a crippled woman named Carmen : Marisa Paredes and a good doctor : Federico Luppi. Both of whom hope to protect their charges from advancing of the Francoist troops. Here is also a nasty, violent janitor : Eduardo Noriega, who mistreats and abuses the innocent childen . But rare happenings occur , as dangers and risks exist inside the brittle sanctuary . As there are chilling rumours around a little boy who was missing. Hence a creepy ghost mystery turns into a terrifying tale concerning opposing forces taking on themselves . At the end concealed passions eventually burst in unexpected and tragic consequences.

A superior psychological thriller with horror and fantastic elements . I filters the traumatic conflict of the Spanish Civil War, though it is partly comprehending eyes of a child. This is a pretty good picture whose methaphorical/poetic messsage glossing on historical and political realities. It contains an impressive and rousing denouement in which Del Toro builds a surprising result with explosive as well as deadly events. It displays vivid performances from the protagonists kiddies, as well as veteran Marisa Paredes giving top-notch acting as the crippled and bitter Principal, Federico Luppi as the kindly professor Casares and Eduardo Noriega as the self-serving and surly janitor. Other secondaries briefly appearing are as follows : Irene Visedo, Francisco Maestre, Berta Riaza and José Luis Lorenzo.

It packs a mysterious and thrilling musical score by Javier Navarrete. Evocative and adequate cinematography by Guillermo Navarro, Del Toro's regular. As well as polished, but subtle FX from Reyes Abades and DDT that also made Pan's labyrinth. This bloody and haunting ghost story was competently directed by Guillermo Del Toro, though direction sluggish, at times. Del Toro is a cinephile who usually shows on his movies , the deep knowledges about film history. He is a fine writer and director with special penchant for fantasy, horror and weird stories. As Guillermo has made successful films, such as Cronos, Pan's labyrinth, Mimic , Hellboy I and II, Blade II, Pacific rim, Crimson peak, The shape of the water, among others. Rating 7/10. Better than average.

'El Espinazo Del Diablo' is set in an orphanage (that beautifully symolizes Spain during the civil war) just before the fall of Catalonia. It works both as a gripping political drama and an engaging ghost story. Del Toro brings cleverly brings the elements of both genres together to tell the story, something he also accomplished in his more recent 'El Fauno del Laberinto' (where he amazingly combines fantasy horror with political drama).

Just like with 'El Fauno del Laberinto', Del Toro has taken care that this film isn't neglected in the aspects of film-making. The cinematography stands out. The yellowish tint stresses on the stifling heat and adds to the deserted isolation of the orphanage. The use of symbolism and riddles is remarkable. The details, e.g. flies buzzing around corpses, dusty atmosphere etc are given considerable attention. Visuals are just as impressive e.g. bloody flying in the air like a part of the wing. Del Toro extracts fine performance from all the actors. Seasoned actors like Federico Luppi, Marisa Paredes and Eduardo Noriega (in a menacing role) are superb to say the least but the child actors too hold their own.

The characters in 'El Espinazo Del Diablo' represent very distinct qualities that make a human nature. For example, Jacinto as the greedy one and Carmen's object of lust, Carlos as the innocent but determined one and Casares as the wise and silent one. In addition to that, the film itself is very poetic and metaphorical. There's a beautiful scene where Casares tells Carlos what a ghost is. Well, I won't say what was told but that was a very powerful scene.

In a nutshell, 'El Espinazo Del Diablo' is a horrifying, tragic but beautiful film. It will provide you with more than what you expect...as long as you don't know what to expect.