Pan's Labyrinth

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 1/21/07 w/ Additional Edits.

Written and directed by Guillermo del Toro, El Laberinto del Fauno (Pan's Labyrinth) is the story of a young 12-year old girl who moves to the countryside with her pregnant-mother and new, militant stepfather. Reveling into a world of fantasy and fairy tales, the girl enters a world where she is the long-lost daughter of a mythic figure where she has to take three tasks to regain a kingdom. A change of pace of sorts into the world of fantasy, del Toro heightens his skill in technical visuals and his gift for storytelling for a film that crosses fantasy and art-house. Starring Ivana Baquero, Sergi Lopez, Ariadna Gil, Maribel Verdu, Roger Casamajor, and del Toro regular Doug Jones. El Laberinto del Fauno is an enchanting, visual spectacle from Guillermo del Toro.

It's 1944 Spain just after the Spanish Civil War where a young, 12-year-old girl named Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) is going to the northern countryside with her pregnant mother Carmen (Ariadna Gil) to meet her new stepfather Captain Vidal (Sergi Lopez). On their way, Carmen gets a little sick as Ofelia finds a stone that looked like an eye and when she placed it onto a statue, an insect-like fairy appears. Arriving onto the house, Vidal meets his wife and stepdaughter as he is trying to rid of the last group of rebels in the mountains. Ofelia meets Vidal's maid Mercedes (Maribel Verdu) and Dr. Ferreiro (Alex Angulo) who realizes that Carmen shouldn't have traveled this late in her pregnancy as Vidal insists that he wants his soon-to-be born son with him. While Vidal and his associates Serrano (Cesar Vea) and Garces (Manolo Solo) plan their attack and await supplies, Carmen now rests as she is feeling ill. Ofelia meanwhile, is amazed by the fairy that she enters into an old, abandoned labyrinth that upon walking into it, she meets a 7-foot tall faun (Doug Jones) where he claims that she looks like the old princess of the underworld. In order to fulfill her rightful place to the underworld, she must fill out three tasks.

On the day Vidal is to have a dinner party, Ofelia uses a mysterious book, given by the faun, to do her first task to feed three stones to a toad underneath an big, old tree that is dying. Through the mud, Ofelia succeeds in her task where she retrieves a gold key. Upon her return, Ofelia learns that Mercedes is a spy who is trying to help her brother Pedro (Roger Casamajor), who is leading the rebels. With her mother ill and becoming increasingly ill due to the pregnancy, she is to be sedated by Dr. Ferreiro as the faun helps Ofelia to give her a mandrake root that will help ease the pain of her mother's pregnancy. For her second task, the faun gives her a chalk to create a magical door into a world with limited time where she must retrieve a gold dagger from a pale man (Doug Jones) who is having a feast. With the help of a few more fairies, Ofelia gets the dagger but ignoring the warning of the faun and the fairies, she eats a couple of grapes that awakes the pale man in which she barely escapes.

The ignored warning upsets the faun who decides to no longer help her and tells her that she will be cursed in the real world while her soul will not return to the underworld. With the resistance growing, Vidal captures a soldier where he finds out that there is more than one spy while he also learns about the mandrake in which, Carmen's ignorance towards magic begins to creates tragedy during the birth of her son. After the birth, Vidal begins to make suspicions towards Ofelia and learns that Mercedes is the spy. Yet, after she escapes with Ofelia in tow, she is captured only to escape again as Ofelia is trapped. The faun reappears with a fairy in giving Ofelia one more chance to complete the final task in which is to take her baby brother and take him to the underworld. Yet, the timing becomes crucial as the rebels take charge where Vidal tries to take control and learn what Ofelia is trying to do with his newborn son.

Given to Guillermo del Toro's fascination with fairy tales and fantasy, El Laberinto del Fauno is truly an adult fairy tale of sorts with some parts that is easily accessible for children. While the film has two different stories, one about the resistance in the post-Spanish Civil War and Ofelia's story, it's balanced to contrast the different worlds. Really, this film is about a young girl trying to escape the real world and try to make something better for herself, her mother and brother, and those who want to find something better. Yet, the background of the Spanish Civil War is handled perfectly through del Toro's script as he reveals the resistance against Fascist Spain where the realities of the times were harsh. The politics of those times isn't what del Toro aims for rather than telling this story of a little girl whose love of fairy tales and fantasy come to life as she brings a bit of hope to people who have seem to lost some faith.

While del Toro's writing is wonderfully told with a balance towards the brutality of war and mysticism of fantasy, it's his directing that really gets both films together. The directing is masterful as he manages to get characters to have their own stories where the parallel to Mercedes and Ofelia are similar since they're two females wanting something better. Though there's a cynicism towards things like magic and fantasy, del Toro offers something that is opposite in which audiences can relate to. Not only is del Toro a very gifted director, which was shown in films like Hellboy and Blade 2, but he knows how to tell stories and give characters moments to shine where there's scenes in which Vidal is paying attention to his broken stopwatch which is a reminder about his own father. The characters are fully-developed including the villainous Vidal who is a bit more complex in terms of his attentive to detail and revealing a bit of his own form of mercy. Overall, the directing and the presentation that del Toro brings is amazing and surpasses the film he's done previously.

Helping del Toro out in his visual presentation is longtime cinematographer Guillermo Navarro. Navarro's visual coloring of blue through many of the film's night sequences, interior and exterior, are exquisite including a few sequences in the rain in the day time mixed in with green and red are wonderful. Even some of the daytime exterior settings are wonderfully shot as Navarro's camerawork is some of the best shots ever shown on film. Production designer Eugenio Caballero does amazing work in not just re-creating the country look of Northern Spain circa 1944 but the designs of the stone statue, the labyrinth, and the world of the pale man. Visual effects supervisors Everett Burrell and Edward Irastorza do great work in the film's design of creatures and fairies to give the film a majestic look of fantasy. Makeup artist Jose Quetglas does some spectacular work in having Doug Jones play both the faun and pale man where the make-up for the creatures is great with help from costume designers Lala Huete and Rocio Redondo for the faun suit including the clothes for the other characters.

Editor Bernat Vilaplana does some wonderful job in the editing including the shift from sequences to sequence where a camera shot would move to something black from one location to a different one. Plus, it's done with great rhythm and style as it's not too fast or too slow while giving takes that make the audience aware of what's going on. Sound designer Martin Hernandez and recordist Miguel Angel Polo do great work in bringing the tense atmosphere of the war and fantasy sequences to add a bit of suspense to a few scenes where the sound work is exquisite. Music composer Javier Navarette brings a wonderfully melodic, enchanting score that plays to the film's fantasy moments with such subtlety while bigger arrangements are done during the film's more intense sequences.

The film's cast is brilliant with notable small performances from Cesar Vea and Manolo Solo as Vidal's associates while Roger Casamajor is great as Mercedes' rebel brother Pedro. Ariadna Gil is great as Carmen, the mother who tries to tell her daughter to grow up from her world of fantasy while dealing with her own pregnancy and pain. Alex Angulo is great as the sympathetic, caring Dr. Ferreiro, who doesn't take side on the war other than he believes that loyalty can be misguided in a crucial scene with Sergi Lopez. Doug Jones is brilliant in his dual role as the pale man and the faun who is complex in his strictness while being a sympathetic figure as Jones brings a lot to role, especially being an American actor having to do the film in Spanish, which he doesn't speak prior to this film. Maribel Verdu of Y Tu Mama Tambien fame gives probably one of her best performances as the maternal Mercedes who cares for Ofelia while having to play servant to Vidal and dealing with her own lack of faith. Verdu goes through the biggest development of character as she has to play spy for the resistance while being a woman who has to do right while trying to believe her lost faith in fantasy.

Sergi Lopez is excellent as the malevolent, strict Captain Vidal with his brutal approach to interrogation and violence while having his own strange beliefs of death and destiny. Lopez adds a lot to a character that could've been a caricature but Lopez's charisma and sadism makes Captain Vidal an unforgettable villain. Finally, there's 12-year old Ivana Baquero in what is truly an amazing performance. Baquero brings a joy and innocence to a girl who has a love for fantasy yet can't help but be in awe of this mysterious world in contrast to what's going on in the real world. Baquero adds a lot to the character as she is trying to help her mother while being aware that her new stepfather is someone she can't accept as her father. She is a truly sincere character as Baquero really brings a lot of compassion and weight to this performance.

El Laberinto del Fauno is truly a majestic, imaginative film from Guillermo del Toro and company. With a great cast led by Ivana Baquero, Sergi Lopez, Maribel Verdu, and Doug Jones, this film truly proves of del Toro's talents as a director. While this film does share similar ideas of bleak worlds with other features like Babel and Children of Men, which is both directed by Mexican directors Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and Alfonso Cuaron respectively. The film del Toro brings is a bit more accessible in the fact that it's a fairy tale of sorts in the way that children and adults can admire. Though, it should be warned that the film does have some graphic violence that might scare children. Yet, this film has made it clear that Guillermo del Toro is becoming a top international director who has helped make Mexico becoming a leading country for cinema. In the end, El Laberinto del Fauno is a must-see for anyone who loves fantasy.

Guillermo del Toro Films: Cronos - Mimic/Mimic (Director's Cut) - The Devil's Backbone - Blade II - Hellboy - Hellboy II: The Golden Army - Pacific Rim - Crimson Peak - The Shape of Water - Nightmare Alley (2021 film) - Pinocchio (2022 film) - The Auteurs #10: Guillermo del Toro

© thevoid99 2012

Cronos

Written and directed by Guillermo del Toro, Cronos is the story of an antique dealer who finds a mysterious object as he becomes its owner as he’s targeted by an American businessman. The film is the feature-film debut of Guillermo del Toro as it marks the start of a glorious career who brings something new to the fantasy genre with a bit of horror in the mix. Starring Federico Luppi, Claudio Brook, Margarita Isabel, Tamara Shanath, and Ron Perlman. Cronos is an entrancing yet spellbinding debut film from Guillermo del Toro.

Jesus Gris (Federico Luppi) is an antiques dealer who has just discovered something from the base of an old angelic statue. Inside the base is a device that looks like an insect as he and his granddaughter Aurora (Tamara Shanath) look into it as it pierces Jesus’ hand. Injured by that device, he remains entranced by it as he uses it again where it made him feel young. When he later finds his store vandalized, Jesus finds a card left by a man he had met a day earlier named Angel (Ron Perlman). Jesus meets Angel who needs the device because his dying uncle Dieter (Claudio Brook) needs it though Angel has no idea what the device does.

After meeting Dieter, Jesus learns that the device has powers revolves around eternal life as it was invented by an alchemist (Mario Ivan Martinez) back in the 16th Century. Jesus refuses to give the device to Dieter as he goes out to a New Year’s Eve party with his wife Mercedes (Margarita Isabel) and Aurora where Jesus encounters a man bleeding. With a taste for blood, Jesus tries to go after the man only to be assaulted by Angel who learns what his uncle wants. With Jesus managing to outwit Angel, he realizes that the device is more trouble than he thought as Angel turns out to be a real threat. With help from Aurora, the two decide to confront Angel and Dieter over the device that has caused a whole lot of trouble.

The film is about a strange, insect-like device with a mysterious creature inside that brings eternal life to whoever uses the device as a kind antiques dealer becomes the new owner. Yet, he would encounter all sorts of trouble as he starts to feel younger and more agile while dealing with an American businessman and his nephew wanting this device. While the idea of eternal life is tempting, it only causes trouble due to the differing motives for the user and the two men that want it.

Guillermo del Toro’s approach to the film isn’t just creating this idea of dark fantasy that revolves around youth. It’s really about the exploration of a man who is tempted with power only to realize that it doesn’t guarantee peace or happiness. While the film opens with a prologue about the alchemist who creates the thing where he lives for about four centuries only to die by an accident leaving behind his book about the device that later gets into Dieter’s hands. That prologue sets up what is to come where men of power and temptation would want this device for selfish reasons. In the hands of Jesus Gris, it’s more about his curiosity as a good man is seduced by its power while eventually realizing that it’s not worth all of the trouble due to the men that wants it.

The direction of del Toro is truly mesmerizing as he creates dazzling compositions and shots that is all shot on location in his home of Guadalajara, Mexico. The direction has del Toro create shots that are inspired by his love for Italian horror as well as his own sensibilities where it’s not about big scares or chills but rather have the camera follow this man on the journey he takes. There’s also some amazing shots inside the device where the shots of gears and a bug inside show the kind of ambition del Toro has while not be hampered by the small budget he has. There are a lot of intimate and grand shots that del Toro goes for while keeping it very stylish without over-indulging as he creates what is truly a solid feature-film debut.

Cinematographer Guillermo Navarro does a wonderful job with the film‘s photography from the use of stylish colorful lights for some of the nighttime scenes with blue and bits of green to emphasize the eerie tone of the film. For a lot of the daytime scenes, the camera work is mostly straightforward with its emphasis on a sunny yet yellowish look that is a standard of Navarro’s work with del Toro. Editor Raul Davalos does an excellent job with the editing to help create a wonderful rhythm to the suspense while maintaining a mostly straightforward approach to the editing and its leisured pacing.

Production designer Tolita Figueroa and art director Brigitte Boch do an amazing job with the set pieces created such as Jesus‘ antique shop and the factory that Angel and his uncle run including the uncle‘s strange yet cold room that he lives in. Costume designer Genoveva Petitpierre does a good job with the costumes as it‘s mostly casual while the dresses that Mercedes and Aurora wear at the New Year‘s party are lovely. Makeup effects artist Rigo Mora does a great job with the make-up effects made for the film‘s second half where Jesus is given a look that makes him realize what he‘s headed for.

The special effects Laurencio Cordero is great for the look of what is inside the device with a bug inside to emphasize what kind of power it has. The sound work by Fernando Camara is terrific to play up some of the suspense in the film as well as the intimate moments involving Jesus and Aurora. The film’s score by Javier Alvarez is superbly rich for its orchestral flourishes that features enchanting marimba melodies and dramatic string arrangements to play up the drama and suspense of the film. Alvarez also supervises the soundtrack as it’s a mix of classical pieces by Franz Schubert as well as some traditional mariachi music.

The cast for the film is brilliant as it features appearances from Juan Carlos Colombo as a humorous funeral director, music composer Javier Alvarez as the man with a nose bleed that Jesus encounters, Mario Ivan Martinez as the alchemist in the prologue, and Daniel Gimenez Cacho as a very funny embalmer. Margarita Isabel is good as Jesus’ dance-instructor wife Mercedes who is concerned by his behavior while Tamara Shanath is excellent as Jesus’ silent yet observing granddaughter Aurora. Claudio Brook is superb as Dieter, an aging man who seeks to have the device to gain eternal life while being abusive to those around him including his nephew. Ron Perlman is great as Angel, Dieter’s thuggish nephew who tries to bully Jesus into getting what is wanted while dealing with his uncle as it’s a dark yet humorous performance from the actor.

Finally, there’s Federico Luppi in an outstanding performance as Jesus Gris. Luppi brings a very innocent yet warm approach to a man that is good at heart as he comes across this strange device that gives him power that he couldn’t believe. Luppi also brings a real sense of the everyman as he deals with his foes as he and Perlman have some great scenes together to emphasize the world of good and evil as it’s a real treasure of a performance from the Argentinean actor.

***Additional DVD Content Written from 3/31/12-4/5/12***

The Region 1 DVD from the Criterion Collection presents the film with a newly high-definition transfer that is supervised by filmmaker Guillermo del Toro and cinematographer Guillermo Navarro. Presented in a 1:78:1 theatrical widescreen aspect ratio for 16x9 televisions with Dolby Digital Surround Sound for both Spanish and English with English subtitles. Among the many special features for this release includes an optional voice-over introduction both English and Spanish preceding the film.

Two commentary tracks appear from the original 2002 DVD release. The first is from its writer/director Guillermo del Toro who discusses a lot of the themes in the film as well as some of his own biographical elements he injected into the story. Notably the relationship between Jesus and his granddaughter Aurora that del Toro sort of based on his own relationship with his very religious grandmother whom he dedicated the film to. He also states that his grandmother makes Piper Laurie’s character from Carrie look like a girl scout while he also delves into a lot of the mythology about vampires, alchemy, and all sorts of things that were inspired by comics and horror novels that he grew up reading. The performances of Ron Perlman and Federico Luppi are also discussed with great delight by del Toro as he also reveals the various cinematic influences he was inspired by for the film as it’s a truly engrossing commentary track.

The second commentary track from producers Arthur H. Gorson, Bertha Navarro, and Alejandro Springall has them discussing about the production of the film. With Gorson speaking on one track in English while Navarro and Springall talk in Spanish in another track. Gorson reveals the difficulty of producing films in Mexico as he revealed why it became a co-production between himself, the American producer, and the duo of Navarro and Springall so that there wouldn’t be a lot of interference from studio or government that is often the case with a lot of Mexican films during the early 1990s. Navarro and Springall reveal the film’s importance for the Mexican film industry while revealing what it took to ensure del Toro’s vision. Notably as the film would be a turning point for various Mexican crew members like art director Brigitte Broch who would go on to bigger things. The overall commentary is enjoyable in revealing a lot about del Toro’s passion as well as the film itself.

The six-and-a-half minute short film Geometria is an old 1987 unreleased short film by del Toro that he completed in 2010 specifically for this release. Loosely based on a short story by Fredric Brown, the film is about a kid who refuses to study for an upcoming geometry test where his fascination with the occult has him dealing with a demon who brings back his dead father with very dark results. It’s a very comical short that features intentionally-cheesy dubbing by del Toro while the woman who plays the kid’s mother is in fact Guillermo del Toro’s mother Guadalupe. The short also includes a seven-minute interview about the short film where del Toro discusses his influences and some tidbits about the short. He also revealed the changes he made which were mostly for its sound and sound dubbing where he did some re-mixing to get the better sound quality he wanted for the release.

The 10-minute segment Welcome to the Bleak House is a tour of del Toro’s home office. An avid collector of memorabilia, novels, art work, and such, del Toro gives a tour of his collection that is essentially his man-cave that is two stories high filled with lot of things. Models, toys, old books from 17th-18th Century, comics, and props from his own films while showcasing a room where has a fascinating library of films. It’s a truly enjoyable piece that will make anyone geek out.

The 18-minute interview with del Toro has him discussing the film and how it relates to everything he would do later on. Notably in finding the human soul in a monster as he’s always interested in the monster that is often seen as the antagonists in horror films. He also discusses about the things he loves about Cronos as well as things he’s irked by but won’t change. His collaboration with Ron Perlman is also discussed about how loyal Perlman is to him while del Toro also delves about the fact that every filmmaker needs limitations. Notably because he feels that too much freedom will only destroy everything a filmmaker stood for.

The 13-minute interview with cinematographer Guillermo Navarro has the cinematographer discuss his relationship with del Toro that spans back to the early 80s when they did films for other filmmakers where he was the camera man and del Toro was an effects makeup artist. Navarro discuss their visual style as well as their look for Cronos that would evolve into the films he would make with del Toro and other filmmakers. It’s a wonderful piece that explores the art of cinematography and what Navarro doesn’t use to maintain his visual style.

The seven-minute and twenty-five second interview with actor Ron Perlman has him talking about his friendship/collaboration with del Toro. Perlman talks about how he got involved with del Toro for the film as he was fascinated by the script and del Toro’s love for Perlman’s work prior to this film. Perlman recalls about his confusion about the language of the film where he had to learn some Spanish. Perlman said that this film was a career turning point where it broke out of playing character acting parts and into a new level of films that would have him work internationally with other filmmakers.

The five-minute and twenty-five second video interview with actor Federico Luppi about the making of the film comes from the film‘s original 2002 DVD release. Luppi talks about working with del Toro as it features footage of the film being made. Notably as Luppi discusses the enthusiasm of working with someone as young like del Toro as well as the scale of a production as unique as this film. The stills gallery section includes many pictures about the production of the film including rare photos of the production of del Toro‘s early shorts along with the design and making of the Cronos device in grand detail. The highlight of the stills gallery is a look inside the book about the Cronos device. Another special feature of the film includes the film’s original theatrical trailer.

Accompanying the DVD release is a book that features two different text material relating to the film. The first is an essay by film historian Maitland McDonagh entitled Beautiful Dark Things. McDonagh revels on the film’s importance for Mexican cinema and how the film managed to find its way with American audiences despite the market at the time where it would be a few film critics who would help champion the film. Notably as it would springboard the career of a filmmaker who would help re-define the monster movie by adding a soul to the monster for audiences to care for. McDonagh likens del Toro to a filmmaker like David Cronenberg for the fact that both men were able to put more care and thought into a genre that is often dismissed by elitists.

The second piece of text in the booklet are production notes from Guillermo del Toro that dates back to 1991. The notes unveil a lot of detail into the look of the film as well as stories behind the characters in the film. Some of which features biographies with hand-written note by del Toro for the changes he wanted to make for the film. The details about del Toro’s insistence in adding Gothic themes to the film is unveiled along with the notes about alchemy. It’s truly an insightful read to see how much del Toro was willing to put in his first film. The overall DVD itself is a must-have for fans of del Toro as well as fans of horror/suspense films.

***End of DVD Tidbits***

Cronos is an imaginative yet exhilarating film from Guillermo del Toro featuring two great performances from future del Toro regulars in Federico Luppi and Ron Perlman. Fans of suspense and horror films will be taken aback by its lack of gore and big chills though they will be engaged by its story and del Toro’s stylish direction. For the fans of del Toro, this film is truly something they should see in where he gets some of his visual ideas for later films as well as how inventive he was early on. In the end, Cronos is a spectacular debut film from Guillermo del Toro.

Guillermo del Toro: Mimic/Mimic (Director's Cut) - Blade II - The Devil's Backbone - Hellboy - Pan’s Labyrinth - Hellboy II: The Golden Army - Pacific Rim - Crimson Peak - The Shape of Water - Nightmare Alley (2021 film) - Pinocchio (2022 film) - The Auteurs #10: Guillermo del Toro

© thevoid99 2011

The Devil's Backbone

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 8/6/08 w/ Additional Edits.

While Guillermo del Toro has been known recently for his work in the Hellboy movies as well as his 2006 award-winning film El Laberinto del Fauno (Pan's Labyrinth). The Mexican-born director has a unique approach to both fantasy and horror ever since he debuted with 1993's Cronos. While 1997's Mimic was a studio picture that did well modestly and spawning two sequels that didn't involve del Toro. The director still managed to get attention when he was hired to direct the sequel for Blade that some critics thought was more superior than the first film. Yet, before doing Blade II he attracted the attention of reknowned Spanish auteur Pedro Almodovar who read one of his scripts and along with his brother Agustin, the Almodovars decided to produce Guillermo del Toro's eerie horror film entitled El Espinazo del Diablo (The Devil's Backbone).

Directed by Guillermo del Toro which he co-wrote with David Munoz and Antonio Trashorras, El Espinazo del Diablo tells the story of a young boy who goes to an orphanage as his father is currently fighting in the Spanish Civil War. The boy makes some unique discoveries about his orphanage while dealing with a nasty caretaker, a ghost, and other mysterious things until the boy decides to confront them. Described by del Toro as a spiritual companion to El Laberinto del Fauno, the film explores the supernatural as well as fantasy and terror through the perspective of a child. Starring Fernando Tielve, Eduardo Noriega, Inigo Garcias, Junio Valverde, Irene Visedo, Federico Luppi, and Marisa Paredes. El Espinazo del Diablo is a chilling yet fascinating fantasy-horror film from Guillermo del Toro.

It's the middle of the Spanish Civil War as a young boy named Carlos (Fernando Tielve) is being sent to an orphanage somewhere in the middle of Spain. The orphanage is run a stern yet caring one-legged principal named Carmen (Marisa Paredes) and a doctor named Casares (Federico Luppi) as they take Carlos in during this time. Carlos meets the school's bully named Jaime (Inigo Garcias) whom at first, goes into conflict until Carlos discovers a ghost lurking around the orphanage. Staying in the bed that belonged to a deceased orphan named Santi (Junio Valverde), Carlos hears noises as the water jug is broken. Carlos and Jaime decided to get water from the jugs as Carlos discovers that the ghost is none other than Santi.

Carlos also encounters with the abusive caretaker Jacinto (Eduardo Noriega). Jacinto was also an orphan at the place as he's gained contempt for the place as he has sex with Carmen for selfish gain while being surrounded by his fiancee Conchita (Irene Visedo). After an incident at a water pit involving a spat between Carlos and Jaime, things go bad when Jaime fells into a pool where Carlos saves him but also sees the body of Santi. Yet, the boys have another encounter with Jacinto that leaves Carlos with a cut on his cheek. Carlos does manage to befriend Dr. Casares who shares his infatuation with the supernatural while showing him mysterious things that are called the Devil's Backbone.

While Carlos gains respect from Jaime and the other boys over for keeping not squealing, Carlos decides to go further into the investigation over Santi. He also believes that Jaime, who claims to not believe in ghosts, had something to do with it as a meeting with Santi leaves Carlos frightened. When Dr. Casares and Conchita leave to town for money and supplies, Casares learns that the war is escalating as he and Carmen decides to leave. Yet, Jacinto is caught trying to get the gold as Casares confronts him with a rifle as he's banished. With everyone including the children preparing to leave. Something horrible happens when an explosion occurs leaving several of the children wounded. With Conchita deciding to walk to town to get help, Casares leads the charge. Jaime finally reveals to Carlos what really happened with Santi as it involves Jacinto forcing the two boys to confront their tormentor.

While the film in a traditional sense is a horror film, it's more of a psychological, suspense feature about a boy who uncovers dark secrets in an orphanage while helping a ghost find peace over his death that might not have been an accident. What del Toro does in the storytelling department is slowly uncover the mystery over Santi's death while Carlos also deals with the abusive Jacinto who also scares the children. Though the film at times, has a few pacing issues where it would lag a bit and sometimes, rush a bit. Yet, del Toro does create characters that are multi-dimensional with motives and such while using the Spanish Civil War as a template for the tension and fear that surrounds the orphanage.

The direction of del Toro is definitely unique and atmospheric where it's mostly shot in one location as he creates a sense of tension and fear that is expected within the genre. Unlike most horror films that relies on gags and gore, del Toro isn't trying to get audiences to be scared but be scared in what might happen. Yet, del Toro aims more for drama as he creates scenes and compositions to allow a sense of intimacy for some of the interaction between characters. Yet, del Toro's focus on the characters of Carlos and Jaime as two boys try to deal with their own adolescence, Jaime's crush on Conchita, and later on, having to play older brothers to the younger kids at the orphanage. The film also carries visual effects that are more about atmosphere rather than something that's big in del Toro's more mainstream films. The result is a unique yet chilling film from the mind of Guillermo del Toro.

Longtime del Toro collaborator in cinematographer Guillermo Navarro does some excellent work in the film that's more straightforward than his usual palette of sepia-laden colors. Instead, Navarro's daytime shots both interior and exterior emphasize less of flashy lights for natural style of lighting while his nighttime sequences are wonderfully shot in blue colors to create a sense of suspense and horror. Navarro's sepia-drenched colors are shown more in the film's pool sequences that are eerily shot. Editor Luis de la Madrid does excellent work in the film's cutting to convey the suspense and drama that goes on in the film.

Art director Cesar Maccaron and set decorators Pablo Perona Navarro and Pilar Revuelta create a lot of great sets in the orphanage that includes the muddy pool underneath the orphanage, the bomb in the middle of place, and decaying walls. Costume designer Jose Vico does some excellent look in the period costumes though lacks color to convey the eerie, moody tone of the film and times. Sound editor Oriol Tarrago and mixer Miguel Rejas does some wonderful work in conveying the atmosphere of the film with wind, grinding metal for the bomb, and other sound effects that create a chilling tone. Special effects supervisor Alfonso Nieto does excellent work in the film's visual effects with help from makeup artist Jorge Hernandez in creating the ghostly look of Santi.

Music composer Javiere Navarette brings a chilling yet hypnotic score that's more suspenseful and dramatic in comparison to the dream-like score that he created in El Laberinto del Fauno. Yet, the music is more bass-heavy and sweeping as Navarette's score plays up to its sense of horror with screeching violins and heavy arrangements.

Casting director Sara Bilbatua does great work in the film's casting with memorable small performances from Berta Ojea as one of the orphanage's teachers, Francisco Maestre as Jacinto's crime boss, Jose Manuel Lorenzo as Carlos' tutor who drops him off, and Javier Gonzalez and Adrian Lamana as two boys Carlos befriend. Irene Visedo is good as the maid Conchita who is suspicious of Jacinto's motives in the orphanage while realizing that one of the boys has a crush on her. Junio Valverde is excellent as Santi, the deceased boy who haunts the orphanage as he brings a chilling presence that is right for the film’s tone.

Federico Luppi, who previously appeared in del Toro's Cronos, is great as the fatherly Dr. Casares. A man who shares Carlos' belief in the supernatural while professing his love for Carmen while aware of the dark presence that is Jacinto. Almodovar associate Marisa Paredes is also great as the headmistress Carmen who is trying to run a school as she is forced into affairs with Jacinto for her own pleasures only to be manipulated. Eduardo Noriega is brilliant as Jacinto, a villain whose hatred for children and the orphanage is a man who is just simply trying to get gold for his own reasons while trying to avoid fighting for the Spanish Civil War.

Inigo Garcias is wonderful as Jaime, the school's bully who later befriends Carlos as he reveals his talents for drawings that gives clues into what he knows about Santi. Garcias doesn't delve into the typical build or look of a bully but rather say foul language and such where he's kind of cool but also a bit intimidating. He gets the best development as he reveals his own fears for Jacinto. Fernando Tielve is amazing as Carlos, the newly-orphaned boy who discovers the dark secrets that goes in the orphanage. Tielve's performance doesn't fall into the category of most child performances which often, they have to act cute or make a stupid face. Tielve instead maintains an individuality where he tries to figure out what's going on while befriending both Jaime and Dr. Casares, whom he looks up to as a father-figure of sorts. It's Tielve's performance that carries the film.

Released in 2001, the film garnered lots of critical acclaim as it brought del Toro some attention as he was also helming Blade II just as El Espinazo del Diablo was coming out. Though the film wasn't a commercial hit, it would garner more attention after the release of El Laberinto del Fauno. Especially since critics and audiences would notice the parallels that del Toro put for both films where young actors Fernando Tielve and Inigo Garcias both made cameos in El Laberinto del Fauno. The object of the Devil's Backbone also made cameo appearances in the Hellboy movies that del Toro also directed.

El Espinazo del Diablo is a sensational horror-drama film from Guillermo del Toro and company. Thanks to the performances of its young actors Fernando Tielve and Inigo Garcias plus great support from veterans Federico Luppi, Marisa Paredes, and Eduardo Noriega. With help from Pedro Almodovar as a producer, the film is a fascinating take on the horror genre. Especially since it's relying on cheap gags and lots of gore. In the end, El Espinazo del Diablo is a chilling film from Guillermo del Toro.

Guillermo del Toro Films: Cronos - Mimic/Mimic (Director's Cut) - Blade II - Hellboy - Pan's Labyrinth - Hellboy II: The Golden Army - Pacific Rim - Crimson Peak - The Shape of Water - Nightmare Alley (2021 film) - Pinocchio (2022 film) - The Auteurs #10: Guillermo del Toro

© thevoid99 2011