Guillermo Del Toro's The Devil's Backbone is a really cool ghost story with an extraordinary human and political dimension.
The Devil's Backbone
What is a ghost?
2001 · 1h 48m · R
Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Thriller
Directed by
Guillermo del Toro
Overview
Spain, 1939. In the last days of the Spanish Civil War, the young Carlos arrives at the Santa Lucía orphanage, where he will make friends and enemies as he follows the quiet footsteps of a mysterious presence eager for revenge.
Director and cast
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
Del Toro's elegant pacing and gothic touches imbue the proceedings with a cool mystery.
It's a horror flick, and a creepily good one, that also functions as an allegory of the war that still haunts Spain seven decades later.
The Devil's Backbone augments its abundant creepiness with an equally powerful poignancy.
Though it fails in its final reels to capitalize on its early promise, pic is still stylish, accomplished and tremendously enjoyable fare.
More films
Pan's Labyrinth (2006)
Drama · Fantasy · War · R
In post–civil war Spain, 10-year-old Ofelia moves with her pregnant mother to live under the control of her cruel stepfather. Drawn into a mysterious labyrinth, she meets a faun who reveals that she may be a lost princess from an underground kingdom. To return to her true father, she must complete a series of surreal and perilous tasks...
- Runtime
- 1h 58m
- Director
- Guillermo del Toro
- Cast
- Ivana Baquero, Sergi López, Maribel Verdú
The Orphanage (2007)
Drama · Horror · Thriller · R
A woman brings her family back to her childhood home, which used to be an orphanage, intent on reopening it. Before long, her son starts to communicate with a new invisible friend.
- Runtime
- 1h 45m
- Director
- J. A. Bayona
- Cast
- Belén Rueda, Fernando Cayo, Roger Príncep
Let the Right One In (2008)
Drama · Horror · R
When Oskar, a sensitive, bullied 12-year-old boy, meets his new neighbor, the mysterious and moody Eli, they strike up a friendship. Initially reserved with each other, Oskar and Eli slowly form a close bond, but it soon becomes apparent that she is no ordinary young girl.
- Runtime
- 1h 55m
- Director
- Tomas Alfredson
- Cast
- Kåre Hedebrant, Lina Leandersson, Per Ragnar
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (2010)
Drama · Fantasy · Not Rated
Suffering from acute kidney failure, Boonmee has chosen to spend his final days surrounded by his loved ones in the countryside. Surprisingly, the ghost of his deceased wife appears to care for him, and his long lost son returns home in a non-human form. Contemplating the reasons for his illness, Boonmee treks through the jungle with h...
- Runtime
- 1h 54m
- Director
- Apichatpong Weerasethakul
- Cast
- Thanapat Saisaymar, Jenjira Pongpas, Sakda Kaewbuadee
We Are What We Are (2010)
Horror · Thriller · NOT RATED
After the death of a patriarch, a family must try to continue on with a disturbing, ritualistic tradition.
- Runtime
- 1h 30m
- Director
- Jorge Michel Grau
- Cast
- Paulina Gaitán, Adrián Aguirre, Miriam Balderas











Comments
Talk about the film with other members