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Poster for The Devil's Backbone

The Devil's Backbone

What is a ghost?

2001 · 1h 48m · R Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Thriller
Directed by Guillermo del Toro

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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

All reviews
93%
Tomatometer
Fresh

Guillermo Del Toro's The Devil's Backbone is a really cool ghost story with an extraordinary human and political dimension.

Jami Bernard, New York Daily News
Fresh

Del Toro's elegant pacing and gothic touches imbue the proceedings with a cool mystery.

Bruce Diones, New Yorker
Fresh

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.

Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal
Fresh

The Devil's Backbone augments its abundant creepiness with an equally powerful poignancy.

Nathan Rabin, AV Club
Fresh

Though it fails in its final reels to capitalize on its early promise, pic is still stylish, accomplished and tremendously enjoyable fare.

Jonathan Holland, Variety

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