The 100 best horror films, horror movies, the devil's backbone
  • Film

The Devil's Backbone

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Time Out says

A classy Hispanic horror pic written and directed by the Mexican cinephile who made Cronos and Mimic. Like many Spanish movies about the Civil War, it filters that traumatic conflict through the partly comprehending eyes of a child. After his Republican father dies in battle, 10-year-old Carlos (Tielve) is left in a desert orphanage, where crippled widow Carmen (Paredes) and kindly Professor Casares (Luppi) hope to protect their charges from advancing Fascists. But danger exists inside the fragile sanctuary, too - not only does Carlos clash with older bully Jaime, but there's surly, self-serving janitor Jacinto (Noriega) to worry about, not to mention chilling rumours about a kid who went missing. If only for its technical aspects, this would rate as a pleasurably superior supernatural psychological thriller, with polished but subtle special effects, painterly, atmospheric cinematography and vivid performances from a top-notch cast. What lifts it, however, is an adept use of generic elements as a poetic/metaphorical gloss on political and historical realities. Hence a ghost mystery becomes a tale of opposing forces building to a deadly, explosive denouement in which concealed passions finally burst forth.

Release Details

  • Duration:108 mins

Cast and crew

  • Director:Guillermo del Toro
  • Screenwriter:Guillermo del Toro, Antonio Trashorras, David Muñoz
  • Cast:
    • Marisa Paredes
    • Eduardo Noriega
    • Federico Luppi
    • Fernando Tielve
    • Iñigo Garcés
    • Irene Visedo
    • Berta Ojea
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