The Devil's Backbone

Released - 2001
Genre - Horror, Fantasy, Mystery
Director - Guillermo del Toro
Starring - Eduardo Noriega, Marisa Paredes, Federico Luppi, Fernando Tielve, Irene Visedo

This is a haunting ghost story from talented director Guillermo del Toro. Set during the Spanish civil war a young boy named Carlos is deposited at a remote orphanage. He has trouble settling in, the caretaker has a violent temper and a mysterious boy called Santi keeps appearing. The film has a beautiful visual style, the direction is excellent and there are some very nicely done CG effects. The plot is reminiscent of a traditional ghost story with several layers on top and much of the horror comes from evil human, rather than supernatural, actions. This is quite slow with a heavy emphasis on drama but it has several chilling moments and it is wonderfully atmospheric.

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