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The Devil's Backbone

R Released Nov 21, 2001 1h 46m Mystery & Thriller Drama Horror TRAILER for List
93% Tomatometer 121 Reviews 89% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
After losing his father, 10-year-old Carlos (Fernando Tielve) arrives at the Santa Lucia School, which shelters orphans of the Republican militia and politicians, and is taken in by the steely headmistress, Carmen (Marisa Paredes), and the kindly professor, Casares (Federico Luppi). Soon after his arrival, Carlos has a run-in with the violent caretaker, Jacinto (Eduardo Noriega). Gradually, Carlos uncovers the secrets of the school, including the youthful ghost that wanders the grounds.
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The Devil's Backbone

The Devil's Backbone

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Critics Consensus

Creepily atmospheric and haunting, The Devil's Backbone is both a potent ghost story and an intelligent political allegory.

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Critics Reviews

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Jami Bernard New York Daily News Guillermo Del Toro's The Devil's Backbone is a really cool ghost story with an extraordinary human and political dimension. Rated: 3/4 Oct 14, 2014 Full Review Bruce Diones New Yorker Del Toro's elegant pacing and gothic touches imbue the proceedings with a cool mystery. Oct 7, 2013 Full Review Joe Morgenstern Wall Street Journal 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. Oct 7, 2013 Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy Fine performances, innovative effects, and the pointed backdrop of the Spanish Civil War. Rated: 3/4 Dec 5, 2022 Full Review Josh Larsen LarsenOnFilm Del Toro considers history, politics, and art through a gothically poetic lens... Rated: 3.5/4 Jul 8, 2022 Full Review Ford Maddox Brown Starburst The Devil's Backbone truly is a masterful film, one rife with both symbolism and story. This is a poetic piece of cinema that manages to expose the horrors of war through the lens of fantasy. Rated: 9/10 Jul 24, 2017 Full Review Read all reviews

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Wayne K A few years ago, I decided to check out Pan's Labyrinth, one of Guillermo Del Toro's most famous and acclaimed films. With a potent blend of frightening imagery, heavy stakes and a dangerous, intimidating villain, it was a more than worthwhile experience. The Devil's Backbone, released 5 years earlier, feels like both a companion piece and trial run. Both are set during the Spanish Civil War, both feature a child as the lead, and both demonstrate the classic trope of human beings as the real monsters. TDB is, however, a inferior film in my eyes. The dialogue is less compelling, the villain isn't as memorable or effective, despite great work by Eduardo Noriega, and the story overall just doesn't hit the same. There's clear references to the war going on around, but it never feels as close as it does in Pan's Labyrinth. At times I even forgot it was happening. The ghost element is interesting, but it rarely feels scary since the characters have to go to it in order for anything to happen. The character development is probably the best element, as we see the children trapped by tragic circumstance, having to mature early and take on adult responsibilities. All things considered, The Devil's Backbone feels like something Del Toro made to test the waters, to see if something as ambitious as Pan's Labyrinth was actually possibly before he got the greenlight to make it. TDB has its moments, but more often than not I felt disconnected from it. Given the choice between them, I'd take PL any day. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/17/24 Full Review CKB Frustrated with meddling from Hollywood studios, in 2001 Guillermo del Toro decided to make an independent film based on a script he had begun in his film student days. The Devil's Backbone served as a trial run for Pan's Labyrinth, focusing on a child dealing with supernatural forces and human monsters against the backdrop of the Spanish Civil War. What stands out from the beginning, however, is this film's Hollywood look: the actors are all a bit too prettified, the lighting is too attractively balanced, and the camerawork too daintily precise for the film's gritty, chaotic setting. So while attempting to break free of Hollywood's influence in this independent film, del Toro still seems afraid to express himself freely, and keeps falling back on the usual Hollywood tropes to make his points. He also loves his special effects too much, and the interesting appearance he has conjured for the ghost boy quickly becomes an unscary distraction, as does the director's fascination with the stump of the head mistress's missing leg and watching her strap on her 1930s prosthesis. Then there is the plot, involving a boy placed in an isolated orphanage who meets a ghost boy seeking revenge on his murderer. Del Toro likes to say that the worst monsters are human, and this film has two: Jacinto, the orphanage's psychopathic caretaker intent on stealing gold hidden at this otherwise impoverished place (it is being saved to fund the Loyalist fighters); and the unnamed General Franco, by far the worst monster as he wages war on his own people, and the film's main characters are his victims as much as Jacinto's. Franco's presence is signified in the aerial bomb stuck vertically into the ground of the orphanage's courtyard, where it had landed without exploding. Most viewers will know too little about the horrors of the Spanish Civil War to appreciate del Toro's references to it, however. This seems like a practice film, and it rings as hollow as Franco's empty bomb, while even its finer moments have a calculated, we've-seen-this-before quality. Making it may have served a purpose for del Toro's development as a director, but it does not work well for viewers. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/13/24 Full Review Godmirra Tough watch in late October 2023 with everything going on in the Middle East. The horrific impact of war on its youngest victims is a timeless tale. Executed to perfection by one of favorite auteurs, Guillermo del Toro. Muy bien! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/28/23 Full Review Wolfgang G The Devil's Backbone ist ein spanisch-mexikanisch co-produzierter Horrorfilm von Guillermo del Toro und Pedro Almodóvar… Nach dem Carlos - ein Zwölfjähriger, dessen Vater im spanischen Bürgerkrieg gestorben ist - in einem ominösen Jungen Waisenhaus ankommt, entdeckt er, dass die Schule verflucht ist und viele dunkle Geheimnisse hat, die er aufdecken muss… Eine solide Geistergeschichte, die sich eher in Mystery, Thriller, Drama und Horror einordnen lässt, denn der Film ist eher ein Horrorfilm der ruhigeren Art, der auf eine bedrohliche Atmosphäre setzt… Eine perfekte und authentisch inszenierte Geschichte, eindringlich und in schöne Bilder gesetzt… Ein immer wieder sehenswerter Film, den ich zu meinen Klassikern zähle. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/30/23 Full Review Siradof T The Spanish Horror Drama refuses to be easily categorized with its lack of horror that it claims to have, but lacks. With Compelling performances from talented actors, this movie was an emotional ride. However, the story itself may not have captured my full attention. It is understandable that not every tale resonates equally with every viewer, and in the case of "The Devil's Backbone," it may have fallen slightly short in terms of engaging storytelling. Though the film's visual aspects are commendable, the plot might have lacked what it needed to keep me engrossed. This movie was an excellent drama, but a disappointing horror movie. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 05/25/23 Full Review Ben D The movie would've likely benefited had it not included the ghost (Junio Valverde) at all and instead had his death be a mysterious pall that hangs over the all-boys orphanage. As a ghost, Santi (Valverde) does that irritating thing all ghosts seemed to do as if contractually obligated, which is slowly revealing themselves to the living in the creepiest ways, for no reason whatsoever. Moreover, the supernatural elements were inconsistent, as ghost-Santi cannot "get to" our protag, Carlos (Fernando Tielve), because the orphan has hidden himself behind a locked door. Santi is a fucking ghost! It's 2001, so the CGI has a lot to be desired — luckily, Del Toro doesn't rely too heavily on it. Pan's Labyrinth, made only five years later (and with a much bigger budget), feels like it comes from an entirely different era. The RT is a shocking (93/89), so I'm an outlier here, but there aren't enough redeeming qualities here for me to recommend it. It's difficult for me not to enjoy a movie set during the Spanish Civil War. Skip it. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 05/18/23 Full Review Read all reviews
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Movie Info

Synopsis After losing his father, 10-year-old Carlos (Fernando Tielve) arrives at the Santa Lucia School, which shelters orphans of the Republican militia and politicians, and is taken in by the steely headmistress, Carmen (Marisa Paredes), and the kindly professor, Casares (Federico Luppi). Soon after his arrival, Carlos has a run-in with the violent caretaker, Jacinto (Eduardo Noriega). Gradually, Carlos uncovers the secrets of the school, including the youthful ghost that wanders the grounds.
Director
Guillermo del Toro
Screenwriter
Guillermo del Toro, Antonio Trashorras, David Muñoz
Distributor
Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co
Good Machine, El Deseo S.A.
Rating
R (Violence|Some Sexuality|Language)
Genre
Mystery & Thriller, Drama, Horror
Original Language
Spanish
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 21, 2001, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 2, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA)
$754.7K
Runtime
1h 46m
Sound Mix
Surround, Dolby SR, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Dolby Stereo
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