The Devil's Backbone

Spain, 1939: Towards the end of the civil war, the remote Santa Lucia orphanage is filled to capacity with children. When Carlos (Fernando Tielve), who has lost his parents, is brought to the facility, dark secrets seem to lurk within its walls. In addition to the constant threat of war, the twelve-year-old soon senses the presence of a ghost haunting the building. As Carlos tries to understand what lies behind the eerie apparition, he gradually uncovers the tragic history of the place—and conjures up both human and supernatural dangers. Similar to “Pan's Labyrinth,” in “The Devil's Backbone,” successful Mexican director Guillermo del Toro combines eerie apparitions, coming-of-age drama, and historical tragedy from Spanish history into a very poetic, impressively dense horror film that relies less on shock effects and more on atmosphere and ethical depth. Accordingly, del Toro described “The Devil's Backbone” as a kind of “sister film” to his Oscar-winning masterpiece “Pan's Labyrinth,” which was made five years later. Both films were surprise hits worldwide and made del Toro one of the most sought-after directors in the genre of sophisticated mystery arthouse films.