116) The Devil's Backbone
Director: Guillermo Del Toro
Year: 2001
In the world of modern horror cinema, there seems to be very little room for mood, setting, pace, atmosphere or even story, instead relying on cliched shocks, jumps and frights. However, there's one filmmakers who is a master at bringing those aforementioned aspects to a movie of this genre: Guillermo Del Toro.Told almost in the fashion of a childhood playground ghost story, which perfectly complements the fact that the protagonists in this story are all young boys in an orphanage, Guillermo Del Toro creates a haunting and creepy picture from the very first minute of The Devil's Backbone. However, his movie isn't just about making you feel eerie, it's also a totally engrossing narrative as it gradually sets up a number of enigmas, introduces you to characters whose intentions may not be all that moral and places you right in the middle of these people's lives.
This is the most refreshing aspect of the movie: It doesn't intend to frighten you without the usual loud bangs and unexpected appearances, but rather with the safety of these characters as the true nature of what is going on and what has happened at the orphanage is slowly revealed. Moreover, another unconventional step that Del Toro makes is in making the ghost character a protagonist. Instead of being the villain who the humans fear he is, instead, the key to unlocking the evil nature of one of the alive characters.
For anyone who is interested in ghost stories, The Devil's Backbone is requires viewing.
4/5
2 comments:
It's pretty good but I'm not a Del Toro fan at all. Pan's Labyrinth is distinctly average.
Pah! How dare you! Well, to be honest, I think I have a little bit of nostalgia about Pan's Labyrinth so I guess that always makes it seem better than it actually is. That was one of the first films I watched when I started really getting into movies. :) But, still, it's a great movie! :O
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