Friday, October 11, 2013

31 Days of Halloween - Day 11 - Movie 1


Near the end of the Spanish Civil War, a twelve year old boy is sent to a haunted orphanage out in the middle of nowhere. The orphanage is full of intrigue and human drama as well as the ghost of a murdered boy.

The Devil's Backbone (2001) is my favorite of Guillermo del Toro's movies, and one of my favorite movies involving ghosts of all time. It's a perfect companion piece to Pan's Labyrinth, not only sharing the same historical background, but many of its themes, such as the worst kind of monsters being the human ones. As you'd expect, the film is beautiful in its composition, art direction and color design. The acting is excellent. Santi, the film's ghost, is also one of my favorite "creature" designs of all time. This is absolutely essential viewing.




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