18 of 31 Horror Films I've Never Seen 2016: The Devil's Backbone (2001)

There are two kind of film goers.  Those who believe that Guillermo del Toro is one of the most visionary directors working today and those who are wrong.  Though his films have been received by fairly mixed reviews and many of his passion projects have been flat out rejected by Hollywood studios he still manages to impart a very unique and beautiful style upon them.  I love his films quite a bit but I have a very special place in my heart for his Spanish films.  I waited a while to watch The Devil's Backbone because every time I thought about watching it the timing was just wrong.  If you're reading this, then you know the day has finally come!

Set during the Spanish Civil War (same as Pan's Labyrinth), the story follows Carlos (Fernando Tielve), a 12-year-old child who has been dropped off at an orphanage by his father's comrades (following the death of his father).  After being coerced by the orphanage's main bully, Jaime (Inigo Garces) he happens across a ghost, referred to by the children as, The One Who Sighs, and the plot ever so thickens.

What makes this movie so absolutely brilliant (aside from it's gorgeous production design, slick cinematography, and expert direction) is it's tone.  del Toro said in a 2013 Interview for Criterion Collection (available on the Devil's Backbone home release) that his idea for the film was to synthesize everything about Gothic literature into a setting that one would not expect.  In this case, a Spanish Civil War era children's orphenage in the country.  Not only did he achieve this goal, he did so completely and utterly.  Everything about this film feels fresh, even 15 years after it was made.  The incredibly dynamic characters are so brimming with life and personality (even the ghost) that they transcend the limits of the story, each of them being essential to the resolution.

What kills me the most about the film is that it is evidence of everything that is wrong with Hollywood film studios.  That an artist can make a film that expounds beyond the confines of it's genre could be so consistently stifled in the industry is baffling to me.  Just read any behind the scenes account of what happened when he shot Mimic for Miramax.  It's a horror story of it's own.  Then jump ahead to the behind the scenes stories of his attempt to make The Mountains of Madness.  Even with James Cameron's direct support Universal refused to give him a green light and the project was cancelled.  The list goes on.  Each time he manages to make a film (that isn't Hellboy) one can just FEEL the studio meddling.  All you have to do is watch Pacific Rim once and you can immediately tell that the studio execs stepped all over the finished product.  While I feel remiss ending this with a rant, I can't quite help myself so let me conclude with this:  If you like him or not, Guillermo Del Toro is one of the most unique creative voices in cinema right now and he god damn well deserves to make his art.