Pssst, want to check out El espinazo del diablo in our new look?
Information
- A.k.a.
- The Devil's Backbone
- Year
- 2001
- Runtime
- 106 min.
- Director
- Guillermo del Toro
- Genres
- Drama, Horror
- Rating *
- 7.4
- Votes *
- 28,756
- Checks
- 6,701
- Favs
- 518
- Dislikes
- 46
- Favs/checks
- 7.7% (1:13)
- Favs/dislikes
- 11:1
Top comments
-
Nightwalker
Guillermo del Toro's El espinazo del diablo (aka. The Devil's Backbone) is obviously a precursor to El laberinto del fauno (aka. Pan's Labyrinth) in style, content and atmosphere. Nevertheless I think El laberinto del fauno is better on all three of those. That being said, I cannot stress enough that I would really like to see del Toro make more of this. The magical realism and child's perspective are excellent ingredients for timeless movies. By making the historical context more horrific than the actual horror components (ghosts or fauns), del Toro subverted both genres. Horror elements are added for dramatic effect against the horrors of real life (the Spanish Civil War in El espinazo del diablo and Francoist Spain during World War II in El laberinto del fauno). On top of that, when observed from a child's point of view, it all gets even more horrific because of the innocence we associate with young children. Because of that both El espinazo del diablo and El laberinto del fauno are some of the most touching "horror" movies I've ever seen. While del Toro's next film Crimson Peak is a return to his dark fantasy style, we will have to wait and see if it brings back some of these defining qualities that made him a great director. 9 years 3 months ago -
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danisanna
Very, very cool movie. Immensely enjoyed that. It's a rich movie ... filled with poetry, symbolism and history, yet still creepy and scary. Hollywood should listen. 9 years 5 months ago
Friends
Login to see which of your friends have seen this movie!In 5 official lists
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This movie ranks #30 in BFI's 100 European Horror Films
BFI's 100 European Horro…
30 -
This movie ranks #74 in TSZDT's The 1,000 Greatest Horror Films
TSZDT's The 1,000 Greate…
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This movie ranks #246 in TSPDT's 21st Century's Most Acclaimed Films
TSPDT's 21st Century's M…
246 -
This movie ranks #403 in TSPDT's 1,000 Greatest Films: 1001-2500
TSPDT's 1,000 Greatest F…
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This movie ranks #791 in The Criterion Collection
The Criterion Collection
791