Guillermo del Toro doesn’t need much of an introduction these days. He unleashed Hellboy on the screen twice before strolling with Pinocchio through a lovingly designed stop-motion world on Netflix. In between, he won the Oscar for the fantastic love story Shape of Water Best Director away.
A filmmaker who weaves fantasy and horror together more elegantly and nimbly than almost any other director: it’s no wonder that his best film to date is the horrifying fairy tale Pan’s Labyrinth. Without one early key work However, this would not exist in his career. We’re talking about The Devil’s Backbone.
You can currently stream it with a subscription on Amazon Prime Video.
The Devil’s Backbone on Amazon Prime: Guillermo del Toro delves into the horror of the Spanish Civil War
The Devil’s Backbone takes you to 1939 and takes place against the backdrop of Spanish Civil War. The focus of the story is the young Carlos (Fernando Tielve), who, after the death of his father, comes to the Santa Lucia orphanage, which is run by Dr. Casares (Federico Luppi) is standing.
You can watch the trailer for The Devil’s Backbone here:
The Devil’s Backbone – Trailer (German) HD
Casares maintains ties to the Republicans and hides a treasure of gold. That’s not Santa Lucia’s only secret. Ghostly apparitions cause unrest, which is traced back to the orphan boy Santi (Junio Valverde), who disappeared without a trace on the day of a bomb attack.
The parallels to Pan’s Labyrinth are obvious. In The Devil’s Backbone, del Toro tells a dark chapter of history Perspective of a young figureas the horror of reality collides with fantastical elements. The result is a coming-of-age drama between horror, fantasy and mystery.
Not only exciting as a precursor to Pan’s Labyrinth: The Devil’s Backbone relies on horror and feelings
Despite the devil in the title, don’t expect a shocker. The Devil’s Backbone goes like a fine horror film slowly under the skin. From the first minute onwards, the horror simmers in an undercurrent of the narrative and is released in looks that are completely frozen with fear. Before you know it, you’re too deeply immersed in the story.
With strong images, del Toro casts a spell and creates an atmosphere in which both can thrive: the eerie aspects and the empathetic momentswhich negotiate a boy’s pain before the calamity of the world. Frightening and touching: two of del Toro’s strengths combined in a fabulous early work.
If you haven’t seen The Devil’s Backbone yet, today is the perfect day to do so. Because Guillermo del Toro celebrates his 60th birthday today. Take this event as an opportunity to unearth one of the treasures in his filmography. The Devil’s Backbone is a film that will make you feel frightened and make you cry – ideal for the cold October.
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