Guillermo del Torois a filmmaker whose knack for fantasy and horror has earned him plenty of praise, but there’s one film of his that still gets overlooked.Del Toro got his start with the early 1990s vampire filmCronosand quickly established himself as an innovative figure in horror storytelling.
Amongthe best of del Toro’s filmography, audiences will regularly be met with the director’s fascination with monsters and his distinctive fantasy visuals. In these films,del Toro often combines strong, heartfelt storytelling with a captivating blend of horror and fantasy—neither element ever overpowering nor diminishing the other.
Audiences are sure to be spooked by the images indel Toro’s films, but accompanying them is an equally effective and emotional narrative. Whiledel Toro has dabbled in louder Hollywood action films likePacific RimandHellboy, it’s his more thoughtful dark fantasy and horror films that define his craft.
The Devil’s Backbone Is One Of Guillermo Del Toro’s Best Movies
A Poignant Narrative Coincides With The Fixings Of A Standard Ghost Story
Del Toro’s third feature film,The Devil’s Backbone, takes place at the end of the Spanish Civil Warand follows a young boy (Fernando Tielve) after he arrives at a haunted orphanage.Pan’s Labyrinth,del Toro’s dark fantasy masterpiecereleased a few years later, shares similar themes, historical events, and young protagonists withThe Devil’s Backbone, often overshadowing the latter.
Yet, even asPan’s LabyrinthsurpassesThe Devil’s Backbonein accolades and popularity, theoverlooked 2001 horror filmstands strong as one of del Toro’s best in the genre. InThe Devil’s Backbone,del Toro expertly uses the historical Spanish setting to inspire a haunting tale about childhood innocence lost at the hands of war.
The emotionally layered narrative is balanced with the makings of a standard ghost story. Like mosttragic ghost movies,The Devil’s Backbonesees its protagonist trying to piece together what happened to a purportedly missing childfrom the orphanage. The tension gradually builds inThe Devil’s Backboneand, to top everything off, del Toro and his creative team infuse plenty of chilling imagery.
Guillermo Del Toro Considers The Devil’s Backbone His Directorial Debut
The Devil’s Backbone Was A Needed Step Back From Hollywood
WhileThe Devil’s Backboneis del Toro’s third feature film,the director considers it to be somewhat of an official start to his career. After his impressive directorial debut withCronos, del Toro was signed on to direct the drastically different big-budget, sci-fi horror film,Mimic.
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The critical response toMimicwasn’t entirely positive, but that’s not the sole reason why del Toro has a desire to look past it. When making the film,del Toro frequently clashed withMimic’s producers. This experience with massive Hollywood films left him feeling defeated, thus sparking a need to return to his roots with a more personal film he had greater control over.
