GurlyIamBeach Instant Favorite.

Dorathen Better Late Then Never

Voxitype Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Lidia Draper Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

Smoreni Zmaj When it comes to Guillermo del Toro, I prefer Pan's Labyrinth / El laberinto del fauno (2006) much better, but nonetheless, this is worth watching.7/10

Pjtaylor-96-138044 The central ghost has essentially no bearing on the plot and might as well not be in the flick for all the good it does the narrative, but 'The Devil's Backbone (2001)' isn't really about devils, spirits or backbones of any kind. It actually tackles the usual Guillermo Del Toro themes of man being the biggest monster of all and childhood innocence lost too soon, set to the backdrop of the Spanish Civil War which, while not as lavishly recreated as in 'Pan's Labyrinth (2006)', provides a tangible and rich tapestry for this melancholic tale to be set against and introduces some nice allegoric elements, to boot. The flick is a methodical and character-driven tale of the escalating troubles in an orphanage, with the trademark, but ever-so-slightly neutered, 'shocking violence' that the director has come to be known by exploding onto the screen in its latter half to take it in an entirely unexpected direction. It is the atmosphere that really excels, above even the nicely knitted plot, because it is this that allows the rather predictable turns for each character to feel rooted in a real world and have a lasting impact on the audience. 7/10

davidhung I read the glowing reviews before deciding to see this film and was disappointed. While technically and cinematically well made, with many long close-up of faces and expressions under yellowish tint throughout the orphanage, and while it offers the occasional humor, the plot is thin - a boy murdered by the villain the caretaker because he accidentally discovered the villain was trying to steal gold, turned into a ghost and finally got his revenge. Yes it is not meant to scare but make you sympathize with the ghost. But so what? The movie has too many characters to delineate and they are delineated very slowly - the always stressed headmaster and her doctor/husband, the unbelievably brave 12-year-old hero, his rival the older orphan, the villain, the villain's girlfriend, etc. It tries to cover too many characters but ends up leaving each undeveloped or illogical. Why is the hero so brave and inquisitive having been suddenly abandoned in an orphanage? Are the headmistress and her husband in it for money, kindness, political correctness? Why would a worker whom we hardly met and then the headmistress be so silly to run towards the burning and exploding cans of gasoline to just be killed? Why was the villain's girlfriend so enamored by him and was going to marry him and suddenly became a martyr to die just to defy him? Are the boys happy and adjusted as it seems all they cared about was pranks and nobody seemed to care about the missing Santi boy who was rumored to become a ghost. Without character development, one never really identifies with the characters and get too involved with their curiosity, fear, cruelty, and agony. And the movie feels long. The director should be congratulated for not using artificial devices to just scare you, until that one sudden gunshot, which was louder than a canon!

Amthermandes It's a lot like "What Lies Beneath" and "The Orphanage." It's a bit of a mystery, mixed with drama of the war and its effects on a poor orphanage for young boys. One in particular whom we follow, Carlos, is new and begins to suspect that the orphanage is haunted. There isn't a lot to criticize here, yes it may be predictable and dry at times, but it's well put together with an eerie setting. Personally, as a horror fan, I'm a bit disappointed in the movie. But as del Toro fan, and a cinematic fan in general, I was well satisfied with the movie. Its harsh reality and ghost theme helps set the somber mood, and no complaints about the actors either, everybody did a convincing job in their roles. Great movie, go see it if you like mystery, drama, and yeah, even horror, why not.