Film: The Devil’s Backbone
Release date: 28th February 2011
Certificate: 15
Running time: 106 mins
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Starring: Marissa Paredes, Eduardo Noriega, Federico Luppi, Inigo Garces, Irene Visedo
Genre: Fantasy/Horror/Mystery/Thriller
Studio: Optimum
Format: Blu-ray
Country: Spain/Mexico
Guillermo del Toro has established himself as one of the most popular auteurs working today. With critical success for Pan’s Labyrinth and Hellboy 2: The Golden Army, his two most recent films, del Toro has a certain imagery and style associated with him. In The Devil’s Backbone, his third feature film, this style is subdued into an atmospheric and effective ghost story.
Set in the 1930s during the Spanish Civil War, The Devil’s Backbone follows the story of Carlos, a young boy who is taken to an orphanage by his revolutionary guardians after the death of his father. Located in the middle of a vast wasteland, it is home to a large number of orphan boys; an elderly lovelorn professor; a fiery principal with one leg; a former resident of the orphanage, who is now a caretaker with a nasty plan; and an ominous unexploded bomb.
As Carlos struggles to settle in with the other boys, he starts to see the ghost of a young boy wandering the orphanage, known to the others as “the one who sighs.” Jacinto, the caretaker, plots to steal some gold ingots kept by Carmen, the principal, until the “cause” needs them.
As tensions grow in the war and the orphanage, the professor Dr Casares decides they have to leave the orphanage. But Jacinto and the boy ghost have other plans…
The Devil’s Backbone is not a typical del Toro film. The director is normally known for his fantastical visions and horrific monsters, but these are absent here, replaced with a subtle spooky atmosphere. There are still hints of his trademark gruesome imagery, such as the unborn foetuses with mutated spinal cords suspended in jars in Dr Casares’ office. However, those who come to the film expecting monsters or big set pieces will be disappointed. What they will find is an effective ghost story, which builds up tension and suspense without reverting to typical horror clichés involving a child ghost.
Using subtle sound design and a visually distinctive location, del Toro creates a sense of increasing suspense as all the different parties begin to come into conflict with each other. It is no surprise that del Toro is a huge Hitchcock fan, using the unexploded bomb in the centre of the orphanage as a symbol of all the tensions simmering in the orphanage. The story builds effectively, and it soon becomes clear that the true villain of the piece is Jacinto, the callous caretaker played with menace by the excellent Eduardo Noriega. Like in most del Toro films, the monster is the man, not the beast.
The true stars of the film are the cast of children. Del Toro often manages to obtain great performances from young actors, and this film is no exception. Led by Carlos and Jaime, played by Fernando Tielve and Inigo Garces, the young ensemble create distinctive well rounded characters with the screen time they receive. They are all believable, even when the story becomes dramatic and more violent towards the end. The rest of the cast all perform admirably, whilst veteran actor Federico Luppi as Dr Casares really conveys the sense of years lost to unrequited love.
Shot by del Toro’s frequent collaborator Guillermo Navarro, the film is a visual treat. Forgoing the fantastic vistas and worlds that he normally creates, del Toro uses the location and colours to bring us into this world. Whether it’s the empty coldness of the hallways at night, or the blinding brightness of the sun during the day, each shot is arranged with meticulous detail. There are also many references to classic westerns; the famous shot from John Ford’s The Searchers is evoked several times, adding to the sense of isolation.
The state of limbo the characters seem to be in is referenced again and again, adding a deeper layer to the story and the mythology of the ghost story on show. Despite the references to Japanese horror films (the ghost design was based on recent, popular J-Horror films such as Ringu or Ju-On: The Grudge), there are no cheap scares. Everything feels necessary, and as such, when the pieces come together at the end, it is an extremely satisfying conclusion.
It seems a shame that del Toro has found success the way he has. With the big-budgeted The Mountains Of Madness due to start filming this year - Tom Cruise supposedly in the running for the lead role - it will be a long time before we have another personal film such as The Devil’s Backbone from Del Toro. Which is a shame as del Toro has proved in this film, and his earlier and later works Cronos and Pan’s Labyrinth, that he can take a genre movie and inject it with warmth, humanity and a deeper meaning.
Guillermo del Toro’s The Devil’s Backbone is an excellent film. More subtle and nuanced than his Hollywood output, but with no lack of creativity or imagination. Those expecting more of an out and out horror may find that there are less kills or scares than they would expect. They will, however, find an atmospheric ghost story which makes you think. JDW
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