The Devil's Backbone (2001)

Original title: El Espinazo del Diablo

Director: Guillermo del Toro

Writers: Guillermo del Toro, Antonio Trashorras, David Munoz

Composer: Javier Navarrete

Starring: Marisa Paredes, Eduardo Noriega, Federico Luppi, Fernando Tielve, Inigo Garces, Irene Visedo, Jose Manuel Lorenzo, Francisco Maestre, Junio Valverde

More info: IMDb

Tagline: The living will always be more dangerous than the dead.

Plot: After Carlos, a 12-year-old whose father has died in the Spanish Civil War, arrives at an ominous boys' orphanage, he discovers the school is haunted and has many dark secrets that he must uncover.

My rating: 7.5/10

Will I watch it again?  Yes.

When this hit video 15 or 16 years ago I was working at a video store and took home THE OTHERS (2001) which was out at the same time.  That one left me disappointed and so the next night I hoped to correct that by taking this one home.  This is much better.  Maybe someday I might revisit the former but I doubt it (I just thought is was too slow and I figured out what was going on too early) but BACKBONE is a good one.  It's more drama than horror but it works firmly as both.  I dig the backdrop of the Spanish Civil War.  That just adds to the depth.  The acting is excellent, even the kids.  It's a great looking picture with cameras almost in a slow, continuous motion.  The only thing I have to gripe about is something that's in all of del Torro's movies and that's his hard on for everything making a sound.  Pick up a slug and there's a loud squishy sound.  Pick up an apple with your hand and it makes a louder than normal sound and this goes on and on.  Why?  Someday I'd like to have a deep discussion about sound in movies with someone who is in the business.  I've got questions.  One thing I dig is the feel of the picture.  You can tell this isn't a Hollywood movie.  It's got a foreign feel and that's to its benefit.  I've grown as a film fan over the years.  When I first saw this, it was refreshing and unusual.  Now it's just a very good film.  Watch more foreign films.