Spanish and Latin American Cinema

El Espinazo del Diablo (The Devil's Backbone) - During the Spanish Civil War, newly orphaned Carlos is taken to a school for the children of those who died fighting against fascism. He is given the bed that formerly belonged to Santi, a boy who recently died during an attack in which a bomb dropped, landing in the school's courtyard undetonated, a reminder of impending danger.

As the amputee headmistress and the embittered caretaker, Jacinto, engage in a love affair, the headmistress' cuckolded husband, the impotent but benevolent school doctor sits by passively. Meanwhile, after Santi's ghost repeatedly reveals itself to Carlos, another student spooks Carlos with a dark secret about the boy's death. War surrounds the school, violence infests it from within, and Carlos sets out to avenge the death of Santi.

Taking on themes such as the brutality of war and the loss of innocence, Guillermo del Toro's (MIMIC) film skilfully combines elements of war, gothic horror, melodrama, and adventure to create a work that functions as both a genre film and a politically resonant piece of nostalgia. THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE uses history as a means of transforming what would otherwise be a routine ghost story into a powerful and affecting statement.
 

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Title:  El Espinazo del Diablo

Country of Origin: SPAIN / MEXICO

Director: Guillermo Del Toro

Year: 2001

Crew:  Eduardo Noriega, Marisa Paredes, Federico Luppi

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