‘What is a ghost? A tragedy condemned to repeat itself time and again?‘
Ghosts and the supernatural are unique to the culture from which they originate from. That’s why Japanese and South Korean ghost stories seem so alien to the western viewer. Those cultures have a completely different relationship to the dead, and so their cinematic manifestations of ghosts are different to ours. And for that reason, The Devil’s Backbone, master director Guillermo del Toro’s first real classic, is not the same as The Conjuring or Paranormal Activity. There is something deeper and more meaningful at play here…
Against the backdrop of the Spanish Civil War, Carlos (Fernando Tielve) is unceremoniously dumped into a remote orphanage. Upon his arrival, he must deal with the local bully Jaime (Íñigo Garcés), a ghostly apparition and a sadistic caretaker (Eduardo Noriega).
del Toro has always been the master of mixing the fantastical with the complexities of human life. Whilst this juxtaposition reached its apex with Pan’s Labyrinth, all the seeds are sown here, in this terrifying orphanage. As the film progresses, it becomes clear that this isn’t a ghost story, not really, and also that there is nothing more evil or frightening than humanity. In Jacinto, the primary antagonist, del Toro has crafted one of the great onscreen villains, and Noriega does a great job in simultaneously portraying the character as a powerful insidious force and a lost orphan boy all grown up.
Elsewhere, the young cast really hold this film together with both Tielve and Garcés excellent throughout. Frederici Luppi also does a fine job as the inscrutable Dr. Casaras. Indeed, one scene featuring the good doctor extolling the virtues of rum used to pickle aborted foetuses (one of which sports the titular devil’s backbone) is particularly squirm inducing.
The Devil’s Backbone is a film that contains many horrors, but perhaps isn’t a horror film in the traditional sense. It is a tale of loss, loneliness and the evil contained in the hearts of men. It’s also a minor classic.