The Devil's Backbone (2001)

Set in 1939 at the tail end of the Spanish Civil War, The Devil’s Backbone follows 12‑year‑old Carlos, who is left at an isolated boys’ orphanage after his father’s death. The staff — a kindly professor and a quietly stern woman who run the school — try to protect the children, but the place is riven with secrets: a menacing caretaker with a violent streak, a still‑ticking unexploded bomb in the courtyard, and the presence of a ghostly boy, Santi, whose ominous warnings unsettle everyone. As Carlos searches for answers, the story tightens into a melancholic mystery that mixes political tension with supernatural dread. Seeing this film is less about jump scares and more about being immersed in atmosphere. Visually rich and moody, the movie uses the orphanage’s shadowed corridors, the looming bomb, and careful period detail to create a sense of creeping unease. The sound design and score amplify that slow-building tension, while moments of quiet human tenderness — friendships, small acts of courage, and the children’s everyday rivalries — make the supernatural elements feel heartbreaking rather than exploitative. Tonally the film balances horror and drama: it’s a ghost story and a wartime fable about loss, memory, and the moral decay that war breeds. The political backdrop (Franco’s advance and the collapse of the Republican cause) is never merely historical decoration — it shapes characters’ choices and underlies the film’s sense of doom. Performances are anchored by the children and the adults who oscillate between compassion and self‑interest, giving the story emotional weight. Expect a slow, deliberate pace that rewards attention: the mystery unfolds gradually, revelations arrive with moral complexity, and the ending leaves you thinking rather than tying everything up neatly. If you like atmospheric Gothic cinema that blends political allegory with supernatural tragedy — films that are as haunting emotionally as they are visually — The Devil’s Backbone will likely stay with you long after the credits roll.

Actors: Marisa Paredes, Eduardo Noriega, Federico Luppi

Director: Guillermo del Toro

Runtime: 106 min

Genres: Drama, Horror

6.2 /10 78 /100 7.4 /10 7.1 /10