The Devil's Backbone
I've had in the past month or so a mini Guillermo Del Toro Fest. El Espinazo del Diablo is a film about ghosts, gold, growing up, falling in love and standing up for yourself. Its, I think, the first of Del Toro's films set during the Spanish civil war in which the main characters are children. In this film, Carlos is brought to an orphanage away from the front where he meets Jaime and the other orphans that have been taken in and cared for by head mistress Carmen, Conchita and the Doctor.
Of course, the orphanage is also home to its full complement of secrets including but not limited to the unexploded bomb in the court yard and a ghost of a former resident. This film pretty embodied many of the things that make excellent children's literature excellent. Things like the difference between adults and kids and the power of fear. But, even so, this is still a film about a ghost so there are all the scares you'd expect on top of all the drama of being a little kid in a warring adult world.
Now, my feelings on this film (or anything else made by Del Toro) may be a little suspect because I have a bit of a crush on the man, but I really enjoyed this. It was scary. It was funny. It was heartbreaking and occasionally touching. It was hot. The bad guys get what they deserve. And, the story was woven with a palette of muted desert colors and rocking '40s hairstyles.
Given this film and the Orphanage, it may be possible that the best films about ghosts are made by Spanish speakers.
