Review of The Devil's Backbone

I can honestly say I don't know much about this except that it is pretty well known and the picture of the possessed boy is pretty much everywhere. I didn't even know this was written or directed by Guillermo del Toro. I don't have to say what I've seen from him as we know very well most of his films. I've never heard of anything else from the other writers associated with this film. Anyways let's see if this really is something that is as good as they say.

I have to say that was pretty brilliant. Guillermo Del Toro definitely used some of his atmosphere and ideas from this earlier tale of his for Pan's Labyrinth as well as Crimson Peak. You can even see that this is most likely a huge inspiration for The Orphanage of which he was the executive producer. It isn't really a scary horror tale in my opinion, but that doesn't make it any less enjoyable. Besides of course having ghosts it does have a sense of true to life horrors. I love the whole thing with the bomb that is sitting in the middle of the grounds the whole time. I loved that they bring attention back to some of more minor plotlines here which many films don't do. It has some great twists and a fitting end as well.

The cast is quite excellent here. They all manage to make full and interesting characters even the kids. I loved the design of the ghost kid. Then again you can always trust Guillermo Del Toro to have his creatures and such always looking quite unique. The character development is quite well done. This is something you don't really see too often in horror films. The characters aren't even all that typical either which I liked.

I can't believe I have waited so long to see this. The acting was great even from the child actors. The characters were all full and interesting. The story was excellent. There were some good twists and turns. The ending fit really well with the story. It's not so scary if you ask me, but it's very well done. It doesn't even really on jump scares. It uses constant gloom and sense of doom for the atmosphere. It keeps you invested from beginning to end. If you haven't seen this yet I strongly advise it.