El Espinazo del Diablo (The Devil's Backbone (DVD))

Member Name: Kepler

Product:	The Devil's Backbone (DVD)
Date:	02/06/04 (435 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Well constructed tension and an excellent storyline

Disadvantages: Some slightly hammy dialogue

‘The Devils Backbone’ is set in Spain during the final days of the Spanish Civil War. Francisco Franco’s fascists have victory within their sights, and in a small orphanage the children from Republican families await their fate. In an effort to fool the fascists Casares (Frederico Luppi) and Carmen (Marisa Paredes), an old couple who run the orphanage, have erected a giant crucifix on its roof, hoping to disguise the institution as a Catholic school. In the courtyard an unexploded fascist bomb sits ominously on its nose, embedded into the dirt.

A young boy named Carlos (Fernando Tielve) has just been made an orphan (not that he knows it) and is being transferred to the remote orphanage. He is a likeable, studious boy but his welcome from the other children is less than friendly. He has been assigned bed number 12 - ‘Santi’s Bed’ and the children of the orphanage worryingly whisper amongst themselves. Carlos later learns that Santi (Junio Valverde) once lived in the orphanage but he disappeared on the same night that the bomb landed. According to the children his spirit can be seen roaming the orphanage and strange noises are often heard coming from the dank cellar. As the days pass Carlos becomes more and more aware of the presence of Santi and he starts hearing noises during the night. Carlos is convinced that the spirit has something to tell them and he is determined to find out what Santi has to say.

At the same time Jacinto (Eduardo Noriega), the charismatic groundskeeper has his eyes on a cache of gold hidden at the orphanage thatis used to fund the Republican's war effort. He’s engaged to the orphanage’s cook, but that doesn’t stop him sneaking into Carmen’s room at night. Their lovemaking is a torment to the impotent Casares, who adores Carmen but can n
o longer satisfy her. Jacnito is of course, only interested in the gold and his late night visits are used to find out more about the whereabouts of the gold.

‘The Devil’s Backbone’ or ‘El Espinazo del Diablo’ as it’s called in Spanish, is a stylish and atmospheric horror from one of the masters of the genre - Guillermo del Toro. It is a gloomy, yet smartly paced, off-beat horror but at the same time it is a compelling, delicate and beautifully drawn allegorical yarn. The film works ceaselessly at creating its Civil War setting and tries to turn most of the events of the film into allegorical episodes. One very obvious example of this is the defused bomb in the courtyard - a suggestion that the frail normalcy of life at the orphanage may explode at any minute. The mood of the film is set immediately by an introspective opening sequence which asks ‘What is a ghost’’ The answer’ ‘A tragedy condemned to repeat itself again and again’ Something dead that appears at times alive’ Or a sentiment suspended in time like a blurry photograph trapped in amber’’ A truly chilling opening which sets the scene perfectly. In the main the action is concentrated around the old and dilapidated orphanage. The film is expertly shot and is bathed in a yellowy orange light that smoothes the images to a fine glossy finish. For the scenes that occur during the night Del Toro uses a starker blue tone, which helps to create a really claustrophobic feeling as Santi stalks the emptied halls.

This is a film that from the very outset marks itself as ambitious; combining a boy’s adventure story, a classic ghost story and some high brow political allegory all in one film. It would have been very easy for Del Toro to lose his way with this film but at no point does the film lose direction or impact. Any director of a ghost film is also faced with the pr oblem of how to portray the ghost. Put a single foot wrong and the effect produced is laughter rather than scares and it is certainly a fine line to traverse. Thankfully Del Toro handles the images of Santi brilliantly. The spirit is glimpsed only briefly but appears as a transparent, hollow eyed child that shimmers and wavers as if it were underwater. Blood flows from a wound in his head and his whispers are heard throughout the orphanage. As far as the horror goes Del Toro keeps it short and punchy. He gives us punctuated bursts of suspense and surprise interspersed with quieter more introspective scenes illustrating the turmoil caused by the Civil War rampaging across the country. As such what Del Toro creates is not an out and out horror film but something that hints at a horrific event. Del Toro uses tense scenes and a sense of danger (through Carlos) to create a nerve jangling experience. As Carlos explores the ruinous orphanage in the foreboding gloom you can literally feel the suspense and danger hanging from every scene.

Another aspect of the film which really impressed me was the standard of acting. All the actors put in good performances and really help to bring the story to life. Playing the central character Carlos, Fernando Tielve puts in a great performance, particularly in the beginning of the film. When he arrives at the orphanage he is singled out by the other children and Tielve’s performance is very convincing as he tries to win the other children’s trust. Towards the end his performance is slightly impaired by some hammy 'child actor' dialogue but no so bad as to mar his overall performance. Frederico Luppi is also great as the intellectual Professor who is tormented by his wife’s affair with the handsome groundskeeper. Likewise Marisa Paredes puts in a good performance as the sexually frustrated wife who turns to Jacinto to satisfy her needs. She also brings a certain comic aspect to the film with her false leg and helps to lighten the mood when things start to get overwhelmingly gloomy.

The star of the show though, is definitely Eduardo Noriega who is superb as the ‘snake in the grass’ type character, Jacinto. On the surface he is the charming and charismatic fiance to the resident maid but beneath his false exterior lurks a much darker character. Fuelled by greed, the malicious Jacinto will stop at nothing to get his hand on the gold that is reportedly hidden within the orphanage. When nobody is around he is violent and abusive to the children and in one scene he recklessly attacks Carlos when he finds him snooping around in the cellar. I feel I should also mention Junio Valverde who plays the rather limited role of Santi. To be honest he has very little do other than look spooky but he certainly pulls this off with a little help from some excellent special effects.

Overall, ‘The Devil’s Backbone’ is a must for fans of the horror genre and certainly puts one over on similar Hollywood efforts. The film plays in Spanish with English subtitles which I know will put some people off but I highly recommend that you give this film a go. When I read the film outline I was expecting a normal run of the mill ghost story but what I found was a much deeper and more involved story which really got me thinking. The film also has its fair share of scares though, and it simply wouldn’t be a horror film without those jump-out-of-your-seat moments. Essentially what Guillermo Del Toro has produced is a chilling but ultimately satisfying tale which entertains for its entire duration.

Highly recommended.

Summary: A spooky and tense horror flick.