The Devil's Backbone

– After losing his father, 10-year-old Carlos arrives at the Santa Lucia School, which shelters orphan..

Type:
Movie
Rating:
7.40 / 10
Duration:
One Hour and 46 Minutes
Release Year:
2001
Original Name:
El Espinazo del Diablo
The Devil's Backbone (2001) - Also known as El Espinazo del Diablo

After losing his father, 10-year-old Carlos arrives at the Santa Lucia School, which shelters orphans of the Republican militia and politicians, and is taken in by the steely headmistress, Carmen, and the kindly professor, Casares. Soon after his arrival, Carlos has a run-in with the violent caretaker, Jacinto. Gradually, Carlos uncovers the secrets of the school, including the youthful ghost that wanders the grounds.

Story Timeline:
Producing Country:
Filming Locations:
Genre:

The Devil's Backbone (2001) - Trailer

Release Date:

20 Apr 2001

Language:

Spanish

MPAA Content-Rating:
R – Restricted

Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian. Contains some adult material. Parents are urged to learn more about the film before taking their young children with them.

Director:

Guillermo del Toro

Writer:

Guillermo del Toro, Antonio Trashorras, David Muñoz

Main Actors:

Marisa Paredes, Eduardo Noriega, Federico Luppi, Fernando Tielve

Plot:

It is 1939, the end of three years of bloody civil war in Spain, and General Franco's right-wing Nationalists are poised to defeat the left-wing Republican forces. A ten-year-old boy named Carlos, the son of a fallen Republican war hero, is left by his tutor in an orphanage in the middle of nowhere. The orphanage is run by a curt but considerate headmistress named Carmen and a kindly Professor Casares, both of whom are sympathetic to the doomed Republican cause. Despite their concern for him, and his gradual triumph over the usual schoolhouse bully, Carlos never feels completely comfortable in his new environment. First of all, there was that initial encounter with the orphanage's nasty caretaker, Jacinto, who reacts even more violently when anyone is caught looking around a particular storage room the one with the deep well. Second, and more inexplicable, is the presence of a ghost, one of the former occupants of the orphanage named Santi. Not long after Carlos' arrival, Santi latches onto Carlos, badgering him incessantly at night and gloomily intoning, "Many of you will die." As if that wasn't enough to keep the orphanage's occupants in an unrelenting state of terror, there's the un-exploded bomb that dominates the orphanage's courtyard, still ticking away; With the orphanage left defenseless by its isolation, and the swift progression of Franco's troops, the ghost's prediction seems depressingly accurate. Nevertheless, with every step of the plot, it becomes apparent that the ghost's predictions as to who (or what) will die, the real source of danger and even the definition of death itself may be more ambiguous than first thought.

Awards:

6 wins & 7 nominations.

Production:

Sony Pictures Classics

Ratings:
Internet Movie Database:
7.4/10
Rotten Tomatoes:
92%
Metacritic:
78%