Crafting some of horror’s most notable works, Guillermo Del Toro is first and foremost a horror fan – and boy does it show. His work over the years has included the underrated Mimic, Blade 2, and Hellboy. But Del Toro is at his best when he’s producing poignant chills. Below are three of his best.
Cronos (1993)
Jesus Gris (Federico Luppi) is an elderly antique dealer who happens upon an ancient mechanical device, shaped like a beetle, once belonging to a 16th-century alchemist.
Having an immortal parasite that offers him the chance of eternal life, Gris readily agrees, at first not overly concerned about an extreme aversion to daylight and an agonising thirst for human blood – the pros far outweigh the cons as he grows more youthful with every sip.
That is until he yearns for the vital fluid of his innocent granddaughter…
With its plentiful supply of body horror and bugs, Cronos is a neat vampire riff that’s imaginative, witty, and right on the money.
If clamping the ancient device on Luppi’s chest doesn’t make you look away, or if beetles escaping a statue fail to send a chill down your spine, the trashy image of Jesus licking blood from a white-tiled toilet floor will undoubtedly affect you.
Federico Luppi and Ron Perlman are superb as the warring relations, with spot-on dialogue that requires little padding to move the story on at a satisfying pace. The special effects and locations are still fascinating, and the gothic soundtrack compliments the former splendidly.
Dark and, in places, incredibly stylish, Del Toro’s first outing at the tender age of 29 is perhaps let down by a script that never really hits full throttle – yet it’s deliciously entertaining and terrifying nonetheless; undoubtedly worth getting your teeth into.
The Devil’s Backbone (2001)
Set during the final days of the Civil War, the young inhabitants of a Spanish Orphanage are brutally terrorised by Santi, a decaying spirit who stalks the building’s dark, decaying hallways.
Carlos, a ten-year-old boy and son of a fallen Republican hero, is badgered incessantly by the child-like ghost. Having to contend with a violent caretaker, a bully, and an unexploded bomb that holds sway over the Orphanage’s courtyard, the last thing Carlos needs is Santi latching onto him.
The only way to rid himself of the spirit is to delve into the past and learn the story of the child’s death, revealing the real source of danger and interpreting the ghost’s gloomy prediction that “Many of you will die.”
More than just a simple ghost story, The Devil’s Backbone somehow manages to pull its diverse sub-plots together in such an explicable and beautifully realised way that come the final third, you’ll be deeply moved and completely forget about how terrifying the journey was.
It may build slowly, but the tense murder-mystery elements that keep you guessing until the very end, tinged with unspeakable brutality and fantastic performances from its cast of mainly children, will barely leave you time to breathe.
Because of the excellent performances, we find enough empathy, even for the tormenting ghost Santi. The film’s cast is also why Del Toro doesn’t need to try too hard to scare us. Children are likelier to open doors that should never be opened. That’s not to say the chills are lazy, even if the more delicate moments occur in the basement and when Carlos is hiding in the closet.
Atmospheric visuals and subtle special effects are enhanced by an eerie soundtrack punctured by mysterious noises that add to the tension. Still, the emotional finale will send a lump down the throat – an underrated horror classic.
Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)
A companion piece to the Devil’s Backbone, Pan’s Labyrinth follows Ofelia; a young girl uprooted to a remote military outpost commanded by her new stepfather, a sadistic general in Franco’s army during the harsh realities of the Civil War.
Powerless and lonely, Ofelia discovers a neglected labyrinth behind the family home. Here she meets Pan, a fantastical creature who challenges her with three tasks that he claims will reveal her true identity – a Princess.
Without a doubt, a fairytale for grown-ups, Pan’s Labyrinth steals cheekily from all those before it – whether it be Sergi Lopez playing the big bad wolf in the shape of Ofelia’s stepfather, the housekeeper’s fairy godmother, the movie’s haunted forests, or its nods to other classics such as The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and The Wizard of Oz.
Only, there are more than just mischievous sprites, cheeky fauns, and twisted witches on offer here. The absolute terror comes from the real world rather than that of Ofelia’s imagination – a place so violent and bleak it’s no wonder she gratefully accepts the three challenges to prove her royal status.
The true monster is the sadistic general, who tries to stamp out the left-wing using whatever means necessary, reveling in unmerciful scenes as Del Toro charts what evil men can do with look-away precision.
The scene stealer, however, occurs when Ofelia is confronted by the Pale Man, a hideous monster with no eyes. Del Toro refuses, once again, to go overboard with CGI, and the horror is more terrifying for it. Dark, delightful, bleak and beautiful, Pan’s Labyrinth manages to merge the horrors of real life into the fantastical, leaving Ofelia, and the viewer, with no preferable place to hide.
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