31 Days of Horror Recommendations: El Espinazo del Diablo [The Devil's Backbone] (2001)

 

Year: 2001

Country: Spain (joint production w/ Mexico)

Subgenre:  Ghosts/Haunted House-Habitations/War Horror

Runtime:  106 minutes

Director: Guillermo del Toro

My absolute favorite horror genre is haunted habitations/houses. I would recommend nothing but if I didn't stop myself from doing so. When done right, I find it far more spine chilling, engaging and thrilling than any other type of horror. Guillermo del Toro did it RIGHT here. This movie scared me stupid the first time I watched it. If I had been in a theater, I most likely would have been hiding behind the seat in front of me! This is a "watch it through your hands" kind of film.  Of course, once you've seen a haunting/ghost film--most of which are also mysteries of some sort--you've seen it. What I look for are the films that stand up to repeat viewings even after you know what is going to happen/why it's happening. The Devil's Backbone passes that test with flying colors!  It's a deeply haunting film and story on many levels, not just the supernatural. It is set in a war time orphanage during the Spanish Civil War--a truly dreadful atmosphere; there is also a kind of "mad scientist" bent to it that make it more tragic and deeply sad rather than weird, while at the same time adding to a sense of dark fate. The late Argentinian actor Federico Luppi (who is the lead in del Toro's Cronos) begins the film with a haunting voice over

What is a ghost? A tragedy condemned to repeat itself time and again? An instant of pain, perhaps? Something dead which still seems to be alive? An emotion suspended in time? Like a blurred photograph. Like an insect trapped in amber.

If you haven't seen it, you are in for real scare (treat); if you have, then you already know it's worth a rewatch. A beautiful story, a deeply disturbing story, a film as much about what the horrors of war do to children, as it is a film about children afraid of a lurking presence. Del Toro has said that he considers his Pan's Labyrinth a sibling to this this film. This is the brother, while Labyrinth is the sister. 

 

31 Days of Horror Recommendations: The Frighteners (1996)

 

Year:  1996

Country: New Zealand/USA

Subgenre: Ghost/Horror Comedy

Runtime: 110 min (theatrical)/123 (directors)

Director: Peter Jackson

I have a hard time deciding whether this or  Dead Alive/Braindead is my favorite Peter Jackson film. I am a sucker for ghost films and horror comedies and this is one of the best; plus it checks the box on another one of my favorite themes: haunted hospitals.  They are both excellent horror spoofs/comedies, but this one represents Jackson's first forays into the CGI arena, and as such, set the stage for his tackling of the Tolkien catalog (Dead Alive, BTW, is a masterful treat of practical effects from beginning to end!). This also Jackson's first multinational production with a wide release. And, the cast...what to say about the cast? It stars Michael J. Fox (Mr. Teen Wolf himself) and Trini Alvarado, but check out the list of supporters:  John Astin (Gomez makes great decayed ghost!), scream queen Dee Wallace, Chi McBride, Jake Busey, Julianna McCarthy (who is WELL known to daytime soap fans), Troy Evans, R. Lee Ermey...and Jeffery Combs.  This one is just a lot of fun to watch!! Cameo appearances by Jackson and Fran Walsh's two kids as infants.

Oct. 14: Haunted Hospitals