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El espinazo del diablo (2001)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
20 April 2001 (Spain) moreTagline:
The living will always be more dangerous than the dead. morePlot:
It is 1939, the end of three years of bloody civil war in Spain, and General Franco's right-wing Nationalists... more | add synopsisAwards:
6 wins & 7 nominations moreNewsDesk:
(22 articles)
Eugenio Mira shooting baroque retro-futuristic thriller Agnosia (From QuietEarth. 5 November 2009, 2:26 PM, PST)
Two Resident Evil Actors to Star in Spainish Horror Exorcismus
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User Comments:
A Beautiful, Bloody Ghost Story more (140 total)Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only) | Marisa Paredes | ... | Carmen |
 | Eduardo Noriega | ... | Jacinto |
 | Federico Luppi | ... | Dr. Casares |
| Fernando Tielve | ... | Carlos |
| Íñigo Garcés | ... | Jaime |
 | Irene Visedo | ... | Conchita |
| José Manuel Lorenzo | ... | Marcelo |
| Francisco Maestre | ... | El Puerco (as Paco Maestre) |
| Junio Valverde | ... | Santi |
| Berta Ojea | ... | Alma |
| Adrián Lamana | ... | Gálvez |
| Daniel Esparza | ... | Marcos |
| Miguel Ortiz | ||
 | Juan Carlos Vellido | ||
| Javier Bódalo | ... | Búho (as Javier González Madrigal) |
Additional Details
MPAA:
Rated R for violence, language and some sexuality.Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parentsRuntime:
106 min | Australia:108 minLanguage:
SpanishColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 moreSound Mix:
Dolby DigitalCertification:
Netherlands:16 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:R (Ontario) | Chile:14 | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Japan:PG-12 | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R | Finland:K-15Filming Locations:
Madrid, SpainFun Stuff
Trivia:
Described by Guillermo del Toro as being a sibling film to El laberinto del fauno (2006) (this being the masculine "brother" film, and Pan's as the feminine "sister" film). moreQuotes:
Casares: 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. moreSoundtrack:
Besos Frios moreFAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (140 total)
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The year is 1939. The Spanish Civil War is nearing its bloody end. Ten year old Carlos, the orphaned son of a slain Republican, is left by his tutor at an isolated orphanage for boys. The school is destitute, barely able to provide enough food for the children, but headmistress Carmen and Dr. Casares do the best they can. Carlos accepts his fate bravely, but there are still school bullies to contend with, an unexploded bomb sitting in the courtyard as a constant reminder of the war which still rages, and an abusive caretaker named Jacinto who has his own secret agenda. As if that were not enough, a ghost begins stalking Carlos, the ghost of a boy named Santi whose demise is shrouded in mystery and who solemnly warns Carlos that many will soon die. As the war begins closing in on the orphanage, violence erupts within and Santi's prediction comes sadly true. But the worst has not yet happened. The abandoned boys must band together if they hope to survive, and the dead will aid their cause if they are to be avenged.
This is a beautiful movie, absolutely gorgeous from start to finish. The dusty, isolated landscape is a ghost itself and the constant threat of violence - from the war, to the bullies and, of course, from the traitorous Jacinto - gives this film an unrelenting atmosphere of tension and dread. The acting is superb, from the children as well as the adults. Federico Luppi as Dr. Casares is superb, providing us with a true hero, a gentleman of class and compassion. Eduardo Noriega is perfectly cast as the despicable Jacinto, making you despise him more and more as the film progresses. This is not just a ghost story, though the figure of Santi is central and key to everything that happens. It is a tale of love and honor as well as horror and ruin. It is a coming of age story and an adult drama. It also manages to be scary as hell when it wants to be.
Guillermo del Toro has made a masterpiece with "The Devils Backbone." Ten stars for this hauntingly lovely epic.