The Devil's Backbone (2001)

After it's shown up on so many top horror lists, I had to check out Guillermo Del Toro's movie The Devil's Backbone. It was far from what I expected. I thought it'd be a darker scarier "Pan's Labyrinth" or something. Instead, it's a tale about an orphanage during a war in Spain, and the ghost of a murdered child seeking revenge. It was really well done. The camera angles and lighting, along with all the sound effects created a very sinister and ominous atmosphere. Although there was a revenge seeking ghost, the real bad guy was the man, Jacinto, who murdered him. But until that is revealed, they treat the ghost as this scary malevolent spirit, and I thought that was a fantastic way to let the plot unfold. I definitely enjoyed this film, and think it's worth a watch. I watched it in Spanish with English subtitles, but I really liked it that way. I'm not sure whether it belongs on so many top horror lists though. ~Gangis