Bottom Line: A ten-year-old boy, new to an orphanage, must learn to survive a grown man who is a bully caretaker and the ghost of a missing boy whose bed is next to his.

Story Line: Unknown to Carlos (Fernando Tielve), his father has been killed in the Spanish Civil War. He thinks he is going for an outing, when in fact his temporary guardian is begging headmistress Carmen (Marisa Paredes) to take him in even though they are low on cash and food to provide for any additional children. Lusting for Carmen but afraid to do anything about it, Professor Casares (Federico Luppi) spends a lot of time thinking about what he should have done after it is too late.

Carlos is first challenged by a bully, schoolmate Jaime (Inigo Garces), and later by caretaker Jacinth (Eduardo Noriega). Jacinth was an orphan at the school when he was a kid and he now walks around in a white tank top trying to look cool, especially to his young lover Conchita (Irene Visedo).

Jacinth uses his charm to exchange keys, one at a time, from a huge set in the possession of Carmen, who is an attractive older widow with one wooden leg. He wants to steal some gold bars from a "hidden" vault and make his get away as a rich man.

The world changes for Carlos when he comes face to face with the ghost Santi, has his face cut by Jacinth and later helps Santi seek revenge for his death.

Tell Me More: When it comes to horror thrillers, my base line films tend to be Alien and Psycho. Those are four star films that fall into the masterpiece category. Maybe after some time has passed I will feel more strongly about The Devil’s Backbone. When it comes to ghost stories, it trumps The Others, Unbreakable and The Sixth Sense. In this story the ghost is very much the real thing, as well as a part of our imagination.

Santi is present in a number of forms and how he is depicted on film is mesmerizing. The flashbacks in the movie gradually explain not only the relationships in the story but provide in depth personal perspectives crossing three generations by both males and females.

Director del Toro gave us a scary Mimic, which was just modern enough to not take very seriously. Over the course of this story, we observe and experience events that cover a vast range of emotions. Bravery, love, lust, revenge, evil thoughts, and much more, all centered on a young boy who disappeared the day a huge bomb dropped in the middle of the schoolyard and did not explode.

Santi’s young ghost is often described as "the one who sighs." Just when I thought I had the ghost story genre figured out, I realized I was just getting started. For fans of other ghost stories, please don’t let the sub titles keep you away. Remember Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon? This is as good a ghost story as CTHD was a martial arts/love epic. You didn’t miss CTHD and please don’t miss The Devil’s Backbone.

Mini Filmography