The Devils Backbone was an amazing achievement that combined intuitive and dramatic storytelling alongside many aspects of classic horror filmmaking as an added and much appreciated bonus.  It's the type of horror film that American directors should pursue, but for some reason stay completely clear of.  God forbid, we settle for another shitty remake while other international directors such as del Toro, Miike, Neil Marshall, and Alexandre Aja are out there dishing out all the good stuff.  Lucky for us, many of these directors find a market for their films within American audiences.  If it weren’t for them, I’d have to say that the last truly great American horror film to come out in theaters was Scott Derrickson's The Exorcism of Emily Rose.  I still have a few problems with the film but I still hold it a few notches above Hostel and the more recent Saw 3 simply because of its superb direction and well written script.  Finally, we have another savior, and he is Guillermo del Toro, the writer and director of Pan’s Labyrinth.   Once again, del Toro has rehashed some of the amazing storytelling and character themes that he used for his recent masterwork The Devil's Backbone, but this time del Toro surprises us with more fantasy, more gore, and overall more of the surrealistic imagery that he is already quite famous for.    The result is Pan's Labyrinth, a tale that will give fantasy, historical, and horror fanatics something to really cheer about, and to remind us all that beneath the gore and grotesque imagery of recent horror films, audiences still love a well written story with endearing character development. 

For those of you going into Pan's Labyrinth while already seeing The Devil's Backbone, don’t expect a sequel or a prequel or believe the rumors about either.  The truth is that both films have strikingly similar stories and even similar characters, but the film is neither a sequel nor prequel of any sorts.  I however left the theater feeling as if I just watched The Devil's Backbone all over again.  Now, this isn't a bad thing.  It;s just that I'm confused as to why del Toro has made the same movie twice.  In Pan's Labyrinth, you have your child protagonist who is in the mixed of her own world surrounded by a more realistic society of war, betrayal, and death.  This also holds true with The Devil's Backbone.  The main difference between the two films is that The Devils' Backbone carries on a lot more suspenseful styles of filmmaking as to Pan's Labyrinth which tries to bring about a more adult style of fantasy storytelling.  Pan's Labyrinth almost had me jumping out of my seat, on almost a dozen occasions, ready to yell out that this was the same film I saw back in 2002 when it was originally called The Devil's Backbone.  It's a fantastic story, and for all the many similarities there are between the two films, there are also the many differences, and in the end, it's impossible not to give each of the films the equal credit that they deserve.

Now, enough of The Backbone!  Pan's Labyrinth is being billed as the first adult fantasy.  It's the film that got a twenty minute standing ovation at The Sundance Film Festival.  The problem is that the film is advertised as a fantasy when in reality the fantasy moments of the film are few and far between.  Del Toro spends most of his time building the relationships between its many characters that are all in the middle of a violent setting that takes place during the hostel environments of war in northern Spain of 1944.   It is up to Ofelia (brilliantly portrayed by Ivana Baquero) to escape these harsh realities and create a world all to her own.  In this world, Ofelia is said to carry the very soul of a princess who has the right to rule a far away land alongside her father, the king.  The problem is that Ofelia is here on earth and it has taken the king and his servants a long time to find her.  Finally, a bizarre and almost frightening fawn appears within an old natural labyrinth to tell Ofelia that she is in fact the king’s daughter and she must prove herself worthy in order to go back to her rightful home and live in peace within her new kingdom.  Sounds like a pretty sweet deal to me, but Ofelia runs into some trouble in both reality and her fantasy worlds while trying to fulfill the fawn's requirements of proving herself as a princess.  This is where Pan's Labyrinth will completely draw you in.  It's hard not to follow and cheer for Ofelia all the way throughout her journey because she is soooo freakin adorable ,and Ivana Baquero is absolutely perfect for her role. 

If you come into Pan's Labyrinth expecting gore, gore, and more gore you'll be a little disappointed.  When the blood does come, all fantasy aspects of the film completely disappear and the fun comes to a screeching halt.  Del Toro still however gives us more bumps and bruises than anything else.  This isn't meant to be taken lightly either.  The main antagonist of the film has absolutely no tolerance for people who don't follow exactly to his commands, and the outcome to intolerance is always horrific and hard to watch without finding yourself a little on the squeamish side.  It's all done in a manner that actually suits the film quite nicely, and a special high five goes to the amazing head shot at the end of the film.  I'll take that moment of absolute bliss over any zombie head shot....ever! 

I couldn't help but be a little underwhelmed with Pan's Labyrinth, and I don't think it was because of all the hype I heard before I stepped into the theater.  I was excited to see another well crafted fantasy in the likes of The Princess Bride, Willow, & Legend.  Pan's Labyrinth is 70% historical drama and 30% fantasy.  I was still however completely engaged throughout its entire running time, and I never found myself drifting off from the story even once during the film.  Del Toro's direction has never been better, and his writing here is also top notch.  He creates such vivid atmospheres throughout the entire film and the audience is constantly being pulled back and forth between worlds of wonder and places of cruelty and demise.  He is by far one of the best craftsmen of our time, and I can only hope that more Americans, whether they are fans of drama, horror, or fantasy, will soon realize the true masterworks that this Spanish director has to offer.

Ahhh Hell, I recommend this film to everyone on the planet!  Although I would have altered the story a bit to my personal liking, what I saw on the screen did not completely disappoint me.  It's not exactly a horror film as it is more of a dramatic fantasy / adventure / awesome movie....type of film.  I won't give the movie has high of a grade as some because I just feel that too many elements of Pan's Labyrinth are just themes we've already seen in The Devil's Backbone, and these continued themes are as blatant as can be.  See both films and gather your own opinion, and if you haven't seen The Devil's Backbone already...you might find yourself enjoying Pan's Labyrinth even more.  Either way it's a winner, and is not to be missed!