‘The Devil’s Backbone’ and Guillermo del Toro’s Best Frights, 25 Years Later [Video]
Some ghosts don’t fade. Celebrating 25 years of Guillermo del Toro’s The Devil’s Backbone… and it’s still not done haunting us. Welcome to Guillermo’s twisted tales, where monsters have hearts…and humans? Well, that’s debatable. If you know me (you don’t, but let’s pretend), you know my passion is shining a light on underappreciated and forgotten horror films. One of those just so happens to be del Toro’s early classic. The Devil’s Backbone—my first introduction to his wonderful work.
Currently celebrating the 25th anniversary with a first-time 4K restoration collector’s edition, it will feature improved detail and a new introduction from del Toro himself, along with legacy extras, including an in-depth making-of featurette, commentary tracks, and much more. As a physical media aficionado, I can’t wait!
There was a time, before big studio projects and Oscar wins that made Guillermo del Toro a household name, when he was a struggling filmmaker honing his craft — which, as a young creative myself, made me search out his work. His lifelong love of horror, as well as his hands-on approach, mirrored my own interests as a Monster Kid and voracious cinephile. Guillermo’s passion for his art and love for horror resonated strongly with me.
Before the world caught on, del Toro was already building a dark, dreamy monster playground. Growing up in Guadalajara, Mexico, as a self-described ‘lonely kid’ raised on horror movies and Catholic imagery, he had an appreciation for practical effects and the beauty of the grotesque. Even early on, Guillermo wasn’t concerned with cheap scares—he was meticulously crafting the kind of emotional connection that you feel in your bones.
Hollywood came calling, but the transition to big-budget films wasn’t exactly smooth with his first American studio film, Mimic. Turbulent experiences with Harvey Weinstein at Miramax and creative clashes over creative decisions nearly pushed him away from the studio system entirely. But instead of folding, he found support from indie production company El Deseo and shot The Devil’s Backbone with full artistic control and final cut. The film remains a blueprint for del Toro’s unadulterated creativity: misunderstood monsters–horror with soul!
So let’s dive in and dig up my Top 5 Guillermo del Toro films at his most devastating.
5. Mimic: Director’s Cut
If you’re a fan of del Toro, then you know, no one is safe from the horrors—and that includes children. Besides the shocking children vs. mutant sewer bug sequence, the real shocker is just how underappreciated Mimic is—it deserves a spot next to the great creature features for its biological horror themes and complex creature designs.
Significant as del Toro’s English-language debut, it helped establish his signature style of dark fairy tales. Despite studio interference, the film remains an important entry in his filmography. While Guillermo feels the director’s cut still compromises his original creative vision and doesn’t include more creature footage or increased gore, it does streamline some bumpy plot points and intensify the film’s darker atmosphere and tone.
4. Cronos
Immortality never looked so… fragile. Guillermo del Toro’s debut film is a stylistic gut-punch with a new take on vampiric eternal life and an early example of his distinct visual palette, wrapped in addiction, extensive world-building, decay, and quiet desperation. The film doesn’t rely too heavily on classic horror scares, but it does deliver fabulous, gooey-yuck moments.
Marking the first of a long collaboration between del Toro and actor Ron Perlman, the film suffered significant funding issues when producers backed out halfway through, leading Perlman to graciously continue without pay and forcing Guillermo to take a loan against his house.
It’s one of my favorite del Toro sleeper films for its zany character development, like the undertakers, Perlman’s broad performance, and, of course, the death-defying bond between Grandpa and granddaughter. A must-watch!
3. Crimson Peak
Beneath the decaying lace and flickering candlelight, Crimson Peak is an atmospheric, haunting story about love twisting into smothering control. Where the ghosts aren’t trying to terrify, they’re flashing red flag warnings before the past repeats itself.
It was directly inspired by Hitchcock’s 1940 adaptation of Daphne du Maurier’s novel Rebecca, a major reason I adore this film. With its naive Gothic romance, a mansion as a central plot (Manderley vs. Allerdale Hall), and sinister character dynamics, many characters in the two films share similarities — most notably Lucille Sharpe (Jessica Chastain), who is closely modeled after Hitchcock’s diabolical Mrs. Danvers (Judith Anderson).
2. Pan’s Labyrinth
A dark fairy tale masterpiece that included del Toro’s longtime collaboration with premier creature actor Doug Jones, who played dynamic dual roles as enigmatic Pan and the terrifying Pale Man. Brutal reality meets haunting fantasy—and yes, it will destroy you emotionally.
Visually striking, juxtaposed by showing the fantastic in the mundane with complex creature designs. Del Toro famously lost his notebook filled with years of drawings and creative ideas, including the original plot for Pan’s Labyrinth, in a London cab and had to completely rewrite it from memory. (Dedication to his art, wow!!)
1. The Devil’s Backbone
The reason why we’re here! A ghost story that still haunts me. Every character is so tragic. Quiet, dreadful, and proof that horror cuts deepest when it whispers.
As is the case in most indie films, financial restrictions played a role in del Toro’s creative decisions during production, most notably with the Santi design, including adjusting Santi’s lace buzzcut wig concept to a more budget-friendly bowl cut. Del Toro concurrently invented rules for Santi’s ghost. Every time he crossed the moonlight, his skeleton would glow through his flesh, as the production could only afford minimal VFX.
Interestingly, The Devil’s Backbone and Pan’s Labyrinth are considered sibling films, with Guillermo del Toro describing the former as a masculine “brother” ghost story and the latter as a feminine “sister” fairy tale, with both belonging to the same universe. Exploring the traumas of the Spanish Civil War through children navigating deadly, fantastical, supernatural worlds, and excellent for a ghastly, heartbreaking double feature!
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Categorized:Editorials