The most personal film by Guillermo del Toro is also among his most frightening and emotionally layered. Set during the final week of the Spanish Civil War, The tale of a ten-year-old boy who, after his freedom-fighting father is killed, is sent to a haunted rural orphanage full of terrible secrets. Del Toro effectively combines gothic ghost story, murder mystery, and historical melodrama in a stylish concoction that reminds us that the scariest monsters are often the human ones.
General Note: In Spanish with optional English subtitles.Home use only.Special features include: commentary, video introduction, interviews, documentary, featurettes, deleted scenes.Widescreen format (aspect ratio 1.85:1)Originally released as a motion picture in 2001.
Creation/Production Credits Note: Makeup, Jorge Hernández ; hairdresser, Fermin Galan ; sound, Miguel Rejas ; sound design, Salvador Mayolas ; costumes, José Vico ; editor, Luis De La Madrid ; art direction, César Macarrón ; camera operator, Joaquin Manchado ; director of photography, Guillermo Navarro ; music, Javier Navarrete.
Participant or Performer Note: Eduardo Noriega, Marisa Paredes, Federico Luppi, Íñigo Garcés, Fernando Tielve, Irene Visedo, Berta Ojea.