10 Best Ghost Story Movies

Back in 2001, Guillermo del Toro was still relatively unknown to wider film audiences in the wake of his 1993 indie debut Cronos, and his inauspicious sophomore effort Mimic. However, The Devil's Backbone changed all that.

The first of the Mexican writer-director's films to be made in Spain and set against the backdrop of the Spanish Civil War, The Devil's Backbone centres on a remote orphanage filled with the sons of fallen soldiers. While the horror of the ongoing conflict is bad enough, the building itself has quite a troubled past, which manifests itself in the form of a ghost seen by the boys.

Frequently mentioned in the same breath as del Toro's later film Pan's Labyrinth, The Devil's Backbone balances supernatural chills and intrigue with the harsh realities of childhood in wartime, and the cruelty of both children and adults. This balance between real-world horror and the uncanny became del Toro's signature.

While the film boasts great performances from its adult cast, notably Eduardo Noriega and the late Federico Luppi, child actors Fernando Tielve and Íñigo Garcés impress above all.