Bocaccio DistribuciónWith its fascination of childhood dreams and nightmares and the innocence of youth slowly peeling away in the face of the world's horrors, The Spirit Of The Beehive can be watched as a direct predecessor to The Devil's Backbone and Pan's Labyrinth. Like Pan's Labyrinth, Victor Erice's The Spirit Of The Beehive takes place during Franco's fascist rule over Spain and focuses on a young girl called Ana. After watching a screening of Frankenstein in the village she becomes fascinated by this misunderstood creature and sets out to track him down. Roger Ebert once described The Spirit Of The Beehive as "one of the most beautiful films I've seen," while del Toro recognises the essential counterpoint to this beauty. "Sublime fairy tales of despair that depict the adult world as a toxic environment for kids to exist in" is an apt summation of the deeply symbolic approach to adolescence and the loss of innocence which del Toro has defined throughout his career. Also recommended: The Night Of The Hunter How many of these films have you seen? Which other movies have influenced del Toro? Share any we missed down in the comments.
