8 Disturbing Horror Movie Monsters (And What They Represent)

The entirety of Pan's Labyrinth as a movie is an exercise in duality, with a constant question mark hovering over Ofelia's grasp of reality as she traverses between war-torn Spain in the 40s and a fantastical, magical kingdom replete with fauns and fairies. As such, it's no surprise to consider that the monsters of Guillermo Del Toro's creation hold symbolic meaning as well as just being downright terrifying - The Pale Man portraying far more than simply a monster in its den.

Surrounded by rich food but sharing it with no-one, The Pale Man could be described as representing the hoarding and consuming of the wealthy, stockpiling their resources whilst those less fortunate struggle not to starve.

Whilst surrounded by a feast on a giant table, he is alone, emaciated, preferring instead to take his meal straight out of the children that cross his path. He's even blind until he puts his eyes in - choosing exactly what he wants to see. Why eat food when he can take from the innocent? When he can steal a future away at the source?

Del Toro himself spoke of his creation in a tweet:

“The Pale Man represents all institutional evil feeding on the helpless. It’s not accidental that he is a) Pale b) a Man. He’s thriving now."

Whilst learning that the faceless evil that has haunted nightmares since his first appearance in 2006 is actually symbolic of white men might not be entirely what you were expecting, it comes straight from the big man himself. There we go then.