Ranking Every Guillermo Del Toro Film From Worst To Best

Pan's Labyrinth is Del Toro's definitive twisted fairy tale, a dark, perverse story, seen through the eyes of a child, which only makes it all the more horrifying. Returning to the Spanish Civil War, del Toro creates what he calls a 'thematic complement' to The Devil's Backbone.

Exploring several of the same themes, such as the consequences of war, the film is also an ultimate exploration of the nature of childhood and the horrors of growing up.

Throughout the film, our young protagonist, Ofelia, is the only person who is able to see the fairy-tale creatures all around them. Yet, it is re-enforced by the film that these fantastic goings-ons are much more than just figments of her imagination. Instead, the creatures are just as real as the war on her doorstep, and often just as horrifying as the step-father she hates.

It's a Lewis Carroll-ian tale, run through the mind of del Toro, which results in a mythology and tale so primal and classical, you could swear it was a fable from centuries past. By weaving the story of the horrors of war and the story of the horrors of adolescence, del Toro achieves a kind of symphony that is bleak and heartbreaking, but also incredibly affecting.