We have a tendency as humans to want everything to fit.
We want the things in our lives to be easily defined and categorized. We tend to deride that desire as being something that the “elites” foist upon us - most of the time wrongly, we like to believe. There is nothing wrong with wanting this type of order. It’s natural. It makes things easier to find, define, and place into our worldview. And, let’s face it, most of the art that we create fits neatly into the categories in which we place them. Sure, we might hyphenate the categories to make them a little more “fair”, but we really don’t like to do much more than that.
Every now and then though, we get a work of art that transcends category. We get a work that takes what it needs from several genres and in so doing elevates itself above category, above definition. If it utilizes its genres well, it can be claimed by each - and it is in this spirit that I offer, as an example of great Horror, Guillermo del Toro’s incomparable 2006 masterpiece; PAN’S LABYRINTH.
More below!
Taking place just after the Spanish Civil War, a young girl named Ofelia and her mother go to live with Ofelia’s new stepfather - the brutal Captain Vidal, who is charged with eliminating any remaining rebels. Ofelia is a deeply discontented girl and is distrustful of her new stepfather. One night, she is greeted by a stick bug who leads her to meet a goat-like creature called the Faun. There, the Faun reveals to Ofelia that she is, in fact, the lost princess of a mythical realm. He is a messenger, there to tell her that if she completes a series of quests, she will be able to return to her realm, to her real home.
Although the story follows the rhythms of a traditional fairy-tale, PAN’S LABYRINH is a film that defies easy definition. It is an extraordinary study in utilizing all tools available to serve the art of storytelling. We see the terrifying Pale Man scene and brutal torture sequences - are we watching a Horror film? We watch a beloved character die in childbirth - are we watching Drama? We watch expertly choreographed battle sequences - are we watching an Action movie? We see Fauns and fairies - does that make it Fantasy? The answer is; yes, all of the above. How this film manages to pull it off is due to the writer/director that made it all happen.
Guillermo del Toro revealed himself with PAN’S LABYRINTH to be a filmmaker of extraordinary vision and an expert storyteller. Del Toro utilizes not just each cinematic genre to tell this story, but harnesses every iota of creativity and skill from his filmmaking team. Be it Guillermo Navarro’s brilliant photography, Javier Navarrete’s haunting score, or Eugenio Caballero’s flawless production design, there is not an aspect of modern filmmaking that is not accomplished at the highest of level. PAN’S LABYRINTH is as close to perfect filmmaking as a movie can get.
It is fair to argue weather or not PAN’S LABYRINTH is a Horror film. No one can deny that there are genuinely horrific sequences in the film, both fantastical and rooted in reality. These sequences and its overall Gothic vibe makes PAN’S LABYRINTH fit into the Horror world nicely, but it doesn’t stay there - and that is the brilliance of the movie. The film dances from one genre to the next, then to the next, until we realize that this is a case where the genres are serving the tale, not the other way around. Guillermo del Toro weaves through each of them until they blend into the beautiful tapestry that is PAN’S LABYINTH.
Parental Guide: This film will be too much for small children, but young teens and up will be ok... and really SHOULD see this masterpiece of filmmaking.
PAN’S LABYRINTH fun facts -
The film was almost abandoned after Guillermo del Toro accidentally left years worth of notes and sketches crucial to the project in the back of a cab. The cab driver tracked del Toro down and returned the items, convincing del Toro that the film was destined to be made.
The legs of the faun were puppeteered by actor Doug Jones’ own legs. Jones’ legs were then digitally removed .
When it premiered at Cannes, PAN‘S LABYRINTH received a 22 minute long ovation.
For the English subtitles, Guillermo del Toro translated the film himself.
The Faun - “I’ve had so many names. Old names that only the wind and the trees can pronounce. I am the mountain, the forest, and the earth. I am… I am a faun. Your most humble servant, Your Highness.“
Mercedes - “I am not some old man, or a wounded prisoner. Motherfucker, don‘t you dare touch the girl. You won‘t be the first pig I‘ve gutted!”.”
The Faun - “The moon will be full in three days. Your spirit shall forever remain among the humans. You shall age like them, you shall die like them, and all memory of you shall fade in time. And we will vanish along with it. You will never see us again.”