What you are about to see is one of the best movies ever made! Better Than American Horror Films Ever Made! What is a ghost? THE DEVIL’S BACKBONE present the actual ghost as the least frightening aspect of the film; he becomes, in fact, the moral center of a deeply complex story.
During the Spanish Civil War, newly orphaned Carlos is taken to a school for the children of those who died fighting against fascism. He is given the bed that formerly belonged to Santi, a boy who died during a recent attack in which a bomb dropped, landing in the school’s courtyard undetonated–a constant reminder of impending danger. As the amputee headmistress and the embittered caretaker Jacinto engage in a love affair, the headmistress’ cuckolded lover–the impotent but benevolent school doctor sits by passively. After Santi’s ghost repeatedly reveals itself to Carlos, another student spooks him with a dark secret about the boy’s death. War surrounds the school, violence infests it from within, and Carlos sets out to avenge the death of Santi.
