OldBoy

I am wondering if this is relatable to any horror movies I might already have or might have seen. If someone could let me know what it is like without giving away and let me know how this new version is I would appreciate it.

MahatmaPetey

I have the old release, and i'm more than happy with it. Just a cool ghost story with an excellent cast and a creepy desert atmosphere. If you liked Cronos, you should like this. I'm 50/50 on del Toro, but this one is his best, IMO. His commentary on the disc is also very good.

wakwak007

I second that. I too have the old release and had gotten as a blind buy. I had only read reviews and was glad I bought it. It takes place during the spanish civil war ( I think around the 1910's) at a orphanage. I'll stop there, aftre several attempts i really don't think I could do it justice in explaining the film without telling too much of it.

TomOpus

This is one movie I'm more than happy to double-dip.

I posted this in the main forum thread about the new SE but I'll repeat some of it:

At Comic-Con, I gave Guillermo the DVD cover to sign and he said they received a not-so-great print from Spain in order to do the first DVD release. He said they spent 2 days trying to fix it so it would be okay to use.

He said the new release has a much improved video presentation. He said the audio is about the same but they had a much better print to do this new release. Plus there are deleted scenes.

I really love this film. Great atmosphere... not a real scream-fest but I love the creepyness factor.

Willh51

I would say rent because it's a little on the ....zzzzz... side. I guess I thought it would be more horror than drama, which it wasn't. It does have some decent elements though. I'd go for the new disc if you get it.

tasha99

This is my all time favorite horror movie and (I think) well worth a blind buy. It's more like The Others or The Sixth Sense than a Halloween or Freddy Kruger movie--horror, but a thoughtful ghost story rather than a slasher.

tasha

chente

I saw it theatrically and loved it. I just bought the SE today and will report back when I have had time to watch it.

purplechoe

I rented this movie a few months ago and was happy enough with it as a rental but will not be buying it. It was ok, but not great. I just felt like it needed a little something to make a great film. My recommendation - rent it.

eXcentris

It's great but to me it's more a socio-political allegory on the Spanish Civil war than a horror film.

roger_d

I have the old release also and i like it because it's a bit different, Yes it's a bit slow but but i still enjoyed it.
Rent it first, each person is different in there likes and dislikes.

asianxcore

Watched it today, I thought it was a really great movie and there was a lot I enjoyed about it. Even though it is somewhat of a "ghost story", it doesn't take up a chunk of the movie, nor is this movie out for scares in general. I thought the child actors were pretty good.

Give it a rent first, because it might be too slow for some people.

OldBoy

Is DB better than "Cronos"? or how does it compare to that? "Cronos" was heralded and got many accolades, I obviously haven't seen it yet, but do own it, so just wondering...

eXcentris

Cronos is interesting despite the fact that it's a low budget affair. The Devil's Backbone is a much better film however. And as I hinted at above, having a ghost does not make this a horror film. It's a socio-political allegory and it helps in your appreciation of the film if you are somewhat familiar with the history of Spain, i.e. the Spanish Civil war.

chente

I listened to the commentary last night and found it very interesting. I love Del Toro's commentaries. He's so informative and conversational and is always very interesting. I was very happy with the picture and audio quality as well. The documentaries were pretty good but nothing to write home about. The interviews were in spanish with english subtitles. I thought the translation was very good for these. Since I watched it with the commentary I couldn't give the soundtrack a real work out but it seemed good in the few test sequences I tried. The film isn't for everyone but I think it is very good.

tasha99

I disagree. Having an extra layer of meaning doesn't make the first layer disappear--it works as both a ghost story and an allegory of the Spanish Civil war. It is definately a horror story, but there are many kinds of horror.

tasha

eXcentris

The horror being the war. To me it's a drama with supernatural elements, not a horror film. I guess we'll just have to disagree.

chente

....but I'll agree with you. That was my take too.

Playitagainsam

An excellent film... moody, atmospheric, real people as characters... It's what Almodovar would do, if he ever got into horror.

Ripper

Is it only in Spanish with English subtitles?

Josh Z

Yes.