Best of Frightfest: As the twentieth anniversary of Arrow Video Frightfest approaches, we at team THN take a look back at some of the best and brightest films that have screened over the last two decades. Today we venture into Pan’s Labyrinth.
While The Shape of Water may have nabbed him both the best director and best picture Oscar, it would be hard to argue the fact that the film Guillermo del Toro will be most remembered for is 2006’s Pan’s Labyrinth. There is something about it that, like all great fairy tales, has proven to be timeless, and that comes down to the del Toro’s imagination that is onscreen in all its beauty and all its horror.
It tells a story of high fantasy set against the backdrop of the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War. The year is 1944. We follow Ophelia (Ivana Baquero, who stars in this years Frightfest film Feedback), a spirited young girl who’s pregnant mother (Ariadna Gil) moves them both to Francoist Spain to live with Opehlia’s new stepfather, Captain Vidal (Sergi Lopez), a sadistic man on the hunt for republican rebels.
While attempting to become accustomed to her new circumstances, Ophelia discovers an old labyrinth, and with it a collection of strange and mystical creatures. There, she meets an ancient faun creature, who believes Ophelia is the reincarnation of a folklore Princess. To prove herself, Ophelia is set on a series of trials through the labyrinth, and all the dark wonders that it possesses.
The way that the fantasy and the reality of the period drama blend throughout the course of Pan’s Labyrinth is nothing short of genius. del Toro’s fantasy realm features many decadent delights, but is also filled with creatures that are both beautiful and terrifying (the Pale Man remains one of the most searing images of the last 20 years).
There is poeticism to the way in which the reality of 1944 Spain echoes within the mysterious underworld of the labyrinth. It’s easy to say it’s a warped Alice in Wonderland, with Ophelia becoming ensnared in a magical quest, but del Toro’s approach is certainly seeped far deeper into the history of fairytales than I can articulate here.
The two storylines are given equal balance, allowing for the intensity of both situations to never undermine the other. The means in which the storylines rhyme and play against the other makes for a fantastical journey that functions on a deeper level, creating an adult fairytale with amazing potential for ruminations on the wider themes of fascism, disobedience, rebellion, tragedy and trauma. The weaving of these two stories is further improved by the exceptional performance of young Baquero, who more than proves to be the heart and soul across the two worlds that the film constructs.
What makes it an even richer text is the incredibly detailed design and art direction on display. From the effortless combination of animatronics and CG, to Doug Jones in full-body latex costumes, to the incredible sets, each image feels meticulous thought out, with nary any object out of place. This, paired with Guillermo Navarro’s tactile cinematography and Javier Navarete’s achingly soulful score, help to construct a world that feels very much alive.
If you couldn’t tell, I am head over heels in awe of Pan’s Labyrinth, a feeling that I am happy to let wash over me through the opportunity with this piece noting its place in Frightfest’s history. The film had its first premiere in an English-speaking country at the festival, which gives it a special place in the story of the festival. It is films like this, ones that are filled with imagination, fear, beauty and soul, that have come to represent what we love about festivals like Frighfest, and that is the potential that they have to introduce stories to both genre fans and beyond that excite, move and inspire.
Arrow Video Frightfest returns for its twentieth year on 22nd August 2019. Full details about the event can be found on the Frightfest website.
