film of the year?

Rating: 9/10 (27 November 2006)

Any fan of Guillermo del Toro needs to watch this excellent film as soon as possible! I've been recommending this film to people and they have been put off when I mention it has subtitles in it but please don't let that put you off! Its a fantastic horror fantasy film, and I watched it on a digital projector so the image was gorgeous ! the plot goes as follows In a post-Civil War northern Spain in 1944, a 12-year-old girl, Ofelia (Ivana Baquero), moves with her heavily-pregnant mother and stepfather into a new home in the countryside. Her stepfather, Captain Vidal (Sergi López) has been posted to this remote area to rid it of rebels. Disliked by the sadistic Vidal, Ofelia, who revels in ancient stories and fairy tales, discovers an immense and ancient labyrinth guarded by a Faun (Doug Jones). He tells her she is the long-lost daughter of the king of a magical land, and to regain entry to her kingdom she must carry out three tasks. So Ofelia enters a strange and no less dangerous world of fairies and extraordinary creatures such as the terrifying Pale Man (Doug Jones).
spoilers the violence is brutal in this film and one scene in particular where a man has his face smashed in with a bottle had me gagging. But if you got through saw 3 without running off you'll be fine here.