Pan's Labyrinth: Perhaps the most hauntingly wonderful fantasy film: period.

Rating: 10/10 (7 April 2007)

The mix of reality and fantasy only adds to the appeal and the mix of the brutality the real world has to offer is matched against the evil and the fantastic hiding around them.
The story is about a young girl (Ofelia) who finds herself constantly with a book across her lap. Her father has died before the movie begins and she is forced to move with her pregnant mother to a battlefront to live with her stepfather, a Captain who is desperately trying to live up to his father's military prowess and stem off the attack of Spanish rebels.
Del Toro takes some poetic license with his portrayal of the faun, who is more tree than goat, but the portrayal is nothing short of perfect. Though, not as prevalent in the film as in other fantasy films, the creatures are some of the most memorable in the genre.
The creature encountered during the second task is particularly creepy, as he awakes to pursue Ofelia in search of a living meal.
The conclusion of this film is satisfying, if vague, and is one I would see again and again; of course it will be one that the kids will need to be put to bed before watching.