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Rating: 5/10 (14 February 2017)

It surprised me how high the rating was for this movie after seeing it. Maybe it's because it is one of very few horror movies that deliver any kind of human story. It seems like Del Toro was conflicted over whether he wanted it to be a horror movie or not. On one hand, the kids from Laura's childhood did not have malicious intent, but on the other hand the story plays out in a way that is definitely intended to induce fear and suspense. Nothing about the nature of the story or characters called for most of the horror elements that were included. There was no story reason for Tomas' mask to look creepy, or for him to hurt Lauren. There were other small things that seemed to have only been done for jump scare and suspense purposes, like when the ghost kids smash closed the window to respond to Laura or Simon muttering mysteriously in the cave instead of being more playful with his "friends". The scene with the medium was also made very suspenseful, but really didn't need to be. These things aren't necessarily bad, but I don't think they really helped to tell the story. The only horror genre motivated thing that was entirely bad was Beninga getting hit by the ambulance; it was actually really funny because of how ridiculous it was.
The story itself is fairly standard and formulaic, but it doesn't have any evident holes or issues. It's adequate and nothing more, not making any statements or offering anything that unique. The characters are similarly flat, which makes sense because the focus is more on the situations they are in rather than their actions. I found that this made for flat scenes and a flat movie overall, but that doesn't mean you won't enjoy it. I suppose it's well directed and is definitely made to look visually appealing. There was a lot done with the lighting and angles. From what I have observed, horror and thriller movies seem to be great outlets for production specialists to really have fun and get inventive, particularly directors of photography. They may not feature the greatest writing, but they are excellent examples of visual storytelling and using certain kinds of shot combinations to create the right mood.
I wouldn't recommend that you go out looking to watch this movie, but if it's showing in your Spanish class or on a bus trip or something it may keep your interest. If you don't like jump scares and gore, you'll be okay. There are very few of either, and the first twenty minutes or so are not scary or suspenseful at all. Actually, the movie is really more of a fantasy story than anything, and was just infused with horror elements to increase drama. Overall Rating: 6.3/10.