The Devil's Backbone
El espinazo del diablo
“What is a ghost?”
Synopsis
Spain, 1939. In the last days of the Spanish Civil War, the young Carlos arrives at the Santa Lucía orphanage, where he will make friends and enemies as he follows the quiet footsteps of a mysterious presence eager for revenge.
Trailers, Teasers & Extra Featurettes
Official promotional previews, behind-the-scenes footage, and exclusive clips.
THE DEVIL’S BACKBONE – Guillermo del Toro’s creative resurrection | MUBI PodcastOfficial
Type: Featurette • Published 2024-10-19
Top Cast
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Marisa Paredes
Carmen
Eduardo Noriega
Jacinto
Federico Luppi
Dr. Casares
Fernando Tielve
Carlos
Íñigo Garcés
Jaime
Irene Visedo
Conchita
José Manuel Lorenzo
Marcelo
Francisco Maestre
'El Puerco'
Junio Valverde
Santi
Berta Ojea
Alma
Adrián Lamana
Gálvez
Daniel Esparza
Marcos
Miguel Ortiz
Domínguez
Juan Carlos Vellido
Ayala
Javier Bódalo
'Búho'
Víctor Elías
Orphan
Release History & Theatrical Window
Toronto International Film Festival
Festival / Special Debut
Financials & Box Office Performance
Production Budget
$4.5M
Filming & production cost
Worldwide Gross
$6.6M
Total global ticket sales
Box Office Return
1.46x
+$2.1M net gain
Theatrical Status
Budget Return
Box office tier
Key Information & Fast Facts
- Director
- Guillermo del Toro
- Screenplay & Story
- Guillermo del Toro, David Muñoz, Antonio Trashorras
- Original Score
- Javier Navarrete
- Original Title
- El espinazo del diablo
- Country of Origin
- Spain, Mexico
- Spoken Languages
- Spanish
- Runtime
- 1h 48m
- Production Budget
- $4.5M
- Worldwide Gross
- $6.6M
- Production Studios
- Tequila Gang, Anhelo Productions, El Deseo
Creative Leadership & Key Crew
Guillermo del Toro
Guillermo del Toro, David Muñoz, Antonio Trashorras, Carlos Giménez
Javier Navarrete
Guillermo Navarro
Luis de la Madrid
Agustín Almodóvar, Bertha Navarro
Department Leadership Roster
Guillermo del Toro
Screenplay
Javier Navarrete
Original Music Composer
Guillermo del Toro
Director
Guillermo Navarro
Director of Photography
Luis de la Madrid
Editor
Sergio Atanes
Stunt Coordinator
David Muñoz
Screenplay
César Macarrón
Production Design
Antonio Trashorras
Screenplay
Agustín Almodóvar
Producer
Bertha Navarro
Producer
Age Classification & Content Advisories
Official viewer rating standards and content warnings across international classification boards.
R: Restricted — Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.
International Certification Matrix
FSK 16 — Restricted to viewers aged 16 and older.
Interdit aux moins de 12 ans — 12+ only.
Suitable only for 15 years and over.
Restricted — Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.
Production Stills & Gallery
Official cinematic photography and background stills for The Devil's Backbone.
Featured In Curated Collections
Editorial lists, community rankings, and cinematic collections featuring The Devil's Backbone.
Movies Watching
Movies Watchlist
FILMS
Movies
Criterion Collection
The Complete Criterion Collection. The Criterion Collection is a video distribution company that sells 'important classic and contemporary films' in editions that offer the highest technical quality. This list contains only the featured films released on DVD, BluRay and 4K Criterion releases — no supplements are included. Organized by spine number with the newest releases first. CC标准收藏完整收录版： 收录标准收藏（Criterion Collection）发行的重要经典及当代电影。仅包含正片（涵盖 DVD、蓝光及 4K 版本），已排除花絮补充内容。按 CC 发行编号倒序排列（最新发行在前）。 *注：榜单源数据中包含部分剧集/迷你剧，由于本片单只收录纯电影，故不再收录以下非电影条目：* • [#214] Mangrove (2020) • [#215] Lovers Rock (2020) • [#216] Red, White and Blue (2020) • [#217] Alex Wheatle (2020) • [#486] Eight Hours Don’t Make a Day (1972) • [#647] Dekalog (1989) • [#944] World on a Wire (1973) • [#1187] Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980) • [#1338] Fanny and Alexander (1984) • [#1341] Tanner '88 (1988) • [#1371] Scenes from a Marriage (1973) *注：以下影片因 TMDB 尚未收录，暂不在此片单中展示：* • [#531] First (2012) • [#1699] Ulysse (1983) *(Updated via Automated ETL Pipeline: 2026-10-11 07:39:08 UTC+8)*
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Frequently Asked Questions About The Devil's Backbone
Quick factual answers about cast, synopsis, director, box office, and release information.
What is The Devil's Backbone about?
Spain, 1939. In the last days of the Spanish Civil War, the young Carlos arrives at the Santa Lucía orphanage, where he will make friends and enemies as he follows the quiet footsteps of a mysterious presence eager for revenge.
Who directed The Devil's Backbone?
The Devil's Backbone was directed by Guillermo del Toro.
Who stars in The Devil's Backbone?
The principal cast of The Devil's Backbone includes Marisa Paredes, Eduardo Noriega, Federico Luppi, Fernando Tielve, Íñigo Garcés.
When was The Devil's Backbone released and how long is it?
The Devil's Backbone was released in 2001 with a total runtime of 1h 48m.
What was the box office and production budget of The Devil's Backbone?
The Devil's Backbone had a reported production budget of $4.5M and grossed $6.6M at the worldwide box office (1.46 return on budget, classified as a budget recovered).
Who composed the musical score for The Devil's Backbone?
The original motion picture soundtrack for The Devil's Backbone was composed by Javier Navarrete.
What is the age rating and content advisory for The Devil's Backbone?
The Devil's Backbone holds official age classifications: AU: MA 15+; DE: 16 (FSK 16 — Restricted to viewers aged 16 and older.); FR: 12 (Interdit aux moins de 12 ans — 12+ only.); GB: 15 (Suitable only for 15 years and over.); US: R (Restricted — Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.).