Cody Casey
'Pan's Labyrinth' is a fantasy-horror film set in 1944 Spain, directed by Guillermo del Toro. The film follows 11-year-old Ofelia, who is sent to live with her ruthless stepfather. Ofelia escapes her depressing reality by creating fantastical creatures and an imaginary world. While the film has been praised for its visual artistry and imaginative storytelling, it is not suitable for children due to its violent and disturbing content. This includes graphic depictions of torture, brutal beatings, and intense scenes of fantasy horror. Given the mature themes and explicit content, parental guidance is strongly advised for younger viewers.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Genre | Drama, Fantasy, War |
| Rating | 8.2 |
| Year | 2006 |
| Runtime | 1h 58m (118 min), 2h (120 min) (Finland), 1h 52m (112 min) (Toronto International) (Canada) |
| Age rating | 18+ (violence, gore, strong language, alcohol and tobacco use) |
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![Pan's Labyrinth (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81PNPArXZkL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
What You'll Learn
Violent and graphic content
'Pan's Labyrinth' is a fantasy drama set in Civil War Spain. The film follows a 10-year-old girl, Ofelia, who is sent to live with her ruthless stepfather and pregnant mother. During the night, she explores a labyrinth and meets a fairy who introduces her to an old faun. The faun tells her that she is a princess but must complete three terrifying and gruesome tasks to prove her royalty.
The film contains several violent and graphic scenes that may be disturbing to some viewers. One of the most violent scenes involves a man being hit repeatedly in the face with a bottle, resulting in a bloody and smashed nose. Another scene depicts a man whose hand has been almost completely sliced from side to side, with his fingers nearly severed. The man is in visible pain and begs for death.
In another intense scene, a man attempts to shoot a wounded soldier in the head, but the soldier pushes the gun away, causing his hand to be blown off. The man then proceeds to shoot the soldier three times in the head, with chunks of flesh and blood spraying onto a rock. The film also briefly depicts a man with a badly gangrenous leg, which is about to be amputated by a doctor, and a person whose mouth is cut from the inside with a knife.
Due to the graphic and violent content depicted in the film, parental guidance is strongly advised for younger viewers. While the impact of the violence is not lingered on and is shown through quick shots, the intensity of these scenes may still be disturbing or upsetting to sensitive viewers, regardless of age. It is recommended that parents or guardians research the content of the film and make an informed decision regarding their children's maturity and ability to handle such content.
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Language
The original language of Pan's Labyrinth is Spanish. It was filmed in Central Spain, in a Scots pine forest in the Guadarrama mountain range. The director of photography, Guillermo Navarro, said that "working in our original language in different scenery brings me back to the original reasons I wanted to make movies, which is basically to tell stories with complete freedom and to let the visuals really contribute to the telling of the story".
The film was subtitled for translation into other languages, including English. Director Guillermo del Toro wrote the subtitles himself, as he was disappointed with the subtitles of his previous Spanish-language film, The Devil's Backbone, which he considered to be "incredibly bad". Del Toro did not want viewers to "feel like... watching a subtitled film".
Some viewers have expressed confusion over whether they watched a dubbed version of the film, with some claiming to have seen it fully dubbed in English, despite no record of such a version existing. It is possible that these viewers simply assigned voices to the characters while reading the subtitles, a phenomenon known as the Mandela Effect.
In addition to Spanish, the film features some unique languages created specifically for the film. For example, the language of the fairies in the film was created by director Guillermo del Toro, who also created the language of the Faun.
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Alcohol and tobacco use
While there are no tobacco restrictions for films, the depiction of tobacco use in movies can influence young people to emulate on-screen behaviour. In Pan's Labyrinth, tobacco is shown in boxes for rationing. The movie also features a man smoking in some scenes, reflecting the historical context of the story.
Alcohol consumption by minors is a significant concern, as it can lead to various negative consequences, including health risks, impaired judgment, and an increased risk of addiction. In the film, a man is shown drinking alcohol in a few scenes, and men and women drink wine at a dinner. While the specific amount and context of alcohol consumption in the movie are unknown, it is important for parents and guardians to be aware of its presence and make informed decisions about their children's exposure to such content.
The depiction of alcohol and tobacco use in Pan's Labyrinth reflects the historical context of the film, set during the Spanish Civil War in 1944. During this period, tobacco and alcohol were commonly used, and their inclusion in the movie can add to the authenticity of the setting. However, it is essential to consider the potential influence of such depictions on impressionable viewers, especially given the other violent themes in the movie.
Parents and guardians play a crucial role in guiding their children's media consumption and helping them develop a critical understanding of the depicted content. Discussing the portrayal of alcohol and tobacco use in Pan's Labyrinth can be an opportunity to educate young viewers about the potential risks and consequences of substance use and foster a healthy relationship with these substances.
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Scary scenes
While opinions vary on how scary the film "Pan's Labyrinth" is, there are several scenes that viewers have found frightening or disturbing. Here are some of the scary scenes from the film:
The Pale Man
The Pale Man is a character in the film who evokes fear in viewers. The shots of the dropped chalk leave viewers terrified that the Pale Man will use it to make a door into the protagonist Ofelia's room.
Vidal's Brutality
One of the most disturbing scenes in the film involves the character Vidal, who beats a man to near death with a glass bottle while the man's father is forced to watch. The father is then shot down, and Vidal finishes off the son, leaving him with a massive hole where his nose and upper mandible used to be. The scene is made even more frightening by the fact that the victims were innocent rabbit hunters, and Vidal shows no remorse for his actions.
The Stuttering Rebel
Another scary scene involves Vidal and a stuttering rebel. Vidal's Faux Affably Evil demeanor is on full display as he encourages the rebel to count to three, knowing the rebel will fail the test. The fear of the stuttering rebel is palpable and adds to the tension of the scene.
Ofelia's Mother's Death
In a scene that taps into natural fears about the dangers of pregnancy and childbirth, Ofelia looks at a book in the bathroom and sees its pages covered in blood. She then opens the door to her bedroom to find her mother hemorrhaging and crying, with 11-year-old Ofelia as the only one around to get help. The vulnerability of the mother and the cruel inevitability of her death, especially in a time and place where medicine was less advanced, makes this scene particularly scary for viewers.
The Bottle Stabbing Scene
While some viewers did not find this scene particularly scary, others found it brutal and disturbing. In this scene, a farmer's face is stabbed with a bottle, evoking comparisons to similar scenes in "Goodfellas" and "Casino".
The Hand-Eye-Child-Eating Monster
This creature, referred to as a "monster," is another source of fear for some viewers. While not everyone found it scary, it disturbed some viewers enough to avoid rewatching the film.
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Fantasy elements
"Pan's Labyrinth" is a dark fantasy film written, directed, and co-produced by Guillermo del Toro. The film premiered in 2006 and received widespread critical acclaim, with praise for its imaginative storytelling, visual artistry, and strong performances. The narrative intertwines the real world with a mythical world, creating a fantasy underworld that reflects the film's exploration of complex themes related to human morality and free will, and the allegory of fascism.
The fantasy elements in "Pan's Labyrinth" are centred around the protagonist, Ofelia, a 10-year-old girl who feels alone while living with her tyrannical stepfather and pregnant mother in 1944 Spain. Ofelia discovers an overgrown, abandoned labyrinth guarded by a mysterious faun who claims she is a princess. To return to her real father, Ofelia must complete three terrifying and gruesome tasks.
The faun, a mythical creature, serves as a guide and a symbol of Ofelia's destiny. The labyrinth itself, with its decaying and overgrown atmosphere, further enhances the fantasy setting. Additionally, Ofelia encounters other magical creatures within the labyrinth, including a fairy and the Pale Man monster, who symbolise predatory authority figures and the film's criticism of the Catholic Church.
The fantasy world in "Pan's Labyrinth" serves as a reflection of Ofelia's inner world and her way of making sense of the harsh reality surrounding her. Del Toro himself has described the film as "a truly profane film, a layman's riff on Catholic dogma," while also acknowledging its Catholic themes. The fantasy elements allow the film to explore childlike fears and wonders, blending the horrors of reality and fantasy into an extraordinary, spellbinding fable.
The intricate interplay between history and fantasy in "Pan's Labyrinth" contributes to its depth and impact. Ofelia's quests in the fantasy world symbolise choices and disobedience against oppressive authority figures, mirroring the adult world's failures and the importance of standing against fascism. The fantasy elements in the film provide a unique perspective on the exploration of human morality and the complexities of the real world.
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Frequently asked questions
The film alternates between the world of Civil War Spain and the dark and frightening world of a young girl's labyrinth. The girl, Ofelia, is sent to live with her ruthless stepfather and pregnant mother in 1944. She meets a fairy who takes her to an old faun, who tells her she is a princess but must complete three gruesome tasks to prove her royalty.
The film is rated 15.
The film contains frequent scenes of violence and gore. There is also strong language, alcohol and tobacco use, and themes of war and fantasy.
You can buy or rent the film on Amazon Video, Apple TV, Fandango At Home, Microsoft Store, or Spectrum On Demand online.
