Laberinto del Fauno, El, or Pan’s Labyrinth as it is known in English is a fantasy/horror film that has been wowing audiences in Cannes. The Hollywood Reporter described it as ‘An engrossing mix of horror, fantasy and stark drama‘. The LA times was equally impressed, describing it as ‘Part fairy tale, part drama, part magical fantasy, made with an impeccable sense of atmosphere and mood.’ Salon.com said that it was ‘Hands down the most exciting and original film I saw at Cannes‘.

Pan’s Labyrinth is a Spanish language movie created by Mexican director Guillermo del Toro who has won internation acclaim for his his previous projects which include Hellboy, Blade II and Mimic. Del Toro started his professional life as a make-up designer, and formed his own company, Necropia, in the early 80s. His abundant imagination and visual flair has stamped his works with a unique identity permeated by religious iconography that stems back to a childhood where he was raised by his Catholic grandmother. This fascination with religious themes and in particular the myth of resurrection has produced some truly remarkable celluliod imagery. A key image in the trailer features the ‘insect’ (think Cronos and Mimic), a recurring metaphor in Del Toro films, simultaneously signifying birth, regeneration (Christ) and the repellent and alien. Judging by the photographs emerging from the production of his latest exploration of light and darkness, Pan’s Labyrinth promises to be his most interesting work to date.

Del Toro seems to be on a roll, with this movie in the can and Hellboy 2: The Golden Army on the way in 2007. He has also written a draft of a new adaptation of Roald Dahl’s classic children’s work, The Witches.

“This film has been the single most fulfilling creative experience of my career,” said del Toro. “Hopefully it represents a future direction for my work. Pan’s Labyrinth is a passion project and it took over two years of my life to see it made the way I wanted it.”

According to reports, the character of Vidal, Ofelia’s evil stepfather seems set to become a memorable movie villain and the real monster of the piece. His corruption is cleverly juxtaposed against the fantastical darkness of the labyrinth’s inhabitants which include includes fairies, mandrakes and a sinister giant Toad (briefly glimpsed in the trailer) to demonstrate how even the most harrowing of nightmares can pale in comparison to the evils of humanity.

The faun Pan, played by Doug Jones who you may remember as Abe Sapien in Hellboy, acts as Ofelia’s guide through the labyrinth. In addition to this role, he also plays the skeletal Pale Man, a nightmarish creature who feasts on children and has an unusual optical arrangement (which you may have noticed on one of the X-Realms banners). Jones was originally trying to learn his lines phonetically, but has since been overdubbed by a Spanish actor. Ofelia is played by Ivana Baquero who has a Spanish language film resume extending back to 2005.

The creature effects in the movie are produced partly by CGI created by Cafi FX and puppetry from DDT Efectos Especiales. The trailer and stills leave you in no doubt as to their quality. The haunting score is written by Javier Navarrete, who worked with Del Toro on The Devil’s Backbone.

On January 23, 2006, Bob Berney, president of Picturehouse, announced that the company has acquired all North American rights to the movie. Pan’s labyrinth will be on general release in the USA in October and will show in its original Spanish, with English subtitles. A UK release date is unkown, but the film will hit French screens on November 1st.

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