ThreeSpoons82

This is a pretty tough movie to review because your enjoyment of the film will be mostly down to your musical taste, however I will do my best. . .

I loved this film, I have never been to an Opera but I imagine this is the Nutcracker or Swan Lake for the horror/goth community! There are some strong horror scenes but if you are squeamish to these kinds of things then please try to get past your aversion because you will be missing a real musical gem.

The cast are all very good, even Paris Hilton pulls through and is not a chore to watch. It's nice to see Bill Mosely (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, The House of 1000 Corpses, The Devils Rejects) upholds his horror cult icon status although Anthony Head is the most violent person in the movie! A massive departure from his role in coffee adverts and Buffy The Vampire Slayer. An honourable mention must go to Sarah Brightman who is a pleasure to watch and listen to and also has the two most memorable sequences in the film. It is good to see a professional opera singer lending a little bit of credibility to the picture.

I think this film will be overlooked except for by a few lucky people who will purposefully seek it out, which is a massive shame because this is the refreshing change that the dull modern cinema of today needs.

I really enjoyed this film when I saw the showing at FrightFest '06. Although not a "great movie" in the traditional sense it is absolutely hilarious!

Take human traffic and add a splash of the family from House of a 1000 corpses and then you have this film! ! ! I can honestly say that this film is worth watching just for the relationship between Joseph and Bart. If you want to watch a film with some messed up characters and truly funny scenes with a horror undertone then watch this mad French movie!

P.s. Watch for the "Red Rocket" scene in the grotto, anyone that has seen South Park should get that ! ! !

I saw this at this years FrightFest Film Festival in London and absolutely loved it.

Guillermo was there to introduce it and you can tell it really is a film he loves and is passionate about.

He referred to it as a sister movie to The Devils Backbone.

Anyway . . . so the film starts and I must admit I was expecting a lot more of a fantasy film however it is more of a 70/30 split between historical era movie/fantasy fairytale.

Don't let this put you off though, the film really is stunning and brilliantly acted. The little girl carries pretty much the whole film on her shoulders and does so with the skill of Atlas himself!

The violence is graphic and the monsters are scary but it is probably one of the most gorgeous and personal films from a director for a long time!

Give it a go if you can get to a screening, DON'T WAIT FOR DVD, it really does need to be seen on a big screen!