Hello, Readers!

David 'Typhon24' Server here, back from a hiatus (this college thing involves way more paperwork than I signed up for...) with a treat for ya. Recently, I was fortunate enough to be shown about 25 minutes of Guillermo del Toro's Spanish language historical fantasy fairy tale, Pan's Labyrinth. Del Toro and assistant editor Evan Schiff were hard at work reviewing the cut that was sent to the Cannes Film Festival, where it was recently accepted as an official selection (congrats to the creative team!). To go into too much gory detail would be depriving you of some phenomenal delights and scares at the movies come September. So instead, I'll provide a quick rundown of some of the highlights of what was shown and said. But before we get into that, here's a summary of the film's plot to get everyone up to speed...

FRACTURED FAIRY TALE

Set in 1944 after the rise of fascism in Spain, 12-year-old Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) and her pregnant mother are being escorted to their new home, a decrepit old mansion in the lush green hills. Ofelia arrives to meet her new father, Captain Vidal (Sergi Lopes). Vidal is a vicious dictator in the midst of tracking down and crushing any lingering rebel forces. Shortly after arriving, Ofelia discovers an ancient labyrinth behind her new home that holds many mysteries, and she becomes enveloped in a chilling fable. The film presents an uncompromisingly dark and harrowing vision of how sometimes, even the darkest of nightmares can pale in comparison to the evils of humanity.

ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL

Del Toro has some truly compelling fantasy at work in this film. Choosing to create a fable of his own design using popular fairy tale fiction for inspiration, the end result is very much what you might expect of the man who brought you both the fantastical menagerie of Hellboy and the dramatic tension of The Devil's Backbone. There's no shortage of fantastic and bizarre creatures on display here, such as the titular Pan (as played by Hellboy's versatile Doug Jones), a seemingly benevolent half-man half-goat who guides Ofelia on her journey. Equally eye-catching (but far deadlier) is the Pale Man (also played by that previously mentioned versatile Doug Jones), a demon of rickety joints and bulging skin folds with eyes in his clawed hands, who delights in snacking on children (we were shown the Pale Man sequence in its entirety, and it's every bit as exciting as it is unnerving.) Those are just two of the many beasts and monsters in the film, which also includes fairies, mandrakes, and the most sinister giant Toad you're ever likely to meet. The creature effects of the film have been rendered magnificently as a combination of computer graphics by Cafi FX, and puppetry from DDT Efectos Especiales. In the midst of all these strange creations, however, there are some heartbreaking moments as well. A favorite of mine brings del Toro's career-long obsession with fetuses to its beautiful and breathtaking peak.

SOMETIMES TRUTH IS HARSHER THAN FICTION

As captivating as the beasts found inside the labyrinth are, the real monster of this piece seems to be Fascist Captain Vidal (Sergi Lopez). Based on the brief clips we were shown, Vidal could be one of the year's most memorable monsters, and that's without the aid of slime or razor-sharp teeth. The brutality he wreaks against the rebels in the clips we were shown was without a doubt some of the most graphic and violent footage I've seen in film for quite some time. For anyone expecting this film to be kid friendly, be forewarned; Pan's Labyrinth will be rated R. Lopez's performance in the clips was impressive, playing his haughty ego as sharply as his barely concealed self-righteous anger.

MUSIC TO EAT CHILDREN BY

Another striking element of the preview was the music of composer Javier Navarrete, who has previously worked with del Toro on his last Spanish film, The Devil's Backbone. The brief snippets of Navarrete's music we heard accompanying the clips effectively elicited the tragic fairy tale vibe, striking a similar tone to the quieter moments of composer Dario Marianelli's recent composed work on Terry Gilliam's The Brothers Grimm. Navarette's tragic, almost moaning chimes suited the footage perfectly- for a taste, head on over to DelToroFilms.com, where they have posted a preview track online.

COMING SOONER THAN YOU THINK

Del Toro also showed us the Spanish trailer for Pan's Labyrinth that is currently running with V for Vendetta in Spain, and it shows a great deal more of the effects and overall dark tone of the film than the current domestic teaser trailer. Look for this trailer to possibly hit the internet sometime this summer. Also, expect a Pan's presence at this year's San Diego Comicon this July, with an exclusive poster available (as del Toro did with Hellboy a few years back), hopefully by poster artist extraordinaire Drew Struzan. Del Toro will be on hand at the con to talk about Pan's, give a sneak peek at some footage, and potentially make some more exciting announcements...

AND MANY MORE...

As I'm sure many of you will be pleased to hear (I certainly was), Hellboy II: The Golden Army is coming along smoothly. While it doesn't quite have the green light yet, budgeting and script revisions are currently underway, and all signs point towards pre-production beginning this summer. I wasn't able to pry any new plot details out of del Toro, except for some cryptic allusions to his excitement about bringing the Golden Army, an original Hellboy foe, to life. On some other fronts, the Peter Jackson produced adaptation of the popular video game Halo is still a possibility. While his involvement is still up in the air, Guillermo expressed great interest in dealing with 'The Flood' cinematically. The other recently announced frontrunner is Killing on Carnival Row, a gothic fantasy romp about a hard-boiled police constable who is tracking a serial killer in a town populated by humans, fairies, vampires, and werewolves. That script is also currently undergoing revisions. Having had a chance to peruse a draft of the screenplay, del Toro and I quickly traded notes, and ended up sharing some casting choices (here's a hint: this actor will soon be taking a Last Stand...) The project is definitely out there, and absolutely up del Toro's alley, so keep an eye on this one as it moves along. As for you Lovecraft fans, sadly, no definitive news on At the Mountains of Madness. Del Toro is still pursuing it, but it's taking time. Finally, and this was news to me, del Toro has recently handed in a draft of a new adaptation of Roald Dahl's classic children's work, The Witches. Del Toro was excited about this new project, which he hopes to direct in addition to writing, saying that he plans to make his take scarier and more faithful than the previous film adaptation, hoping to make what he called "horror for kids."

And that's all the news that's fit to print from the editing suites of Pan's Labyrinth! Del Toro is currently in Mexico, putting the finishing touches on the film with the final sound mix, so look for increased coverage on the project after its premiere at Cannes, as well as various pre-screenings in Los Angeles, New York, and other select cities. All in all, the movie looks like a truly unique, emotional, and frightening fantasy and something cinema fans should make sure to check out this September. For more updates on all things coming soon, keep it here at CountingDown.com!