pan

Guillermo Del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth haunts me.  A whimsical fairytale set against a horrific background, it is one of the most moving and beautiful movies I've seen in a while.

I find I really connect with this director, because, like me, he has always been fascinated with fairytales - not the watered down versions we know, but the original versions that often have a darker, bloodier edge to them and they play a major role in his works. When you think about it, fairytale and folktale alike have become the precursor and background to horror films.

Pan's Labyrinth is a mix of horror and fantasy. Del Toro uses it as an insight into the human condition, our primal fears and our own capacity to inflict terror. 

I am trying to achieve the same thing in my own novel which springs from the seeds of fairytale and myth to birth something beautiful but also dark.  Del Toro is an inspiration. I look forward to exploring his other works.  Do yourself a favour and see Pan's Labyrinth!