As I watched El laberinto del fauno or Pan's Labyrinth directed by Guillermo del Toro, I came across one of the scariest and heart-pumping scenes I have ever seen. However, it's not a typical horror type scene that is driven simply by violence and gore, (even though the film is quite violent, especially for a fantasy film, yes it is a fantasy film but an adult one) but rather it is a scene that entails very interesting concepts and themes, though I'm sure Mr. Bennett would completely loath this film because it pits a facsist monster up against a cute, innocent girl, in addition to having a religious type ending; not the moral ambigouity he's looking for, but you can't please everyone.
The scene opens with the girl walking down a mysterious hallway with ominous hushing-type noises to reveal the dark nature of the place. She then glances thoroughly at a luscious assortment of food on a grand table; this symbolizes the desires that will tempt her and nearly cause her demise. Because of the themes and meaning of the movie, I assumed this symbolized sin. The cinematography is done so she is glancing at the table as she is walking and as she walks on viewing the food, she abruptly views the horrid image of the "pale man," the quintessential evil creature who eats children. The camera work is done in that way in order to tell the audience that with all these great things in front of you, they are joined with great evils and appalling consequences. There are also depictations on the wall of him eating children and skulls on the ground with the fairies directing her to her mission, away from this horrible creature. The scene is, of course, very silent except for the constant hushing noises and the crackling of the fire. She pulls out a key to open some lock, of which there are three: she at first goes to open one by stops intuitively and chooses the other. There are several things that arise that this part, one being she has some sort of knowledge that comes from within which goes along with the plot and also doing with the fact she chooses not the center one which she at first goes for, but rather one from the side of it. So she gets what she needs, now comes the truly scary part.
We see a hourglass which foreshadows a problem with time that ensures. She of course falls for the fruit and the pale man takes his eyes from a plate and puts them on his hands. Those horrific squeals and cackling noises that come from this creature and the music cresendos. Now we see the image of this innocent, lovely girl in the front of the screen and in the back, the image of this awkard, child-eating creature. He eats the heads of two of the fairies (thus adult fantasy) and the girl only now realizes that she screwed up big time. With this creature walking in huge slow strides hunting for her, she frantically runs, as he is lead by these eyes that are planted in his hands (refer to link at the bottom of the page for the visuals, you'll understand when you see it.) His shrills and shrieks, which sound like pigs squealing as they are about to be slaughtered, are complemented by the girl's cries. The theme of innocent is overwhelming, only psychopathic killers wouldn't be on edge for this adorable girl, and the hourglass, just then finishs and she runs into the closed door with the camera showing her from the back. So now you're thinking how this girl is to survive with the doors closed with the eminent threat of this possessed creature who is vaguely human looking, yet epitomizes the sordidness of the human. The camera then focuses on her the feet of both of the characters, with his awkward steps compared to her cute girly shoes, as to show that the decadent character is going to devour the innocent child. But she finds a piece of chalk (you'll have to watch the film in its entirety to understand) and opens a pathway, as to show that even though we make mistakes, we can still overcome them with our own actions of good. Then she escapes...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9YD2PFF31E
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Wrong again, Sand-bag. I loved this film.
ReplyDeleteI'll end your search for the scariest scene of all time right here.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rmn6FRgYwBQ
Those little girls have haunted me since I was 11. Whenever I walk down a hallway in a hotel, I round the corners very slowly to make sure they are not there.
Im sorry but little girls really dont scare me all that much, it was relatively scary and both scenes involve children. But i think a child that is about to be killed is more scary than a couple little children standing in a corridor. In this scene no one is directly threatened by another person, it just flashes to the dead children; for me, the suspense and the grotesque figure of the "pale man" is just so creepy and had me jumping and yelling at the television for this girl to escape. The scene in Pan's Labyrinth isn't the scariest in the sense of that I couldn't stand to watch it because say of gore, but it was as if I was scared for the girl. Usually horror/scary scenes are best when realistic, although this scene, despite the fact it contains an imagined character, seems very realistic in a emotional sense.
ReplyDeleteIt is up to the individual obviously to decide what is scary for themselves on a personal level. Some people are most scaried by movies like "Saw." But for me it isn't scary that is simply gross and stupid. I do agree that "The Shining" is scary but that scene is not; the scene when Nicholson chops the door down is very scary, possibly number two because of the innocence of Shelley Duvual. However, this scene contains all of the requirements to scare me and its hard to deny that the "pale man" suited against that girl isn't an epic duel for a movie that isn't a horror movie, like The Shining, but is much more complex.
This movie made me cry so much and you know how much i love it already...and I knew what scene you were referring to as soon as I read the first line of your post because I was pretty scared myself..
ReplyDeleteTomorrow, I'll tell you why Pan's Labyrinth was so great.
ReplyDeleteHmm, I didn't find the scene that scary. Does this put me in line with the psychopathic killers you mentioned? I think it's mostly because I knew what to expect though, that is, you mentioned she escapes. I am sure I would be able to appreciate this scene much more if I watched the entire movie (which I do plan to do) and saw all the events building up to this climactic scene.
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