Guillermo del Toro's 2001 ghost story unfolds at a remote orphanage in the final days of the Spanish Civil War, where the arrival of a young boy sets loose old secrets and a restless spirit wandering the halls at night. The film balances genuine dread with a deep well of sadness, using its wartime setting to explore grief, memory, and the violence that lingers long after the fighting stops. Del Toro's visual style is on full display here, with muted colors, water-logged corridors, and a sense of decay that feels almost alive.

Watching this one on the big screen at The Beverly Theater seems like the right way to experience it. The intimate 150-seat theater, with its strong acoustics, suits a film that relies as much on atmosphere and quiet tension as it does on jump scares. Expect the kind of hush that settles over a room when everyone's leaning in, waiting for whatever's creaking down that hallway to show itself.