“Ofelia! Magic does not exist. Not for you, me or anyone else. 

For me this is the best Guillermo del Toro film, that plays to all his strengths as a film maker. A beautiful shot dark fairytale, that mixes a world of fantasy with the horror’s of war . There’s great use of practical effects to create some wonderful creatures , that are brought to life by the talented Doug Jones . There’s also brilliant performances from Ivana Baquero , Sergi Lopez and Maribel Verdu. Set in 1944 Falangist Spain, we see young Ofelia (Baquero) and her sick mother. Moving to the countryside to live with Ofelia new step dad ( Lopez)  a captain in the army. He’s harsh and sadistic man , who revels in the conflict of war. The Captain, the war , and her sick mother is all to much for Ofelia, so she escapes to a world of fantasy and magic. Where she might be Princess to a king of this Fantasy world. When it comes to the dark fairytale, De Toro is the master. Watched on Sky Cinema,