Guillermo del Toro's 2006 historical and fantasy film "Pan's Labyrinth" is the epitome of quality foreign film. Del Toro combines a complex, historical conflict with fairy tales reminiscent of the fables we read as children. Who knew the grittiest and most horrific of real-life history paired with fantastical fiction could go together like peanut butter and jelly?

What drives the success of "Pan's Labyrinth" is the complex symbolism and intertextuality that makes immersive storytelling a walk in the park. The symbolic imagery, comparing and contrasting the horrors of history to fanciful fables, drives home comparisons between different art forms that will live on forever. 

The Summer 2020 edition of Popcorn Talk highlights older movies (pre-2010s) that have varying genres, cultures, themes and unique merits. Every movie reviewed is a gem in its own way and is totally worth checking out.

In this episode of “Popcorn Talk,” Logan Raschke, a senior journalism major at Eastern Illinois University and Fall 2020 senior designer and podcast editor for The Daily Eastern News, reviews “Pan's Labyrinth.”