Watching director Guillermo del Toro's haunting, gothic fantasy Pan's Labyrinth frequently brings to mind another fantastical story: Alice in Wonderland. Del Toro's Labyrinth features a plucky girl of Alice's age, who also finds herself facing many down-the-rabbit-hole situations, and encounters the strangest characters, except this is darker and the tone of the film often turns violent and disturbing.

Labyrinth may be a fantasy, but it is not suitable for children. As well as roaming the eerily surreal corners of gothic lore, and embellishing those traditions, by stint of fine storytelling the film weaves fantasy with a tense parallel plotline of wartime heroism that, in itself, takes on a mythic quality.

The setting is northern Spain in 1944. Ofelia, played with wide-eyed wonderment by Ivana Baquero, travels with her heavily-pregnant mother and a military escort to meet her sadistic stepfather, a fascist captain at a backwoods outpost, ruthlessly putting down local resistance. During a break in the journey, Ofelia wanders into the woods where a cricket appears to her as a fairy. The cricket befriends her and leads her to an ancient, stone maze near the old mill where she is staying. There, a faun tells her that she is princess of an underworld kingdom and that she must complete three magical tasks in order to possess her throne.

Ofelia, too eager for adventure to question the "smelly, old faun," embarks eagerly on her mission that involves confronting a giant toad deep inside a big tree and escaping a baby-eating "Pale Man" in a secret chamber. Meanwhile, troubles of the real world continue to press upon her. Her mother's health goes downhill due to complications with the pregnancy, and as the battle in the woods heats up, Ofelia's stepfather grows colder and crueller toward her. As the proud, chauvinist el capitaine, Sergi Lopez is every bit a monster in human form, threatening not just young Ofelia, but also his housekeeper Mercedes (Maribel Verdu) who is linked to the resistance.

Del Toro draws fine performances from his entire cast, in addition to producing an exquisite-looking picture. The film may be tagged as horror, and certainly there are moments of shocking violence. Some might be put off from seeing Pan's Labyrinth, but the story is told with such skill and imagination that it creates a tense and emotional experience that leaves a lasting impression.