In Del Toro’s pans labyrinth, the film form element sound, helps emphasise the fantasy element of the film and that one of the film genres is that it’s a fairy tale. This non-digetic sounds occurs multiple times during the paleman sequence.

In the paleman scene there are multiple moments where exaggerated and fantastical sounds are used. One example of this non-digetic sound is the high pitched note, fantasy related noise of the key when Ofelia takes it out and looks at it. This reminds the audience that this film has elements of fantasy and fairy tale to it, and that the world she is in with the paleman may just be her imagination. This is similar to the non-diegetic sound of Ofelia running her fingers over the blade that she collects. It’s an exaggerated and high pitched noise that shows the audience how sharp it is; it’s a noise you’d associate with fantasy films.

The same noise occurs when Ofelia initially takes out the dagger before we see it, suggesting the sharpness and danger before we know what it is. Because of Ofelia’s age (she is a young child), knowing that the object is sharp and therefore dangerous makes the audience worry for Ofelia as they would have grown to like her. It may also be a way that the film is suggesting that children are braver and stronger than most adults think such as Vidal and Carmen, and that they shouldn’t be talked down on.

Another non-diegtic sound during this scene that could have potential links to fairy tale and fantasy is the wind like sound often used when loot is found on quests in other movies supporting that the paleman scene is all part of Ofelia’s mission and quest, which can often be associated with fairy tales.

Del Toro’s aesthetic with these sounds is the sense of danger and worry that the audience would feel for Ofelia, Del Toro wanted to present that the fantasy world was just as dangerous as the real world and the sharp blade as well as the rest of the paleman scene supports this. The fantasy world being just as dangerous as the real world has contextual links to the Spanish Civil War, Ofelia living with a fascist captain puts her in danger and the fantasy world is no escape from this, especially as the paleman as links to Vidal. The fantastical sounds also have connection to other fantasy and/or quest films, supporting that Ofelia’s tasks are left ambiguous regarding whether they are real or not, as the fantasy element suggest that it’s fake, but the quest suggests she’s completing the tasks for a reason and that it is therefore real.