Why Does The Pale Man Eat The Fairies? 'Pan's Labyrinth's Scariest Scene, Explained

Pan's Labyrinth (2006) is a Guillermo del Toro classic and is celebrating its 20th anniversary on October 9th. The film has many fantastic moments, as well as some truly chilling ones, such as when Ofelia encounters the Pale Man. 

Not only is the character utterly terrifying in design, but he is deceptively strong and incredibly monstrous. He even eats two of Ofelia's fairies meant to keep her safe. But the main question around the Pale Man is why he would eat the fairies, and the truth behind it is both important and just as terrifying as what is shown in Pan's Labyrinth.

What Happens Between Ofelia and the Pale Man?

When given a new task by the Faun, he tells Ofelia that she has to obtain a dagger behind a locked door in a strange realm. To enter it, she must create a chalk drawer, turn an hourglass, get the item, and get out before it runs out. More importantly, she must not eat a single thing on the table that will be there.

When she enters and sees the table of food, there's also a pale man with no eyes and flabby skin, and a plate with two eyeballs before him. When the three fairies are set free, Ofelia finds the right door to unlock and gets a dagger. But before leaving, she sees the food on the table and eats two grapes, ignoring the fairies' protests.

The Pale Man awakens and puts the eyeballs in his palms, using his hands to see. He eats the heads off of two fairies and chases Ofelia. Though the door she made closed, she manages to draw a new one and get out before the blood-covered Pale Man can get ahold of her. Werdily enough, this is the only scene in Pan's Labyrinth featuring the Pale Man, and it left a huge impact largely due to the symbolism he evokes, especially by devouring the two fairies.

What Is the Deeper Meaning of the Pale Man Scene in 'Pan's Labyrinth'?

The lore of the Pale Man, in terms of the film, is simple. Don't eat anything from his table, and he won't awaken and try to eat you. In Ofelia's case, it was one grape that awakened him, but it also showed how starved she was of good food. The Pale Man also builds on a lot more inspiration from outside sources, such as paintings and folklore.

One of the biggest inspirations for the Pale Man and his devouring of the fairies was the painting by Francisco Goya titled Saturn Devouring His Son. An iconic image, it features the god Cronus, later called Saturn by the Romans, who, in a bid to beat fate, in which one of his children would kill him, ate them one by one. Of course, Zeus would be saved from this and eventually fulfill the prophecy, but the painting, much like with the Pale Man, shows the monstrous brutality of the act.

The Japanese mythological spirit, the Tenome, also inspired the Pale Man. This spirit was a blind ghost with hands in its eyes that it used to see. The Pale Man directly borrowed from this in his design and execution but was given an even more otherworldly quality. The result is a creature of nightmares, thanks to the movements of Doug Jones.

What Makes This One of the Most Important Scenes in 'Pan's Labyrinth'?

The Pale Man scene in Pan's Labyrinth has since become one of the most important scenes, as it captures everything great that the film is trying to convey. Yes, the Pale Man is scary, but he also represents the adults in Ofelia's life, punishing her for simply living. She may not be allowed to eat the food, but eating is a natural thing. She wants to get away from everything but knows that comes with a price, and she has to learn that in this scene the hard way.

The Pale Man interaction is also one of the scariest scenes based on how he moves and his treatment of the fairies. He's truly a monster, even when removing the metaphors he represents, and is the stuff of nightmares. But when you put it together, it's a small but impactful reason why Pan's Labyrinth is such a great film.