10 Best Spanish Movies to Watch

By Vlad Zakh · July 14, 2025

Spain Arthouse slow and atmospheric thought provoking

Pedro Almodovar’s melodramas and Guillermo del Toro’s Spanish-language fairy tales shape most people’s idea of Spanish cinema, but the range is wider, from prison thrillers to Franco-era ghost stories. Jamon Jamon first paired Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem, Blancanieves retells Snow White in silent black-and-white among 1920s bullfighters, The Orphanage is a grief-soaked ghost story produced by del Toro, and The Others holds its twist better than most. Pan’s Labyrinth, Volver, Talk to Her, All About My Mother, The Skin I Live In and Cell 211 round out the list.

Jamón Jamón (1992)

TMDB ★ 6.7

The film that first paired Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem, brash and unmistakably Spanish.

Directed by Bigas Luna · 1h 34m

Where to watch

Stream: Criterion Channel

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Blancanieves (2012)

TMDB ★ 7.1

A silent, black-and-white retelling of Snow White set in 1920s bullfighting Spain.

Directed by Pablo Berger · 1h 44m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Stream: Philo, Fandor Amazon Channel, Cohen Media Amazon Channel, Midnight Pulp Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Orphanage (2007)

IMDb ★ 7.4 RT 87% Metacritic 74

A grief-soaked ghost story produced by Guillermo del Toro, and just as unsettling as his own work.

Directed by J. A. Bayona · 1h 45m · Rated R

32 wins & 43 nominations

Where to watch

Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Others (2001)

TMDB ★ 7.6

A quiet, old-fashioned ghost story that earns its final twist.

Directed by Alejandro Amenábar · 1h 41m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Stream: Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+, Shudder, Shudder Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Cell 211 (2009)

TMDB ★ 7.6

A prison-riot thriller in which an undercover guard has to convincingly become an inmate.

Directed by Daniel Monzón · 1h 48m

Where to watch

Stream: Netflix, Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, AMC+

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Skin I Live In (2011)

TMDB ★ 7.6

Antonio Banderas stars in a revenge thriller with a body-horror twist that Almodóvar plays completely straight.

Directed by Pedro Almodóvar · 2h 00m · Rated R

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

All About My Mother (1999)

TMDB ★ 7.9

A grieving mother reconnects with old friends after the sudden death of her teenage son.

Directed by Pedro Almodóvar · 1h 41m · Rated R

Where to watch

Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Talk to Her (2002)

TMDB ★ 7.9

An uncomfortable, tender drama about two men caring for women in comas.

Directed by Pedro Almodóvar · 1h 52m · Rated R

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Volver (2006)

TMDB ★ 7.6

Almodóvar at his warmest, built around Penélope Cruz carrying a genuinely strange family secret.

Directed by Pedro Almodóvar · 2h 01m · Rated R

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Pan's Labyrinth (2006)

IMDb ★ 8.2 RT 95% Metacritic 98

A young girl escapes the horrors of fascist Spain into a dark fantastical labyrinth ruled by a mysterious faun.

Directed by Guillermo del Toro · 1h 58m · Rated R

Won 3 Oscars109 wins & 115 nominations

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Google Play Movies

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

10 Best Spanish Movies to Watch

Jamón Jamón (1992)

Blancanieves (2012)

The Orphanage (2007)

The Others (2001)

Cell 211 (2009)

The Skin I Live In (2011)

All About My Mother (1999)

Talk to Her (2002)

Volver (2006)

Pan's Labyrinth (2006)

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