The Orphanage

THE ORPHANAGE
OPTIMUM RELEASING
RELEASED 21 March 2008
The rate at which Hollywood churns out cut-and-paste horror movies is truly depressing for fans of the genre. It’s no secret that it doesn’t cost much money to throw gallons of pig blood around a film set, and it’s also no secret that horror movies make great date movies for that all-important teen demographic (which is also why plenty of recent horror movies have been released with increasingly younger age ratings). So it’s always such a joy to report on an original horror movie, that doesn’t even feature one drop of blood (though someone does get shockingly run over!)
The feature film debut of acclaimed young Spanish director Juan Antonio Bayona, and presented by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Guillermo delToro (Pans Labyrinth), ‘The Orphanage’ sees Laura (Belen Rueda) buy the remote orphanage that she belonged to for a short period as a child. Her son Simon (Roger Princep) is unknowingly adopted and also tragically has AIDS, so together with her husband Carlos (Fernando Cayo) they plan to reopen the orphanage as a place for disabled and needy kids. But then Simon starts talking about imaginary children and Laura becomes increasingly concerned about her son’s welfare. When she has a frightening encounter with a mysterious masked boy, she starts to delve into the past for answers.
I was hooked for the entire running time, and there’s some great chilling scenes, best of which is the paranormal investigators session in the house, where I swear I actually felt chilly. Production design, soundtrack, and the twisting plot are all memorable, and I’d love to say more about the film’s great moments, but I really don’t want to spoil it! Impeccably acted throughout with an ending that makes total sense, it’s the best horror movie of 2008. Class.
FIVE OUT OF FIVE