O Orfanato

Ingeniously weighing the elements of supernatural & psychological horror, The Orphanage is an expertly crafted horror film from Cinema of Spain which with its welcome absence of cheap scares & more emphasis on its plot turns out to be one of the finest examples of its genre. Cleverly plotted, it dares to take its time to create the required atmosphere rather than prematurely rushing into scaring its audience like so many horror films do nowadays.

The Orphanage concerns Laura; a former orphan who returns with her husband & son back to her childhood home which used to be an orphanage for handicapped children, which she hopes to reopen again. Things are set in motion when her son Simon, who claims to have invisible friends, goes missing one day after an altercation with her. Convinced of others' presence in the house, Laura tries to uncover the secrets about the orphanage that dates back to the time when she used to live here with the hope that it may provide some hint about her son's whereabouts..

Directed by J. A. Bayona, The Orphanage is his debut feature & he has done a really good job with the provided story. The film is very well scripted too with proper time devoted to its lead character & her plight, and it also benefits from its arresting cinematography, smart editing, sincere performances & outstanding use of sound as well as its score. On an overall scale, The Orphanage is an intelligently crafted chiller that scares as well as amazes & is primarily a tale of how far a mother is willing to go to find her son. Highly recommended.

Let me begin by saying I DON'T like horror movies. I don't enjoy jumping in my seat. I don't like being afraid of the dark for the next 2 days, and I usually HATE Spanish movies. So usually I only see the big horror classics, and that is because I've read enough spoilers to confront the movie in a laid-back way.

Having said this, I was dragged to see this movie against my will. And I was right! I have never, EVER, been more uneasy, uncomfortable on any movie, from the Exorcist to the Prophecy, from Psycho to Halloween. The story seems obvious; the cliché-horror themes are there, and while I saw them coming, I was comfortable enough. But then comes the movie, the script, the score, the acting, all in perfect harmony... and you jump, and you chill and you shout and you wish you had never entered that dammed cinema.

It is good. It is great.It is moving and horrifying. It does not need CGI, sound effects or unreal characters. Its there. Its real. Its haunting. It WILL be a classic.

Chapeau!

The Orphanage is a slick and quietly chilling piece of work based around (what else?) an orphanage. A woman named Laura returns to the orphanage she grew up in as a child, with the intention of opening it up again as a home for children with disabilities. Together with her husband and adopted son Simon, Laura tries to make the huge old building ready to receive it's first new residents, but all is not quiet in the dusty rooms and grounds, and gradually she starts to feel sinister presences from the past making themselves known.

The film strings out quite a good story, blending traditional scares (bumping noises heard through walls and doors, silently appearing children in masks) with modern touches (Simon is HIV positive). Although most of the actual frights are on the soft side, the film does have quite away with sudden shocks, especially one great sequence involving the death of a sinister secondary character...you'll know when you see it! But mostly, things stay pretty calm, and there were times when I was wishing for something more visceral to actually happen, as many of the very well built tension sequences fade away without any cinematic pay-off, such as a very tense séance sequence, and in most of the (many) scenes of Laura alone in the orphanage, she being almost too subtly menaced for things to get really scary, which I think is a shame. However there are certain moments when you WILL jump!

However, The Orphanage still stands up as a strong piece of work. The backbone of the film is undoubtedly the strong performance by Belén Rueda as Laura, who carries the entire film admirably. The film looks great, with stunning photography and very elegant sets and a gorgeous building standing in for the orphanage itself. Sound and music work very well too, and the film succeeds in working many small elements together (such as a playground hiding game and some very clever revelations towards the end), so all in all, the film is an accomplished piece of cinema and well worth seeing, although don't expect too much real terror as most of the chills in this film are poetic rather than gruesome.

I saw this at the Frightfest and its AMAZING, did the previous reviewer even see it? No real shocks!!, I've never seen a cinema jump like the audience at Frightfest for this film. I'm kind of tempted to name the shocks but I wont. Its such a stunningly made film, creepy, atmospheric, shocking, great story, beautifully directed, the main woman is incredible. I was never really sure if it was supernatural or psychological, but as it reveals...wow, its excellent. Its so well done I cant write more without giving stuff away, but go and see it. I was expecting a low rent " pan's Labyrinth " but I think it might be even better than PL, though very different. Best film i've seen in ages

This film is less like a traditional horror movie and more of a drama/mystery with strong supernatural elements. The setup is that Laura, who once lived at an orphanage, returns to the orphanage with her husband and son to start it up again as a place for special needs children. Of course, it all seems simple, but there are mysteries abound in this story and the revelations trickle in over the course of the tale.

The film isn't particularly frightening, although it has a couple of jumpy moments. Rather than focusing on creating an atmosphere of fear, instead it works on drawing up sympathy for Laura's plight as events transpire against her and her family and the past comes back to haunt her. It's an interesting meditation on loss as well that had a wonderful potential to straddle the line between real-world and supernatural (but don't worry folks, it doesn't--it's firmly supernatural and you know it from early on). Nonetheless, that you could imagine this film working even if the supernatural elements were just in Laura's mind and that's a pretty good thing for the drama.

The technical aspects of the film are all sound (although I noticed a couple of background gaffs, but I think you'd have to look for them), with clear direction, capable lensing and design. The actors all do a good job of rendering their characters (children fare believably enough) and Belen Rueda carries the film well as the central protagonist. The story itself doesn't reach any great depths, but unraveling the mystery with the film is enjoyable.

It's nothing stunning, but in the world of horror films, it easily stands a shoulder above the regular flotsam that the genre tends to churn out. At that, it's no terrible film and could be recommended if you're looking for a relatively intelligent and well composed supernatural horror-type film. Just don't expect bloodbaths and constant shocks. 7/10.