Esther

You've decided to adopt, now the pain's begun to stop, after traumas of the past, have resided at long last, like to increase two to three, making five in this family, there's an orphanage that has one, what could possibly go wrong. Esther makes a perfect fit, extremely charming: we shall commit; welcome her to our abode, open doors to a new road, but soon troubles bubbling, and events are troubling, as you sense there's something wrong, with this girl who's quite headstrong...

A perfectly executed escalating thriller, whose vice like grip will keep your hands upon the tiller, a few twists as you'd expect, there's no gruel I could detect, gets you thinking what you'd do, if these things happened to you.

We've seen Orphan many times before (The Bad Seed, The Good Son and, of course, The Omen), yet, somehow, Jaume Collet Serra manages to squeeze something fresh out of an old tale.

There's plenty of shocks and also some laughs and Esther's "secret" is, surprisingly, original.

Orphan doesn't hold a candle to the aforementioned films, but its better than the more recent ones like Joshua (which, coincidentally, Vera Farmiga also starred in, as well as having the same role (mother)).

Don't let the trailer fool you into thinking this is just another "evil kid" movie. Its really much more than that. This is definitely one of the better horror films to come along these days.

My audience loved it, and so did I.

Every once in a while a film seems destined to slip under the radar either by poor promotion or a trailer that makes the viewer go "meh". Orphan is one of those flicks that, while benefiting from a decent studio push, simply didn't impart any compelling reason to check it out based on the trailer, which is too bad because this is actually one tight little thriller.

Directed by Spain's Jaume Collet-Serra (House of Wax), it tells the story of Esther (Isabelle Fuhrman), a 9-year old Russian orphan who is adopted by Kate and John Coleman (Vera Farmiga and Peter Sarsgaard) , a decision motivated in part by the stillborn birth of their third child.

An oddball from the start, Esther at first charms the Colemans with her personality, artistic flair, and independence, however it's apparent that there's more going on with Esther than meets the eye. She quickly forms a bond with Max (Aryana Engineer), the couple's deaf daughter, by learning sign language, but is resented by their son Daniel (Jimmy Bennett) who views her with contempt. All of which forms a basis for familial tension, further compounded by the skeletons of Kate's history of alcoholism and John's past infidelity.

Telling a surprisingly layered story that strays into uncomfortable territory given how it deals with children in peril, the shiniest gem in this entertaining nugget is that of Isabelle Fuhrman, upon whose performance the movie succeeds or fails. While acting is uniformly top notch throughout, Fuhrman spectacularly establishes herself as one of the most remarkable young talents currently working in cinema, and that's a statement not to be taken lightly. This 12-year-old, who had only one prior film credit on her resume, simply blazes her way across the screen in a performance that ranges from sweet to seductive to psychotic. This is her movie and she makes the most of it, and if she doesn't mature into one of Hollywood's premier stars, I'll be most surprised.

Orphan won't win any awards (despite Fuhrman's impressive performance) and might well get passed over by many based on the trailer, all of which is too bad because this is one stray that movie audiences would do well to adopt.

You either love it or you hate it. That's really the effect of any great twist. I was one of those who absolutely loved it and found this creepy, disturbing movie even more terrifying with the reveal. Vera Farmiga (Conjuring) stars as a mother whose just gone through a miscarriage and with her husband played by Peter Sarsgaard (Skeleton Key) decides to adopt a mysterious young girl played by a very creepy Isabel Fuhrman (Hunger Games). At first Esther seems a little off but it's mostly acceptable until people begin having horrific accidents and some go missing. There is a palpable sense of dread that builds throughout the film and so many setpieces are expertly executed. The scene in the playground is an especially effective one. The film culminates in a surprising and edge of your seat fashion and all though there's a small loop hole here and there. Its completely successful at being a stylish, unique, intense piece of genre.

4/5

I enjoyed much of this but there were a few silly moments and I feel if the film had been cut down to 90 minutes we could have got rid of those embarrasing bits and made the whole ting tighter. The acting is fine, especially the two girls and that of Isabelle Fuhrman, who at times seems to be carrying the film, is remarkable. Inevitably, perhaps there are unfortunately those times, as in 'gas lighting' films where we sit frustrated urging those on screen to notice the obvious to no avail and then on we go as everything gets more and more embroiled.