The Orphanage – 2007
The Orphanage is an eerie and creepy Spanish horror/thriller and was an outstanding achievement for foreign film. Executive produced by Guillermo del Toro the film centres around a young woman returning to her childhood home to open a Orphanage for disabled children.
The couples young son Simon is able to run freely around the old gothic house and play to his hearts content, but when he begins playing with an imaginary friend things start to take a turn for the sinister.
The Orphanage is beautifully shot and the setting could not be more apt for a ghost story of this proportion, the surroundings do enough to make the spine chill before we even catch sight of any odd goings on, but when we do it’s subtle yet frightening.
The plot does not need to rely on buckets of gore, maybe with the exception of one particular scene but instead takes the audience on a roller coaster journey by manipulating their senses to what they “may or may not” have seen.
The acting too deserves a mention, and Belen Rueda who plays Laura displays great emotional prowess as a mother who is on the verge of collapsing with only her husband Carlos (Fernando Cayo) to offer a glimmer of support. While there may be some similarities drawn from other films of this genre such as The Others and The Shinning it doesn’t try to copy or imitate it in any shape or form.
Without spoiling it and I won’t give anything away, the ending is one that will leave film goers everywhere asking many questions and in some cases these may never be answered, something which I love. It’s a brilliant and well scripted film one I would recommend to anyone.
View the trailer
Rating:
(4.5/5)
Visit the IMDb page for The Orphanage
DVD Extras: When Laura Grew Up: Constructing The Orphanage, “Tomas’ Secret Room” focuses on aesthetics, from the film’s sound to its art direction a six-part stills gallery, a series of teasers, trailers, and poster explorations
Blu Ray Extras: These are the same as for the DVD
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