The Orphanage Details

amazing

*****

5 stars

*****

this film was amazing, i went to see it with some friends and i was overall extremely satisfied, its one of the best films ive seen in a long while.

it was a bit of a let down by the fact that everything was in spanish,

had there been no subtitles i wouldnt have gone to see the film,

but apart from that it was superb!

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[Highly rated reviewer]

Chilling and well told tale

A suitably atmospheric ghost story directed well, and plays the emotions to perfection. The Orphanage tells of Laura, an orphan who returns to the orphanage she lived in as a child as an adult, wanting to set up a small facility with her husband and son. Her son, Simon, is a lonely child and plays with imaginary friends. Soon after moving into the building he makes new imaginary friends, and then strange things begin to happen. Are they really imaginary, or are there echoes of a past resonating around the walls of the orphanage? The film is more in tone with films such as The Others, so if your taste in scary movie requires blood and gore, then you will be disappointed. instead Bayona delivers a slow creepy build, with some nice use of camerawork and sound (children playing and crying always manages to impact well) to tell the tale. The resulting payoff in the last act of the film stands well, and works thanks to the gradual build and play. It is easy to see Guillermo Del Toro's (director of Pan's Labyrinth amongst other great films) touch in the proceedings with the look and style of the film. The building itself is magnificently creepy, with every creak of floorboard managing to convey an aging presence. Is the house haunted or are the goings on all just natural shrinking and groaning of the aged building? This is the questions that will blow around your mind throughout the film. The Orpanage is definitely one to watch if you are a fan of supernatural horror, and prefer your scares more slow-building and creepy rather than jump, jump, jump.