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El Orfanato (The Orphanage) (2007)

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All Critics
Top Critics

Average Rating: 7.3/10
Reviews Counted: 164
Fresh: 139 | Rotten: 25

When it seems like every horror movie nowadays is a remake or a grisly exercise in sadism, The Orphanage is a breath of fresh air for critics and audiences alike, seamlessly blending in a poignant tale of loss with the scares and blood.

Average Rating: 7.4/10
Critic Reviews: 34
Fresh: 30 | Rotten: 4

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Movie Info

Pan's Labyrinth director Guillermo del Toro produces director Juan Antonio Bayona's gothic frightener about a long-abandoned orphanage with a particularly troubling past. As a child, young orphan Laura spent her formative years being cared for by the staff of a large orphanage located by the Spanish seaside. Those were some of the happiest years of Laura's life, and now, 30 years later, the former charge returns to the dilapidated institution with her husband, Carlos, and their seven-year-old

R, 1 hr. 45 min.

Drama, Horror, Mystery & Suspense

Directed By: Juan Antonio Bayona

Written By: Sergio G. S�nchez

In Theaters: Dec 28, 2007 Wide

On DVD: Apr 22, 2008

Box Office:$6.9M

Picturehouse

At a time when American horror seems transfixed by graphic sadism, the acclaimed Spanish chiller El Orfanato harks back to an older tradition of psychological scares and things that go bump in the night.

October 18, 2008 Full Review Source: CNN.com

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Tom Charity

CNN.com

Top Critic

The picture is a creepily effective exercise in gothic technique.

October 18, 2008 Full Review Source: NPR.org

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Bob Mondello

NPR.org

Top Critic

[Director Bayona] has a fine career ahead of him.

October 18, 2008 Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune

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Michael Phillips

Chicago Tribune

Top Critic

The year's best horror picture is also one of the simplest.

October 18, 2008 Full Review Source: Toronto Star

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Peter Howell

Toronto Star

Top Critic

Aas, there's no Ahhhh! moment at the end to justify the mounting tension.

October 18, 2008 Full Review Source: New York Magazine

| Comments (2)

Sara Cardace

New York Magazine

Top Critic

Bayona never spoonfeeds the audience, giving us lots of latitude to exercise our imaginations and believe what we choose as the film builds to its devastating climax.

July 16, 2008 Full Review Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune

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Colin Covert

Minneapolis Star Tribune

Top Critic

Bayona is a skilled technician, but seek elsewhere if you're hoping for the transporting originality of last year's Pan's Labyrinth.

July 6, 2010 Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix

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Brett Michel

Boston Phoenix

Decent old-school ghost story, Spanish-style.

December 2, 2009 Full Review Source: Common Sense Media

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Charles Cassady

Common Sense Media

Spanish horror films have a rich, still underappreciated tradition, but The Orphanage could have been made by any anonymous Hollywood hack

August 27, 2009 Full Review Source: CinePassion

| Comments (5)

Fernando F. Croce

CinePassion

However, the creative trust hasn’t forgotten those who love their art served up rich in metaphor and message.

July 23, 2009 Full Review Source: JWR

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S. James Wegg

JWR

[A] pungent and scary film.

October 18, 2008 Full Review Source: Guardian [UK]

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Peter Bradshaw

Guardian [UK]

Superbly directed, genuinely creepy Spanish chiller with a strong script and a terrific central performance from Belen Rueda.

October 18, 2008 Full Review Source: ViewLondon

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Matthew Turner

ViewLondon

The Orphanage is simply content with getting through the entire story without tripping over its own flaws, and though it's definitely better than most supernatural thrillers, it doesn't belong in the same camp as del Toro or any of his films.

October 18, 2008 Full Review Source: Bullz-Eye.com

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Jason Zingale

Bullz-Eye.com

The Orphanage is the first horror movie I've seen in a while that's scary enough to send people out of the theater.

October 18, 2008 Full Review Source: Philadelphia Daily News

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Gary Thompson

Philadelphia Daily News

You wouldn't think that a Spanish horror flick as high art, but in the case of The Orphanage, you'd be wrong.

September 2, 2008 Full Review Source: ReelzChannel.com

| Comments (2)

Heather Huntington

ReelzChannel.com Source: ReelzChannel.com

It captures pure terror. It's horrific. That's horror plus terrific. It's almost impossible for a film like this to be lumped into the same category as...

August 27, 2008 Full Review Source: The Scorecard Review

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Jeff Bayer

The Scorecard Review

The Orphanage [is] durable and engrossing, traits that help overshadow its genre-bound features.

August 27, 2008 Full Review Source: Window to the Movies

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Jeffrey Chen

Window to the Movies

This Spanish psychological mystery is captivating, creepy and hopeful.

July 19, 2008 Full Review Source: Spectrum (St. George, Utah)

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Bruce Bennett

Spectrum (St. George, Utah)

More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for El Orfanato (The Orphanage)

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The Orphanage feels like many of the other films in the genres for the first half, with samey scenes, unoriginal story and predictable 'jumps'. Then about halfway through the film shows its heart and it gets really good. It's one of those films that I liked throughout but ended up loving purely because of the last

April 30, 2012

Anthony Lawrie

Super Reviewer

Spain has turned out quite a few excellent horror films in the last few years, and in my opinion, some of the most terrifying and original films of the last decade. The Orphanage is a brilliant, near flawless and beautifully constructed ghost story. The film benefits from all the necessary ingredients to make a

November 11, 2011

Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski

Super Reviewer

El Orfanato (The Orphanage) Quotes

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1. Laura: One, two, three, knock on the wall.
– Submitted by Victor H (28 days ago)
1. Aurora: Seeing is not believing, it's the other way round. Believe,and you will see.
– Submitted by Jude W (3 months ago)

Character	Quote
	Enter quote here...	Delete

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Latest News for El Orfanato (The Orphanage)

January 4, 2010:

Mark Pellington Moves into New Line's Orphanage Remake
Mark Pellington, director of "The Mothman Prophecies," has been hired to helm Warner Bros.'...