Deeply unnerving and surprisingly poignant, The Orphanage is an atmospheric, beautifully crafted haunted house horror film that earns scares with a minimum of blood. Read critic reviews
The Orphanage
2007, Mystery & thriller/Horror, 1h 45m
178 Reviews 50,000+ RatingsWhat to know
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Movie Info
Laura (Belén Rueda) has happy memories of her childhood in an orphanage. She convinces her husband to buy the place and help her convert it into a home for sick children. One day, her own adopted son, Simón (Roger Príncep), disappears. Simon is critically ill, and when he is still missing several months later, he is presumed dead. Grief-stricken Laura believes she hears spirits, who may or may not be trying to help her find the boy.
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Rating: R (Some Disturbing Content)
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Genre: Mystery & thriller, Horror, Drama
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Original Language: Spanish (Spain)
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Director: J. A. Bayona
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Producer: Mar Targarona, Joaquín Padro, Álvaro Augustin
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Writer: Sergio G. Sánchez
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Release Date (Theaters): wide
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Release Date (Streaming):
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Box Office (Gross USA): $7.2M
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Runtime:
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Distributor: Picturehouse
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Sound Mix: Dolby SRD, DTS, SDDS
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Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)
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Critic Reviews for The Orphanage
Audience Reviews for The Orphanage
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Your enjoyment of The Orphanage will come down a lot to what you want from your horror movie. There aren't a lot of cheap scares, nothing jumping out at you, but there really aren't many big scares at all. There's a couple moments that I found effectively spooky, but that really isn't the point of the movie. It's really more of a mystery and emotional drama with a horrific concept at its center. Yes there's ghosts involved, and yes there's a paranormal investigation akin to something we'd see in Insidious, but it's not about the spooks jumping out at us, it's about finding out what the ghosts want and the emotional journey of this woman and her child. In that sense though, it's pretty godamn effective. It is in many ways something of an adult fairy tale with a sinister edge, and I really liked that about it. Know what you're getting into, because it can be crushingly depressing, but the story works.
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Sometimes the best thing a horror film can do is simplify itself. The Orphanage benefits from having a strong and grounded performance from Belén Rueda, without overwhelming it's plot with supernatural clichés and jump scares. One thing is for certain, J.A. Bayona is phenomenal director. I've heard great things about his upcoming 'A Monster Calls', 'The Impossible' is one of the most heart-wrenching films of all time, and The Orphanage kicked off his directing with a bang. But there's one thing all of those films have in common, they deal with a mother's relationship to her son. I've obviously never met Bayona, but he had to have a strong connection to his mother. And among other things, that was the most satisfying element to The Orphanage. Guillermo del Toro produced this, and as much as I love a lot of his films, sometimes his films are more about spectacle than they are about real human emotion. Luckily, Bayona gave plenty of that to The Orphanage. Movies about disappearances or deaths of children are always very difficult to watch. Especially the films that take a horror approach, like The Orphanage. Kids are always creepy in horror-thrillers, there's just no two ways about it. But as long as Belén Rueda keeps her performance grounded, this movie stays afloat. This movie certainly delves into some things that we have seen in horror films before, mostly having to do with supernatural ideas or dream-like people returning from the dead, but I never found myself all that invested in those scenes. I'm far more interested in seeing how a mother reacts to her child go missing. The film doesn't necessarily have as many layers as other horror-thrillers, but as a first time director, I couldn't have asked for more from Bayona. Hopefully 'A Monster Calls' and The Jurassic World sequel continue the string of great work from him. +Mother-son relationship +Stays relatively grounded +Simple story... -...Could have had a little bit more depth 7.7/10
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The Orphanage is a 2007 film that is incredibly creepy. I've been looking for it since it was released on DVD, and am just now finding a copy. There is a small but wonderful cast in place as this mostly monotone film plays out. Geraldine Chaplain is incredible. The twists and hints are well placed to lead this film to a magnificent ending that only makes the story itself that much better. The Orphanage is a must see for any horror fan.
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