Review of The Orphanage (2007) by Thequietgamer — 21 Oct 2018

Like a slightly lesser version of The Devil's Backbone, J.A. Bayona's directorial debut is more concerned with telling a story built around past trauma than frightening viewers with it's wandering spirits. It has that mystical storybook quality I've come to expect from Spanish horror. While tragedy is what's carrying the narrative forward, this is actually a very sweet tale. A warm-hearted ending awaits those who are brave enough to spend the night in these haunted halls. But fear not! Nothing that goes bump in the night is actually scary at all.

That's my one problem with the movie. There was nothing that ever caused me any apprehension or sent shivers up my spine. No reason to fear. The wonderfully acted story was all there was to keep me going. Fortunately that proved to be enough. I was fully invested in the mystery and characters.

I can't fault Bayona's directing much. He's never able to instill any terror, but he is able to give the setting some atmosphere. The cinematography is beautiful and he does at least try to frame a few scenes to be creepy. I just found the tone to be more on the sadness and love side of the emotional spectrum. This is a drama with a little bit of horror running in the background. Sort of like a film one would expect from it's producer, Guillermo del Toro. While nowhere near as good as one of his movies, The Orphanage is still a decent slice of Spanish cinema because it remembers that often the best works of horror are known just as much for their story as their frights. I just wish it had more of the latter of those two qualities.