Review of The Orphanage (2007) by Evan J — 19 May 2014

I really loved the atmosphere and the way this movie was filmed. It gives you a very, very eery feeling and the storyline is just perfect. Believe me, I have watched loads of horror movies with the storyline evolving around, but this story still felt unique and really interesting. You are certain at first you know which way the movie is going to go...but you are wrong!

Belén Rueda plays "Laura", a happily married woman with an adopted little son Simon, who decides to return and buy an old orphanage by the seaside along with her husband Carlos (Fernando Cayo). 30 years earlier she was as an orphan placed at the very same orphanage, and as she only have good memories of it, she now is intending to run it as a facility for disabled children.

Simon is a mischievous seven-year-old boy, who has lots of "imaginary friends" in the orphanage like to play games with his mother but has a hard time taking no for an answer.

A thing that Laura is forced to tell Simon, once they've recently been visited by an old lady who claims that she comes from the child welfare agency, is now not only the fact that Laura and Carlos are not his biological parents, but that Simon is born with the HIV-virus and that's why he must eat medicine every day.

Geraldine Chaplin is excellent as playing the psychic Aurora. (and yes! It's the daughter of Charlie Chaplin...).

This movie won 7 goya awards, which I think it deserved. Among those for best special extra effects (which are really creepy) and best original script (which was written already in 1996), and also for best scenography (which is understandable since it's simply fantastic). Like most of you probably know already, legendary director Guillermo Del Toro produced this movie. This is actually the debut of director J.A Bayona who earlier just had made shorts and music videos. Bayona has told that he was very influenced by classic horror movies but wanted to put some sort of literature theme on it (Peter Pan). Very good job, indeed!

I promise, you will never see the game "one, two, three, red lantern" (or grandmother's footsteps/Statues) in the same way as before...