The Orphanage is a horror thriller starring Belén Rueda, Fernando Cayo, Geraldine Chaplin and Roger Príncep. Directed by Juan Antonio Bayona.

First off, I am a horror movie fan, but the genre has fallen into two ruts lately, either disreputable “torture porn” or now tired J-horror clichés. Both sub-genres are more about shocking the audience either through sadism, gore or “Boo!” scares; less about establishing an eerie mood or tone and finding scares through establishing a sense of mounting unease and dread.

The Orphanage is a refreshing change of pace from these dominant horror sub-genres. It is a scary movie-there were scenes, particularly near the end, that I found truly chilling. The scares, however, come not from gore or strobe-like special effects, but instead from the film's eerie tone, strong acting, and engaging story. All of these elements meshing together are what create its chills. Things blend so successfully that, late in the film, a simple shot of a child standing alone in a darkened room spooked me more than any hacked limb in the latest Hollywood release.

The film has a beautiful opening prologue that establishes the tone. A young girl is playing a Spanish version of the children’s game red light-green light. As she hides her face to count, other children slowly advance into the shot, freezing as she turns her head. The shot is in broad daylight, yet the children as are still disturbingly in shadow. Later, we lean that the girl, Laura, is about to be adopted and separated from her friends. Themes established in the opening sequence, such as lost innocence, never growing old (some reviews have interpreted the story, not unreasonably, as a dark reinterpretation of “Peter Pan”) and separation from loved ones, run throughout the film.

After the opening credits (another nice touch, with children’s hands ripping at wallpaper to reveal the credits), the story forwards 25 years to the now grown up Laura (Belén Rueda). She, along with her husband and adopted son, has moved into the long abandoned orphanage with the intention of reviving it for special needs children. Yet, in the film’s key plot point, her good intentions are horribly derailed when her son goes missing at a party. The film’s main story begins, as Laura desperately searches for her son and discovers how his disappearance is linked to the orphanage’s tragic past.

The plot of the film is an elegantly constructed Möbius strip. Events seen early in the film reoccur with more poignancy later. Scenes that appear to have little meaning at first are given a terrifying resonance as they pay off further into the story. There is not a moment wasted in the picture. As it unfolds, the heroine meets characters, such as a strange, elderly social worker, as well as a medium (played by Geraldine Chaplin) and finds clues, all of which offer another piece of the puzzle.

However, though the tone and story both work, the film would not be nearly as effective if it did not give us characters to care about. Belén Rueda, as Laura, is a heroine worth rooting for. Rueda’s performance is the glue that holds this story (one which could easily go off the tracks and turn silly) together. I cared about Laura and her son, all which makes the dénouement (which I don’t dare reveal) that much more powerful and moving.

This film is derivative of some other horror films, but they are good ones: The Innocents, The Others, The Sixth Sense, the classic Don’t Look Now and The Changeling. These films (and The Orphanage deserves to stand along with them) don’t go for cheap scares at the basest level. Instead, they address the big mystery we have all wondered and feared: What happens after we die? Is there an unseen world of the dead that coexists with the world of the living? Are there times when the invisible curtain is pulled back and we get glimpses of the other side, of the world that awaits us all? This film stayed with me and challenged me with those chilling questions yet again. I highly recommend it.

DVD Features:

The menu is presented in a creepy animated format which takes the viewer on a “tour” of the orphanage, complete with shadows appearing on the walls as you move through the house.

Fortunately, the film is not dubbed into English, as dubbing it out of Spanish would likely have cost this film much of its poetry and elegance. Some horror fans instantly balk at reading subtitles, but the film is absorbing enough that I feel most viewers will forget they are reading subtitles before too long. Sound options include Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS-ES 6.1 and Surround Sound. Picture quality is very good.

Extras include the following:

1) Trailers for Pan's Labyrinth (a modern classic by Guillermo del Toro, executive producer of The Orphanage) and Amusement, The Sickhouse, One Missed Call and Otis (all horror films that did not look at all to be on the same level The Orphanage).

2) Teasers and trailers (both Spanish and US versions) and a poster gallery.

3) A stills gallery that is conveniently sorted into different categories and thumbnails (no need to sit through a slideshow, as is the case with too many DVD stills galleries).

4) A behind-the-scenes piece, a make-up effects piece and a cast auditions read, all of which are typical to what you would see on similar type features with other DVDs.

5) “Tomas’ Secret Room,” which is the best extra feature, as it is divided into mini-features which go into more detail about specifics of the film, such as how the effective opening title sequence was filmed.

FILM GRADE: A-

DISC & PACKAGING: A

OVERALL GRADE: A

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