By Sara Pintilie/entertainment editor
The Orphanage (4 stars)
The Orphanage is reminiscent of the classic breed of horror film. Instead of cheap thrills and buckets of blood, the movie’s creepy atmosphere and Hitchcockian suspense bring a new life and justice to the old-fashion spook tale.
Laura (Belén Rueda) moves into her old residence, an orphanage abandoned years ago, after marrying and adopting a son, Simón (Roger Príncep).
Simón begins making friends of the imaginary variety, but when Simón disappears, Laura fears they are more than figments of his mind.
As she investigates her son’s disappearance, she unravels the mystery of the house and what happened to her old friends after she was adopted.
The suspense weaved into the plotline is taut and builds every minute.
Sure, there are good scares, but this film is more mature than the “pop-out and scare them all the time” movies in the theaters now.
Atmosphere is key, and The Orphanage nails it with every terrifying creak and swift movement in the darkness.
The movie has only one moment of uncertainty—though in retrospect it is needed—where Laura contacts a psychic and crew to investigate the paranormal ruckus hidden in the walls.
The scene just seems thrown in and pulls the entire film from its nostalgic creepiness.
The film might seem a bit slow to the Asian horror crowd, but the entertaining and satisfying end is worth giving the film a chance.
Also bear in mind, the movie is entirely in Spanish with English subtitles.
Though the movie is not perfect, The Orphanage is a refreshing glimpse of what horror movies should be.
