The Orphanage is an eerie Spanish ghost story that is entirely, and quite enjoyably unlike the bulk of modern American horror films. This chilling and surprisingly emotional little haunted house import delivers a far more satisfying trip into the realm of the supernatural than any half-baked remake of a Japanese thriller. And it certainly beats the pants off of the unscary and entirely laughable antics of torture porn films such as Saw and Hostel. The terror is subtle. The imagery is ghastly yet starkly beautiful. It is not a "horror film" as much as a wondrous feature film that happens to include elements of fantasy and suspense. Think a lesser, more juvenile fixated The Shining or Pan's Labyrinth with ghosts instead of mythological beasts.The story develops slowly and steadily, as do the impossibly discomforting twists and turns. To summarize would be something of a crime against the meticulously plotted tale of betrayal and violence that serves as catalyst here. What is safe to say is that the central story revolves around a woman named Laura (Belén Rueda) who returns to the orphanage that was once her home to start a home for children with special needs. She comes with her husband, Carlos, (Fernando Cayo) and their precocious son, Simón, (Roger Príncep) whose "special friends," assumed by Carlos and Laura to be imaginary, are deeply linked to the dark torture the family will endure throughout the course of the film.
As ghostly and mysterious as the film may be, it never loses sight of a perfectly compelling sense of humanity. Its character's are neither withering flowers nor domineering, fearless action hero types. You can believe Laura in her every decision, both realistic and other worldly. Better yet, the ghosts that haunt the orphanage are equally believable in their own ways. The film doesn't paint the picture of ghosts that are necessarily malicious, but rather wild in their own innocently evil way. Like children left to their own devices, they play and scheme in ways that can be horrifying and lethal, but almost always unintentional. They also manifest calmly and coolly in selected frames without the idiotic Hollywood invention of transparent CGI hovering. They are tangible leftovers from a truly tragic past event that will also force Laura to come to terms with her past life.
Grade: A-
