Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Movie review: The Orphanage

This is an independent film from Spain so readers in Wichita and places like that who don't have an independent movie theater probably won't get to see it.

I didn't see any trailers for this. I'm not sure what got me to go see it. I'm glad I did. Again, it's more of a rental than something to own.

"The Orphanage" is a horror movie. For much of it the scariest thing you see it the opening credits. But there are a few points where even I jumped. That's not easy either. It doesn't have the suspense value of "The Others" but it pulls off most of it's scares without blood. Really, it's the ending that made it for me. A good twist instead of the lame twist many get.

The movie starts with a little girl playing with the other kids at an orphanage. She's getting adopted later that day. Thirty years later she buys the place and moves in with her husband and adopted son with the intent to reopen it. At the masquerade themed open house she's attacked by a kid with a bag over it's head. When she gets back up her son is missing.

Months pass. She hears sounds and holds seances. She finds that there was a deformed orphan there thirty years ago who wore a bag over his head. After she left some of her friends led him to a cave on the beach and stole his bag. He drown in that cave rather than show his face. The five friends vanished.

I can't tell you more than that. I can. I won't.

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