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This Spanish film is all that you would expect it to be- in a good way. The photography is great. I actually prefer it to del Toro’s “Pan’s Labyrinth,” which everyone goes gaga for much to my surprise. The plot builds slowly like many Spanish films, and it has a surprising twist at the end which actually comes as something of a surprise.
Posted By: CountOrlok at 6:54am, September 8, 2009
I just saw it and it's not really a horror but more of a mystery/ghost story. It's very atmospheric, they picked a great location with the beach, the caves, the old house and the lighthouse. The acting is exceptional - very sincere performances. Great cinematography.
And yes, it had me hooked to the ending, while slow to start, there were plenty of twists and turns to keep me interested. Overall, a very well made movie that deserves a viewing at least once.
Great story and acting and a very devastating ending that will touch you but more of a psychological ghost story than a pure horror movie and it just wasn't that thrilling or scary like The Others which it's kind of similar to. It's more something your mom or wife will like more that a deep horror fan.
a truly and frightening ghost story that just crawls underneath your skin. El Orfanato is a great movie and has one of the scariest characters in horror movie history, Tomas(the little boy in the mask)
This was a pretty "light" horror. It's fairly slow paced, and the ending doesn't leave you thinking horror at all. It's more of a film that uses horror themes to get across a beautiful story about a mother's love, which I'm sure there are some people here that won't enjoy. It did have its moments for sure, though few and far between. 7/10
you gotta love the spanish and their film abilities to jerk some tears and have leave the room with your funny feelings that you haven't felt since Aunt Beth's Christmas party.
a damn good movie with superb and engagin story.
The Orphanage is one of the most beautiful films i have ever seen. The ending may not work for everyone, but if you look closely, everyone is smiling in the end.
It's my 20th favorite movie of all time. And its somewhere in my Top 10 favorite horror films ever.
Occasionally a movie comes along that manages to take something we've all seen before but has enough style and a unique enough twist on the familiar that you find yourself more absorbed in the story than you ever thought possible. The Orphanage is one such movie.
I think people were perhaps expecting something a little more creepy and disturbing (though this movie certainly has it's moments) a la The Devil's Backbone; but those are the same people that think this film has something to do with Guillermo del Toro when, in actuality, he was busy with Hellboy 2. He did nothing more than produce this movie.
The ending to this film was great. It tied everything together while leaving you feeling utterly depressed. Not the sort of movie to watch with a bunch of your buds while engaging in alcohol consumption.
Absolutely amazing. This film which disguises it's self as a horror movie is really a drama which deals with the loss of a child and the acceptance of this loss. Director Juan Antonio Bayona picked and incredible cast for this film, and with some slick directing and powerful imagery is able to wow audiences. This film deserves all the praise it received and much more.
Allright. It isn’t 5 star material but is worth watching. It starts off a little slow but when her son goes missing it starts to get enticing. Twist after twist with thrills that keep coming. Nothing was expected and the ending is one you wont forget for a long while. So many films these days have endings that are either average or below average but this is one that is sad but also happy in a way. It’s a great watch and the subtitles means you can’t even look away for a moment unless you speak the language. After all the comotion about it from all over the world, i thought i may as well give it a go because, from the praise it’s getting it must be good.
The plot was so complex and i think from the great money it’s made a US company will remake this. I hope this doesn’t happen as basically every great film thats remade has grossed badly. The plot of this is so thrilling to watch as you fell what Laura (lead role) feels. Loosing your son would be hard enough but uncovering your five best friends from childhood dead in your house would be deadly. It’s a great plot but it takes too long to get into.
The acting was great and was believable. What More can i say.
Overall The Orphanage will keep you entertained from the 2nd quarter straight to the very end. My rating is 3.5/5
Posted By: GRUDGE4life at 11:01pm, January 24, 2009
this movie was kind of creepy and had a amazingly great story with it... Sanchez and Bayona know what they are doing... why are the foreign films owning every american film in the horror category this year?
Posted By: spilnkspawn at 12:36am, January 24, 2009
Alright. . .has a few moments that good. . .the spanish doesn't work for this film, I think that it would have been better in english. And I'm not against subtitles, absolutely love audition. . .but if masks freak you out, this might do something for you, but not me.
Posted By: horrorking95 at 10:22am, January 10, 2009
Remarkable the subtitles don't bother me one bit! This is absolutely amazing I may even go as far as saying it is a masterpiece. Suspense drama and the ending is so sad. There are some very creepy moments in this and it also has a great twist that i didn't see coming. Acting is good as well. This is nail biting stuff and your just get hungry for more.
*****
Out Of
*****
Posted By: KingOfHorror at 7:27pm, November 19, 2008
Great SpookHouse Movie! Didnt mind subtitles gives film Creepy Feel! ENJOY!
I truly believe one has to be in a specific mood for these kind of films. It is very well made, acting is top notch, and the cinematography is beautiful. This is a very artsy horror film, almost artsy-fartsy, I do think it can come off a little pretentious sometimes. And most of all, this is utterly a bore fest. It's not only the pace of the film that drageed, but the lack of things that actually occured after the loss of her child. Most of the actual "Horror" happens within the first 10 minutes, then its running through a beautiful giant mansion looking in closets and hallways for sony-Jim's playful little ass. Booooorrrrrrring.... No blood, no suspense, but well made
I consider this the best movie of 2007. Right away, I have to give credit to lead actress, Belen Rueda, for given what may be the most emotive acting performance I've ever seen. She carries this movie from start to finish. I have never been more concerned for a character in a horror film, maybe in any film.
The story is a good one, though not terribly original (kind of an alternative version of The Others.) I love how the movie feels like the old horror movies, like The Haunting and The Innocents. I would really like to see more of this. Not every movie, but 2 or 3 a year would be nice. Kind of a mystery feel as opposed to trying to scare the audience.
There is a twist to the movie. I don't normally mention twists as the surprise is best when unexpected, but, unfortunately I have to because I want to mention the best aspect of the film. There are clues in the film to what happened, but they are so subtle that you never notice them. This is a wonderful thing that works very well.
My only real gripe (hence the missing half skull) is the last five minutes or so seem out of place. It really doesn't seem like it belongs in the film. But, that's Guilliermo Del Toro for you.
I absolutely love this film. As long as you don't mind reading subtitles. This film has suspense, and psychological twists and turns. If you are looking for blood and gore this is not the film for you. I love the way the story/stories intertwine to reveal a horrific truth. Fantastic film. Guillermo Del Toro really had nothing to do with this movie, he simply endorses it. Which is why you get that Pans Labyrinth feel. If you have never seen this or Pans watch both, hell don't just watch...BUY, as they are worth every penny.
Few things are creepier than damned children; especially damned children in dirty-clown-bag-masks. The costumes and locations were detailed and telling (I'd kill for that house!) The plot is tragic and gives little in the way of black and white morality; something I wish American horror would steal.
Posted By: Protecious at 12:41pm, September 30, 2008
Overall a interesting suspense ghost movie that does slack in areas of being interested in characters, but some scenes are truly scary and intense, but there was something lacking in this film that wanted me to like it more, but i respect the hell out of this film for taking a more scary approach to stylized filmaking that most filmakers (especially american) stray from.
Posted By: Repo!Screams at 11:10pm, September 20, 2008
This movie was pretty interesting, I mean at first the subtitles threw me off, but the movie was pretty interesting. It was creepy but in a way kept your attention the whole time =Spoiler: When that chick got slammed by the bus/car that was pretty awesome how her jaw twisted and stuff.=End Spoiler= So it was a pretty good movie.
The film begins on a promising note with the boy Tomas and the creepy sack on his head, but the film has about two creepy scenes to it throughout. Granted, these two scenes were well done, and the movie was well shot, but in the end the entire film just feels like a fairy tale with a shot of horror movie accidentally thrown into the mix. Guillermo Del Toro really had nothing to do with this movie, he simply endorses it. Unfortunately, I can't even reccomend renting this to anyone looking for a good spanish horror film. The first half if very promising, but it just turns into a childrens fable towards the end. The plot is also hard to follow in spots.
This was just a good suspense thriller.Nothing gory or bloody about it. Well worth renting for the ending. This reminded me of Pans Labrynth.
Posted By: zombie#90210 at 1:21pm, August 10, 2008
Loved this movie!! I kept putting off buying this movie because I hadn't seen it and It was kind of exspecive. But I ended up buying it the other day and it was worth every penny!!! great story...awesome twist at the end!
Posted By: slashersadie at 12:38pm, August 7, 2008
Saw this little foreign film last night,my friends groaned about the subtitles but we gave it a 20 minute try. That is all it took. It was so artfully done and you really had to pay attention to details to understand the ending. Very haunting images- the old beds, the medium, the deforemed child--all very effective.
We all liked it.
I liked the cinematography. But about halfway through the movie, it became rather tiresome. The ending was beyond pathetic, absolutely horrible. So yeah, it kinda sucked.
This movie was fantastic. Man the story is great and really just amazing. This guy and direct a movie. He tells the story so well. I am sure most everyone will at least be creeped out. I know my wife got freaked out when we went to bed and the house was dark. The only thing about the movie a slight parallel to "House". It is not the same or even cheezy but an idea or two are the same. I recommned this movie to anyone who likes scary movies.
Well i first espected this film was gonna suck but as people say dont judje a book fot its cover.When it started it got the basic idea of kids playing on the orpahange so i was paying atention at every moment so i would understand it.When the ghosts started appearing i got really scared and turned up the lights(i was watching it with the lights off)and got really satisfied when the film ended so dont listen to the people that say this movie is bad cause it isnt its perfect.
It's not a hardcore blood-and-guts horror. It's dark. It has a story and doesn't rely on cheap scares and gore (although it had enough to keep me satisfied). It wasn't really a "scary ghosty" movie like I expected it to be either. Overall, I really liked it.
I was excited about watching The Orphanage. During the movie, I thought that it still might be good...the sets (house, grounds, etc. were good....the plot seemed scary enough...but in reality, it was not. The whole movie was boring, predictable, and a waste of our time. I do not recommend this movie...there are so many better ones out there to spend your time watching on...this is not one of them. Sorry: as we see it.
One of the most pointless movies I have ever seen.
I do not understand the critics love. There was nothing new here, whatsoever. If you have seen The Grudge, The Ring, or any other Asian horror movie, you know exactly what is going to happen in the movie—and the movies it ripped off. There are nods to everything from The Exorcist to The Shining, but the movie itself doesn’t even live up to half the potential the movies it took its ideas from had.
If it had come out 20 years ago, then it would have been decent. But after seeing a hundred other movies just like it, I don’t see the point it was made. Clicking sounds coming from a little kid? The Ring mixed with The Grudge. Masked dances? The Shining. There was not a single scene in the movie that has not been in some horror movie before in some way. Instead of leaving the theater feeling scared, I left almost laughing at how unoriginal the movie was.
And my last complaint was why on earth this movie was rated R. I’ve literally seen PG-rated movies with more violence and mature/disturbing content.
1/10 – for lack of any attempt at being different.
Posted By: kaufmanfan at 2:14am, February 20, 2008
what a spooky movie
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