The Orphanage

2007 • 105 minutes

About this movie

The Orphanage centers on Laura (Belén Rueda) who purchases her beloved childhood orphanage with dreams of restoring and reopening the long abandoned facility as a place for disabled children. Once there, Laura discovers that the new environment awakens her son's imagination, but the ongoing fantasy games he plays with an invisible friend quickly turn into something more disturbing. Upon seeing her family increasingly threatened by the strange occurrences in the house, Laura looks to a group of parapsychologists for help in unraveling the mystery that has taken over the place.

Ratings and reviews

I can only imagine the bad reviews coming from someone who can't get over subtitles or is looking for "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" I have always loved Guillermo del Toro. "The Devils Backbone", his masterpiece "Pans Labyrinth", and while we really enjoyed this movie in the theatre if you haven't seen "Pans Labyrinth" I'd suggest that as a better example of his genus. "The Orphanage" is a good film, enjoy!

This is a great bedtime ghost story, a charming variation to a familiar and much loved children's play. Del Toro lures us into the typical creepy little children flick and later flips the switch to reveal the innocence and highly imaginative introspect of the young mind.

The Orphanage was a truly haunting and atmospheric film. The eerie setting and the slow-burn suspense kept me on the edge of my seat. The ending was both shocking and satisfying, leaving me thinking about the film long after it was over. If you're a fan of psychological horror, you definitely need to see this