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Laura has
decided to start up the old orphanage in
which she grew up together with her husband and her
adopted son, Simon. It all seems to be a very good
idea at first, but Simon is having a hard time adjusting
and keeps telling her about these new friends that
he's found. Laura and her husband choose to ignore it
and figure that they're just imaginary friends. But
they're not... they're very much real.
It seems like I'm the last person to get to see this
movie and man have I've been dying to see it or what.
I'm sure you're all anxious to find out whether or
not I thought that it lived up to the hype so I'm
just going to go ahead and get that question out of
the way; No, The Orphanage did not live up to its
hype. It's a great movie but it's not very original
nor frightening. They've tried to create an atmospheric
horror drama in the vein of The Others and Dorm here
and while they've succeeded at that, it's not nearly
as unpredictable and eerie as The Others was or as
emotionally loaded as Dorm was.
Laura grew up in an orphanage before they found foster
parents for her. Now, she's all grown up and has a
loving husband and an adorable son. She's determined
to re-open the old orphanage and give other children
the chance that she was given - to live a normal and
healthy life. Unfortunately, by doing so she has just
put her own son's life in danger. He quickly finds
imaginary friends to play with in the house, but as
time goes by, Laura soon starts to suspect that the
friends are more than just imaginary. When Simon, her
son, one day disappears, Laura has to do everything in
her power to find him before it's too late.
What we have here is a classic ghost story. It's got
some spooky scenes, some okay twists and a good story
line. It's also extremely beautiful to look at and
the actors are just outstanding. It's a shame that
the movie never really enters new territory. Sure,
The Orphanage manages to get you on the edge of your
seat and you are extremely interested in what's going
on - but let's face it, any horror fan knows exactly
how this movie is going to play out and can see the
twists coming from a miles distance. There's just
nothing new here.
In the end, The Orphanage is a terrific ghost story
and it's nice to see a classic ghost story again that
doesn't rely on flashy special effects but actually
focuses on the plot itself. It's got some very
suspenseful scenes and you will definitely come out
of the theater with a smile on your face. It's not
the most original horror film out there but it's one
of the better ghost stories of 2007. Don't get too
worked up though, we've seen it before.
A gory face, nothing much.
Spectacular of course, but you all ready knew that.
A very suspenseful and atmospheric movie that does not
quite live up to its magnificent hype. It feels like
we've seen it before - and we have. There's nothing
really new about it. It's a classic ghost story and
a very well-made one at that but I wouldn't rate it
among the best horror flicks ever.
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