The Orphanage

In this day and age, it seems unlikely that a haunted house movie would be the scariest to come along in years. But here we are with THE ORPHANAGE, a not-so-ordinary ghost story that draws upon the horror classics of yesteryear; the frights come from what we cannot see but know is there. Director J.A. Bayona and screenwriter Sergio G. Sanchez (under the guidance of producer Guillermo del Toro) have crafted a modern masterpiece of less-is-more. Yet in many ways, the film’s greatest strengths lie not in its sequences of harrowing suspense but its dramatic aspirations.

Laura (Belen Rueda) is an orphan who’s returned to her former home to open a school for special needs children. Living with her in the large, creaky and maze-like former school is her husband and adopted son Simon who suffers from a debilitating illness, a secret kept even from him by his parents. Simon has always had imaginary friends, but Laura becomes increasingly unsettled when he meets six new invisible friends while scouting a nearby cave. Then things take a turn for the worse: a strange woman enters the house, claiming to be a social worker. Laura later finds her hiding in a storage shed. A game that Simon’s friends lead him into reveals that he knows more about his past than he lets on. And during a welcome party for the new children, a figure wearing a sack mask violently forces Laura into the bathroom and locks her in. When she is released, Simon is gone. Months pass without a clue to his disappearance, and Laura begins to suspect that Simon’s new friends may not be imaginary after all.

The film strives on techniques that have been around for ages. Creaking floors, thumping footsteps, doors closing by themselves, flickering lights, etc. The story is definitely old fashioned and the filmmakers do not stray from that mood. Still, the mounting suspense that builds to an almost unbearable level makes the film more effective than trying to gross-out its audience with excessive gore. There are jump scares and a particularly disturbing and graphic scene, but the film is incredibly restrained. When the final stages are entered and Laura is isolated in the large house, the tension reaches dizzying heights. Expectations skyrocket and for once, the viewer is not shortchanged. There are no cheap tricks, no glaringly obvious plot holes to keep us from getting the ending before it arrives. Bayona’s strengths clearly lie with creating this kind of heavy mood, thanks to excellent sound design and editing.

But what is most surprising about THE ORPHANAGE is its sense of drama. It is every bit as much a drama as a horror. Most horror films are content will developing their characters just enough to get the viewers to care, but Belen Rueda’s performance will tear hearts out. Her desperation and panic as time passes is devastating; her devotion to her missing son truly touching. The climax of the film is not effective because of its suspense (though it is terrifying), but because of Rueda. It may be the only film that will have people screaming in fear while tears gather.

THE ORPHANAGE takes horror conventions we all know; conventions that seem unlikely to be effective today. But the film proves just how frightening darkness can be, and how we still can be scared of things we cannot see. We must often rely on what the characters say they see, forcing us to listen to the terror of what is going on around them. It’s a simple story effectively done. This is a film for people who want to really be scared at the movie. Not just grossed out.

****/****