Just the other day, I sat down to watch The Orphanage, which my wife recommended to me. She wanted to pick a few horror movies for me to watch on my own, and this was one of them. I was up to the challenge until I realized this film was directed by Guillermo del Toro was involved with the project. To this day, I haven’t found anything he’s been associated with to my liking and still think The Shape of Water was one of the worse Best Picture winners of all-time.
Sadly El Orfanato did not present anything new in terms of scares or creepy storytelling. Our main character, Laura (Belen Rueda), used to live in this old house used as an orphanage for handicapped children. She was lucky to grow up and live a normal life before convincing her husband to return to the property and raise a family. Strange things start to happen, and her son Simon (Roger Princep) goes missing. Laura never gives up hope that her son is alive despite his dependence on the medicine.
The movie is a cliche in every sense of the word since the main character is considered crazy for thinking dead people are live. She’s hysterical over the disappearance of her son. The dead characters only come out to play when no one is around. I wish I could tell you that this is all something you’ve never seen before; however, it is a carbon copy of almost every other horror movie ever created.
I could never get invested in the characters because I knew the predictable outcome from the get-go. The only thing I did not expect was the way the film would end. I won’t spoil anything for you; just know it fits the theme and the main character.
While doing my research after the film, this title was on my IMDb watchlist for some reason. I had no clue when I added the title or why I put it on there. On the site, The Orphanage currents hold a 7.4 rating, one that I think is way too high for a movie that would never stick out from the crowd. 4/10
Ten Stars or Less 