Not since The Shining has a film come along that can frighten and enthral in equal measure and this is very refreshing when so many of the horror ilk often fail to hit the mark.
The main draw for most people though is that The Orphanage has been produced by Pan’s Labyrinth director Guillermo Del Toro.
And The Orphanage seems to continue the themes that the renowned filmmaker has explored, namely the darker side of our imagination through frightening fantasies.
Slightly reminiscent of the 2001’s The Others, it is the story of lost souls in a typically antiquainted and rickety old house.
Laura (Belén Rueda) returns to her childhood home to open an orphanage for sick children and it isn’t long before her son Simon starts playing with imaginary friends.
But her son’s games quickly become something much more disturbing when they start to hear strange noises, when things start appearing where they shouldn’t and when familiar faces from the past come into view.
There is no doubt that this is cliched stuff but it is executed with such skill that it will engulf you for the full running time.
The film mostly relies on tension and suggesion but when things start going really weird it will make your skin crawl...
