The Orphanage (El Orfanato)

(2007)*****

Laura moves with her husband, Carlos, and her adopted son, Simon, into the old (creepy) orphanage where she grew up. Her plan is to reopen the orphanage in order to take care of handicapped children. Laura and Carlos adopted Simon, who is HIV positive, although Simon believes they are his parents and he is unaware of his health status. Given that the orphanage is not yet ready to open, Simon has a lot of downtime with little to do. Laura and Carlos play with him as much as possible, but readying the orphanage takes up most of their time and Simon is often left to his own devices. Before long Simon has befriended 5 invisible friends and seems to spend a lot of time interacting and having adventures with them. Although Laura is concerned Carlos normalizes Simon’s behavior and chalks it up to boredom. Pretty soon, however, strange things begin to occur and on the day of the orphanage’s big opening, Simon vanishes. Months later Simon is still missing and Laura, having exhausted all other means, is convinced that something supernatural is afoot. Carlos disagrees and this begins to take its toll on their relationship. Laura’s unrelenting search for her son leads to some dark revelations about the past. To give anything more away would be punishable by caning.

Wow! Only three films into this contest and I’ve discovered the best new horror movie of the year. I knew I was in for a treat when the opening credits noted, “Presented by Guillermo del Toro”. Taking the best elements of the now done-to-death J-horror genre and combining them with an excellent script, beautiful, bone-chilling cinematography, a creepy score, and many bumps in the night, director Juan Antonio Bayona has crafted a fantastic ghost story that sets a new standard for the genre. Like The Ring, The Orphanage quickly establishes a somber mood without relief that doesn’t let up until the last frame of the film. The scares are occasionally overt, and very effective, but the real treat is the unremitting tension permeating the story. The Orphanage achieves the main goal of the horror genre, the ability to make you feel ill at ease. I like to believe that I’ve seen enough horror movies to be scare-proof, but every once in a while a movie really gets under my skin and The Orphanage gave me those rare goose bumps, the drug high of horror. The Orphanage does not rely on CGI or other flashy effects, which I believe is ruining genre. As illustration, JUON is scary and The Grudge is not. In The Orphanage the scares are done the right way, a beautiful mix of lighting/shadows, scene composition, creepy sound, long corridors, creaky doors, and above all timing, the perfect recipe for a superior film. I like it when the horror genre is given respect and we are treated to a quality production. Why shouldn’t horror films be taken seriously?