The Orphanage

Bravo! The Spaniards confirm once more their privileged position on the horror scene. The Orphanage doesn’t surprise with an original plot but with its ability to generate true fear and tension through a strong effect on the subconscious. The entire film relies on a very carefully built atmosphere that forces the viewer to feel fear, even if there is nothing to really be afraid of, there aren’t any heart-attack inducing jump-scares, no manifestations of terrifying ghosts; everything works with sounds, plays with light and dark, and the camera movements. (14/02/2008)

I rewatched this film years later and I'm disappointed at how little there is in it. Guillermo Del Toro, the ratings in the red numbers and the fact that the film is more or less a cult-classic in the genre beckoned for an exclusive horror experience, but unfortunately I didn't get that at all. Cinematically, The Orphanage is modest and makes do with a couple of actors, one house and a fine tale of the orphanage's dark past, but as a whole it's kind of bland and without much emotion. A weak average, for which I had expectations for a full score, and I was all the more disappointed by the result. (07/09/2022)

I’m not a fan of horror films, I watch most of them through my fingers, with the volume very low and all the lights on. I’m such a wuss :) This film doesn’t have guts or similar disgusting stuff, nor does it have an excessive amount of scares, but the horror touch is created by a mysterious, dark atmosphere. And that ending... WOW! It blew my mind and I think it’s one of the best movie ending ever. One of the few horror films I would recommend. (05/12/2016)

Something that completely passed me by in Pan's Labyrinth then caught up with me in The Orphanage. The fragile tension between the children's world, intimate family drama, and irrational belief in the world "beyond our world" works brilliantly here, not least because Bayon evokes the atmosphere convincingly, lightly, and with the necessary portion of winking at the "decadence" of this somewhat Victorian story. Sometimes things get out of hand luxuriously (the episode with the grandmother who gets it in the face, the frantic search for the son, accompanied by cuts on a stormy sea - isn't the film Spanish?), but it’s mostly very moderate and clever - the slow camera movement works much better than sharp cuts. I fell in love with The Orphanage, including the ending, which should in fact have been edited down a bit. (30/01/2013)

It’s just a matter of time until Juan Antonio Bayona will no longer need the name of Guillermo del Toro to sell his movies. This sort of talent mustn’t be allowed to go under. In places form takes priority over content, but that doesn’t mean at tall that it is forgotten or even neglected. The atmosphere is perfect. Not actually scaring, but sort of pleasantly chilling (which doesn’t mean that I didn’t get a shock here and there). The perfect music of Fernando Velázques and the wonderful sound effects are largely responsible for that. It seems that Spain actually specializes in this type of horror. The part with the modern medium is downright genius - despite being superfluous for this movie. What is really pleasing is the ending. Not so much the twist, but how beautiful it is. If Bayona had concentrated more on the pace in some parts (i.e. if he had shortened it by ten minutes, I might have considered giving an extra star. And it is Belén Rueda in the main role who deserves the highest accolade. (21/03/2008)