The Orphanage I always have time for a good ghost story. In this movie, Laura returns to the orphanage where she was raised as a child, and when she returns her young son (I am not sure it would play as well if he was 26 years old) seems to be very taken with his imaginary friends. I am sure you get the idea. There have been several movies with this theme ( Hide and Seek for one), but The Orphanage has something those other movies did not. The Orphanage is one classy movie.
The Orphanage takes its own sweet time to develop the story, and the plot doesn't stray too off the beaten path with ideas that don't really go anywhere. It stays to the straight and narrow, and this has a huge payoff. This is not a special effects movie, as much as an intelligent, spooky, and well-paced ghost story. There is not a scare every ten minutes that is the popular formula for the more mainstream movies nowadays. I have never liked movies that try to scare you by having cabinets suddenly popping open for really dumb reasons. I like movies that slowly tighten the screws and pull you in. Movies that make you care what happens (did you really care what was going to happen while watching The Golden Compass , tell the truth). The plot of The Orphanage is well thought out, and hangs together, and makes sense in its own little movie type world. And like the best ghost stories, the movie can be read in more than one way. It is also nice to see a ghost story that doesn't involve the Japanese, cell phones, or computers in some way (though the Japanese have been putting out some great little spooky movies in the last couple of years). There isn't a lack of material in America. Robert Bloch alone probably wrote enough material to keep movies going for quite a long while, and there are plenty of others around, and sci-fi is another area where there is plenty of good material out there.
The photography is solid and fits the material well. The acting is believable though this particular movie doesn't have a large cast. The movie stays to its own little piece of the world. The Orphanage is an ensemble piece, with all the different pieces pulling in the same direction. This is not a home run movie, but it is worth your movie budget dollar, and it is enjoyable.
I really liked the way music is used in this movie. It is not overused, very tasteful and when it is used, it is used with restraint. I really hate movies that when you get to the end of the movie, your basic response is “WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT”. With this movie, and Pan's Labyrinth , and The Devil's Backbone , maybe Spain will give Japan a run for its money as a major exporter of horror movies (though I am looking forward to see what the US is going to do with The Eye, based on a Japanese movie, which is staring Jessica Alba). Happy Haunting.
You can write James Harper at movielover77061@yahoo.com |
