If you're a horror fan you'll like Esther...

Rating: 7/10 (9 December 2010)

If one watches enough horror movies, one gets to know the territory pretty well. I've done so for a few decades now and sure enough, the plot of 'Orphan' is a familiar one. I twigged the twist around halfway through as well. Nevertheless, despite many similarities to the usual cliché-bound dime-a-dozen penny-dreadfuls one sees so much of in the course of exploring the horror genre, this movie actually has something. The acting is good-to-excellent and the script and direction suspenseful above the average, but there's an extra element of uncertainty which makes it genuinely creepy. There were plot holes all right and the rather unimaginative ending didn't quite fit but 'Orphan' was a fun ride all the same. A pleasant surprise.