The best horror film in the last 5 years

Rating: 9/10 (25 July 2009)

The Orphan is the best horror film I have seen in years, perhaps since The Ring and Mothman Prophecies. It has a perfect blend of chills, scares, excellent direction, wonderful performances and a brilliant villain. I was nervous, anxious and angry all at different times in the film. Some might say that it is a little silly because all you would need is someone to blow the whistle on this little girl, but the screenplay is smart enough to give reasons why that just didn't happen.
Isabelle Fuhrman plays Esther, and something just isn't quite right with her. Her looks, her obsession with her new father and her precocious behaviour just don't add up. Then you have Vera Fermiga, of The Departed fame. She is simply magnificent in this film and if the academy ever took horror films seriously, she would be a shoe in for a nomination for best actress this year. She and Fuhrman carry the film. She is strong, vulnerable and tough as nails in here. She gets to play the thankless role of someone who is looked at as a pariah of sorts due to her sordid past and when the trouble starts, no one believes her.
Orphan will have you on the edge of your seat and covering your eyes literally. Juame Collet-Sara, who's only real credit is the excellent 2005 film House of Wax, has a keen eye for detail and he reminds me of Spielberg in here in some ways. I really hope his work is recognized and he gets more work. This was produced by Joel Silver and Leonardo DiCaprio.
This is one of the best films of the year so far.
9/10