A recent horror film done well

Rating: Null/10 (18 December 2008)

All I have to say is it is about time. It has been so long since a good horror film has been and The Orphanage is one of the few films to finally succeed. Recently a horror film is about how much blood and gore can be crammed into a 2-hour time slot. There is no mystery, nothing to be terrified about. Instead these films are meant to startle and disgust you. That is not horror. What happened to the films that just had a scary plot and did not depend of the gross and grotesque?
This is exactly wait The Orphanage is, a scary plot that leaves behind all the gore and blood and depends strictly on its story. The Orphanage is about a woman named Laura who returns to the orphanage where she grew up with her son and her husband to open it once again. The story heightens when her son Simon disappears after making a new imaginary friend.
Instead of relying on a CGI created bad guy, The Orphanage uses live action and an interesting plot to engulf the audience in its story. This is a nice refresher to other horror films. This film actually cares about the characters and their development. We see how Laura tries to deal with the loss of her child, while trying to figure out the mysteries behind Simon's invisible friend Tomas. Laura's journey is just as interesting as the mystery behind Simon's disappearance.
This film has everything that one could hope for in a good horror film. The soundtrack also assists the film in its supernatural feel, but the film is not dependent on the music alone. Through well-developed characters and plot The Orphanage is one of the best-done horror films in a long time.
While this horror film is not like most Hollywood horrors that allow you to sit back, turn off your brain, and watch the typical shock factors, The Orphanage forces you to think and drags you into the supernatural world that Laura has also been sucked into. This is one of the best horror films in a long time and I strongly recommend it.