A very clever movie. Mysterious and scary at times...

Rating: 8/10 (25 August 2009)

El Orfanato (the Orphanage) is a very good movie. It has been a long time since I have seen a good film in this genre. The genre ghost stories I guess.
The story is somewhat difficult and complicated to bring it down to a few sentences. In short I could say it's a story about a couple and son who live in a large mansion. One day the son goes missing and the couple start searching for him. It's important to find him soon since the boy needs medication. When everything fails, they call upon a medium. Then they find out about the horrible truth of the mansion's past...
The acting is definitely worth mentioning. It's solid and believable. I really liked the leading character, Laura. A very caring mother who tries everything to find her son back. It's truly heart-breaking.
There are some very good, sometimes scary, scenes in this movie. Although the major part of the movie is mystery, not pure terror. Slowly yet surely you find out exactly what has happened in that mansion.
And then there's the really good ending. Just go watch the movie and you'll find out in what way it is a good ending...
El Orfanato (the Orphanage) is truly a worthy watch. Highly recommended for fans of ghost and/or mystery movies. 8 out of 10 stars!