Compelling Horror Thriller

Rating: 9/10 (8 December 2009)

I recently went to see Paranormal Activity which has been dubbed 'the scariest film ever'. It was a massive disappointment, a boring film with only a good ending as a saving grace. Most modern American horror films are either remakes, gorno or simply poor efforts, long gone are the days with great horror films like The Shinning, The Exorcist and The Omen. The best hope for good horror films have been foreign cinema, with entries from Asia like A Tale of Two Sisters and the Ring following the right rules towards horror cinema. The Spanish are also getting in on the act, with the excellent fantasy Pan's Labyrinth and now the ghost thriller the Orphanage.
Set on the coast of Spain, Laura (Belén Rueda) buys the orphanage she grew up in when she was a child. She is married to Carlos (Fernando Cayo), a doctor and have an adopted son Simón (Roger Príncep). Laura wants to reopen the orphanage as a care centre for special needs children. Simón is a lonely child and has a couple of imagery friends. Laura and Carlos believes that it's just a phase. When in a cave he makes a new 'friend' and tells Laura of the game he plays, taking away something you love and leaving clues to help you find it. Tensions with Simón start to grow when he discovers he is adopted and HIV positive. One the day when centre is about to open Simón disappears and Laura is attacked by child wearing a sack mask. After months with Simón missing Laura still senses Simón is alive and that there is a strange present in the house. She does everything she can to find her son.
Guillermo del Toro was a producer for The Orphanage, which helped with the film's marketing, but he does also have a good eye for film. There is trusty name reconization.
The Orphanage follows the most important rule of horror cinema, have compelling characters, and Laura is a character you can sympathise with. You have to care about what happens to her. There is also a strong underlining theme/fear, the lost of a child. The acting in this film is excellent, especially Belén Rueda and it helped you believe in the characters.
There is a good script by Sergio G. Sánchez who focuses on the family drama as well as the ghostly elements. He tells a compelling story and keeps you guessing. This story has a few similarities with The Sixth Sense and A Tale of Two Sisters (namely the plot twists). He references a few popular cultural items like The Shinning and Peter Pan. The direction by Juan Antonio Bayona is subtle and understand, which gives the scares more of an impact. Despite it's supernatural story, Bayona keeps the film fairly grounded, he crosses the direction William Friedkin of the Exorcist and Ji-woon Kim of A Tale of Two Sisters. He makes the film both a horror and a thriller.
Worth watching.