The Orphanage (2007)

[Ash28M]

http://www.horror-movies.ca/watermark.php?filename=poster_poster-el-orfanato.jpg

Anyone who likes a well executed classy Ghost film needs to check this one out. I saw it at the Toronto Film fest last night and it's so well done. Good acting plenty of well earned jump scares and loads of atmosphere. If you Enjoyed The Others or Devil's Backbone your going to Love this as well.

[Ash28M]

I've updating my posting with the spanish poster I found In case anyone wants to take a look.

[Agent Z]

They were handing out mini posters of this at Horrorama this year. As soon as I saw Guillermo del Toro's name on the poster, I was already hooked.

Here is some more info (http://www.cinematical.com/2007/11/01/exclusive-the-orphanage-poster/) about the film, along with a larger version of the poster:


Cinematical is absolutely stoked after receiving this exclusive one-sheet for Juan Antonio Bayona's The Orphanage (click on the image above for a larger version). Produced (in a very hands-on manner) by the excellent Guillermo del Toro, The Orphanage may, in fact, go down as the spookiest film of the year. Our own resident horror guru Scott Weinberg survived a screening in Toronto earlier this year, and had this to say: "The Orphanage is entirely captivating from start to finish. And if those Spanish movie-makers have a few more 'creepy orphanage' stories to tell, well, I'm definitely not sick of the sub-genre just yet. And whatever Mr. Bayona offers up next, you can bet I'll be first in line to check it out." But he's not the only one; just this week alone, I've had a good five people tell me this film is a gem -- the kind that will have you leaping out of your seat more than once ... if you know what I mean.

The film revolves around a charming married couple, Laura and Carlos, who along with their adopted son Simon decide to purchase and renovate the old orphanage where Laura was raised. Problems arise when Simon makes a few new friends who, well, aren't real. The poster itself is real cool; it's hard to tell from the online version, but the in-theater posters are lenticular, which means those ghoulish-looking kids will disappear and re-appear based on the way you look at the image. Folks, very rarely do we bring out the big guns, but let it be known that The Orphanage is getting the official Cinematical Stamp of Approval. And for those who do not know what that means, it's just another way of saying you're guaranteed to love being spooked-out by this film. Look for The Orphanage to arrive in theaters this December 28.

[Vlachio]

That posters screams awesome!

[Erick H.]

Looks great.

[Luna]

Ooh, this one is intriguing. I'll have to check it out.

[Katatonia]

Sounds really good, but I'm sure I'll be forced to wait for a DVD release in order to actually see it. :eek2:

[dwatts]

Yeah, bring on the DVD.

[MorallySound]

Yeah, bring on the DVD.

Agreed.

[Vlachio]

http://gorezone.net/pix/nov07/ORPHANAGEposter.jpg

American poster blaaaaargh craaaap

[Livingdead102]

The local artsy-fartsy theater is showing this now and I plan on seeing it Saturday. Has anyone else besides Ash seen this? It sounds interesting, it has del Toro's name on it, and it's a ghost story not made in Hollywood, so I'm stoked. Wouldn't mind hearing some other opinions, though.

[fattyjoe37]

Very good. Don't go in expecting a scare-fest though. It's a very deliberately paced supernatural drama with great performances and one of the best endings I've seen recently.

[baggio]

looks creepy


http://blogs.indiewire.com/twhalliii/Orphanage.jpg

[othervoice1]

I read about this in AP magazine a couple months back and it sounds cool as hell- I really need to check this out very soon!

[Livingdead102]

Just got back from watching this (and then going to the bar for a few hours, so forgive any misspellings). To be honest, I can't think of anything I didn't like about the film. I think the film does a great job of managing the tension in the most frightening parts, and the jump scares were well done--they were the highlights and payoffs of tense scenes, not just random attention-getters in parts that are otherwise not worth mentioning. My girlfriend, a veteran to these sorts of things by now, found many parts of the film terrifying. Refreshingly, the synopses I read only spoiled the first third or so of the film, rather than detailing the film up until the climax like many tend to do. It's not an action packed film, but it is interesting enough to keep my attention throughout--there was not a single moment where I felt bored, and that's not common at all. I recommend it to anyone who isn't put off by the thought of reading subtitles.

The amazing part is that this is the director's first feature-length film. I truly hope he decides to stay with horror fantasy for a long, long time.

[eric_angelus]

I just got back from seeing it and loved it. Full of atmosphere and tension...with more 'jump' scares then I can remember in quite some time. There were alot of elements that really reminded me of The Changeling, The Shining, and Poltergeist...but everything seemed really fresh and new. I was really very grateful that this was not just another 'creepy kid ghost movie.' While it did have that element to it, it was alot more mature and sure of it's story telling than alot of other crap that has been hitting theaters in recent years.

[MorallySound]

Nice short review eric. If it hits the indie theatre here I'll be sure to check it out.

[Gore Lunatic]

I just saw this over the weekend (along with Cloverfield) and while it's only the begining of the year, I find it hard that any Horror film in '08 will top this (for me at least). I know it came out in late '07, but it opened in the U.S. nationwide this year. I took my girlfriend to go see it and she's not big on Horror movies. However, at the end of the movie, she was crying her eyes out. She absolutely loved it (I did too of course). She told me that she wants to see it again before it stops playing at our local theatre. I have no problem with that.

I was also glad to see that the theatre was packed. Everyone from adults to teens to even those little people who cry a lot. The whole audience were very much into the movie especially during the jump scares. Everyone was moved by the ending too. We had a fantastic theatre experience.

A well made ghost story with a lot of atmosphre and great performances. I liked how everything came full circle in the movie.

[Enutz666]

I loved this as well, took my girlfriend who was totally pissed in was subtitled(even though I warned her)and she ended up loving it as well. I've read a couple of coments on other forums were paople said the ending was to happy or a hollywood ending I'd like to say..that

just ask the father how happy he is after losing is his wife & child.

[geeare]

I just pre-ordered this on Blu-ray and also ordered Sublime because the cover art intrigued me, hahaha. anyone know anything about Sublime?

[Ash28M]

I just pre-ordered this on Blu-ray and also ordered Sublime because the cover art intrigued me, hahaha. anyone know anything about Sublime?

I though Sublime was just alright. I would have recommended renting it first.

[geeare]

I though Sublime was just alright. I would have recommended renting it first.

I've already cancelled my order, haha. i've got postings on several forums and none of the response has been good. Still getting The Orphanage tho.

[Workshed]

Saw this tonight and really liked the first three-quarters. Loved the subtitles--for some reason, that really added to the atmosphere. I seem to get more involved in films when I read, love it.

The colors were gorgeous, the performances all it into the piece as a whole--and yeah, there were some good jump scares. The final quarter of the story got a little sentimental, although it still worked--just wish it could have kept it up til the end, rather than drop it all for a warm glow of a finale. Yet, it was a nice change from the usual ghost-story endings of late.

Good film, good story; I'd recommend it, but I'm about at my limit with creepy kid horror films.

[geeare]

fantastic, that's all I can say.

[zompirejoe]

This was a great movie. Nicely shot with some very good acting, it was both scary and heartbreaking. I hope to see more from this director.

[othervoice1]

I saw this a couple weeks ago and really enjoyed it- was very creepy and I actually liked the ending

[onebyone]

I really loved this movie and thought the ending was perfect. It's nice to see a ghostly horror movie that feels complete. Everything fit together, made perfect sense, no left over dangling ends, character arcs all fulfilled and beautiful. Very good movie wish I had been able to see it in the theater.

[Roo]

I really loved this movie. The feel good movie of the year. :D

[DrHerbertWest]

One of the best movies I've seen in the past five years, hands down. Wonderful film.

[Spit]

Wow, I was blown away by this movie. The best new film I've seen all year. Creepy and original, I haven't seen a movie this scary since The Changeling. Simply Brilliant.

[MorallySound]

I bought this on DVD yesterday, haven't watched it yet though.

[Mutilated Prey]

Just got around to watching this and it was indeed really good. Lived up to the hype. Old fashioned creepy and twisty. A must see for all. Very well done.