The Orphanage - Creepy little ghost story

In ghost story terms, there’s nothing particularly new about ‘The Orphanage’ – it follows the modern ghost story formula pretty well, i.e. family moves into new location, strange things happen, no one believes them, contact expert to clarify supernatural element and then climax.  The Orphanage ticks all those boxes and in that order.  However, just because its story isn’t that original, doesn’t mean it’s bad.

It’s Spanish, for a start.  I don’t know why I always give foreign films more leeway when it comes to acting terms.  Maybe it’s the subtitles that mean I can’t really tell a ‘good’ foreign actor from a ‘bad’ one.  But, the acting certainly seems well up there to me.  It’s about a couple who have adopted a young boy and move back into an old orphanage to refurbish it and open it up for taking on new children.  However, things go more than a little wrong when their son starts developing ‘imaginary’ friends and then vanishes completely during the opening event and, no, they don’t find that he’s been taken into the TV, ala, Poltergeist.

See?  Nothing particularly new there, but it’s the film’s overall tone, direction and acting which elevates it about the – literally – thousands of similar clones which infest DVD bargain buckets at your local petrol station.  The setting is great and I’ve already mentioned the acting.  But it’s simply the foreboding feel of dream and despair that keeps you watching. 

Basically, if you like your ghost stories slow-burning and creepy (and don’t mind subtitles) then give this one a go.  It moves slowly to a sensible ending and doesn’t have any hordes of CGI monsters or major action sequences, so don’t be expecting a horror marathon of epic proportions.  Just expect something subtle and dark.

7/10 if I woke up on Groundhog Day and had to watch this again, I could live with that