If Grace (2009) cast a dark shadow on pregnancy, then Orphan extends the same courtesy to adoption. This horror/thriller from the minds of director, Jaume Collet-Serra (House of Wax) and debut screenwriter, David Johnson comes to life in a film that embodies aspects from Grace, Joshua, The Good Son and The Shining with influences from the master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock.
Orphan tells the story of a woman coming to terms with the loss of her baby and the impact of her grief's scapegoat... a young orphaned Russian child named Ester. It's a dark, mysterious psychological drama that alludes to several contentious themes surrounding the concept of family and coming to terms with loss. Expecting mothers and parents on the verge of adopting would do well to steer clear of this film. The title character of Ester, played by Isabelle Fuhrman, is a young girl with a dark, tormented soul and a secret that will tear the Coleman's household apart.
Orphan starts with a nightmarish delivery, which is traumatic, bloody and is bound to filter a few daring viewers from the audience. The film also stars Vera Farminga as Kate and Peter Sarsgaard as John Coleman, who make a believeable middle-of-the-road married couple with their fair share of issues. Farminga is like a point of concurrence between Jennifer Aniston, Cate Blanchett and Joan Cusack... delivering a sullen, yet solid performance as a woman battling with depression, alcoholism and misplaced love. Sarsgaard is a consistent actor and creates a sensible counterbalance to Farminga as the two come to blows.
Ester embodies the evil traits of McCaulay Culkin's character in The Good Son, a dark secret to rival Danny Torrence's REDRUM and an affinity to the dark side like Joshua. It's a scary combination, which is exacerbated by her origins that stereotypically point toward witchcraft and a heavy-handed sense of justice. It's the sort of character-driven horror/thriller that will definitely attract rip-offs from the Scary Movie franchise. Some scenes balance precariously on the line of belief and sheer disbelief, a tightrope act which keeps the audience guessing, off-kilter and uneasy in their seats. This tension is built up by several anti-climax moments where excellent sound effects are used to sway the audience from the usual horror conventions.
The film does cast long shadows on the whole adoption process, but not as devastatingly as a movie like Jaws. Orphan succeeds by rooting itself in reality without giving form to the spiritual dimension. Ester's evil is developed like a dark, thorny rose as she moves from being a sweet, eccentric 9 year-old loner to the darkest reaches of her being as she weaves a web of manipulation around their snowy home, reminiscent of the hotel setting in The Shining. The character of Sister Abigail, played by CCH Pounder, also alludes to The Shining with a similar role to Scatman Crothers's Dick Hallorann.
The movie should be watched as a thriller, despite its horror influences. This will maximise your enjoyment of the staggering build-ups, tense atmosphere and rivetting performances. The film has flair, but lacks the originality and finesse of classics within the genre. The movie must be praised for being so captivating, even at 2 hours and functions as a solid horror/thriller with a strong element of mystery. Orphan won't be lauded as the best child horror ever made, but will be remembered for being one of the better ones.
The bottom line: Captivating.
