Orphan

This was one of the best and most frightening horror movies that I have seen in a long time. I used to love scary movies but hadn't watched one in quite some time, the more they frightened me the better. This one really was very surprising and actually made me jump off the couch. It was not predictable as many others and kept me on the edge of the couch , even my husband jumped a couple times and he doesn't frighten easily. This was all because of a little girl that was adopted into a family from a Catholic orphanage , her name was Esther. A seemingly smart , sweet, innocent , pretty little girl but looks can be deceiving as the family soon came to find out. Esther seems to get very close (wanting to be too close) to the Father and the little sister named "Max" but doesn't quite want to connect with the brother or her adopted mother. It's freaky right from the beginning to the end and there is a twist in the movie that I was not at all expecting that really blew me away. If you want to see a real good scary movie - not some low budget crap this is awesome. I didn't or couldn't move during the whole movie. I wanted ice cream but was too afraid to choke eating it ! My chest was pounding so hard. Be ready for some real surprises that you would never expect. I am in no hurry to ever meet any little girls named Esther for a long while. This young girl should have won an award for her role in this movie and the little girl that played the little sister (she was deaf) if she was not in real life should win one too. You will not stop for popcorn once you start this movie , it's that good. I'm still a little afraid to go to bed ! It's dark in there...

Great movie to watch.

Was great from start to finish.

I originally skipped this movie because a) the trailer made it look AWFUL, b) killer kid movies are usually pretty tame and lame and c) the last Vera Farmiga killer kid movie I saw, which was indeed Joshua, sucked. Usually the kids never really do anything that awful... you know, push a few people into traffic here, knock someone out of a treehouse there... kid stuff. Not so Orphan! The blood starts flowing early, and doesn't let up! So let's get down yeah baby let's get down! We begin in blur-o-vision with Vera as Kate being wheeled into a hospital to have a baby. She starts bleeding profusely. The nurse says sorry, the baby's dead as a rock, but Kate says no, I can feel it kicking, then they present her with a nasty bloody infant--and she wakes! Actually you could totally tell it was a dream from all the blurriness and surreality. She's having issues because her last pregnancy was a stillbirth, which might have something to do with her former alcoholism, and the fact that she's going to start shopping for replacement kids that weekend, because she feels like she needs to because the stillbirth let down her husband, John. Actually this family is a hotbed of issues. They have a young daughter, Max, who is deaf because of something involving the pond out back of their de rigueur fabulous home, which is Kate's fault because she was hitting the booze when she should have been minding the kids. There are other issues, which get doled out later, but I'll just dump it all now. Her husband, John, had affairs back when. Anything else? Seems like there's more... Anyway, Kate obviously still has some serious issues, because she nearly has a car accident with little Max in the car. I read a review that said it's better when evil kids are placed in good families, but here it's important that Kate be a mess with a poor history of child care so it will make it plausible later that SHE is having issues and the new adoptee they get is an innocent cherub. The movie is a little worried that its audience won't be able to sustain their attention, so there are a few absolutely pointless jump scares up front. Does ANYONE enjoy these? Join me in starting a petition to ban the inclusion of pointless jump scares in modern crap horror. Together, we can move mountains. So they go to the orphanage where they barely look at the other girls before they meet creepy Esther upstairs painting eerily accomplished pictures. If you know the twist of the movie, which I knew going in, a lot of the stuff up here makes sense later. Her picture is about a mommy lion who lost her kids, but turns out they were alive and she found them--so there's some thematic resonance with Kate and John. They're both charmed by her maturity and poise, and decide to wrap her up and take her home. Sister Abigail, the kindly nun at the orphanage, tells them she came from Russia [listen for her on-again off-again accent] and that the family that brought her over died in a fire. She also tells them that Esther never gives them any trouble--except when they try to remove the ribbons that she wears around her neck and wrists. John and Kate think it's just a Russian thing, and there's no more about it. If you're familiar with the classic ghost story "The Velvet Ribbon," you know there's something going on under there, but, well, I guess John and Kate aren't up on their classic ghost stories. So they bring her home, where Max takes an immediate shine to her, but she's not liked by their older son, Daniel. Also present is Grandma Barbara, John's mother, who has quite a few sharp insinuations to make about Kate's mothering skills. I took one look at her and thought "Well, guess who's fated to die?" But of course I can't reveal what actually transpires. I need to also mention at some point that Kate has really annoying hair, and it stays annoying throughout the whole movie. Now there's just a bunch of development stuff. There's a snotty future-victim girl at school that makes fun of Esther. Kate shows Esther a rose bush where she put the ashes of her stillborn daughter, and "as long as it keeps growing" she'll know the girl is in heaven or whatever. Obviously that bush is another future victim! Esther has a bizarre thick Russian bible she keeps hidden, but wussy Kate, who is afraid to set boundaries, doesn't look at it. There's a hot divorcee in town putting the moves on John. Then there's a funny sequence in which the snotty girl from school walks around this wooden playset while all these horror music cues play. It's the most terrifying playground equipment in movie history! Esther shows up out of nowhere and shoves her, but unfortunately the girl lives. Snore. Luckily Esther is about to up the savagery big time. SPOILERS > > > So then Sister Abigail comes to call, saying they have to do a factory recall on Esther. The little monster overhears and enlists Max, who is her little confidante, to break into John's safe, where she finds a gun! She holds the gun to little six-year-old Max's head--whoa!--then grabs a hammer and they head out by the snowy bridge. This is all in the dead of winter, by the way. As Abigail is driving away, Esther shoves Max into her way, she swerves, wrecks the car, and gets out to blubber over her, at which point Esther bludgeons her with the hammer! Innocent Max is all weepy, when Esther says "Stop crying! Grab a foot and help me get her off the road!" They do, and since she's still moaning, Esther repeatedly bashes her skull in, getting all bloody in the process. This is no tame kinda-mean kid movie! Esther implies all sorts of badness that might happen to Max and or mommy and daddy if Max tells. Soon she's holding a box cutter to Daniel's throat and extorting his silence as well. We also see that Esther's paintings have whole layers of violent content that only appears under black light--neat trick! By now Kate is starting to have her suspicions, but John is telling her that she's nuts and has always been a psycho with serious issues anyway. Esther has been sweetening up to daddy big time, and when he tells her Kate might love it if she did something nice for her, Esther brings her flowers--remember the rose bush we knew wasn't long for this world? Kate freaks and jerks Esther around by the arm, but John defends the little girl. Then Esther goes into the workroom, and breaks her own arm in the vice! This girl is hardcore. She tells daddy, and he tells Kate to sleep downstairs. Kate high-tails it to the liquor store, and while I don't mean to be callous about alcoholism, it's always a blast in movies when recovering alcoholics give up and hit the booze! Kate brings the booze back home [uh, IDIOT?] and pours one bottle out without opening the other. Then Esther puts the car in neutral with Max in it, making it look like Kate is endangering the kids again, and when she gets back home, Esther has of course pointed out the empty wine bottle. John tells her if she's not in rehab within a week, he's leaving and taking the kids. You in the audience are sitting there thinking "He is going to owe her the world's biggest apology..." By this time it's full-on war between Kate and Esther, although Kate is still being a wuss and won't go full-on with it. For example, WHY does the idiot do her research into Esther's background while right there in the house with Esther and the snotty grandmother? They HAVE internet cafes, you know. You can get wireless at any Starbucks. Anyway, while this is going on, Daniel is out trying to get the evidence of Abigail's death out of the treehouse, when Esther locks him in there and sets it on fire. He ends up falling and having to be taken to the hospital, where Esther loses no time in trying to finally off him for good. This is partly the fault of smug moron grandma, who I can now reveal lives to the end, although if there was anyone I wanted to die... Anyway, Kate freaks and attacks Esther, and now KATE is stuck in the hospital. Geeze, and RIGHT when that crucial call comes in from the mysterious Russian orphanage with the answers to Esther's past! Sure hope Kate checks her voice mail in timely fashion. Well, now it's John that's hitting the booze and cigarettes. Esther comes downstairs in a sexy black dress and makeup, and puts the moves on dad. He suddenly has a big breakdown, which kind of comes out of the blue since he seemed at best slightly irritated by the whole situation, but finally tells her no. Meanwhile, at his hospital, Kate finally gets that important call! And the secret twist is... MEGA-SPOILERS! ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT TO KNOW? > > > It's no Russian orphanage--it's an Estonian mental institution! And guess what? Esther is no nine-year-old. She has a chromosomal imbalance and is actually 33 YEARS OLD! She moves into families, splits the mom and dad up, and tries to seduce the dad. When he refuses, she kills them all! This, of course, happens during a driving snowstorm. Now, there's no way I'm going to spoil the awesome ending for you, as it's just too wild, but I will make a few observations. First, Kate becomes a serious offender of distracted driving. John finds some secret paintings of him and Esther doing the hokey-pokey, but you'll notice that in then Esther is full-sized, because there is NO WAY any movie is going to show, you know, THAT. Next, I don't know how I might react in such a situation, but if I were to find a bloody corpse in my house with the murderer still at large on the premises, I doubt I would waste precious survival time blubbering over the corpse. Maybe I'm just cold. We again learn that if the psychopathic murderer is just knocked down and unconscious, do not leave them alone until you have put a bullet in their head! And finally, looks like Kate's never gonna get that apology... Before we get out of the spoilers, I want to point out that the reason most killer kid movies are so lame is precisely that the evil ones ARE kids, and as such can't really be too bad without peeving parent's associations and outraging religious groups. Therefore, the whole reason Esther CAN be so bad is precisely that she's NOT a kid. Which is part of what makes this movie so uncomfortable for so long--you can't BELIEVE this kid is pushing six-year-olds into traffic and bludgeoning old nuns, and it definitely takes you out of the comfort zone... which is part of why I believe this movie is considered "bad." But we'll pick this up after we invite the non-spoiler folks back in. < < < SPOILERS END In retrospect, I wouldn't say this movie is really that "bad," I would just say that it is so discomfiting for so long--she's just a KID!--that it makes you feel a little funny. And then, this twist is SUCH a leap--although a fairly ingenious one, I think--that it maybe jars the audience a little too much. And it comes a little late in the movie, too, for such a big re-arrangement of everything you thought you understood. And as you know, when people are uncomfortable and don't understand a movie, they usually decide that it's bad. Why, even look at me: I started this review thinking this was a bad movie in the vein of Knowing, but now, after a little processing [and a day's time] I kind of think it's pretty clever. Which is not to say it's not still a hoot. The movie has a fair amount of setup--most of which is relevant, so I don't begrudge the two hour-plus running time. I was snickering throughout, and the whole thing is a great deal of evil fun. Furthermore, it seems to know it, and has tongue planted in cheek. Nevertheless, I think one would be better prepared if one didn't go in expecting a GOOD movie. Anyway, yeah, tons of fun! Yay, Orphan! Yay, killer kids! Go in expecting a big silly potboiler and Esther'll show you a good time.

Creepy and based on true story

Great

Careful adopting Slavic-sounding orphans, they might just turn out to be Chuckey dolls with pigtails. Yep, THAT went over well with the European orphanage circle, let me tell you. Minus the problematic subtext, this is pretty standard for a horror movie, nothing vastly impressive save for Isabelle Fuhrman's talent, which carries the film. She manages to go from sympathetic to terrifying and right back with surprising ease for her age, and when the twist about her comes out, you almost forget that she is eleven years old in this complex role. It's worth it entirely for the glee of watching her decimate an otherwise forgettable and cliche yuppie family. And she is ALARMINGLY good. I've watched it a few times and her bits at the start are so good I almost want to believe that it will stay that way. As far as characters go, Esther and the little one--a lovely little deaf girl with tons of charm--are the only likeable types. Vera Farmiga's character's attempts to be deep and sympathetic just render her tired and mildly annoying, and she looks rougher and rougher the longer the movie goes on, to the point of distraction. Which is realistic enough, actual people don't continue to look nice when their lives fall apart. But it's still a bit distracting. The father's character is literally broken down to four words: "have sex with me." And MAN does he try to get it, too. (There is a review on the internet somewhere in which his actor jokingly says he didn't notice anything was wrong, he was too busy trying to get Vera Farmiga to sleep with him.) The son is forgettable. Basically it's the Esther Show, and that's all it should be.

this is really vera farmiga's film. she carries it every step of the way with her expressive and believable acting. by comparison her husband, therapist and the orphanage counselor occupy less nuanced roles. that clears the decks for a full exploration of the tension between this loving and damaged mother and her new adopted daughter. her *strange* adopted daughter. what's up with that child? you can't put your finger on it. yes, you soon get the evidence that the family is in serious trouble. the script brings in the usual thriller subplots that require the child's schoolyard tormenter to get what she doesn't deserve, or the mother to dig into the child's obscure past, or the bland and clueless father to get his shocking realization. but none of this is to the question: what is the child's motivation, why does she do what she does? well, there are clues along the way that don't quite fit in but that, at the end, make perfect sense. such as: why is this child afraid to go to the dentist? and why can she play the piano like a virtuoso? there are some witty turns here and there -- this is perhaps the first film to cast a playground as a haunted house -- but there are some resonant touches of psychology as well -- the tensions in an adulterous marriage, the mother's grief and guilt, the sibling rivalries, the secrets. but what's up with that child? the final disclosure makes her plausible in an unexpected way, and the final battle between mother and daughter is kept roaring with one twist after another. a distinctive and engrossing thriller.

Had high hopes for this, and wasn't dissapointed. Apart from the hotel film 1408 which freaked me out, this Orphanis deffinatly for mature viewers, it deals with most human emotions, but our orphan is just so bad to be somewhat drawn to her, thinking maybe she's not that bad, I was wrong. She can wrap her fingers round almost anybody, and that's what gives it "OMG what next is she planning" think all actors played such a disturbing film was great casting, and you could only be memorised by them. An excellent thriller / horror, but not for faint hearted. "be careful who you pick from the orphanage) is my warning. SKARSGOOD pretty decent, (k19 and flightplan).... Some interesting takes on how partially deaf people communicate, and Esther just uses it to great effect. Keep away from under 18.it has a very risky rating of 15. Far to young for most of the content which is bad really. In my days I had to wait until I was 21 to go see my first X film. Other than that a treat for fans of this genre

Un excellent film avec un scénario très original.

他に類を見ない極上のサイコスリラー映画 宣伝どうりこの娘どこかが変だ！ 9歳の少女エスターには、悪いことばかりがつきまとう？何故なのかと 正体を知った時唖然としました。 可愛くて、賢くて、独創的で、とっても 情緒不安定な少女エスターに出会ったら、二度と忘れられない。

BEST HORROR FILM EVER! For me, 'Orphan' is the best one yet. I also liked 'Drag me to hell', but i still say this is the one for me. It has just the right amount of blood, violence and horror and i highly recommened it to horror fans. When Kate and John Coleman lose their third baby Jessica due to a miscarriage, they adopt 9 year old Esther. Esther is a kind, anjelic girl who instantly makes friends with the couple's youngest child Max, but is wary of Daniel, the eldest. But as quick as a flash Esther shows that her kindness is a big disguise by murdering a sister from her orphanage. Esther soon goes wild, murdering without mercy. Fantastic film with an amazing twist at the end. The acting was super. 10/10!

Film Horror incredibile, e imperdibile, con colpi di scena unici.