Orphan

My goodness, that was quite nerve-wrecking! And it starts so easygoing (if we don’t count the first scene, that is), an idyll with smart little Esther and her likeable parents and siblings; I almost didn’t want to believe anything could go wrong. And it does! In the course of half an hour, Esther turns from a cute girl into the kind of bitch you want to murder with a pickaxe between the eyes, and the psycho-terror begins. Among other things, I liked how the film builds tension – there are several times when the director gives the impression that there’s a about to be jump-scare, a chilling scene or a twist, but he rarely delivers them, which does great service to keeping and increasing the attention of the viewer. For someone like Jaume Collet-Serra, who’s made the average House of Wax, this kind of mature psychological horror is a massive surprise and a great promise for the future. (2009-10-09)

Jaume Collet-Serra, the loser responsible for the desperately routine House of Wax, is supposed to coach the evil kid, one of those who are now (theoretically) supposed to be popular? I have no idea if he’s been talked out of it since then, or kept sedated in Hollywood, but please keep on making films just like this in the future! Considering the subject matter, the film goes quite outside the established horror practices of recent years, and so we get to watch two hours of PRECISE psychological games that confirm the holy truth that horror is all about the characters. It takes courage today to make the viewer tense by having characters more or less just having a dialogue with each other, but if it gets a little rough every now and then, the scriptwriter is supported by perfect actors. The adults are flawless, and the kids too, but twelve-year-old Isabelle Fuhrman gives me the chills (although according to the photos on IMDb, she’s actually a cute girl). It’s too bad that in the end, Serra didn't have the balls to get rid of the traditional genre vice, the clichéd ending. Whether or not DiCaprio and Silver were properly aware of what they were putting out into the world, I say again: just like this! (2009-10-14)

Esther completely shattered my nerves with every twist and turn, and a lot of that tension came from Peter Sarsgaard’s character. He spent the entire movie doubting his wife and criticizing her, and honestly, I don’t know how Vera Farmiga’s character didn’t lose it. It was frustrating, but in a way that kept the suspense high and the movie gripping. I was also excited to see Karel Roden, but he only popped up briefly as an Estonian doctor, which was a bit disappointing—he’s definitely capable of more. That said, Orphan is easily one of the most nerve-wracking films I’ve ever seen. About 30 minutes before the end, I found myself desperately wanting it to be over, but I would've missed out on all the shocking twists that kept coming. The direction is solid, and Isabelle Fuhrman absolutely nails her performance as Esther. Hats off to her. I can't give it a full five stars because it made me feel physically uneasy—my stomach was in knots, and I realized I’d actually been holding my breath through several scenes. (2011-08-05)

Such a good idea for a punchline certainly deserves better than this family (non)idyll with a stupidly behaving herd of adults and zero atmosphere. Or if not better, in any case shorter. While the first hour still works great, it gradually starts limping during the last half hour from one dumb cliché to another, in the last ten minutes becoming a parody of all of the worst genre clichés known to man. An unintentional parody, I should add. P.S.: It’s crying out for a Czech remake, we even have a perfect main protagonist (!SPOILER!) already. (2009-10-10)

A reasonably good thriller with a thickened atmosphere – you can slowly see the rising of the heaviness, the dark atmosphere and despair. Of course, I enjoyed the film the most from about the time the two desperate parents meet Esther to the moment this sweetheart gets slapped in the hospital. Other than that, I wasn't really entertained; that’s right, I didn't care for the final "fight". Anyway, I rate it positively because it has a certain atmosphere. Don't expect anything supernatural, though, just a proper freak-out. (2016-04-15)

I do not deny the craftsmanship of Orphan, as it is a well-cast, acted, and directed horror thriller, but which unfortunately is also unbearably predictable, clichéd, and characterized by the behavior of the characters that indicates at least a complete loss of self-preservation instinct, but more so premature dementia. I don't like movies where I am constantly two steps ahead of the director. A thriller should create tension, while a horror should provoke fear. Neither of these happened, and this film simply did not work for me. Overall impression: 25%. (2014-02-08)

I certainly wouldn’t show the brutal beginning to expecting mothers, it was even a bit much for me, but otherwise a superb genre movie. In fact, I even considered giving it a five, but I didn’t find one of the twists at the end convincing (on the other hand it did mean that the always superb Karel Roden made an appearance). But in my opinion... the hammer hit the nail right on the head. :) (2010-02-20)

My huge soft spot for Vera Farmiga was the main draw here, and I’m glad I went for it. Great cast (the main villain was just fantastic), sharp direction with no dull moments, and an intense soundtrack—all of it came together to create that chilling, tension-filled atmosphere you want in a thriller. So why not a full score? Well, having to unexpectedly pause and watch the last (and most intense) half-hour after a three-hour break really killed the vibe, leaving me wanting more of that suspense. Still, it’s a solid 80%, and I hope to watch it uninterrupted next time—who knows, maybe I’ll bump it up to a full five stars. (2009-10-12)

Quite impressive, but at times it’s a mysterious spectacle that is bit too far-fetched, and which, in my opinion, could have had an even worse ending. It is particularly far-fetched in terms of the actions of the parents (or father), the psychologist, the nurse from the orphanage... Essentially, almost everybody except the mother. But the acting of the two central female characters is very good, and the direction, including Ottman's reliable music, is also very good. And it's definitely a bonus that I almost didn't realize that it had a two-hour runtime. (2014-02-07)

Distinctive, atmospheric, surprising. Orphan rides the first two acts in a well-trodden path, only to turn into an uncompromising knockout for all those who dared to doubt its potential. A bit simple and naive, but an excellently acted, psychologically refined and spooky fable about a cute little girl's nose, which has something to offer even after repeated screenings thanks to its brilliant direction... 80% (2011-07-04)

Orphan is a very good film that certainly doesn't do its genre, the thriller, any disgrace. In the beginning, it's a kind of introduction to the characters that moves through a gradually escalating plot to a shocking conclusion. There really is something wrong with Esther, and I'm not at all surprised that the main antagonist looks a lot like the "good girl" from Case 39. It's just a shame that, due to certain circumstances, I was familiar with the twist before seeing the film and therefore followed all the clues that led to the surprising ending. In short, an above-average film that excels technically, in terms of acting (Vera Farmiga, Isabelle Fuhrman) and screenwriting. (2011-10-23)

Brilliant, distinctive, in some ways unadorned, and excellently escalated. I look at most of today's psychothrillers/horror films with significant removal, because almost none of them lack sexy female protagonists (future victims), who of course impress with their visual merits, especially in the moments when they stagger in front of the camera in their underwear – usually full of despair and drenched in blood. Orphan works with the concept of culminating terror (both physical and psychological) and is extremely impressive, in some ways even truly chilling atmosphere. The playground scene with the slide is a demonically refined display of creative potential, which (world of wonders!) the director of House of Wax exploits to the hilt. Several (certainly more than three) memorable scenes push this film to the top of the genre in the final reckoning, and I really have to say that it’s been some time since I saw a similarly honest film built primarily on suspense and the viewer's necessary concern for the main characters. (2012-04-14)

Once this brilliant film starts, it immediately pulls you into the story. At the beginning, I was leaning towards the idea that it would probably be some kind of family drama. But as soon as the amazing Vera Farmiga starts to shake up the whole family, I had to resist the urge not to kick the TV screen. From the moment little Esther makes her first appearance, you immediately feel respect for her, because having something like that at home, I would probably be on pills in no time. This extraordinary, quite high-budget horror film had a chilling atmosphere from start to finish and it's definitely worth making time for this great Canadian spectacle one evening. :-) (2011-07-29)