Orphan (DVD)

The director, Jaume Collet-Serra also directed the 2005 film House of Wax, a gruesome horror, chock-full of clichés, but The Orphan is horror on a much more sophisticated level. The acting is better, the plot is less predictable and there's a twist that you probably won't see coming. Husband and wife Kate (Vera Farmiga) and John Coleman (Peter Sarsgaard) have recently lost a baby, leaving Kate unable to have any more children and putting a strain on their relationship. Plagued by nightmares about the tragic loss, Kate has resorted to drinking, but has managed to get this under control. She decides that adopting a child will fill the emotional gap. They ...  Read the complete review

We may no longer believe in fairy tales of the Grimm variety, but cautionary tales are still passed around; whispered from newspaper to blog to chat room in an updated version of folklore. Urban legends are illustrated through horror films warning us of the danger and doom we could so easily walk into. Don't drive without first checking your back seat for killers... Teenagers must never have sex... And don't even think about killing anyone, even (or especially) by accident, for you are bound to be hunted down in bloody and supernatural ways. Well, our latest warning is an old one: Don't adopt! You don't know what you might be getting! (Remember those stories about kids ...  Read the complete review

Not all kids of course. I'm sure many of you out there are sat by the computer near your own little darlings playing happily around you. They might be little horrors half the time, but they don't creep you out in the same way the child actors in horror films do, surely? It's a skill well taught, and exploited ever since Linda Blair varied innocence and virulence in The Exorcist. More recently, Dakota Fanning convinced in Hide and Seek with the staring eyes and innocuous tone that served to shake worldly-wise adults to the core. Now Isabelle Fuhrmann raises the bar higher as Esther in Orphan. Adopted by rich couple Kate and John in their spacious yet ...  Read the complete review

American horror films have really endured a surfeit of cleverness and originality for the last decade or so; the actually good US horrors can be counted on one hand, and although Orphan isn't perfect, it's one of the more effective horrors that rises above the slew of Japanese remakes and old franchise "reimaginings". There are some creepy moments in Orphan, and a rather nifty plot twist that you probably won't see coming. Kate (Vera Farmiga) and John Coleman (Peter Sarsgaard) are a couple encountering marital woes after their attempts for a child resulted in their first baby being stillborn, which caused Kate to become an alcoholic, causing her to ...  Read the complete review

After the tragedy of losing a child, Kate and John Coleman decide to adopt. At the local orphanage, the very sweet and mature Esther seems to bond with the couple immediately and is welcomed into their home with open arms. But soon enough strange and alarming things begin to happen around the little girl. As Kate delves into Esther's past, things just don't add up, and Kate must try to convince those around her that there's something wrong with Esther. But will she be able to protect her family before it's too late? ~ Cast ~ Esther - Isabelle Fuhrman Kate Coleman - Vera Farmiga John Coleman - Peter Sarsgaard Daniel Coleman - Jimmy ...  Read the complete review