Spanish Horror

The film The Orphanage (2007), or El Orfanato, is a well made horror film. Some would categorize it as a thriller and a drama rather than a horror movie but that only depends on if you see it as a ghost film or as a mystery film and I will call it a horror film because, in my own personal opinion, it's way too scary to just be a mystery or thriller!

The Orphanage is directed by Juan Antoino Bayona and the screenplay is written by Sergio G. Sánchez (who both went onto making The Impossible (2012) - a film about the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004) and though they mainly have made shorts prior to this film it's well within the league of similar pictures such as, for example, The Others (2001). And while mentioning The Others specifically it can be said that The Orphanage works on a similar idea. Personally, however, I actually prefer Bayona and Sánchez's execution and story when comparing the two films.

In short the film revolves around a woman named Laura (Belén Rudea) who buys the orphanage she was raised in and fixes it up. She then proceeds to have it be a palce for disabled children. She has one adoptive son of her own, however, named Símon (Roger Príncep) but before long he goes missing. And after that strange and frightening events begin to take place all the while she tries to figure out where her little boy is.

It's a very well made film and, depending on how easily you get scared, on that can be at least somewhat scary. It's also somewhat odd and strange and can possibly be a little bit confusing. All in all, however, I would defenitely say I reccommend this one!