Produced by the unstoppable Guillermo del Toro (Hellboy, Pan's Labyrinth) and directed by newcomer Juan Antonio Bayona, The Orphanage is the story of Laura (Belén Rueda)--a woman whose dream is to return to the orphanage where she spent the happy years of her youth. She buys it and moves there with her husband (Fernando Cayo) and son (Roger Príncep), only to discover the house might be haunted.
You wouldn't think that a Spanish horror flick as high art, but in the case of The Orphanage, you'd be wrong--and I generally dislike both genres. More ghost story than horror, The Orphanage has plenty of scares--both the trippy psychological kind and the things-that-go-bump-and-make-you-scream kind. The script (by Sergio G. Sánchez) is suprisingly tight and literary, and the acting is great. You'll be surprised by how much you enjoy yourself.
ReelzChannel Rating: 