I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Nice effects though.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

'The Orphanage (2007)' is a slow burning psychological thriller that successfully blends the natural and supernatural together into one expertly crafted tale of tragedy, both past and present. It's always intriguing and is remarkably subdued, allowing the audience to piece things together alongside the protagonist. As it brings its horror into the mix, it masterfully plays with audience expectation and manages to craft some suspenseful sequences that stand out no matter how you choose to read the narrative. It's interesting and engaging throughout, a unique and unexpected tale that's infinitely enhanced by its ambiguity. 7/10

This movie is a small pearl of horror movies and comes from the country next to me. It tells the story of a couple who went to live in a renovated orphanage and where, soon, their little son begins to see invisible children before disappearing. From then on, a tense supernatural story unfolds, holding us to the screen until the end. The script is simple but effective, the story is good and the permanent tension is gradually growing. Directed by Juan Antonio Baiona (a director I had never heard of), it is a film that comes in line with other works of the most recent Spanish cinema, by Guillermo del Toro or Alejandro Amenábar. The environments and scenarios have been carefully elaborated and the actors' work (highlighting Belén Rueda and Roger Príncep) is moving and convincing. This is undoubtedly a film that deserves much more visibility, ending up being harmed by its European origin and not having the same advertising machine as the great American works.

A wife returns with her husband and child to live at the old orphanage from which she was adopted, but the secrets of the past return to haunt her family ...A tragic tale that delivers not just on ghostly menace but on pathos and humanity too. A slow build up is punctuated with a few effective jump scares, but the story changes gear during an imaginative treasure hunt and comes to its climax with near perfection.The plot is a little underdeveloped, leaving the odd hole, and some of the dialogue is misjudged - especially in a Q&A scene at about 40 mins - but all that is forgiven as the director brings it home on a wave of emotion.The performances are good, and the lead actress is outstanding: not just fascinating in close-up but a treat for the eyes as well.Music was sometimes too playful - in a horror that can be a sign of the director losing his nerve, but it didn't spoil the tone. Photography was good, with beautiful locations and a stylish circling pan of the actress in a crucial scene towards the end.Overall: a little shaky, but a pleasure for even seasoned horrorists.

I liked this movie. Not so scary which is fine by me as I think what you can't see is scarier then a horrible looking ghost. The house has a gritty feeling about it which is well portrayed here, reflecting the more and more disturbing anomalies that begin to happen. Been Rueda is a good actress and very relatable as a mother whose child is missing. she is also o good looking women even thou she really shows her age. At the time of the movie she was 42 and showing her age but in the movie they made her 36 which is really not believable. why not say what you can see. overall a nice movie not to scary so you can watch it alone on a Friday night.