A skillfully made heartbreaker.

| Oct 20, 2021

Though The Orphanage sticks fairly closely to a genre fomat, and the plot twists become a little predictable, the film packs surprises all the way to the end.

| Oct 14, 2014

Let the anticipation of Bayona's next move begin.

| Oct 14, 2014

A frightening movie that earns its scares the hard way, generating unbearable tension through artful technique instead of computer.

Full Review | Oct 7, 2013

This is a movie whose power and emotional pitch lie in the understated: the discreet performances, the lack of special effects, the laconic script.

| Jul 6, 2010

[A] pungent and scary film.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Oct 18, 2008

At a time when American horror seems transfixed by graphic sadism, the acclaimed Spanish chiller El Orfanato harks back to an older tradition of psychological scares and things that go bump in the night.

| Oct 18, 2008

[Director Bayona] has a fine career ahead of him.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Oct 18, 2008

The year's best horror picture is also one of the simplest.

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Oct 18, 2008

Alas, there's no Ahhhh! moment at the end to justify the mounting tension.

| Oct 18, 2008

As horror films go, this sits firmly at the classy end of the spectrum.

| Jun 8, 2008

What's even more disquieting is the persistent undercurrent of exploitation -- the mixture of grief and jarring shock effects and the pitiless use of a disfigured child as a source of horror.

| Original Score: 2/4 | Jun 4, 2008

The Orphanage goes beyond the superficialities of the average horror movie to delve into more important themes, such as grief and guilt.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Jun 1, 2008

A good old-fashioned horror in the best possible way, this is a beautifully told, terrifying ghost story that lingers with you long after the shivers have stopped.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Mar 20, 2008

An extraordinary performance by Belén Rueda is the beating heart and tortured soul of The Orphanage.

| Original Score: 5/5 | Mar 20, 2008

Superb. Even the cliche spooky kids are handled with aplomb.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Mar 19, 2008

Haunting and heartbreaking, The Orphanage delivers a double whammy of chills both real and supernatural.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Mar 18, 2008

This is the worst sort of horror film, one that cloaks its shameless pulls at the heartstrings in overemphatic sound design, hyped-up visuals, and a tear-streaked lead performance by Belen Rueda.

Full Review | Feb 5, 2008

A well-made, Spanish ghost story that will creep you out and draw you in.

| Original Score: B | Jan 11, 2008

[Director] Bayona has fashioned an assured, even conservative piece of work, one that's lusciously filmed and more than a little terrifying but that in the end never widens out to greater art.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Jan 11, 2008