Spoonatects Am i the only one who thinks........Average?

Odelecol Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

BelSports This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Marva It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

Leofwine_draca THE ORPHANAGE is an excellent little modern-day ghost story and another example of Spanish genre cinema outclassing foreign competition. This flick has more imagination than a dozen US torture porn offerings or half a dozen Japanese female ghost jaunts. Although it clearly owes much to THE INNOCENTS and THE OTHERS, it stands in its own right as an effective ghost-story-cum-mystery as a couple move into an abandoned orphanage with their adopted son and soon find themselves menaced by sinister forces. The plot sounds familiar, but THE ORPHANAGE succeeds thanks to subtlety, originality, and the refusal to pander to the audience.Those looking for CGI effects, action, or gore effects should go elsewhere because this film has none of them. There are a few jump shocks but even these are limited in favour of creepy atmosphere – this is without doubt a mood piece. It's not the most horrifying film I've seen and I wouldn't even class it as a 'horror' film per se – okay, yes, it is a ghost story but not a frightening one. Instead it's moving, poignant, nostalgic, and come the twist ending I don't mind admitting that I was crying my eyes out at the mixture of happiness and sadness it brought.The film has an excellent location – a creepy old coastal orphanage, complete with secret rooms and passages – that would have been effective in the hands of an amateur, let alone the intelligent, mature director Juan Antonio Bayona. Guillermo del Toro was kind enough to put his name to it as producer to secure a wider audience and it was a good choice, as many people have discovered just how great a movie this is. Special mention goes to the entire cast for their performances, with obvious mention to Belen Rueda who has to act in a very difficult central role and comes away completely wonderful because of it.

Edmunds Zvejnieks Excellent movie! Amazing. I was really moved, touched, crying. This can easily be included in my best 10 movies of all time. No doubts. Interestingly that I was searching for a horror movie through various top horror movies reviews and found this to be watchable because it was made by makers of Labirinto del Fauno, which is another one great movie though a little bit different. I was expecting less satisfaction than from Pan's Labirynth because rarely someone creates two great movies in a row, but this was not the case. Everything is well done, well planed, well combined - acting, characters, music, scenes, visualizations. I would not say it's a horror movie, because it's more about dark sides of our life and an endless love.. a must see! You will like it to, if the world of your inner feelings can grab it.

tao902 Laura grew up in an orphanage in Spain, and with her husband, Carlos, decides to buy the deserted building where she spent her childhood. They move in with their adopted son, Simón, and soon he begins to refer to 5 invisible friends that he has met. Laura decides to open up the home as an orphanage again. On the day that it is due to open she and her husband arrange a party but their son goes missing. We are led to speculate whether it is the work of a strange old woman, ghosts, or simply unfortunate coincidence. Good film if you like the horror genre. Relies a little too much on shock/suspense scenarios and sound effects. A well made, fairly original horror.

danieldubu In the beginning, I was expected another ,,haunted-house" movie, with jump scares and chilling moments. It started like one, it advanced like one and, in less than 5 minutes, it transformed into an emotional story that scarred me more than any story from a horror movie."The only love that I really believe in is a mother's love for her children." (Karl Lagerfeld). The entire movie was built on this quote: the way the plot goes on, the characters, the environment, everything! The most impressive element of this movie is the lighthouse, the symbol of guidance and safety. The plot is not focusing on it too much, but if you pay attention to some events, you will understand that the lighthouse offers a felling of safety, something that I never seen before to a horror movie.The end of the movie was very special, I shed some tears. It's the kind of movie with an ending which you will remember for a few days after.In conclusion, the movie was great and I strongly recommend it.