What a waste of my time!!!

Fantastic!

It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

One of those movie experiences that is so good it makes you realize you've been grading everything else on a curve.

The Orphan (1979)** (out of 4)After the sudden death of his beloved father, David (Mark Owens) goes to stay with family members where he struggles to fit in and understand why he has no parents. Before long he starts suffering bad headaches and soon he thinks they might be causing him to murder.I had never heard of this film until I read Stephen Thrower's Nightmare USA where this was covered. This here is basically a movie that tries to fit into the art-house market so if you're expecting some sort of slasher or graphic horror movie then you're going to be disappointed. As long as you go into the film knowing what you're getting then you're going to find a flawed but well-made picture.The film is actually well-made and the direction by John Ballard is more than respectable. This film is basically taking a look at a kid suffering from his mother's death and then having to deal with the death of his father. THe horror elements are certainly here but they are pretty much in the background because the main focus is the mental state of this kid and what impact being an orphan might have on him.Technically speaking the film is impressive as it looks quite good and we're also given some good performances. Owens is quite good as the young child and he at least helps you stayed glued to what's going on. The biggest problem with THE ORPHAN is the fact that it's just too slow and too dull in spots to fully keep you entertained. This is one of those movies where it's easy to respect what the filmmakers were able to do but by the time the movie is over you really weren't all that entertained.

Today, the all-but-forgotten movie "(Friday The Thirteenth) The Orphan" only rates as a footnote connected to the "Friday The Thirteenth" slasher series, since the producers of that film had to pay the producers of the earlier movie a fee to use the title. I had wanted to see the movie for years, but it was so obscure it was impossible to find. Finally, I found a copy at a thrift store, so I bought it and took it home. My verdict? Well, as I said in the summary line the people behind the movie were really trying. Despite the low budget, there are some good production values and skillful filmmaking techniques. The filmmakers also deserve kudos for not making this a simple exploitation film (though there are instances of blood and nudity), and were trying for a psychological kind of horror. However, the movie is pretty slow, even though the running time is only a little over seventy minutes. Maybe this could have been a good short film, but as it is it feels very padded. Still, there are much worse cinematic ways to take up your time.

After tragic death of his parents-the woman accidentally shots her husband and then herself-ten year old David is left in the care of Aunt Marta.His neurotic and soul-denying guardian lives a large estate mansion.She is a cruel woman.All the things David loved are gone:his hen,his dog and his relationships with African friend Akin and a servant woman Mary.David hates his Aunt and tries to destroy her.His sanity slowly deteriorates and he becomes a psychotic killer...Very sad and unusual horror film which offers plenty of psychological chills.The acting is uneven and there are only two murder scenes,so "The Orphan" is still neglected by horror fans.According to Stephen Thrower's "Nightmare USA" John Ballard's final cut was 110 minutes-the current version is missing around thirty minutes from the original cut.Fans of Bergman's "Persona" or "Fanny and Alexander" should give "The Orphan" a chance.8 orphans out of 10.

The best compliment I can possibly give to "Friday the 13th: The Orphan" is that it's somewhat the grim and zero-budgeted exploitation version of the timeless genre classic "The Innocents". Surely it's a lot less stylish and atmospheric (what did you expect?), but the themes and general creepiness of both films are definitely similar. The problem, however, was that I totally didn't expect this to be such a film! With the two typically horrific terms "Friday 13th" and "The Orphan" in one title, the last thing I was preparing for was a slow-moving 1930's drama with coming-of-age influences and lectures on African culture. Still I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this film to explorers of obscure horror/cult cinema, just because it's so odd and unusual. There's very moody music during the opening credits, depicting a collage of pictures of a happy and seemingly unworried family. Of course, knowing the title this is only intended to increase the drama-effect. And yes, straight after the opening credits, the young boy from the photographs – David – is forced to kiss his dead father on the day of his funeral, while the obnoxious cousin yells: "ha ha, now you're an orphan!". After the funeral of his parents, David's aunt Martha invites herself to take custody over the boy. The relationship with Martha does't go too well, but David at least becomes close with her servants and turns more and more to the sinister African relics that his father brought back from his many trips. As said already, "Friday the 13th: The Orphan" is a very slow-paced and overly talkative cult effort. The drama sequences are quite intense, like the funeral sequence and David's flashbacks about his father (for example, the scene where he learns that his father – and indirectly also his mother – died in a stupidly banal accident), but it takes ages before something significantly unsettling happens. The first authentic exploitation movie murder only occurs at about 68 minutes into the film! More than one hour wait for a gritty murder moment is just unacceptable and dull. And, sadly, that's exactly how I'll always remember this film: dull.