A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

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

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

The first time I saw this, frankly I was disappointed. I came to it fresh from viewing Japanese horrors of skinny, long-haired girls walking upside-down on ceilings, vengeful victims of abuse and slaughter. I was looking for more of the same. Of course, I didn't find it. The Orphanage is a quieter kind of horror. It has more in common with Jack Clayton's 1961 film, The Innocents, than most contemporary horror. Both films show a woman fighting to save a child from what she believes to be maleficent supernatural entities. Jack Clayton's film leaves us wondering if the monster was in the woman's own mind (and the film is none the worse for that); J A Bayona leaves us with no such ambiguity. And The Orphanage is a wonderful film.But when I first watched it, yes, I was disappointed. I did want the screaming horrors of contemporary cinema, and this quietly acted drama didn't scare me. Now, about a decade later, I was able to let myself be drawn in. The weird setting of house and lighthouse, the compelling story and completely convincing acting, all worked their spell, and I was seriously creeped-out as the film reached its final act. Along with The Innocents, The Babadook and (possibly) The Others, The Orphanage has now become one of my all time favourite films.

Laura (a fine and affecting performance by Belen Rueda) and her family movie into a mysterious seaside orphanage that Laura grew up in as a child. Said orphanage harbors a deep dark secret that threatens to destroy both Laura and everything she has ever loved. Director J.A. Bayona eschews graphic gore and cheap scares in favor of delicately crafting a quietly spooky atmosphere that gets under the viewer's skin in an understated, yet still unsettling way. Moreover, the absorbing story that's set up with utmost care and precision by Sergio G. Sanchez has a tragic element to it that in turn gives this film a considerable amount of depth and poignancy. Rueda's distraught, yet determined Laura makes for a strong and sympathetic protagonist whose need to make peace with her troubled past and desire to be reunited with her missing son Simon (well played with tremendous charm and vitality by Roger Princep) ensures that this movie packs a potent emotional punch. The ending manages to be both sad and uplifting in equal measure. Fernando Cayo lends sturdy support as Laura's concerned husband Carlos. Geraldine Chaplin likewise excels as helpful medium Aurora. Kudos are also in order for Oscar Faura's sumptuous widescreen cinematography and Fernando Velaz's spare shivery score. A very touching and haunting gem.

Drama/mystery/thriller with a half-horror environment. A woman decides to go live with her family to her childhood home that was an orphanage at the time. When her son begins to communicate with an imaginary friend, the house gradually reveals its sinister secrets.The premise is good, but it's just another ghost story where the ghost is not needed for the plot. In the end, a search inside the house was the minimum necessary for the woman to find the deceased body of her boy and the movie would last even less without the illogical things that succeed: how did the kid went to the basement if the door that leads there was closed years ago with wallpaper covering it? Did he cross the wall? Despite the implausibility of the story (that turns it stupid), it is well acted, has some disturbing and creepy scenes and has good cinematography, which is why I don't rate it less than 4/10.

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.