Orphan The Horror Film

The Next in a Long Line of Evil Child Movies

Jul 25, 2009 Anna Scanlon

While little Esther isn't quite Rhoda Penmark, Isabelle Fuhrman certainly takes on the role as the little murderess with skill.

Orphan, directed by Jaume Collet-Serra and written by David Johnson, appears on the surface to be just another freaky movie about child murderers. The film centers around Coleman family who consider adoption after losing their third child in infancy. Deciding on taking on the challenge of an older child, Kate (Vera Farmiga) and John Coleman (Peter Sarsgaard) fall in love with a bright and intelligent child from Russia named Esther (Isabelle Fuhrman). After deciding to adopt her, things are picture-perfect until strange accidents begin to happen that all place Esther at the center of the incidents. Things turn sinister when people begin to turn up missing. Is Esther the cause of the accidents or is Kate blaming herself for the death of her child and in turn blaming Esther for a series of unfortunate coincidences?

The Script

Although the story of murdering children has been done before (and several times over), Orphan comes with a twist that's hard to ignore. Hearing the twist as a spoiler or out of context makes the film's plot seem entirely laughable, but oddly enough, it feels believable in the world of the film. By the time the plot turn takes place, the audience is so engrossed in the story that it seems not only believable but fairly obvious. Cleverly adding an alcoholic past to Kate Coleman's character and a hint of suspicion that John Coleman may be cheating on his wife rounds the characters out a little, making them appear less like stock horror film victims are more like real human beings. In fact, Kate's character flaws help mask Esther's crazy antics to the other characters in a way that doesn't seem contrived.

The Acting and Direction

The acting and direction is what really saved this film from being just another Bad Seed wannabe. Had this script fallen into the wrong hands, it is very easy to see that it wouldn't have ended well. Isabelle Fuhrman plays the title role with excellent conviction and believability. It is difficult to figure out how an eleven-year-old prepared for that role, or how her parents let her appear in such a film. Never-the-less, she serves her purpose of sending chills down the audience's back in a Rhoda Penmark meets Lolita kind of way. She is completely unrecognizable from her character of Grasshopper in Dakota Fanning's controversial film Hounddog, even though her appearance was not altered. Fuhrman has amazing acting chops and it will be interesting to see where she will go.

Apart from Fuhrman's creepy performance, Peter Sarsgaard and Vera Farmiga round out the cast well. Their performances were up to snuff, but were nothing out of the ordinary. While this film would have sunk without capable actors in the roles of the parents, Farmiga and Sarsgaard will not win any awards for their performances in this film.

The Verdict

After what seems like bad film after bad film being released in 2009, finally here's one that isn't terrible. Of course, it is not exactly great either, but it sure beats shelling out $12 to see Sacha Baron Cohen run around in hot pants in Bruno.

The copyright of the article Orphan The Horror Film in Horror Films is owned by Anna Scanlon. Permission to republish Orphan The Horror Film in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Movie Poster featuring Isabelle Fuhrman