The Orphanage

reviewed by Sam Osborn

The Orphanage follows many of the footsteps taken last year by Pan’s Labyrinth, continuing the trend of Spanish-language features thrust upon the Oscar ballots. It’s no surprise then that The Orphanage is championed by Pan’s creator, Guillermo Del Toro, taking a page from Tarantino’s mentoring of Eli Roth and his Hostel two years back. It’s a beguiling chunk of hybrid filmmaking. Where Pan’s Labyrinth found a World War II film intertwined with the tangles of the fantasy genre, The Orphanage ties its shoes with a lace of family drama and a lace of classical horror. Though overlong, it has the tendency to knock you sideways, clipping you with a segment of terror genius among its otherwise expected tale of familial loss.

(more…)