Laura (Belen Rueda) returns to the orphanage she spent time in as a child with her husband Carlos (Fernando Cayo) and little boy Simon (Roger Princep) in hopes of re-establishing it as seaside retreat for children with disabilities only to find there may be some former residents who never left. In Juan Antonio Bayona's tightly wound "The Orphanage" nothing is as it seems and child's play takes on sinister overtones.

Bayona belongs to this new wave of Spanish-language directors (most notably Del Torro and Amenabar) who excel when it comes to creating moody atmospheric tales of the supernatural with Catholic overtones. Whereas "Pan's Labyrinth" took a dark fantasy approach to a Passion Play, "The Orphanage" is closer to the classic haunted house themes of "The Others" as it attempts to give a sentimental view of life after death. Be warned, "The Orphanage" is often more sad than scary, and those not familiar with Catholic mysticism might find things a bit hard to believe. As goes the film's mantra...Believe, Then You Will See. Those with the patience and the heart will be greatly rewarded as the audience doesn't necessarily have to Believe to relate to the characters who do.

Working from refined "less is more" psychological horror templates, Bayona delivers the formulaic goods. There will be a simplistic but heartfelt exploration of grief. There will be allusions to classic literature (in this case a very nicely done "Peter Pan" as Catholic allegory motif). There will be uncovering dark secrets from the past. There will be precocious children with spooky imaginary friends. There will be creaking set designs and manipulative sound effects to create "gotcha!" moments. There will be a creepy medium (an excellent Geraldine Chaplin) brought in for a séance. And there will be a twist at the end.

Thankfully, there is also a great performance from Belen Rueda as Laura. She gives a compelling portrayal of a woman devoured by her loss and achingly desperate for the truth no matter how horrific that truth might be. One must have a cold heart not to find sympathy with her, and even the most hardened audience member will find it hard not to feel that stray tear form in the corner of their trembling eye when all is revealed. "The Orphanage" offers nothing terribly new, but sometimes the same old ghost story presented in a beautiful way makes for the best type of cold-rainy-day entertainment.

Laura returns with her family to the orphanage she grew up in as a child, she reopens it for handicapped children and all is going to plan until her son starts communicating with an invisible friend...

Directed by Juan Antonio Bayona & produced by Guillermo del Toro, this Spanish picture is a delightful antidote to the ream of gore for gore sake movies flooding the market on a seemingly daily basis. This is not a horror movie as such, this is one of those pictures that oozes old fashioned values as regards telling a grand old ghost story with mysterious undertones. The setting is perfect, the orphanage of the piece is a ghostly monolithic structure that has all those perfectly shadowy rooms that are hiding secrets, expansive gardens perfectly framed in aura by Bayona's willingness to let the setting be an integral part of the story. The story is a creepy one, and there is always an added air of unease when children are the focal point of the piece in question, and sure enough this central concept of troubled children and troubled childhoods gets the maximum amount of emotion from the viewing public.

It's hard to write anymore than I have without delving deeper into the story and it's significant turn of events, suffice to say I feel this is a wonderful creepy, and at times beautiful, film that prospective viewers would be better off going into devoid of any prior knowledge. Belén Rueda plays Laura and it's a marvellous performance from her, full of emotion and guts, she carries the film with skillful ease. Bayona directs carefully, and it's evident that he is benefiting from the guiding hands of his gifted producer, but his marker is here and I'll be keeping an eye out for future efforts from the young Spaniard.

A smashingly engaging film that is in the vein of Robert Wise's The Haunting & Alejandro Amenábar's The Others, so if you like real well told ghost stories that unhinge rather than shock you, get in the queue because El Orfanato is a real pleasure. 9/10

This is a Spanish horror film that manages to transcend the genre. I generally hate horror films, but this one is much deeper and well made than a typical film. And, on top of that, it's more intelligently made and doesn't insult the audience with cheap thrills or manipulation.

The film begins at an orphanage back in the 1970s. Then, after the credits roll, it's the present day. A couple and their young adopted son have just moved in to the same building that used to be the orphanage. The little boy is an odd kid and talks about having invisible friends. The problem is that after a while, it looks like he might be right.

During a party, the mother sees an odd child wearing a bag over his head--looking a lot like a little scarecrow. This is the same invisible friend her son had talked about and drawn in his pictures. However, when she tries to talk to the bag boy, he attacks her with extraordinary force. She is injured and upon getting up, looks for her son--who has vanished. Months pass and there is still no trace of the kid.

The rest of the story is told through odd clues--coming in bits and pieces. As a result, there are LOTS of creepy little images and scenes--that all eventually fill in the pieces to the puzzle. And, it seems that some of these puzzle pieces are being provided by the missing boy, as it's like a game he and his invisible friends used to play together! I could easily say more about the film's plot, but frankly this would ruin the suspense--and with this sort of film, that would be a big mistake. However, rest assured that the film's ending is both satisfying and touching.

The film was masterfully directed by Juan Antonio Bayona, but you can also see some of the influence of executive-producer Guillermo del Toro, as the story has many similarities to del Toro's earlier film, THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE. Both are set at orphanages and both involve unresolved murders and the undying spirits of the victims. In fact, if you've seen one of these films, you should definitely see the other. Both, by the way, are pretty intense and are probably NOT good films for younger audience members.

Also, in a small role in the about the middle of the film is a segment with Geraldine Chaplin (daughter of Charlie). I was surprised at her fluency in Spanish--not realizing she was in real life married to a Spanish man.