EL ORFANATO
EL ORFANATO (The Orphanage)
October 8 2008, DVD, borrowed from Shawna/rented from Movie Madness, home living room
Shawna loved this so much that she sent it home with me and swallowed a late fee so I could see it, and I am going to give her SUCH a hug for having done so. This is totally another brilliant, happy/sad Spanish horror movie involving kids and ghosts, and let me tell you, I am a fan of the genre. This film isn't quite the masterpiece that is THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE, but I'd go so far as to say that this film is superior to PAN'S LABYRINTH (I am too lazy to find the jemovies link to it, but it's in there somewhere). Despite its lack of Guillermo del Toro's squirmy CG-driven gorgeousness, it's got an incredible set design, and a deliciously creepy setting near a beach with a lighthouse - straight out of the finest moments of Stephen King or Alfred Hitchcock. There's something more graceful, and more fun about this movie; it is so very aggressively devoted to scaring the shit out of you that I can't help but have fun with it. And the story is genuinely fascinating, gripping, and touching, with an incredible starring performance from Belén Rueda, who is seriously one to watch - or would be, if Hollywood wasn't so fucking ageist. This woman is in her physical prime and an incredible actor (and an action star of a seriously high caliber) but her face has got some wear on it. I'd rather look at her than Keira Knightley, and I think Keira's smart enough to probably say the same.
This is one of the best horror films I've ever seen. Seriously. It's incredibly effective and emotionally very pure. I can't recommend it highly enough - but not for the highly sensitive, who are liable to wet themselves at least a couple of times. I was doing plenty of squirming myself, and I'm a tough cookie. It's not gory. It's scary. For real. Awesome!
Also, an additional Hey! It's That Guy! moment - I accurately recognized Geraldine Chaplin (!!!!), even though she's speaking perfectly fluent Spanish and totally looks the part. Geraldine Chaplin!
October 8 2008, DVD, borrowed from Shawna/rented from Movie Madness, home living room
Shawna loved this so much that she sent it home with me and swallowed a late fee so I could see it, and I am going to give her SUCH a hug for having done so. This is totally another brilliant, happy/sad Spanish horror movie involving kids and ghosts, and let me tell you, I am a fan of the genre. This film isn't quite the masterpiece that is THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE, but I'd go so far as to say that this film is superior to PAN'S LABYRINTH (I am too lazy to find the jemovies link to it, but it's in there somewhere). Despite its lack of Guillermo del Toro's squirmy CG-driven gorgeousness, it's got an incredible set design, and a deliciously creepy setting near a beach with a lighthouse - straight out of the finest moments of Stephen King or Alfred Hitchcock. There's something more graceful, and more fun about this movie; it is so very aggressively devoted to scaring the shit out of you that I can't help but have fun with it. And the story is genuinely fascinating, gripping, and touching, with an incredible starring performance from Belén Rueda, who is seriously one to watch - or would be, if Hollywood wasn't so fucking ageist. This woman is in her physical prime and an incredible actor (and an action star of a seriously high caliber) but her face has got some wear on it. I'd rather look at her than Keira Knightley, and I think Keira's smart enough to probably say the same.
This is one of the best horror films I've ever seen. Seriously. It's incredibly effective and emotionally very pure. I can't recommend it highly enough - but not for the highly sensitive, who are liable to wet themselves at least a couple of times. I was doing plenty of squirming myself, and I'm a tough cookie. It's not gory. It's scary. For real. Awesome!
Also, an additional Hey! It's That Guy! moment - I accurately recognized Geraldine Chaplin (!!!!), even though she's speaking perfectly fluent Spanish and totally looks the part. Geraldine Chaplin!