Jaume Collet Serra
Orphan

It is now well established that horror beyond the Atlantic is undergoing a strong phase of regression. Hollywood productions (and not only) can no longer compete in terms of quality with the important titles that Europe has shed light on in recent years: particularly France and England have strongly focused on low-budget independent horror, obtaining at least unexpected results. America, on the other hand, continues to settle for more or less worthy productions and subjects that in most cases don't leave a lasting impact.

Fortunately, however, something good occasionally emerges. This is the case with the feature film 'Orphan', the third work by the Spanish Jaume Collet Serra, already the author of the horror 'House of Wax' (2005) and 'Goal II' (2007), as well as director of the recent 'Unknown' with Liam Neeson.

From the very title, the film carries with it all the clichés drawn from horror cinema that features 'children' as protagonists. In this case, it's Esther, the girl of the moment, who seems to possess a malice beyond the ordinary. Adopted by a family with a past of alcohol and betrayal issues, Esther 'must' fill the void left by Jessica, who died prematurely during childbirth. From here begins a series of rather strange events in which Esther (played by the young Isabelle Fuhrman) demonstrates a sharp ability to manipulate other people's personalities, as well as a good dose of courage. Throughout the two hours of the film (too long), events unfold that one wouldn't expect to be generated by such a small and beautiful girl...

So beyond a long series of banalities associated with films about 'Demonic Children', 'Orphan' manages to deliver some punches that at least earn it a passing grade. Credit goes to the director who, transcending this 'juvenile' genre often tied to more sonic impacts than true horror, doesn't disdain a few gore scenes: her smashing a nun's head with a hammer is perhaps the pinnacle, but the final minutes are no less intense. Moreover, there is another point in Serra's favor: the way he has sketched difficult characters, revealing their past first and thereby providing a long series of psychological insights that characterize the protagonists' actions throughout the film. These are the two merits that allow 'Orphan' to rise above the modern mediocrity from across the ocean: in addition, the fact of having so openly dealt with a theme like adoption (albeit without launching any kind of message) has made it one of the most discussed horror titles of 2009. In short, a more or less successful horror movie. Quite a lot for a United States in a horror crisis.