the orphanage be a very well make and good old fashion horror . it tell of a woman call laura ( belen rueda ) that return to the abandon orphanage where she be raise and with the hope of re open it for a new generation of child . during the course of the film laura child go miss and she be force to shelve her plan of re opening . the event compels laura to spend more time in the house hop that her child will return and result in her confront her sanity . in stick to an old fashioned premise the film employ a various amount of technique and method commonly attribute to film of this genre . the highlight be the big old house and creepy visitor and strange occurrence and thing that go bump in the night . it be quite conceivable to think that any film that utilise such clichés and generic scare tactic be do nothing new and can be dismiss a be unoriginal and possibly unimaginative . to the contrary and in bravely address the very route of the genre the director and and writer and have produce a masterpiece in contemporary horror . the film be an excellent rendition of the classic bedtime horror story and tell with atmospheric direction and brilliantly place plot occurrence . it be an emotional film that reach to the very heart of fear whilst re establish the genre in the mind of contemporary cinema goer . the orphanage be film that be intelligently make and will go on to become a definitive horror film and much in the same way a jacob ladder and don not look now and rosemary baby and the sixth sense all film that carry similar theme . those that aren not familiar with those previous film or wish to have their thrill in the form of saw or hostel will no doubt find the orphanage tame and those that get their kick from asian horror ( gin gwai and ringu etc ) could also feel begrudged . in a disagreement with these film the orphanage doesn not allow itself to be draw into use one scare technique and continuously exploit it throughout and nor do it prey on teenage anxiety or irrational fear . instead the film embark on a much more intellectual ( and bold ) approach and investigate one of the most basic primeval fear and that of lose a child . in explore such a fear it be only fit that all the character be play well and and they be . their fall from grace and their reaction to the event be brilliantly complement by the well direct and pace plot . the timing of the scare and the execution of them be also do to perfection . all of these quality add up to the film be a refreshing experience that and consequentially and stick two finger up to the recent and predictably make horror film churn out by hollywood ( 1408 and vacancy etc ) . ultimately the orphanage be an encouraging debut feature from the director juan antonia bayona and show a lot of potential . the film be dark and mysterious and harrow like guillermo del toro pan labyrinth which also have child at the heart of the film . both film also drive home the extreme capability of imagination and dissolution . the film be present by del toro and and in much the same way tarantino present hostel and there be no real direct evidence of his effort on the screen . instead the orphanage be more of a continuation of the style and characteristic associate with his film making . those that and like me and have be pin for a classical contemporary horror should look no further than the orphanage .