The Orphanage (2007) 8/10

The Orphanage is a Spanish film produced by Mexican director extraordinaire, Guillermo Del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy, Devil's Backbone etc). Apparently the director had been trying to get funding for the film for some time, but finally got the script to Del Toro, who loved it and so begins the story of a beautiful relationship.

The Orphanage is about a family that buys and an old orphanage with hopes of housing a handful of special needs children. Their son keeps talking of his invisible friends which the parents don't take seriously until he disappears one day during a party. The mother then begins her search into the history of the building so that maybe she can discover how to save her son. Gee another movie involving kids with ghosts, no wonder Del Toro loved it!

The film is beautifully photographed and paced. The acting is superb and the drama is convincing. We never get to see the ghosts really, the director deciding to scare us with what we can't see instead. This tactic works wonderfully and I found myself getting creeped out several times, and I am one tough cookie to scare.

Don't expect crazy cgi specters in this flick. This one's much more emotional and atmospheric without being dull, a truly hard film to make successfully. Check it out if you dug any of Del Toro's efforts or are in the mood for a great spooky ghost story.

Overall - 8/10