The Orphanage - B

In theaters. Rated R, 98 minutes. Trailer.

I don't like scary movies, roller coasters or flying on an airplane. Call me a ninny, fine. Since this scary movie was produced by Pan's Labryinth director Guillermo Del Toro and promised not to be gory, I decided to lift my policy against scariness and give it a try.

Starring Belen Rueda (The Sea Inside), this movie tells the story of a barren couple that adopts an HIV positive boy (Simon) and moves into the orphanage on the Spanish coast that Belen grew up in. Once they move into the orphanage, Simon starts talking about his imaginary friends and strange things start to occur. At a party, strange things happen and Simon disappears. Click below to keep reading the Orphanage.

The remainder of the film is mixed with scares and the desperation of a grieving mother. The movie is not gory, except for one jolting moment, and actually deals with some serious questions about loss, belief and love. No new ground is broken on any level, and for the Hostel and Saw crowd, this is probably referred to as 'your grandma's horror film.' The prospect of dead children and their ghosts is for some reason very unnerving, and first time director Juan Antonio Bayona does a good job of creating tension for the last half of the film (including a great night-vision sequence with a medium). I enjoyed it and the plausible story and ending. Together with Rueda's strong performance, this is worth a rental.