The Haunting

I’m a sucker for a scary movie. I grew up in the ‘80’s with “classic” films like “Halloween” and “Friday the 13th.” “A Nightmare on Elm Street” ushered in the first of the new breed of slasher flick, those with huge budgets for unheard of special effects, and more gross-out material that we’d ever seen before. But one thing never changed, no matter the gimmick, no matter the subject…the genre is nothing if not predictable. And isn’t that half the fun? To yell at the screen “you stupid fool!” right before said fool is run through with a pitchfork?

How times have changed. This weekend I went to see “El Orfanato (The Orphanage)” expecting a run-of-the-mill haunted house story. What I got instead was a total revelation; a psychological thriller that is as intelligent, unpredictable, and beautifully filmed as it is chilling.

The orphanage of the title is the site of fond memories for Laura, who lived there as a child. As an adult with a husband and a child of her own, it’s her dream to buy the old orphanage, now abandoned, and turn it into a home for her family. Her hope is to one day open her home to underprivileged children, and give them the hopeful, happy life she enjoyed there as a child.

Strange things begin to happen, though, when her young son Simon starts to talk to invisible friends he meets in the house. Laura and her husband humor him at first, but it doesn’t take long for things to take a turn for the worse, and when they do, the spooking really begins.

To say anything further would expose more than I’m willing to give away, but to call this a simple ghost story is a HUGE disservice. Surprising layers are revealed slowly, and the tension created as each new piece of the puzzle comes into view is terrifying. There are no cheap haunted house gimmicks here; every goosebump and shiver is well-earned, and there are plenty.

The cinematography is gorgeous and changes fluidly from dark and haunting to bright and hopeful in the blink of an eye. A first-rate cast makes you care what happens to these people (Belen Rueda, as Laura, is astonishing, never once falling into the horror genre cliché) and a well-constructed script keeps you thinking and guessing…a rarity in “horror movies.” The film can be taken on many levels; on one hand, it’s a supernatural thriller. On a deeper lever, it explores themes of intense love of a mother for her child, and the effects of devastating loss. Another rarity- this is the first (and only) horror movie in memory that brought me- and a few others in the theater- to tears. The stunning conclusion is so unexpected that if you get as caught up in the film as I did, it’s impossible not to shed a tear. Or 10.

The film is directed by A.J. Bayona and has as its Executive Producer Guillermo del Toro, who directed last year’s amazing “Pan’s Labyrinth.” There are bits of that film here, as well as nods to the classic suspense tale “The Turn of the Screw” and even “Peter Pan.” Bayona knows just when we need to be jolted from our seats, but he also knows how to creep up on us until the anxiety is nearly unbearable. His directing style reminds me very much of del Toro’s; assured and grounded, so that even the bizarre is believable.

For you folks out there who normally wouldn’t go with a mile of a”horror” movie (and you know who you are), I would advise this: forget the label and take a chance on this one. There are chills and frights, to be sure, but if you appreciate good filmmaking (and I know you do), I truly believe you will walk away with respect for “The Orphanage.”

Just don’t see it at night.

Happy Hauntings.