Horror films just get harder and harder to make. Everyone wants to make one because it is supposed to be the easiest genre to tackle. Throw in some blood and pain, maybe a little T&A and ‘voila’ you have a horror film. This is what we generally are faced with when seeing the newest scare on the market. Admittedly it is what I expected to see when I saw “Orphan” a few months back. As one of the few films I made the trek to see in theatres (at a drive-in no less!), it was one of the few films I was glad I saw at all. This is not to say that “Orphan” is a great film, but it offers some great performances, creepy cinematography, and decent scares alongside some of the dumb actions by the characters. It also has one of the most surprising twist endings this side of “Sixth Sense.” It’s one of the few times I ‘never saw it coming.’ And I guarantee you won’t either.

“Orphan” stars Vera Farmiga and Peter Sarsgaard as the Colemans. A seemingly normal family, they have had their share of tragedies over the years including a miscarriage and an affair. They currently have two kids, the younger of whom is deaf. In order to fill the void in their lives brought on by the miscarriage, the family agrees to add an adopted child to their ranks. Enter Esther (Isabelle Furhman), a nine year old perfect in every way. Polite, charming, artistic and sporting a Russian accent… what family could possibly turn her away? What the Coleman’s don’t know however, is that lurking behind these innocent eyes is a malevolent and murderous force that will stop at nothing to get what she wants.

Being that this was a film that I expected little from, I was surprised when it grabbed my attention right off the bat. The story was well organized and the cinematography very well done, but it was the acting tour de force by Isabelle Furhman that kept me from turning away. Regardless of the surprise twist, her performance was note perfect. Whether being sweet and nice or psychotic, I never doubted her for a moment. And once I knew she was bad, even her scenes of sweetness gave me the chills.

I was also surprised by the performances of the other children, Jimmy Bennett and Aryana Engineer. The latter, playing the deaf younger sibling (as it turns out, the actress is really deaf), was amazing. I’m not sure how old she was, but this was her first turn in front of a camera and she was one of the most believable children I’ve seen in any movie lately. Her hero worship of Esther and later fear of her is perfectly delivered with every facial expression and movement. I was terrified for her the entire movie.

Warner is releasing “Orphan” on Bluray, which delivers a pretty good audio and video experience. It definitely looks and sounds better than it did at the theater but I’m not sure that the Bluray offers up much more than a DVD would. The extra features here include a Behind the Scenes documentary that puts a whole lot of information into just 15 minutes. Sometimes it seems a little rushed and relies on clips from the film, but still worth a watch. There are also some deleted scenes, which includes an alternate ending. Neither of these really offers up much though.

“Orphan” was a surprisingly good little chiller film. We enjoyed it enough to watch it again on Bluray, which knowing the ending is a whole new experience.

Directed by: Jaume Collet-Serra
Starring: Vera Farmiga, Peter Sarsgaard, Isabelle Fuhrman, CCH Pounder, Jimmy Bennett
Extras: Mama’s Little Devils; Additional Scenes; Alternate Ending
Specifications: Bluray - 1080p High Definition (1.85:1), Dolby True HD
Studio: Warner
Release Date: 10/27/2009
MPAA Rating: R
http://www.orphan-movie.com

We'll give Orphan (Bluray) a B.