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The Orphanage

Original title: El orfanato
  • 2007
  • R
  • 1h 45m
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
167K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
4,600
111
Belén Rueda in The Orphanage (2007)
Watch Trailer [OV]
Play trailer2:13
3 Videos
99+ Photos
Supernatural HorrorTragedyDramaHorrorMysteryThriller

A woman brings her family back to her childhood home, which used to be an orphanage for handicapped children. Before long, her son starts to communicate with an invisible new friend.A woman brings her family back to her childhood home, which used to be an orphanage for handicapped children. Before long, her son starts to communicate with an invisible new friend.A woman brings her family back to her childhood home, which used to be an orphanage for handicapped children. Before long, her son starts to communicate with an invisible new friend.

  • Director
    • J.A. Bayona
  • Writer
    • Sergio G. Sánchez
  • Stars
    • Belén Rueda
    • Fernando Cayo
    • Roger Príncep
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.4/10
    167K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    4,600
    111
    • Director
      • J.A. Bayona
    • Writer
      • Sergio G. Sánchez
    • Stars
      • Belén Rueda
      • Fernando Cayo
      • Roger Príncep
    • 391User reviews
    • 305Critic reviews
    • 74Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 32 wins & 43 nominations total

    Videos3

    Trailer [OV]
    Trailer 2:13
    Trailer [OV]
    U.S. trailer: The Orphanage
    Trailer 2:05
    U.S. trailer: The Orphanage
    U.S. trailer: The Orphanage
    Trailer 2:05
    U.S. trailer: The Orphanage
    The Orphanage
    Trailer 0:51
    The Orphanage

    Photos129

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    + 122
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    Top cast22

    Edit
    Belén Rueda
    Belén Rueda
    • Laura
    Fernando Cayo
    Fernando Cayo
    • Carlos
    Roger Príncep
    Roger Príncep
    • Simón
    Mabel Rivera
    Mabel Rivera
    • Pilar
    Montserrat Carulla
    Montserrat Carulla
    • Benigna
    Andrés Gertrúdix
    Andrés Gertrúdix
    • Enrique
    Edgar Vivar
    Edgar Vivar
    • Bálaban
    Óscar Casas
    Óscar Casas
    • Tomás
    • (as Oscar Casas)
    Mireia Renau
    • Laura Niña
    Georgina Avellaneda
    • Rita
    Carla Gordillo
    • Martín
    Alejandro Camps
    • Víctor
    Carmen López
    • Alicia
    Óscar Lara
    • Guillermo
    • (as Oscar Lara)
    Geraldine Chaplin
    Geraldine Chaplin
    • Aurora
    Enric Arquimbau
    • Jefe Grupo Terapia
    Blanca Martínez
    • Mujer Grupo Terapia
    Carol Suárez
    • Benigna Joven
    • Director
      • J.A. Bayona
    • Writer
      • Sergio G. Sánchez
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      When writer Sergio G. Sánchez told the little girl who plays the blind orphan that she had pretty eyes, she replied, "Oh, do you like them? I picked them out myself!". What he didn't know: She was diagnosed at a very young age with a degenerative eye disease that was going to leave her blind. One of the last things her parents did while she could still see was let her see a big selection of glass eyes and choose the ones she wanted.
    • Goofs
      In the film, we see the lighthouse shining directly on the orphanage. In reality, coastal lighthouses are shielded so their light does not shine on land.
    • Quotes

      Aurora: Seeing is not believing. It's the other way around. Believe, and you will see.

    • Crazy credits
      Pieces of wallpaper are peeled off to reveal each of the opening credits.
    • Connections
      Featured in Siskel & Ebert: The Bucket List/The Orphanage/The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep/There Will Be Blood/Honeydripper/Persepolis (2008)

    User reviews391

    Featured review
    8/10

    Pretty good

    The Orphanage is a slick and quietly chilling piece of work based around (what else?) an orphanage. A woman named Laura returns to the orphanage she grew up in as a child, with the intention of opening it up again as a home for children with disabilities. Together with her husband and adopted son Simon, Laura tries to make the huge old building ready to receive it's first new residents, but all is not quiet in the dusty rooms and grounds, and gradually she starts to feel sinister presences from the past making themselves known.

    The film strings out quite a good story, blending traditional scares (bumping noises heard through walls and doors, silently appearing children in masks) with modern touches (Simon is HIV positive). Although most of the actual frights are on the soft side, the film does have quite away with sudden shocks, especially one great sequence involving the death of a sinister secondary character...you'll know when you see it! But mostly, things stay pretty calm, and there were times when I was wishing for something more visceral to actually happen, as many of the very well built tension sequences fade away without any cinematic pay-off, such as a very tense séance sequence, and in most of the (many) scenes of Laura alone in the orphanage, she being almost too subtly menaced for things to get really scary, which I think is a shame. However there are certain moments when you WILL jump!

    However, The Orphanage still stands up as a strong piece of work. The backbone of the film is undoubtedly the strong performance by Belén Rueda as Laura, who carries the entire film admirably. The film looks great, with stunning photography and very elegant sets and a gorgeous building standing in for the orphanage itself. Sound and music work very well too, and the film succeeds in working many small elements together (such as a playground hiding game and some very clever revelations towards the end), so all in all, the film is an accomplished piece of cinema and well worth seeing, although don't expect too much real terror as most of the chills in this film are poetic rather than gruesome.
    • adriangr
    • Aug 26, 2007
    • Permalink

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    FAQ20

    • How long is The Orphanage?Powered by Alexa
    • Is there going to be an English language remake like there have been with other foriegn horror films?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 11, 2008 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • Spain
      • Mexico
      • France
      • Belgium
    • Official site
      • Official site (Japan)
    • Language
      • Spanish
    • Also known as
      • El orfanato
    • Filming locations
      • Llanes, Asturias, Spain
    • Production companies
      • MEDIA Programme of the European Union
      • Instituto de la Cinematografía y de las Artes Audiovisuales (ICAA)
      • Generalitat de Catalunya - Institut Català de les Indústries Culturals (ICIC)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • €3,400,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $7,161,284
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $233,323
      • Dec 30, 2007
    • Gross worldwide
      • $78,638,987
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 45 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
      • DTS
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

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