A husband and wife who recently lost their baby adopt a 9-year-old girl who is not nearly as innocent as she appears.

Director:

Jaume Collet-Serra

Writers:

David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick (screenplay) (as David Leslie Johnson), Alex Mace (story)
Reviews
Popularity
1,394 ( 290)
1 win & 7 nominations. See more awards »

Videos

Photos

Edit

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Vera Farmiga ... Kate
Peter Sarsgaard ... John
Isabelle Fuhrman ... Esther
CCH Pounder ... Sister Abigail
Jimmy Bennett ... Daniel
Margo Martindale ... Dr. Browning
Karel Roden ... Dr. Varava
Aryana Engineer ... Max
Rosemary Dunsmore ... Grandma Barbara
Jamie Young Jamie Young ... Brenda
Lorry Ayers ... Joyce
Brendan Wall ... Detective
Genelle Williams ... Sister Judith
Mustafa Abdelkarim Mustafa Abdelkarim ... Daniel's Friend
Landon Norris ... Daniel's Friend
Edit

Storyline

Kate and John Coleman are rebuilding their troubled marriage after the loss of their baby. The couple decide to adopt a child. When they meet 9-year-old Esther at the St. Marina Orphanage, they immediately fall in love with the well-educated orphan. Their son, Daniel is hostile to his new sister, but their deaf mute daughter, Max is enchanted with her - at first. Eventually, Kate begins to feel that Esther is manipulative and possibly even psychologically damaged. John refuses to listen to his wife's misgivings. Kate calls Sister Abigail at the orphanage, and the nun informs her that Esther has a troubled and mysterious history. Kate delves further into Esther's past and discovers she is not what she seems to be. Written by lisakoffler1967@gmail.com

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

Das Böse hat ein neues zuhause. (Evil has a new home.) [Germany] See more »


Certificate:

18A | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

The paintball gun used is a Tippman model 98. See more »

Goofs

The Smith & Wesson m-36 holds 5 rounds, as clearly shown when she removes it from the safe and opens the cylinder. Esther fires five rounds when chasing Kate through the house. When Max picks it up by the pond, she fires a "magical" sixth round. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
John Coleman: Hang on. I know. You're doin' so good. You're doin' so good, honey. You all right?
Kate Coleman: Yeah.
See more »

Crazy Credits

The opening production logos are against black, and are intermittently shown covered with fluorescent paint, as if under a flickering black light. See more »


Soundtracks

Hip Hugger
Written and Performed by John DeFaria (as John Defaria)
See more »

User Reviews

 
Stylish, unique and intense
3 March 2020 | by rivertam26See all my reviews

You either love it or you hate it. That's really the effect of any great twist. I was one of those who absolutely loved it and found this creepy, disturbing movie even more terrifying with the reveal. Vera Farmiga (Conjuring) stars as a mother whose just gone through a miscarriage and with her husband played by Peter Sarsgaard (Skeleton Key) decides to adopt a mysterious young girl played by a very creepy Isabel Fuhrman (Hunger Games). At first Esther seems a little off but it's mostly acceptable until people begin having horrific accidents and some go missing. There is a palpable sense of dread that builds throughout the film and so many setpieces are expertly executed. The scene in the playground is an especially effective one. The film culminates in a surprising and edge of your seat fashion and all though there's a small loop hole here and there. Its completely successful at being a stylish, unique, intense piece of genre.

4/5


10 of 10 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you? | Report this
Review this title | See all 541 user reviews »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more »
Edit

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA | Canada | Germany | France

Release Date:

24 July 2009 (Canada) See more »

Also Known As:

L'orpheline See more »

Edit

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$12,871,483, 26 July 2009

Gross USA:

$41,596,251

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$77,912,251
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See full technical specs »

Contribute to This Page



Recently Viewed