1. The Orphanage!!
Monday, October 26, 2009 at 10:19AM | Will LeBlanc You made it everyone! After over two weeks of relentlessly subjecting myself to the greatest horrors from the past decade, I've finally reached the end of the road, the final frontier, the last stand. Thanks to everyone who stuck with this and checked in everyday to find out what awesome horror movie would be next. Now without further ado, NUMBER 1!
The Orphanage kicked and clawed its way into the number 1 spot not because it's the scariest of the bunch, that glorious honor goes to [REC], but because the way the scares are used ALWAYS adds to the story. You'll never see something just happen for the sake of getting squeals out of the audience. Everything is warranted and everything is useful. On top of that, the story of The Orphange is by far the most well told of the bunch not only scaring you, but breaking your heart into a thousand pieces as well.
A beautiful but run-down orphanage has just been purchased by a husband and wife looking to reopen it as a facility for special needs children. The wife, Laura, grew up in the orphanage and is excited to reopen and start caring for her kids. However, her son Simon makes a few new friends. Friends Laura can't see. Chalking this up to his imagination, she ignores the problem until eventually they decide to play a game with her, hiding Simon where she will never find him unless she follows the clues.
The only problem is that Laura, even though Simon played this game with her before he was taken, doesn't pick up on the clues and months go by of her trying desperately to find him, even resorting to using a psychic to see if his spirit was in the house.
You'll notice right away that this movie is shot better than the VAST majority of horror movies, save for maybe Let the Right One In. It's not like watching a normal horror movie were they force you to be scared by 
being all up in everyone's face all the time or shaking the camera all over the place or giving you way too close up shots of gory bits of "what the fuck is that!?" Instead, The Orphanage uses the camera and light to paint you beautiful, vibrant images, and tell you an amazing story.
Just because I said it's not THE scariest movie on the list doesn't mean that it isn't scary at all. The first appearance of bag head kid will freeze your spine up so hard you'll be reminded of the elementary school scholiosis tests. And the subsequent atmosphere created by the aforementioned cinematography will have you constantly waiting for the next thing The Orphanage chooses to show you.
I don't want to tell you the ending of course, but not mentioning it would be a disservice to the film. There is no ending in film that I think I am more in love with. The story plays out just so well and then they heighten the suspense into supernatural levels, the pace is raised to a point where you'll start to feel your ribs cracking from how hard your heart is pumping, and then boom.......the heart that was so furiously beating in your chest may have just been ripped out of you for all you know. The movie deflates you on a personal level and the performance by Belen Rueda as Laura will shake you at your soul. There's almost no way to keep from crying....and it's a horror film.
The Orphanage is just an astounding film. Never have I seen a horror film (and make no mistake, this is a fucking FILM) that could touch so emotionally while still finding the time to make you shit your pants several times throughout. It's beautiful to look at, scary as hell, and perfectly told. Please, I implore you, go get this film. You won't regret it.
Reader Comments (5)
Fantastic movie.
This was super-atmospheric! I've seen this but I need to give it a rating on tomatoes & netflix . . . So scary, but then poignant and beautiful at the end. . . .
YES! i pretty much remember commenting you on rotten tomatoes saying this one better be on here, and it made it! I'm so excited. After faithfully following for like 15 days, it finally pays off. This is the best horror movie I've had the pleasure of viewing to date!
Good choice sir, good choice :)
I like that the number one spot is for a movie that is a horror film in every way, but breaks away from the normal for what horror films have become lately. It is definitely one everyone should see. I love the blood-and-guts films, but this one didn't need any of it to be chilling.
Happiest tragic ending ever.