Orphan

Orphan is a terribly effective, tense, and unpredictable horror movie. It has a twist at the end that comes so far out of nowhere, it will surprise and shock every and anyone who sees it. It is beautifully photographed, features scenes where the audience knows what the characters do not, which creates frustration, and it is wonderfully acted. Vera Farmiga and Peter Sarsgaard (two of the best actors around) play the grief stricken parents who have just lost Jessica, who should have been their third child, but was stillborn. In order to "transfer the love they would have shown Jessica to someone who really needs it", the couple adopt Esther, a Russian girl of around 11 or 12 who seems mature and intelligent for her age. However, as time goes by in the household, strange things start to happen around Esther. All of these things are believably rooted in the atmosphere of the movie though, and it creates a wonderful suspense for the audience. Kate (Farmiga's character) becomes dismayed by Esther, but Kate used to be a drinker and she could just be acting out because she's just lost a child, so she can be disregarded. This is the frustration of which I speak, for Esther's motives become quite clear to the audience while the characters within the film are still guessing. One of the great strengths of the film is how it can show us things we really enjoy like the unity of a family, or the tenderness that Farmiga brings to her damaged character, or even the sexiness of the Sarsgaard-Farmiga relationship, and then shatter each and every one of those ideals with the presence of Esther. The film, however, can be comical, sexy, scandalous, sickening, frightful, misleading, and shocking. Orphan is a masterful horror film.
Orphan: ★★★★