I don't think The Orphanage does anything I would consider overly original, its a pretty formulaic haunted house movie.

Having said that, what it does do, it does absolutely perfect, avoiding any cheap scares, instead focusing on building atmosphere, and letting the tension build as we get closer to the end. It feels a lot like Poltergeist if you stripped all away the bits that were overtly '80s'.

The knock the wall scene alone makes this worth the 4 stars.

Hooptober 12 - 14/31

Full list here.