Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.

It's listed as a "horror" but it's far more "thriller", I'm happy to say.  The Orphan is creepy, suspenseful, and definitely not predictable.  A well-done thriller, with some terrific performances, especially from its youngest stars.

Kate and John Coleman (Vera Farmiga and Peter Sarsgaard) have two kids, but their third child died at birth.  After a year of grief, with tons of "extra love" to give, they decide to adopt an older child.  Esther (Isabelle Fuhrman) is a sweet nine-year-old with enormous artistic talent.  The Colemans are thrilled to add her to their family and life is perfect from that point forward.

Well, no, not really.  Because Esther, as it turns out, is a bit of an odd child - she's a little "different".  How she dresses, how she speaks, and how she conducts herself, in general, have made her a bit of an outcast.  Especially with the Coleman's son, Daniel.  He's not too happy with his new "sister".  On the other hand, youngest child, Maxine, manages to really bond with Esther. 

But Esther's "oddness" soon escalates into something far more sinister. The kids are the first to notice, but Esther manages to convince them to keep her secrets.  But eventually Kate starts to notice things, as well.  But no one believes her.  It just so happens that Esther's pretty smart.  And quite manipulative.  She's pretty much running the show, and it would be in your best interest not to get on her bad side. 

The look and feel of the movie is dark.  Dark tones match the dark theme.  The viewers know that Esther is an evil little girl.  What we don't know until the very end, is WHY.  Oh, we're given plenty of clues throughout the movie.  But this movie's 'big reveal' was an interesting surprise, to me.  Nope, I didn't guess this one, I'm pleased to say.

The performances were terrific, most notably from Fuhrman.  When this movie started filming, she was only 10 years old.  But her performance is on par with any of the adults in this film.  The sweet personality she shows when she's being watched, and the evil one she lets loose at other times are done incredibly well.  I pretty much forgot her age, and just watched an incredible actress portray a very complicated role.

Props go to younger sister Maxine, as well.  This little girl is absolutely adorable.  She's deaf, and speaks in American Sign Language.  She is portrayed by Aryana Enginneer, who is hearing-impaired in real life.

I give credit to this movie for its overall creepy feel, as well for originality.  It's definitely not the "same old story".  I was completely hooked, and eager to figure out what the real story was, behind this evil little girl.

That's not to say that the movie is perfect; it's not.  It over-uses the false-scare technique.  You know what I mean - where the camera angles and the eerie music make you sure that something really scary is about to happen - and it ends up being nothing.  This is cute, once or twice in a movie.  But over-use it, and it becomes obvious and annoying.

There are also a few places where the parents do some really stupid things.  Things that made me cringe to watch, and made me feel just a little less sorry for them.  Like the time they had sex in the kitchen, even though the kids were home and could walk in on them.  What kind of "responsible" parents do that?  Or, the multiple times they had conversations about Esther's increasingly odd behavior, without ensuring that she was out of earshot, first.  When adults do things like this, it serves no purpose except to make me cheer for the evil child, just a little bit.

So, it's not a perfect movie, but it is a very enjoyable way to spend two hours.  Enjoyable, that is, if you find dark, creepy, twisted storylines enjoyable.  I know I do!

Recommended: Yes

Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age