No secret stays locked away forever.
A woman brings her family back to her childhood home, which used to be an orphanage for handicapped children. Before long, her son starts to communicate with an invisible new friend.
Director: J.A. Bayona
Writer: Sergio G. Sánchez (screenplay)
Stars: Belén Rueda, Fernando Cayo, Roger Príncep
| Original title | El orfanato |
| Production country | Spain |
| Language | Spanish |
| Subtitle |    |
| Recommended age | 15 |
| Runtime | 105 min |
| Color | Color |
| Aspect Ratio | 2.35 : 1 |
| IMDb link | tt0464141 |
Nominated: Saturn Award
Nominated: Silver Condor
Won: Barcelona Film Award
Nominated: Bodil
Nominated: Critics Choice Award
Won: Butaca
Nominated: Golden Camera
Won: COFCA Award
2nd place: COFCA Award
Nominated: CFCA Award
Won: CEC Award
Nominated: Empire Award
Nominated: Audience Award
Nominated: Carlo di Palma Award
Nominated: European Film Award
Won: International Fantasy Film Award
Won: Fotogramas de Plata
Nominated: Gold Derby Award
Won: Goya
Won: Grand Prize
Won: SCI FI Jury Award
Nominated: IFMCA Award
Won: José María Forqué Award
Won: Golden Reel Award
Nominated: OFTA Film Award
Nominated: OFCS Award
Won: Premio ACE
Nominated: Robert
Nominated: Rondo Statuette
2nd place: SDFCS Award
Won: Audience Award
Nominated: Satellite Award
Won: Award of the Spanish Actors Union
Won: Music Award
Nominated: International Jury Award
Nominated: World Soundtrack Award
Nominated: Young Artist Award
A great horror movie is like a good shrink–and a lot cheaper, too. It purges us through petrification. That horror movie, thankfully, has arrived. It’s called The Orphanage,” and it is seriously scary.
A fastidiously grim ghost story that rattles the bones of the haunted-house genre and finds plenty of fresh (but not too bloody) meat.
While some of the trappings and even some of the plot elements could easily be called unoriginal, Bayona and screenwriter Sergio G. Sánchez arrange them in a fresh way, crafting an emotionally resonant, nerve-jangling experience.