By Esteban Lopez

Whereas, today’s horror movies rely heavily on special effects to bring about dread, one director’s style, that of late Jacques Tourneur still prevails in some movies.

In his 1942 film Cat People, he frightened audiences with suggestions of unseen horrors with cast shadows, and ambiguous sound effects playing on audiences’ worst fears.

With the exception of Robert Rodriguez’ Planet Terror which was a grotesque, fun-filled stab at the wasteland of zombie movies of yesteryear. Nothing much new has been done in recent years to build upon the premise of horror movies. Aside, from Guillermo Del Toro’s Devil’s Backbone.

And just like Devil’s Backbone, The Orphanage (Spanish title: El orfanata) presented and produced by Del Toro manages to pulls out all the stops, adding suspense and drama to the unlikely horror genre.

It stars Belen Rueda as Laura (the devout mother), Fernando Cayo as (the loving husband/doctor) and Roger Princep as their adopted son, who so happens to be HIV positive.

Laura and her family move into a large orphanage, replete with a large cave, and a defunct lighthouse. Laura herself once lived in the orphanage for a short period of time before her adoption.

Alls well, until one day when Simon tells Laura about a game that Tomas (his imaginary friend) has created for him. The game leads them to a startling revelation about Simon. He also learns that Laura is not his real mother. When she asks him how he can know all of this, he simply responds that his friend told him. We suspect his friend may not be so imaginary after all.

Thereafter, Laura hosts a party for the disabled children of the nearby town welcoming them to their new home (Laura and her husband have renovated the orphanage for just this purpose). Somewhere amidst the chaos, Simon disappears.

Director Juan Antonio Bayona skillfully captures the essence of a distraught mother by having Belen Rueda, search every nook, and cranny of the house, coming up empty, until the sudden appearance of a child down the hall wearing a burlap sack over his face which makes for a startling jolt. One of the few scares appropriately interspersed throughout the film.

With this being Bayona’s first feature film (as well as a first time for the writer, Sergio G. Sanchez) there is no doubting their ability. But like their benefactor, Guillermo Del Toro, this duo is interested in horror films to explore the emotional depths of their characters rather than just mere frights. Though there are eerie atmoshperics, slow building chills, The Orphanage is a tale of heartache, regret and a mother’s longing for her son.