October 7, 2011

31 Days of Creepy Kids, Day 7: Tomas (The Orphanage, 2007)

Guillermo Del Toro produces and directs some amazing movies. He's a big, geeky kid at heart, and he loves him some Horror. El Orfanato is a quiet, creepy, dark little movie dealing once again with Del Toro's ever present theme of childhood tragedy.

It makes you wonder what kind of childhood he had.
It's not so much that Tomas is an evil kid, but with the grain sack and his whole "standing around and staring at you" thing, he was still unsettling. There's not much violence in this movie, unless you count some broken fingers and a leg, or a particularly nasty bus accident, instead it's the atmosphere that provides the terror in The Orphanage. And Tomas provides much of the atmosphere.

Stop staring at me and say something!
Like Del Toro's Pan's Labyrith and The Devil's Backbone, The Oprhanage feels more like a sad childhood fairytale to me, rather than pure Horror. Make no mistake though, the movie does its fair share of creepy business. Tomas does his too.

"I got the key, bitch!"
If you like your Horror movies quiet and subtly scary, then this one is for you. If you like the kids in those movies to wear creepy sacks on their heads, creep around and terrorize people, then The Orphanage is a double bonus. It's worth seeing for the bathroom scene alone.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0015ET3YY/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0015ET3YY&linkCode=as2&tag=thehorclu0a-20&linkId=QWKBWLPMYT6HJWUK

Run.

2 comments :

  1. I really love this film, and Tomas is as creepy as hell! I'd agree that it's not particularly scary, amazingly produced though. I adore Del Toro's movies and he really didn't disappoint me with this one

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  2. It really is amazing, and so is Del Toro.

    Before all is said and done, he will be one of the greatest directors of all time.

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