Orphanage, The (DVD)

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Yet I don't want to give the impression that this is any slow, tedious affair. Not only is the story spooky, with the pressure mounting throughout, there are several good shocks along the way that will knock you out of your seat. Mostly, though, the film just makes your hair stand on end.

I've seen "The Orphanage" twice now, and even though I liked it the first time, I enjoyed it even more the second time around. Strange, given that the second time through I knew everything that was going to happen. Perhaps it's because I saw things the second time I had missed the first time. Perhaps it's because I began to see more clearly the relationships among the story's characters and events. I even liked the ending more the second time, an ending about which I had initially some reservations. And I grew to appreciate the acting of Ms. Rueda as the distraught mother more the second time. I suspect I was so caught up in the plot and events the first time I saw it, I overlooked how much this fine actress's portrayal helped to sell the horror.

While "The Orphanage" moves along at a leisurely pace, it builds to a terrifying climax. Viewers expecting something quicker and more gruesome may not like it, and viewers who don't speak Spanish may resist its English subtitles. Frankly, I didn't notice the movie even had subtitles either time I watched it, so engrossed was I in the goings on.

Video:
New Line's anamorphic transfer of the 2.35:1 ratio picture is excellent. It's about as clear and well delineated as any standard-definition disc transfer you'll find. Colors are bright and vivid when necessary, and even in dark, subdued scenes the detailing is above par. Shots of the old house, set on a cliff between a rocky coastline and a woods, are sometimes stunningly beautiful. While there is a slightly shiny, glassy appearance to the image, it helps to distinguish and clarify objects.

Audio:
The audio engineers provide three Spanish soundtracks: Dolby Digital 5.1 EX, DTS-ES 6.1, and Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Surround. I listened mostly in DTS, which seemed to have a marginally wider stereo spread, although the Dolby Digital 5.1 track seemed to have a slightly more prominent bass. In any case, the tracks are very atmospheric, thanks to the widely dispersed channel information and the abundance of eerie surround sounds, like creaking doors, groaning boards, dripping water, rain, thunder, voices, and footsteps. The all-important midrange comes through smoothly and realistically, and the dynamic impact can be quite impressive, all the more so arising as it often does from dead quiet.

Extras:
The primary extras are quite welcome, consisting of four excellent featurettes on the making of the film. The first is "When Laura Grew Up: Constructing The Orphanage," seventeen minutes and especially enlightening insofar as these things go. The second is "Tomas' Secret Room," ten minutes specifically on sets, special effects, art direction, and the like. The third is "Horror in the Unknown: Makeup Effects," nine minutes, self-explanatory. And the fourth is "Rehearsal Studio: Cast Auditions and Table Read," about three-and-a-half minutes.

The extras conclude with an extensive set of still galleries covering the cast, make-up effects, design, black-and-white photography, production, and conceptual art. Then, there are twenty-four scene selections (but no chapter insert); a "Marketing Campaign" that includes two Spanish and two U.S. theatrical trailers and teasers and posters; Sneak Peeks at five other New Line and Warner Bros. releases; Spanish as the only spoken language; and English and Spanish subtitles.

Parting Thoughts:
Viewers who don't appreciate a good ghost story and would rather watch a mad slasher tear through a dozen hapless teenagers with a machete will probably find "The Orphanage" disappointing, even boring. For the rest of us, the movie will be a quiet and disquieting thriller.

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