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Agreed, wonderful ghost story for smart people. But Guillermo del Toro didn't direct.

207.67.53.109

In Reply to: RE: Want to be truly scared w/out gore? "The Orphanage," directed posted by tinear on January 15, 2008 at 14:02:49

He did executive produce, but the film is directed by talented newcomer Juan Antonio Bayona, a youngish Spanish director whose background is in shorts, TV and music videos.

The Orphanage does remind me a bit in tone of Devil's Backbone (without the social metaphors), and more than a bit of Alejandro Amenabar's The Others. But it still seems fresh and engaging entirely on its own terms. A bill consisting of The Orphanage, The Devil's Backbone and The Others would constitute a fine evening of ghost movies, and show you 3 hispanic difectors operating at near peak power (Amenabar is Spanish, del Toro of course is Mexican). These director's are all strong visual storytellers, they trust the audience's intelligence, and they are able to suggest far more terror than they actually show. Very atmospheric.

BTW, I jumped several times during the move...and near the end, I did indeed guess the "twist", and how it would play out in the end...it was the only logical way.

This movie also reminds me a bit of The Innocents, Jack Clayton's 1961 version of Henry James The Turn Of The Screw, one of my all time favorite ghost story movies.

Follow Ups:

Sorry! Yup, del Toro produced but... my only quibble is he placed HIS - tinear 04:39:56 01/16/08 (1)
name way more prominently than Bayona, the director. Also, when we see "del Toro's 'The Orphanage,'" it's more than a little misleading.
I'm assuming you've seen the masterful suspense/thrillers from Spain of Erice and Saura, "The Spirit of the Beehive," and "Cria Cuervos?"
Both also can terrify you w/out bloodshed, the fear comes from within you and is much more intense because of it: what factual occurrence can be more horrific than one that's imagined?
- Yes, indeed I have seen them. - Harmonia 19:07:38 01/16/08 (0)
  Fans of both.
  
  Del Toro's name is front and center to attract an international audience - how much name recognition does Bayona have outside Spain?
  
  I got no beef with the producers trying to make a buck with this movie. The more people that see it the happier I am. Lotsa people who might not give it try released as "directed by Bayona" would be more inclined to see it with del Toro's name attached front & center. Pan's Labyrinth was so well received in North American I just look at it as an established director giving a lesser known one a leg up. We see "presented by" fairly often. As long as it gets fannies in seats It's OK by me.
  
  No harm in that. It's just marketing.

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