The Orphanage

Play trailer

1:58

The Orphanage

R

2008

1h 45m

Mystery & Thriller

Horror

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

87%

Tomatometer

180 Reviews

86%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

Laura (Belén Rueda) has happy memories of her childhood in an orphanage. She convinces her husband to buy the place and help her convert it into a home for sick children. One day, her own adopted son, Simón (Roger Príncep), disappears. Simon is critically ill, and when he is still missing several months later, he is presumed dead. Grief-stricken Laura believes she hears spirits, who may or may not be trying to help her find the boy.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

Deeply unnerving and surprisingly poignant, The Orphanage is an atmospheric, beautifully crafted haunted house horror film that earns scares with a minimum of blood.

Read Critics Reviews

Tasha Robinson

Polygon

10/20/2021

A skillfully made heartbreaker.

Go to Full Review

Katey Rich

CinemaBlend

10/14/2014

Though The Orphanage sticks fairly closely to a genre fomat, and the plot twists become a little predictable, the film packs surprises all the way to the end.

Go to Full Review

Eric Kohn

New York Press

10/14/2014

Let the anticipation of Bayona's next move begin.

Go to Full Review

Kathy Fennessy

Seattle Film Blog

Mar 21

3.5/4

There are a few gory make-up effects, but [Juan Antonio] Bayona mostly preys on our fear of the unknown to craft a first-rate fright fest.

Go to Full Review

Trace Thurman

Horror Queers Podcast

Oct 27

4.5/5

Initially terrifying yet ultimately touching (and tragic), The Orphanage is a strong debut for director J.A. Bayona.

Go to Full Review

Joe Lipsett

Horror Queers Podcast

Oct 22

3.5/5

J. A. Bayona mines scares and tears in equal measure in this twisty ghost film that features an outstanding lead performance by Belén Rueda and several incredibly creepy children's games.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Carlos H

@carloshenriquec Apr 24

Eu achava que Os Outros, clássico estrelado por Nicole Kidman, era o filme definitivo sobre fantasmas... até assistir a este filme. O Orfanato é, junto com Os Outros, o melhor filme sobre casas mal-assombradas já feito. A criatividade por trás deste filme pode ser notada desde os créditos iniciais e estende-se para o seu roteiro incrível, direção ágil e trilha sonora envolventes. O elenco é primoroso (eu realmente fiquei boquiaberto ao ver Edgar Vivar aqui). Belén Rueda é uma atriz excepcional e Geraldine Chaplin, por mais que tenha pouco tempo de tela, rouba a cena, como sempre. A história é extremamente envolvente, a atmosfera, angustiante, e o final, devastador e estranhamente "bonito", ao mesmo tempo. Sem dúvidas, um dos melhores filmes que já assisti. Uma experiência única, que merece ser revisitada várias e várias vezes. CLÁSSICO INSTANTÂNEO!!!

See more

inta K

@intuciic Apr 8

sad story of mother trying to find her lost kid in the orphanage where she grew up. mix of reality and realm beyond. her own doing in the matter.

See more

love H.

@horrorfan123 Mar 1

This film was very good but the ending was Medicore.

See more

francesco t

@RT64445094 Nov 1

Starts intrestingly confusing yet all comes to an end way to fast and in a quite predictable way

See more

Alejandra C

@RT30574541 Sep 5

This was one of the OGs and the fact that is not american makes it even more special because the hype was real. Its not as scary but the story is great and captivating. Direction also good.

See more

Wendel L

@BRZRKR 01/12/2025

Direção: Ok Atuação: Bom Roteiro: Ok Caracterização: Ok Soundtrack: Ok

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

J. A. Bayona

Director

Belén Rueda

Laura

Fernando Cayo

Carlos

Geraldine Chaplin

Aurora

Montserrat Carulla

Benigna

Mabel Rivera

Pilar

Vinyan

53%

32%

Vinyan

Watchlist

Danika

29%

33%

Danika

Watchlist

Bug

62%

34%

Bug

Watchlist

The Devil's Backbone

93%

89%

The Devil's Backbone

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Devil's Backbone

The Backwoods

57%

27%

The Backwoods

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

The 29 Scariest Horror Movie Scenes of All Time

6 Horror Films That Will Give You All the Feels… After They Terrify You

Five Favorite Films with Guillermo del Toro

The Orphanage: Trailer 1

1:58

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

Laura (Belén Rueda) has happy memories of her childhood in an orphanage. She convinces her husband to buy the place and help her convert it into a home for sick children. One day, her own adopted son, Simón (Roger Príncep), disappears. Simon is critically ill, and when he is still missing several months later, he is presumed dead. Grief-stricken Laura believes she hears spirits, who may or may not be trying to help her find the boy.

Director: J. A. Bayona
Producer: Mar Targarona, Joaquín Padro, Álvaro Augustin
Screenwriter: Sergio G. Sánchez
Distributor: Picturehouse
Production Co: Telecinco Cinema, Rodar y Rodar Cine y Television
Rating: R (Some Disturbing Content)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Horror, Drama
Original Language: European Spanish
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 11, 2008, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 20, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $7.2M
Runtime: 1h 45m
Sound Mix: Dolby SRD, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)