This afternoon I went to see Guillermo Del Toro's latest project (as Exec producer) - The Orphanage. A Spanish horror film. A jaw droppingly brilliant and beautiful Spanish horror film.

The story focuses on Laura's search for her son who goes missing during a party at the family's new home/care home for disabled children. There were some plot elements which were blindly obvious and had me screaming in my head "they've stolen your treasure, follow the clue..." and "try the cupboard under the stairs... go on...", but this probably actually built up the suspense.

This is not an ordinary haunted house story. Finding the truth of what happened there both in the past and the tragic accident of Simon's death made this rise above your typical slasher flick. When she realises she has to draw out the children haunting the house and embrace that past is a wonderful film which had me riveted even knowing the inevitable outcome.

The parallels it draws to Peter Pan are beautifully handled and wonderfully dark. So well done in fact that I don't suppose the rumoured Hollywood remake will be able to do anything but fuck them up.

If you've read this far, I don't need to tell you to go and see it because you've already done so, right?

Alex
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