By Robert Scucci
| Published
If there’s one psychological horror flick out there that completely nails the whole “creepy kid” trope, it has to be 2009’s Orphan. Constantly blurring the line between perception and reality until its big third-act reveal, Orphan is a harrowing examination of how much caution one needs to exercise when letting somebody into their home because the consequences could be fatal.
While I’ll be the first to admit that Orphan’s final twist – similar to films like The Sixth Sense – becomes less effective with each repeat viewing, the shock you’ll experience upon your first watch will keep you up for days as you process the trauma you just subjected yourself to. But you’ll still want to watch the film a couple of times to see if there were any clues you may have overlooked leading up to its ending.
Something’s Up With Esther
Orphan tells a story of an adoption gone wrong after Kate (Vera Farmiga) and John (Peter Sarsgaard) Coleman decide to adopt Esther (Isabelle Fuhrman) in the wake of the former’s recent miscarriage. Introducing 9-year-old Esther into the Coleman family naturally requires adjustments, as attention will need to be taken away from their preteen son, Daniel (Jimmy Bennett), and their deaf 5-year-old daughter, Max (Aryana Engineer).
Primed to manipulate, Esther’s behavior immediately raises a number of red flags that only Kate sees at first in Orphan. From her beyond-her-years knowledge of adult intimacy to her prowess at playing piano, Esther exhibits intelligence and talents that no displaced 9-year-old could possibly possess. When Esther starts acting out against Daniel and Max, Kate’s concerns are written off by John as postpartum depression resulting from her recent miscarriage, as well as her past alcohol abuse.
When Sister Abigail (CCH Pounder), the head of the St. Mariana’s Home For Girls, pays the Coleman family a visit to divulge information about Esther’s troubled past, Esther catches on quickly, and eliminates her before anybody can catch onto the true nature of her mysterious, pre-adoption upbringing.
Escalates To The Point Of No Return
Esther’s teeth finally show in Orphan when she takes extreme measures to force the narrative against Kate, who by all means isn’t a perfect woman, but a great mother nonetheless. Tormenting Daniel and Max whenever she gets a chance while stopping at nothing to make Kate look like an abusive alcoholic to John, Esther slowly but surely destroys the family dynamic one sadistic act at a time, and it’s up to Kate to figure out exactly who she let into her family during her time of grieving.
Streaming Orphan On Hulu
Orphan is one of those psychological horror outings that’s frustrating by design because it’s so obvious to the viewer that Kate is in the right and Esther is evil. Esther’s sadistic tendencies, however, are on another level, which allows her to slowly infiltrate and manipulate the Coleman family to do her bidding until she decides she’s through with them and wants to move onto her next victims. For every instance in which Kate speaks out against Esther, the orphan is always one step ahead in her efforts to look like an innocent child who doesn’t know any better.
A total nail-biter from start to finish, Orphan continues to escalate until its stunning conclusion is forced upon you. As of this writing, you can stream Orphan with an active Hulu subscription. But don’t say I didn’t warn you because it’s not for the faint of heart.
