View source for The Orphanage (2007 film)




{{Infobox film
| name           = The Orphanage
| image          = Elorfanato.jpg
| alt            = Film poster illustrating a woman cradling a baby covered in cloth in a dark room in front of a bright window. Five small hands are seen covering the window from the darkness. Text at the bottom of the poster reveals the original Spanish title, production credits and release date.
| caption        = Spanish release poster
| native_name      = {{Infobox name module|es|El orfanato|nolink=yes}}
| director       = [[J. A. Bayona]]
| producer       = {{plainlist|
*Mar Targarona
*Joaquín Padró
*Álvaro Augustin
}}
| writer         = 
| screenplay     = [[Sergio G. Sánchez]]<ref name="creditsInfo" />
| story          = 
| based_on       = <!-- {{Based on|title of the original work|creator of the original work|additional creator(s), if necessary}} -->
| starring       = {{plainlist|
*[[Belén Rueda]]
*[[Fernando Cayo]]
*Roger Príncep
*[[Mabel Rivera]]
*[[Montserrat Carulla]]
*[[Andrés Gertrúdix]]
*[[Edgar Vivar]]
*[[Geraldine Chaplin]]
}}
| narrator       = 
| music          = [[Fernando Velázquez (composer)|Fernando Velázquez]]
| cinematography = [[Óscar Faura]]<ref name="creditsInfo" />
| editing        = Elena Ruiz<ref name="creditsInfo" />
| production_companies = {{plainlist|
* Rodar y Rodar
*[[Telecinco Cinema]]
}}
| distributor    = [[Warner Bros. Pictures|Warner Bros. Pictures Spain]]<ref name="creditsInfo" />
| released       = {{Film date|df=yes|2007|5|20|[[Cannes Film Festival|Cannes]]|2007|9|10|Spain}}
| runtime        = 97 minutes<ref name="creditsInfo">{{cite web|url=http://infoicaa.mecd.es/CatalogoICAA/Caratulas/53606/58/P53606.pdf|title=El Orfanato|language=es|access-date=November 29, 2017|publisher=ICAA Spañol Film Catalog}}</ref>
| country        = {{plainlist|
* Spain<ref name="creditsInfo" />
* Mexico<ref>{{cite web |url=https://m.the-numbers.com/movie/Orfanato-El#tab=summary |title=El orfanato (2007) |website=the-numbers.com |access-date=June 6, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cinencuentro.com/2007/11/28/el-orfanato-2007/ |title=cinencuentro.com |website=cinencuentro.com |date=November 28, 2007 |access-date=June 6, 2019}}</ref>
}} 
| language       = Spanish
| budget         = €4.5 million<ref name="diazsalado">{{Cite web|url=https://www.fotogramas.es/noticias-cine/a35736593/el-orfanato-pelicula-terror-bayona-belen-rueda-curiosidades-rodaje/|website=[[Fotogramas]]|first=Javier|last=Díaz-Salado|title='El orfanato': 10 curiosidades y secretos de rodaje de la película de terror de J.A. Bayona|date=5 March 2021}}</ref>
| gross          = €65 million<ref name="diazsalado" />
}}

'''''The Orphanage''''' ({{langx|es|link=no|'''El orfanato'''}}) is a 2007 [[Gothic film|Gothic]] [[Supernatural horror film|supernatural horror]] film directed by [[J. A. Bayona]] in his directorial full-length debut. The film stars [[Belén Rueda]] as Laura, [[Fernando Cayo]] as her husband, Carlos, and Roger Príncep as their adopted son Simón. The plot centers on Laura, who returns to her childhood home, an orphanage. Laura plans to turn the house into a home for disabled children, but after an argument with Simón, he goes missing. The film is an international co-production between [[Spain]] and [[Mexico]].

The film's script was written by [[Sergio G. Sánchez]] in 1996 and brought to the attention of Bayona in 2004. Bayona asked his long-time friend, director [[Guillermo del Toro]], to help produce the film and to double its budget and filming time. Bayona wanted the film to capture the feel of 1970s [[Cinema of Spain|Spanish cinema]]; he cast [[Geraldine Chaplin]] and Belén Rueda, who were later praised for their roles in the film.

The film opened at the [[Cannes Film Festival]] on 20 May 2007, where it received a standing ovation lasting more than 10 minutes. It received domestic critical acclaim in Spain, and won seven [[Goya awards]], including Original Screenplay and New Director. On its North American release, ''The Orphanage'' was praised by English-speaking critics, who described  the film as well directed and well acted, and noted the film's lack of "cheap scares". [[New Line Cinema]] subsequently bought the rights to the film for an American [[remake]]. It is widely regarded as a modern classic of the genre and of Spanish and Mexican cinema.

==Plot==
<!-- Please help keep this section brief. Every detail of the plot does not need to appear here. -->
In Spain, a young girl named Laura García Rodríguez is adopted from an [[orphanage]]. Thirty years later, adult Laura returns to the closed orphanage, accompanied by her husband, Carlos Sánchez Rivera, and their seven-year-old son, Simón. She plans to reopen the orphanage as a facility for [[disabled]] children. Simón claims to have befriended a boy named Tomás, and draws pictures of him as a child wearing a sack mask. [[Social work]]er Benigna Escobedo visits the house to inquire after Simón, and it is revealed that Laura and Carlos adopted Simón and that he is [[HIV-positive people|HIV-positive]]. Incensed at Benigna's intrusion, Laura asks her to leave. Later that night, Laura finds Benigna in the orphanage's coal shed, but Benigna flees the scene. Later, Simón teaches Laura a game which grants its winner a wish. Clues lead the two to Simón's adoption file. Simón becomes angry, and says that his new friend told him that Laura is not his biological mother and that he is going to die soon.

During a party for the orphanage's opening, Laura and Simón argue, and Simón hides from her after she slaps him across the face in a fit of frustration, which she immediately regrets. While looking for him, she encounters a child wearing a sack mask who shoves her into a bathroom and locks her inside. When Laura escapes, she realizes that Simón is missing and is unable to find him. That night, Laura hears several loud crashes within the walls of the orphanage. Police psychologist Pilar suggests to Laura and Carlos that Benigna may have abducted Simón.

Six months later, Simón is still missing. While searching for him, Laura spots Benigna (pushing a doll in a pram), who is then struck and killed by an ambulance. The police find evidence that Benigna worked at the orphanage, and that she had a son named Tomás, who also lived there but was kept hidden due to his facial deformity (with Laura seeing old footage of Tomás being made to remove his mask, presenting his face to the camera). A few weeks after Laura was adopted, the orphans stole the mask that Tomás wore to conceal his deformed face and damaged eye. Embarrassed, Tomás refused to leave his hiding place in a nearby [[sea cave]], and the rising tide drowned him.

Laura asks for the assistance of a [[Mediumship|medium]] named Aurora in the search for Simón. Aurora conducts a [[séance]] during which she claims to see the [[ghost]]s of the orphans crying for help. Laura discovers the remains of the orphans she grew up with in the orphanage. Benigna poisoned their meals and killed them for having caused Tomás's death and hid their remains in the orphanage's coal shed.<ref name="UKinterview" /> <!-- this is cited to note that it's not a furnace as once written. In the interview with the director he says it's a coal shed --> Unable to cope with the situation, Carlos leaves the orphanage.

Laura makes the orphanage look as it did thirty years prior and attempts to contact the children's spirits by playing one of their old games. The spirits lead her to the door of a hidden underground room. Inside is Simón's corpse, wearing Tomás' mask. Laura finally realizes what happened: while searching for Simón the night he disappeared, Laura moved pieces of construction [[scaffolding]], blocking the entrance to the secret room. The crashes that night were caused by Simón trying to get out. He fell and fatally broke his neck (when he was knocked back by something ramming the secret door while he was standing by it).

Laura appears to [[Drug overdose|take an overdose]] of sleeping pills. Then, apparently dying, she begs to be with Simón again and the children's spirits appear (including an unmasked Tomás finally coming in to join the rest, no longer shy over his looks), with Simón among them. Simón tells Laura that his wish was for her to stay and take care of the orphans; she then happily tells them a story (as Tomás makes the others sit down next to him to listen). Sometime later, Carlos visits a memorial to Laura, Simón and the orphans. Carlos returns to the orphans' old bedroom and finds a medallion that he had instructed Laura to return when she found Simón. He turns to look as the door opens, and he smiles.<!-- Do not add the speculation that the ghost of Laura is present when the door opens, as it is not explicitly shown in the film. -->

==Cast==
* [[Belén Rueda]] as Laura García Rodríguez, the wife of Carlos and adoptive mother of Simón. Laura returns to the orphanage where she spent some of her youth to turn it into a home for disabled children. Mireia Renau portrays the younger Laura.
* [[Fernando Cayo]] as Carlos Sánchez Rivera, the husband of Laura and adoptive father of Simón.
* Roger Príncep as Simón Sánchez Rivera, the young adopted son of Laura and Carlos. Simón meets new imaginary friends in the orphanage and eventually threatens to run away with them.
* [[Mabel Rivera]] as Pilar, the head police psychologist who eventually discovers the truth of who Benigna really is.
* [[Montserrat Carulla]] as Benigna Escobedo, a former worker at the orphanage who identifies herself as a social worker. When she is seen young in the film, she is portrayed by Carol Suárez.<ref name="allmoviecast">{{cite web |url=https://www.allmovie.com/cg/avg.dll?p=avg&sql=1:389195~T2 |title=Allmovie > The Orphanage > Cast |access-date=2008-10-27 |publisher=Allmovie }}</ref> Production companies working with Bayona tried to urge him to keep this character alive until the end of the film.<ref name="filmmakermag">{{cite web |url=http://filmmakermagazine.com/directorinterviews/2007/12/juan-antonio-bayona-orphanage.php |title=The Director Interviews |access-date=2008-10-27 |publisher=Filmmaker Magazine|date=28 December 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080807175329/http://filmmakermagazine.com/directorinterviews/2007/12/juan-antonio-bayona-orphanage.php <!--Added by H3llBot--> |archive-date=7 August 2008}}</ref>
* [[Geraldine Chaplin]] as Aurora, the medium brought in to help find Simón when the police can't find him.
* [[Andrés Gertrúdix]] as Enrique, Aurora's sound technician.
* [[Édgar Vivar]] as Professor Leo Balabán, a parapsychology expert who puts Laura in contact with Aurora and directs the spirit session in her house.
* [[Óscar Casas]] as Tomás, the deformed, one-eyed son of Benigna, now a [[ghost]], who Simón claims to have befriended.

==Production==

===Development===
This was an international co-production film between Spain and Mexico. The first draft of the script of ''The Orphanage'' was written by [[Sergio G. Sánchez]] in 1996.<ref name="indielondon">{{cite web |url=http://www.indielondon.co.uk/Film-Review/the-orphanage-juan-antonio-bayona-interview |title=The Orphanage – Juan Antonio Bayona interview |access-date=2008-10-27 |publisher=indieLondon }}</ref> Sánchez was not sure why he chose to write a [[Film genre|genre film]] for the screenplay, as he explains, "I ended up writing a film in the style of those I liked as a kid, movies like ''[[Poltergeist (1982 film)|Poltergeist]]'', ''[[The Omen]]'', and ''[[Rosemary's Baby (film)|Rosemary's Baby]]'' which I ruined on the first [[VCR]] we owned at home."<ref name="official_aboutscreenplay">{{cite web |url=http://www.theorphanagemovie.com/ |title=About the Screenplay |access-date=2008-10-27 |publisher=[[Picturehouse (company)|Picturehouse]] }}</ref> Sánchez revealed the literary influences underlying his writing of the script, such as ''[[The Turn of the Screw]]'' and ''[[Peter and Wendy|Peter Pan]]''.<ref name="interviewDeadbolt2">{{cite web |url=http://www.thedeadbolt.com/news/102913/bayonasanchez_interview.php |title=Deadbolt Interview |access-date=2008-10-28 |author=Brian Tallerico |publisher=The Dead Bolt |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081007025518/http://www.thedeadbolt.com/news/102913/bayonasanchez_interview.php <!--Added by H3llBot--> |archive-date=7 October 2008}}</ref> Sánchez originally wanted to direct the script but he was repeatedly turned down by various Spanish production companies.<ref name="interviewDeadbolt2"/> While Sánchez was working on the short film ''7337'' in 2004, he met with director [[Juan Antonio Bayona]] and offered him the script to direct.<ref name="official_aboutscreenplay"/><ref name="interviewDeadbolt2"/><ref name="aintitcool"/> Bayona accepted the opportunity  because he felt that a [[Fantasy film|fantasy]] themed script like that of ''The Orphanage'' would allow him freedom as a director, saying the fantasy genre was a great tool for learning as it "allows manipulation of space and time as we wish or the use of certain camera moves with an immediate efficiency".<ref name="official_interviewbayona1">{{cite web |url=http://www.theorphanagemovie.com/ |title=Interviews: Juan Anthonio Bayona |access-date=2008-10-27 |publisher=[[Picturehouse (company)|Picturehouse]] }}</ref>

Bayona cut parts of the script, including the outcome of the other orphanage children, because he wanted to focus on the character of Laura and what happens to her.<ref name="official_interviewbayona2">{{cite web |url=http://www.scifi.com/sfw/interviews/sfw17677.html |title=Director Juan Antonio Bayona and screenwriter Sergio G. Sánchez team up with producer Guillermo del Toro to fill ''The Orphanage'' with fear |access-date=2010-04-17|author=Michael Marano|publisher=Sci Fi Weekly |date=24 December 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080504001151/http://www.scifi.com/sfw/interviews/sfw17677.html |archive-date=May 4, 2008 }}</ref> To create the film as he wanted, Bayona had to double both the film's budget and the amount of filming time.<ref name="official_aboutproduction">{{cite web |url=http://www.theorphanagemovie.com/ |title=About the Production |access-date=2008-10-27 |publisher=[[Picturehouse (company)|Picturehouse]] }}</ref> To accomplish this, Bayona received help from fellow film director [[Guillermo del Toro]], whom he had met at [[Festival de Cine de Sitges]] when del Toro was presenting his film ''[[Cronos (film)|Cronos]]'' (1993).<ref name="official_aboutproduction" /> Del Toro offered to co-produce the film as soon as he learned about it.<ref name="official_aboutproduction" /> For the rest of his crew, Bayona worked with his regular team that he worked with on commercials and music videos.<ref name="UKprod">{{cite web
 |title       = Sypnopsis & Production Info > Download Production PDF > About the Production
 |url       = http://www.theorphanagemovie.co.uk/
 |format       = ZIP
 |access-date       = 2009-06-29
 |archive-date       = September 12, 2018
 |archive-url       = https://web.archive.org/web/20180912213438/http://www.theorphanagemovie.co.uk/
 |url-status       = usurped
 }}</ref>

===Casting===
During casting discussions between Bayona and del Toro, Bayona expressed a desire to see Belén Rueda in the lead.<ref name="official_aboutproduction"/> Bayona admired her after seeing her performance as Julia in [[Alejandro Amenabar]]'s ''[[The Sea Inside]]''.<ref name="futuremovies">{{cite web |url=http://www.futuremovies.co.uk/filmmaking.asp?ID=241 |title=The Orphanage Q&A with director Juan Antonio Bayona |access-date=2008-10-28 |publisher=FutureMovies |date=13 March 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081225204443/http://www.futuremovies.co.uk/filmmaking.asp?ID=241 |archive-date=December 25, 2008 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> Del Toro appreciated this choice, as he admired her as an actress and liked that Bayona was casting her against type.<ref name="official_aboutproduction"/> Bayona asked Rueda to watch ''[[The Innocents (1961 film)|The Innocents]]'' and ''[[Close Encounters of the Third Kind]]'' to prepare for the role.<ref name="interviewDeadbolt3">{{cite web |url=http://www.thedeadbolt.com/news/102983/belenrueda_interview.php |title=Deadbolt Interview |access-date=2008-10-28 |author=Brian Tallerico |publisher=The Dead Bolt |archive-url=https://archive.today/20081120124340/http://www.thedeadbolt.com/news/102983/belenrueda_interview.php <!--Added by H3llBot--> |archive-date=20 November 2008}}</ref> Another actress Bayona desired for the film was [[Geraldine Chaplin]] in the role of Aurora, the medium.<ref name="official_aboutproduction"/> Bayona stated that he wanted the film to have "the mood of 70s [[Cinema of Spain|Spanish cinema]] and Geraldine starred in one of the best movies of that decade, [[Carlos Saura]]'s ''[[Cría cuervos|The Secret of Anna]]'', as the ghost of the mother. It made sense to have her play the medium."<ref name="futuremovies" /> Bayona was nervous about filming with Chaplin. To break that tension, on the first day of shooting with her, Bayona hid under a bed during a scene which required Chaplin to portray Aurora kneeling down near it in the dark, and he grabbed Chaplin's leg when she did so.<ref name="futuremovies" /> Aurora's scream in the film is Chaplin's actual frightened scream as Bayona grabbed her.<ref name="futuremovies" /> Roger Príncep's test-screening was one of the first for the role of Simón.<ref name="aintitcool">{{cite web |url=https://www.aintitcool.com/node/34414 |title=Quint interviews Juan Antonio Bayona and Sergio Sanchez about the nifty horror flick The Orphanage |access-date=2008-10-28 |publisher=Aintitcoolnews|date=12 October 2007}}</ref> Bayona test-screened over four-hundred children during two months before making his choice to cast Princep.<ref name="aintitcool" /> [[Edgar Vivar]] was cast in role of Balabán; Bayona knew him through his work on the Mexican television series ''[[El Chavo (TV series)|El Chavo]]'' and sent him an invitation for the role through e-mail.<ref>{{cite web
 |title        = 'El orfanato', regalo de vida para Vivar
 |url          = http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/espectaculos/81144.html
 |work         = El Universal.com.mx
 |language     = es
 |trans-title  = 'The Orphanage' gift of life for Vivar
 |date         = January 27, 2008
 |access-date  = July 8, 2009
 |archive-date = March 8, 2008
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20080308111126/http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/espectaculos/81144.html
 |url-status   = dead
}}</ref>

===Filming===
Production on ''The Orphanage'' began on May 15, 2006, in [[Llanes]], [[Asturias]].<ref name="official_aboutproduction" /> This location was chosen due to the area's diverse natural settings that include beaches, caves, cliffs, forests, a small village, and the Partarríu Manor where the orphanage scenes take place.<ref name="official_aboutproduction" /> The orphanage was an old [[Spanish Colonial architecture|colonial house]] from the end of the nineteenth century.<ref name="official_aboutproduction" /> Bayona wanted to use certain [[Cinematography|cinematographic]] techniques that were impossible to achieve in the house, so several parts of the house were reconstructed in [[sound stages]].<ref name="official_aboutproduction" /> After four weeks in Llanes, the team moved to [[Barcelona]] to finish up the last ten weeks of filming in sound stages, making over 80% of the film there.<ref name="official_aboutproduction" /> Bayona showed the films ''[[La residencia]]'' and ''[[The Innocents (1961 film)|The Innocents]]'' to his [[cinematographer|director of photography]] on the film, to make special notice of the Scope lensing used in both films.<ref name="UKinterview">{{cite web
 |title       = Sypnopsis & Production Info > Download Production PDF > Interview J.A. Bayona – Director
 |url       = http://www.theorphanagemovie.co.uk/
 |format       = ZIP
 |access-date       = 2009-06-29
 |archive-date       = September 12, 2018
 |archive-url       = https://web.archive.org/web/20180912213438/http://www.theorphanagemovie.co.uk/
 |url-status       = usurped
 }}</ref>

==Release==
[[File:Bayona-Rueda-del-Toro-L'Orphelinat.JPG|right|thumb|alt=Juan Antonio Bayona, Belén Rueda and Guillermo del Toro dressed in black on a stage from left to right.|Juan Antonio Bayona, Belén Rueda and Guillermo del Toro at a French premiere of ''The Orphanage'' in Paris on January 28, 2008.]]
''The Orphanage'' [[Film premiere|premiered]] at the [[Cannes Film Festival]] on May 20, 2007. The film was positively received with a ten-minute ovation from the audience.<ref name="foreignfilm" /> The film's Spanish debut took place at the [[Sitges Film Festival]] on October 4, 2007, where it opened the festival.<ref name="spainopening">{{cite web |url=http://sitgesfilmfestival.com/eng/noticies/?id=1002749 |title=The Orphanage, by J.A. Bayona, to open the festival  |access-date=2008-10-28 |publisher=[[Sitges Film Festival]] |date=21 June 2007 }}</ref> ''The Orphanage'' premiered in Spain on September 10, 2007.<ref name="creditsInfo" /> ''The Orphanage'' was released in Spain on September 10, 2007, and was immensely successful in Spain after an $8.3 million four-day launch from 350 screens. The film was the second highest-grossing debut ever for a Spanish film and was the biggest opening of the year, making it even larger than the worldwide success of the Spanish-Mexican film ''[[Pan's Labyrinth]]''.<ref name="creditsInfo" /><ref name="foreignfilm" /><ref name="mojoRat">{{cite web |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=2404&p=.htm/ |title=Around the World Roundup: 'Ratatouille' Squashes Competitors  |access-date=2008-10-28 |author=Conor Bresnan |publisher=[[Box Office Mojo]] |date=17 October 2007 }}</ref> It opened in [[limited release]] in the United States on December 28, 2007, and had a wide release on January 11, 2008.<ref name="mojoMain">{{cite web |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=orphanage.htm |title=The Orphanage (2007)  |access-date=2008-10-28 |publisher=[[Box Office Mojo]] }}</ref> It opened in Mexico on January 25, 2008, and earned over $11,000,000 at the box office.<ref name="MexicoMojo">{{cite web |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/intl/mexico/yearly/?yr=2008&p=.htm |title=2008 Mexico Yearly Box Office Results  |access-date=2016-11-18 |publisher=[[Box Office Mojo]] }}</ref>

In Spain, the film was nominated for 14 [[Goya Awards]], including Best Picture and ended up winning awards for Best Art Direction, Best Director of Production, Best Makeup and Hair, Best New Director, Best Screenplay – Original, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Special Effects.<ref name="allmovieawards">{{cite web|url=http://www.allmovie.com/work/the-orphanage-389195/awards |title=The Orphanage |access-date=2024-06-03 |publisher=Allmovie |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090601083433/http://www.allmovie.com/work/the-orphanage-389195/awards |archive-date=June 1, 2009}}</ref> ''The Orphanage'' was chosen by the Spanish Academy of Films as Spain's nominee for the 2007 [[Academy Award]] for Best Foreign Film, but ultimately did not end up as one of the five final nominees in that category.<ref name="foreignfilm">{{cite web |url=http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/13815/el-orfanato-left-off-oscar-shortlist |title='El Orfanato' left off Oscar shortlist  |work=thinkSPAIN |access-date=2008-10-27 |date= January 16, 2008 }}</ref> 
''The Orphanage'' was picked up by [[Picturehouse (company)|Picturehouse]] at the [[Berlin Film Festival]] for American distribution.<ref name="varietyRemake">{{cite news |url=https://variety.com/2007/film/news/new-line-mulls-orphanage-remake-1117971541/ |title=New Line mulls 'Orphanage' remake  |access-date=2008-10-28 |work=Variety|date=7 September 2007 | first1=Emiliano | last1=De Pablos}}</ref>

In Iran, the film won [[Crystal Simorgh]] for Best Director at the "Seeking the Truth" section of the [[27th Fajr International Film Festival]].<ref>{{cite news |script-title=fa:''برف''، بیضایی و بگیچ سیمرغ‌های بلورین را به خانه بردند |trans-title=''Snow'', Beyzai and Begić won the awards |agency=[[Mehr News Agency]] |url=https://www.mehrnews.com/news/829426/ |date=5 February 2009 |language=fa}}</ref>

===Home media===
''The Orphanage'' was released on DVD and [[Blu-ray Disc|Blu-ray]] on April 22, 2008, for a [[DVD region code#Region codes and countries|Region 1]] release by [[New Line Cinema]].<ref name="allmovieDVD">{{cite web |url=https://www.allmovie.com/cg/avg.dll?p=avg&sql=16:189628 |title=Allmovie > The Orphanage Widescreen DVD |access-date=2008-10-27 |publisher=Allmovie|author=Jason Buchanan }}</ref> Both discs featured the same bonus features.<ref name="allmovieBlue">{{cite web |url=https://www.allmovie.com/cg/avg.dll?p=avg&sql=16:189629 |title=Allmovie > The Orphanage Blu-Ray |access-date=2008-10-27 |publisher=Allmovie|author=Jason Buchanan }}</ref><ref name="allmovieDVD" /> A [[DVD region code#Region codes and countries|Region 2]] version was released on DVD by [[Optimum Releasing]] on July 21, 2008.<ref name="optimum">{{cite web |url=http://www.optimumreleasing.com/dvd.php?id=695 |title=Optimum Releasing: Orphanage, The |access-date=2008-10-28 |publisher=Optimum Releasing |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20080804132519/http://www.optimumreleasing.com/dvd.php?id=695 |archive-date=August 4, 2008 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

===Remake===
In 2007, [[New Line Cinema]] bought the rights to produce an English-language [[Film remake|remake]] with [[Guillermo del Toro]] as producer.<ref name="varietyRemake" /><ref name="nytimes">{{cite news |url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/451232/The-Orphanage-Remake-/details |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121021201534/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/451232/The-Orphanage-Remake-/details |url-status=dead |archive-date=2012-10-21 |department=Movies & TV Dept. |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=2012 |title=The Orphanage (Remake)  |access-date=2008-10-28 }}</ref> On remakes, director Bayona noted that "The Americans have all the money in the world but can't do anything, while we can do whatever we want but don't have the money" and "The American industry doesn't take chances, that's why they make remakes of movies that were already big hits".<ref name="awardsquote">{{cite web |url=http://sitgesfilmfestival.com/eng/noticies/?id=1002893 |title="J.A. Bayona: "The important things are emotions, not awards""  |access-date=2008-10-27 |publisher=[[Sitges Film Festival]] |date=9 October 2008 }}</ref> On August 4, 2009, [[Larry Fessenden]] was announced as the director of the American remake.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/news/e3if7a4852b0435babdb7b3ce2f7bf972ed|title='Orphanage' remake finds a director|author1=Kit, Borys|author2=Zeitchik, Steven|work=The Hollywood Reporter|date=August 4, 2009|access-date=August 13, 2009|archive-date=August 8, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090808080511/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/news/e3if7a4852b0435babdb7b3ce2f7bf972ed|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Fessenden later announced that he would not be involved with directing the remake, stating "Working on the script with Guillermo was a very exciting experience, but then I got into a casting miasma and that's where the thing is; I think they're gonna do it another way, actually. So I think I'm out of it. Hopefully they'll still use my script, but I'm not sure I'm directing it anymore".<ref name="FessendenRemake">{{cite web |url=https://www.joblo.com/arrow/index.php?id=19405 |title=Excl: Orphanage director out |access-date=November 25, 2009 |work=Arrow in the Head|date=November 19, 2009}}</ref> In January 2010, [[Mark Pellington]] replaced Larry Fessenden as director of the project.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/2010/biz/markets-festivals/orphanage-finds-helmer-1118013246/|work=Variety|author=McNary, Dave|date=January 2, 2010|access-date=January 12, 2010|title='Orphanage' finds helmer}}</ref>

On August 5, 2011, Guillermo del Toro stated that the remake would reflect his original vision for the film, and that it had been planned even when the first version was in production. "Even when we produced the Spanish movie, I had intended to remake it because we had a very different screenplay that, because of money and time, got turned into the movie you saw – which is great, but there was this other structure for the original script that I wanted to try. So even before we shot the first film it was an economic decision, a pre-existing creative decision, to change it." Del Toro also praised the new film's director. "We have Mark Pellington attached as director – I'm a big fan of his ''[[The Mothman Prophecies (film)|The Mothman Prophecies]]'' and his video work – and we are out to actors, so we're hoping to get things going soon."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.digitalspy.ie/movies/news/a333542/guillermo-del-toro-orphanage-remake-will-be-different.html|work=[[Digital Spy]]|author=Uddin, Zakia|date=August 5, 2011|access-date=February 27, 2012|title=Guillermo del Toro: 'Orphanage remake will be different'}}</ref>

On August 30, 2011, it was reported that American actress [[Amy Adams]] was in talks to star as Laura, the main character, who was played by Belén Rueda in the original film. It was also stated that the current incarnation of the remake screenplay had been written by Larry Fessenden and [[Sergio G. Sánchez]], the sole writer of the original film.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/26100|work=[[Bloody Disgusting]]|last=Miska|first=Brad|date=August 30, 2011|access-date=February 27, 2012|title=BD Horror news – 3-Time Academy Award Nominee Amy Adams Checking Into 'The Orphanage'?}}</ref>

By August 2021, Fessenden said that once he left, the project was shelved indefinitely. He added that "...the clock just ran out. I couldn’t land an actress of the caliber they had hoped for."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/exclusives/3680450/larry-fessenden-revisits-orphanage-discuss-remake-never-ended-making-phantom-limbs/|work=[[Bloody Disgusting]]|last=Jenkins|first=Jason|date=August 27, 2021|access-date=December 14, 2024|title=Larry Fessenden Revisits 'The Orphanage' to Discuss the Remake He Never Ended Up Making}}</ref>

==Reception==
===Critical response===
{{globalize|section|date=September 2018}}
<!-- Please note, when updating Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic, and Movie Tab ratings, you should also update the "accessdate" field within the citation tags to reflect the date on which you have updated them. -->
''The Orphanage'' was received very well by American critics on its original release. The film has an 87% approval rating on [[Rotten Tomatoes]] based on 181 reviews, with an average rating of 7.4/10. The critical consensus reads, "Deeply unnerving and surprisingly poignant, ''The Orphanage'' is an atmospheric, beautifully crafted haunted house horror film that earns scares with a minimum of blood."<ref name="rottentomatoes">{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_orphanage |title=The Orphanage (2007) | access-date=March 19, 2018 |work=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] | publisher=[[Fandango Media]]}}</ref> At [[Metacritic]], the film has received an [[weighted mean|average]] score of 74 out of 100, based on 33 reviews from mainstream critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-orphanage | title=The Orphanage | work=[[Metacritic]] | publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] | access-date=March 19, 2018}}</ref>

Critics praised the film for its lack of cheap scares. Film critic for the ''[[Chicago Sun Times]]'' [[Roger Ebert]] approved of the film claiming it to be "deliberately aimed at viewers with developed attention spans. It lingers to create atmosphere, a sense of place, a sympathy with the characters, instead of rushing into cheap thrills".<ref name="ebert">{{cite news |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-orphanage-2007 |title=The Orphanage |access-date=March 19, 2018 |date=December 27, 2007 |author-link=Roger Ebert |last=Ebert |first=Roger |work=RogerEbert.com |publisher=Ebert Digital}}</ref> Bill Goodykoontz of the ''[[Arizona Republic]]'' echoed this statement noting, "Bayona never lets The Orphanage descend into cheap horror. The scares here are expertly done and, placed in the context of Laura's state of mind, well-earned, perhaps even explainable (or not)."<ref name="arizona">{{cite web |url=https://www.azcentral.com/ent/movies/articles/2008/01/10/20080110orphanage0111.html |title=''The Orphanage''  |access-date=2008-11-03 |last=Goodykoontz |first=Bill |work=[[Arizona Republic]] |date=January 10, 2008}}</ref> Peter Howell of the ''[[Toronto Star]]'' wrote, "The year's best horror picture is also one of the simplest. ''The Orphanage'' makes little if any use of digital tricks to present its numerous terrors."<ref name="star">{{cite news |url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/article/287525 |title='The Orphanage': Dark look into make-believe  |access-date=2008-11-03 |last=Howell |first=Peter |date=December 26, 2007 | work=[[Toronto Star]]}}</ref> The casting of Chaplin and Rueda was praised while the role of Carlos was called dull. Goodykoontz noted the role of Carlos, saying "Cayo is rather pedestrian as Carlos, but he isn't given that much to do".<ref name="arizona" /> [[Michael Phillips (critic)|Michael Phillips]] of the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' shared this opinion saying, "Rueda has a great pair of peepers for this assignment. When she looks one way and then the other, while skulking through the hallways of her childhood home, every nerve-wracking whatwasthat? registers, and how. Cayo is pretty dull by comparison, but Chaplin certainly is not."<ref name="philips">{{cite web |url=http://chicago.metromix.com/movies/movie_review/movie-review-the-orphanage/271213/content |title=Movie review: ''The Orphanage'' |access-date=2008-11-03 |last=Phillips |first=Michael |work=[[Chicago Tribune]] |date=December 28, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080918204146/http://chicago.metromix.com/movies/movie_review/movie-review-the-orphanage/271213/content |archive-date=September 18, 2008 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> Liam Lacey of ''[[The Globe and Mail]]'' praised Rueda stating, "The strongest appeal of the film is the brooding, intense performance by Spanish actress, Belen Rueda."<ref name="globemail"/>

A negative review came from Lacey of ''[[The Globe and Mail]]'', who felt that at "[the film's] core, it seems intended as a sympathetic drama of a bereaved mother, who may have slipped into madness. What's even more disquieting is the persistent undercurrent of exploitation – the mixture of grief and jarring shock effects and the pitiless use of a disfigured child as a source of horror."<ref name="globemail">{{cite web |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/ghost-story-exploits-but-doesnt-scare/article726926/ |title=Ghost story exploits, but doesn't scare |access-date=2008-11-03 |last=Lacey |first=Liam |work=[[The Globe and Mail]] |date=December 26, 2007}}</ref> [[A. O. Scott]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' claimed the film to be a "diverting, overwrought ghost story" and that it "relies on basic and durable horror movie techniques".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/28/movies/28orph.html |title=The Ghost Down the Hall Is Scary in Spanish, Too |first=A. O. |last=Scott |work=[[The New York Times]]  |date=December 28, 2007 |access-date=March 19, 2018}}</ref> Jack Matthews of ''[[Daily News (New York)|New York Daily News]]'' found the ending of the film to be one of the worst of the season, but praised the acting of [[Belén Rueda]].<ref name="NewYorkDailyNews">{{cite news |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/movies/2007/12/28/2007-12-28_spains_orphanage_has_phantom_end.html |title=Spain's 'Orphanage' has phantom end  |access-date=2008-11-03 |last=Matthews |first=Jack |work=[[New York Daily News]] |date=June 3, 2008}}</ref>

''The Orphanage'' listed as one of the top 10 best films of 2007 by several critics, including Lawrence Toppman of the ''[[Charlotte Observer]]'', Marc Doyle of [[Metacritic]] and Tasha Robinson of ''[[The A.V. Club]]''.<ref name="metacritic10">{{cite web | url=https://www.metacritic.com/film/awards/2007/toptens.shtml | title=Film Critic Top Ten List (2007) | work=[[Metacritic]] | publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] | access-date=2008-10-28 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080730001905/http://www.metacritic.com/film/awards/2007/toptens.shtml |archive-date = July 30, 2008}}</ref> Anthony Lane of ''[[The New Yorker]]'' included the film on his top ten list of 2008.<ref name="2008metacritic10">{{cite web | url=https://www.metacritic.com/film/awards/2008/toptens.shtml | title=Film Critic Top Ten List (2008) | work=[[Metacritic]] | publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] | access-date=2009-01-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090227063722/http://www.metacritic.com/film/awards/2008/toptens.shtml|archive-date=February 27, 2009}}</ref> 
In the early 2010s, ''[[Time Out London|Time Out]]'' conducted a poll with several authors, directors, actors and critics who have worked within the horror genre to vote for their top horror films. ''The Orphanage'' placed at number 76 on their top 100 list.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.timeout.com/london/film/the-100-best-horror-films-the-list?pageNumber=3|work=[[Time Out London|Time Out]]|access-date=April 13, 2014|title=The 100 best horror films: the list|last1=Huddleston|first1=Tom|last2=Clarke|first2=Cath|last3=Calhoun|first3=Dave|last4=Floyd|first4=Nigel|date=September 19, 2016|publisher=[[Time Out Group]]}}</ref>

===Accolades===
{{Awards table|5}}
|-
| rowspan = "21" align = "center" | 2008 || rowspan = "14" | [[22nd Goya Awards]] || colspan = "2" | [[Goya Award for Best Film|Best Film]] || {{nom}} || rowspan = "14" | <ref>{{Cite web|access-date=5 February 2023|publisher=[[Academia de las Artes y las Ciencias Cinematográficas de España]]|website=[[Goya Awards|premiosgoya.com]]|title=El orfanato|url=https://www.premiosgoya.com/pelicula/el-orfanato}}</ref>
|-
| [[Goya Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]] || Belén Rueda || {{nom}}
|-
| [[Goya Award for Best Supporting Actress|Best Supporting Actress]] || Geraldine Chaplin || {{nom}}
|-
| [[Goya Award for Best Original Screenplay|Best Original Screenplay]] || Sergio G. Sánchez || {{won}}
|-
| [[Goya Award for Best New Actor|Best New Actor]] || Roger Príncep || {{nom}}
|-
| [[Goya Award for Best New Director|Best New Director]] || J. A. Bayona || {{won}}
|-
| [[Goya Award for Best Editing|Best Editing]] || Elena Ruiz || {{nom}} 
|-
| [[Goya Award for Best Art Direction|Best Art Direction]] || Josep Rosell || {{won}}
|-
| [[Goya Award for Best Production Supervision|Best Production Supervision]] || Sandra Hermida || {{won}}
|-
| [[Goya Award for Best Sound|Best Sound]] || Xavi Mas, Marc Orts, Oriol Tarragó || {{won}}
|-
| [[Goya Award for Best Special Effects|Best Special Effects]] || David Martí, Montse Ribé, Pau Costa, Enric Masip, Lluís Castells, Jordi San Agustín || {{won}}
|-
| [[Goya Award for Best Costume Design|Best Costume Design]] || María Reyes || {{nom}}
|-
| [[Goya Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyles|Best Makeup and Hairstyles]] || Lola López, Itziar Arrieta || {{won}}
|-
| [[Goya Award for Best Original Score|Best Original Score]] || Fernando Velázquez || {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan = "2" | [[17th Actors and Actresses Union Awards]] || Best Film Actress in a Leading Role || Belén Rueda || {{nom}} || rowspan = "2" | <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.20minutos.es/noticia/335489/0/nominaciones/union/actores/|website=[[20minutos.es]]|title='Las 13 rosas' y las series TVE, favoritas en los premios de la Unión de Actores|date=18 January 2008|access-date=16 November 2021|language=es}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2008/03/31/cultura/1206998666.html/|website=[[El Mundo (Spain)|El Mundo]]|title=La saga Bardem triunfa en los premios de la Unión de Actores|date=1 April 2008|access-date=16 November 2021|language=es}}</ref>
|-
| Best Film Actress in a Minor Role || Geraldine Chaplin || {{won}}
|-
| 13th [[Forqué Awards]] || colspan = "2" | [[Forqué Award for Best Film|Best Film]] || {{won}} || align = "center" | <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.elconfidencial.com/cultura/cine/2008-05-07/el-orfanato-gana-el-premio-cinematografico-jose-maria-forque_362751/|website=[[El Confidencial]]|date=7 May 2008|title='El Orfanato' gana el Premio Cinematográfico José María Forqué}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan = "4" | [[21st European Film Awards]] || colspan = "2" | [[European Film Award for Best Film|Best European Film]] || {{nom}} || rowspan = "4" | <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.screendaily.com/il-divo-and-gomorrah-top-european-film-academy-nominations/4041900.article|website=[[ScreenDaily]]|date=8 November 2008|title=Il Divo and Gomorrah top European Film Academy nominations}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.screendaily.com/gomorrah-dominates-european-film-awards/4042268.article|website=[[ScreenDaily]]|date=7 December 2008|title=Gomorrah dominates European Film Awards}}</ref>
|-
| [[European Film Award for Best Actress|Best European Actress]] || Belén Rueda || {{nom}}
|-
| [[European Film Award for Best Cinematographer|Best European Cinematographer]] || Óscar Faura || {{nom}}
|-
| [[European Film Award for Best Composer|Best European Composer]] || Fernando Velázquez || {{nom}}
|-
| align = "center" | 2009 || 57th [[Silver Condor Awards]] || colspan = "2" | [[Silver Condor Award for Best Ibero-American Film|Best Ibero-American Film]] || {{nom}} || align = "center" | <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.latamcinema.com/aniceto-cordero-de-dios-y-leonera-principales-favoritas-de-los-premios-condor-de-plata/|website=Latam Cinema|title="Aniceto", "Cordero de Dios" y "Leonera", principales favoritas de los premios Cóndor de Plata|date=4 August 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.infobae.com/2009/08/11/465663-leonardo-favio-gran-ganador-los-condor-plata/|website=[[Infobae]]|date=11 August 2009|title=Leonardo Favio, gran ganador de los Cóndor de Plata}}</ref>
|}

==Soundtrack==
{{Infobox album
| name       = El Orfanato
| type       = film score
| artist     = [[Fernando Velázquez (composer)|Fernando Velázquez]]
| cover      =
| alt        =
| released   = 2007
| recorded   = 2006
| venue      =
| studio     =
| genre      = [[Film music]]
| length     = 47:24
| label      = [[Rhino Records|Rhino]]
| producer   =
| prev_title =
| prev_year  =
| next_title =
| next_year  =
}}
In 2007, the [[film score]] was composed by Fernando Velázquez and released on compact disc by [[Rhino Records]] in Spain. The score for the film was nominated for film awards including the [[Goya Award]] for Best Score.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.gsamusic.com/pdf/Velazquez_Fernando.pdf | title=Fernando Velázquez: Awards and Nominations | work=The Gorfaine/Schwartz Industry Incorporated | access-date=2008-10-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110711132201/http://www.gsamusic.com/pdf/Velazquez_Fernando.pdf |archive-date=July 11, 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The soundtrack has not been released locally in North America or the United Kingdom and is only available by import.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.amazon.com/El-Orfanato-OST/dp/B0013DOBLW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1225258454&sr=1-1
 | title=Amazon.com: El Orfanato (OST): El Orfanato, Das Waisen: Music | work=Amazon.com | access-date=2008-10-29 }}</ref>

===Track listing===
{{track listing
| headline        = Track list
| extra_column    = 
| total_length    = 
| all_writing     = 
| all_lyrics      = 
| all_music       = Fernando Velázquez
| writing_credits = 
| lyrics_credits  = 
| music_credits   = 
| title1          = Prólogo
| length1         = 2:32
| title2          = Créditos
| length2         = 1:07
| title3          = Una luz mágica
| length3         = 1:22
| title4          = El juego del tesoro
| length4         = 1:55
| title5          = Un día de fiesta
| length5         = 4:38
| title6          = Atropello
| length6         = 1:54
| title7          = Tomás
| length7         = 2:10
| title8          = Dos kilillos
| length8         = 2:03
| title9          = Una regresión
| length9         = 4:53
| title10         = Crea, entonces verá
| length10        = 2:19
| title11         = Sola en la casa
| length11        = 3:31
| title12         = La Casita de Tomás
| length12        = 5:00
| title13         = Reunión y final
| length13        = 3:59
| title14         = Créditos finales
| length14        = 4:41
| title15         = Propuesta inicial (Maqueta)
| length15        = 2:21
| title16         = Tema Principal (Coro)
| length16        = 3:01
}}

==See also==

* [[List of ghost films]]
* [[List of horror films of 2007]]
* [[List of Spanish films of 2007]]
* [[List of submissions to the 80th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film]]
* [[List of Spanish submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb title|0464141|The Orphanage}}
* {{mojo title|orphanage|The Orphanage}}
* {{Rotten Tomatoes|the_orphanage}}
* {{Metacritic film|title=The Orphanage}}
* [https://www.academia.edu/40076727/El_orfanato_The_Orphanage_2007_ ''The Orphanage''] in ''Encyclopedia of Contemporary Spanish Film''. Eds. Alex Pinar and Salvador Jimenez Murguia. Rowman & Littlefield, 2018

{{Juan Antonio Bayona}}
{{Spanish submissions for the Academy Award}}

<!-- http://allmovie.com/work/the-orphanage-389195 -->


{{DEFAULTSORT:Orphanage, The (2007 film)}}
[[Category:2007 films]]
[[Category:2007 horror films]]
[[Category:2007 drama films]]
[[Category:Spanish supernatural horror films]]
[[Category:Mexican supernatural horror films]]
[[Category:Gothic horror films]]
[[Category:2007 Spanish-language films]]
[[Category:Films shot in Asturias]]
[[Category:Films about orphans in Spain]]
[[Category:Films about adoption]]
[[Category:Films about missing people]]
[[Category:Films directed by J. A. Bayona]]
[[Category:Films set in Spain]]
[[Category:Films shot in Barcelona]]
[[Category:Spanish ghost films]]
[[Category:Mexican ghost films]]
[[Category:Mexican horror films]]
[[Category:Spanish haunted house films]]
[[Category:Telecinco Cinema films]]
[[Category:Warner Bros. films]]
[[Category:Picturehouse films]]
[[Category:2000s supernatural horror films]]
[[Category:Films scored by Fernando Velázquez]]
[[Category:2007 directorial debut films]]
[[Category:Films produced by Álvaro Augustin]]
[[Category:Rodar y Rodar films]]
[[Category:2007 Spanish films]]
[[Category:2007 Mexican films]]

{{Wikipedia attribution|original_title=The Orphanage (2007 film)|access_date=2026-03-07}}