THE ORPHANAGE — *** — Belen Rueda, Roger Princep, Fernando Cayo; in Spanish, with English subtitles; rated R (violence, brief gore, brief drugs)
"The Orphanage" may not have been directed by Guillermo del Toro, but it was produced by him. That probably explains why this horror-fantasy looks and feels so much like one of del Toro's films.
In certain respects, it resembles both the Mexican director's 2006 fantasy "Pan's Labyrinth" and his 2001 supernatural thriller, "The Devil's Backbone." While "The Orphanage" doesn't have the bizarre appeal of the former or the World War II intrigue of the latter, it does feature a few decent chills and has a distinctive tone and look.
However, a "what-the-hey?" concluding section and some child-kidnapping elements leave a bit of a bad aftertaste. They're not enough to completely ruin this Spanish-Mexican co-production, thankfully.
As the title suggests, the film is set in an orphanage — a now-abandoned group home where Laura (Belen Rueda, from "The Sea Inside") was raised.
She and her husband, Carlos (Fernando Cayo), are hoping to refurbish it and turn it into a state-of-the-art care facility for troubled orphans. They're also hoping that the company of other children will help their own troubled son, Simon (Roger Princep).
It seems Simon has already found some friends — mysterious, ghostly children who are merely mischievous at first but grow increasingly malevolent. When Simon goes missing while playing with these "friends," Laura grows concerned and then despondent.
Director Juan Antonio Bayona and screenwriter Sergio G. Sanchez treat this material as a mystery, as Laura has to examine her past for clues that may tie in to Simon's disappearance.
But as already mentioned, the finale needs a little explanation. It's a bit confusing, despite a surprisingly optimistic note at the very end.
The cast is good, particularly Rueda and newcomer Princep. And it's always nice to see Geraldine Chaplin again. (She shows up in a brief supporting role as a psychic, similar to the role Zelda Rubinstein played in the "Poltergeist" movies.)
"The Orphanage" is rated R for brief strong violence (an auto-pedestrian accident), child-in-peril elements and disturbing imagery, brief gore and blood, and brief drug references. Running time: 105 minutes.
E-mail: jeff@desnews.com