Director Jaume Collet-Serra is one of the few working filmmakers who consistently can balance tricky tonal shifts. This began with his remake/not-a-remake of House of Wax. It was proof positive in his next film Orphan. More than just another twisted evil child film – Orphan and its dueling lead performances by Isabelle Fuhrman and Vera Farmiga is both an arched darkly comedic movie and demented take-no-prisoners horror film.
Kate and John Coleman (Farmiga and Peter Sargaard) and their kids (Aryana Engineer and Jimmy Bennett) after tragedy has struck losing their unborn daughter have decided to adopt. They felt Esther (Fuhrman) was the perfect fit. Little did they know the Russian 9-year-old hides a dark secret. One that will have Kate and her children fighting for their lives. One that has Esther’s obsessions set on John as more than just a father figure. Esther will stop at nothing until she’s taken over this family and gotten rid of everyone that’s stopping her.
To discuss the barbed wire trickery at the heart of Orphan would be to rob it of its deliciously arched bent power. Collet-Serra and screenwriter David Leslie Johnson have concocted a mean lively Molotov cocktail of a horror film. One that at first glance seems overlong at 127 minutes. However, upon review one will find that runtime is not a leisurely one but one that’s filled (one could say overstuffed) with story, character, and ideas. The film isn’t satisfied with just being another evil child film but more as it dives into the grief that infects a family when losing a child.
The film is aided greatly in its purpose and themes by the casting of Farmiga, Sargaard, and the entire cast. This is a big glossy studio horror film on par with something like The Omen (the original Donner-directed film), which yes is arched and funny, but always keeps its sights on the verisimilitude of the story. Farmiga and Sargaard set the tone and pitch and everyone follows suit. Farmiga especially, who in recent years has become the unofficial Queen of Horror, whose performance as Kate is as good as any of the dramatic turns she’s given.
Though the key is Isabelle Fuhrman as Esther. Only 12 years old when she was cast, is a marvel to behold. This is doubly so after one has seen the film. There is a layered intelligent quality to everything she does in the film that makes one marvel. How Fuhrman is able to juggle everything the film asks of her makes one wonder why she didn’t get more work after this.
Orphan delivers a truly entertaining studio horror film. So much so, that after the final credits roll, one will wonder why it took them 14 years to make a sequel.
The Transfer
The all-new 2024 2K Scan of the Interpositive is a delight and upgrade from the original 2009 Blu-ray release. The transfer is sharp, colorful, and without any image issues like artifacting or ghosting. The result is a beautiful transfer that could only be leveled up by a release of a 4K. Scream Factory continues to show why exactly we need new scans of films are constantly needed.
The Extras
They include the following;
NEW Audio Commentary with Film Critics Emily Higgins And Billy Dunham
NEW Audio Commentary with Film Critics Mike Saunders, Jason Bolinger, Tadd Good & Bryan Clark
NEW Audio Commentary with Film Critics Chris Alexander and Ali Chappell
NEW Audio Commentary with Film Critic Heather Wixson
NEW “Silent Story” – An Interview with Composer John Ottman
“Mama’s Little Devils: Bad Seeds and Evil Kids” – Featurette
Deleted Scenes/Alternate Ending
Still Gallery
Theatrical Trailer
The first of four all-new Audio Commentaries is with Film Critics Emily Higgins and Billy Dunham opens with a discussion of the major twist in the film, so spoilers do not listen to this track until you have seen the film. Some of the discussions include the opening scene and the brutality throughout the film; the work of Vera Farmiga – including the personal factoid that the actor was trying to get pregnant at the time and how it informed her performance – by the actor’s own admission; the work of Margo Martindale and CCH Pounder – including a discussion of horror films getting great actors in supporting roles; the work of David Leslie Johnson – as this is the first produced credit; the sexuality of the couple throughout the film; different iterations of the script that were much darker; the work of Isabelle Fuhrman as Esther – how she was cast and producer Leonardo DiCaprio championed her; the poster art and how it was altered but how the altering worked for the creepy factor; the dynamics of the children in the film; how grief is depicted in the film; and much more. Higgins and Dunham deliver a thoughtful dive into the themes of the film.
The second of four all-new Audio Commentaries is with Film Critics Mike Saunders, Jason Bolinger, Tadd Good & Bryan Clark opens with introductions to their commentary track (which is pulled from their Attack of the Podcast). This track is much more of a loose affair more of a discussion of onscreen action, performances, story points, and visuals, and not really about the informational factoids or anecdotes from the production.
The third of four all-new Audio Commentaries is with Film Critics Chris Alexander and Ali Chappell and opens with introductions and a great discussion of if the film is a “masterpiece”. Note that they do get into the twist of the film at the beginning. Some of the details include some of the true-life events that could be the basis of the story; references to the 2023 prequel – Orphan First Kill; the work of Vera Farmiga in the horror genre – including The Conjuring films and Bates Hotel; the work and career of director Jaume Collet-Serra; the career of producer Don Carmody; the actor Aryana Engineer and how she is hard of hearing in real life and how the cast learned to sign to be able to communicate with her; the work and performance of Peter Sarsgaard – including a great bit about him being mistaken for one of the Skarsgård clan; a great side discussion about Tales from the Crypt that evolved into Dark Castle production shingle – including a discussion of their output including this film; and much more.
The fourth and final of the all-new Audio Commentaries is with Film Critic Heather Wixson opens with how this was the first film she covered when she first moved to LA. Some of the details discussed include the casting of Vera Farmiga and Peter Sarsgaard – and the importance of the casting; the fact that Farmiga is an accomplished piano player in real life; a larger discussion about Farmiga entering the horror genre with this film; the theme of grief that plays out within the film – which leads to a contextual conversation about where the film comes out in the horror cycle; the film’s script being a part of the 2007 Black List – and the other scripts that were in that “class” of the list; the work and career of Isabelle Fuhrman – including a discussion about the prequel of the film Orphan: First Kill; the deletion of specific scenes – leading to a discussion of the tone of the film and how perfectly it balances the horror, drama, and black humor of the piece; the work of both Aryana Engineer and Jimmy Bennett as the other kids in the family; the sexuality and sexual politics of the entire film; a larger discussion of the various set pieces are construction and executed; and much more.
“Silent Story” – An Interview with Composer John Ottman (16:58) – this all-new interview begins with why Ottman chose to do just scores instead of scores and editing. Some of the details include how getting hired on House of Waxled to Orphan Collet’s next film; his first impressions of the film – watching it with the temp score; his first temp score on Orphan and how it was constructed along with the genesis of Jessica’s Theme which is the primary theme in the film; a discussion about how they spotted the film – spotting being where the score is placed within the film; a discussion of how he constructs the scare moments within a horror film and then specifically in Orphan; examples of his thought process and favorite moments from the score; and much more.
“Mama’s Little Devils: Bad Seeds and Evil Kids” (14:56) – this archival featurette looks at the history of evil children/bad seed films, and the making of Orphan. The making-of covers not just the basics of the film but the history of bad children in film and psychologically how these things, much more grounded, happen in real life. Featuring comments by producers Joel Silver, and Susan Downey, director Jaume Collet-Serra, stars Vera Farmiga, Peter Sarsgaard, Isabelle Fuhrman, writer David Johnson, critic David Delvalle; and more.
Deleted Scenes/Alternate Ending (4:10) – there are four deleted scenes and one alternate ending. They include a moment at the dinner table; Esther hiding evidence; a supermarket scene; getting caught smoking; and the alternate ending. The alternate ending is actually what you would expect without fuller context (it would have been nice for them to include the entire alt ending showing the fate of the specific character).
Still Gallery (9:47) – the still gallery consists of 117 images ranging from production stills and behind-the-scenes photos. The gallery can be navigated by using your remote’s next and back chapter stop buttons.
Theatrical Trailer (2:26)
The Final Thought
Scream Factory has delivered another great collector’s edition of Orphan. They have overstuffed this one with special features. Highest recommendations!
Esther and her truly deranged movie Orphan get the Special Edition Blu-Ray upgrade they deserve thanks to Scream Factory.
The Film
Director Jaume Collet-Serra is one of the few working filmmakers who consistently can balance tricky tonal shifts. This began with his remake/not-a-remake of House of Wax. It was proof positive in his next film Orphan. More than just another twisted evil child film – Orphan and its dueling lead performances by Isabelle Fuhrman and Vera Farmiga is both an arched darkly comedic movie and demented take-no-prisoners horror film.
Kate and John Coleman (Farmiga and Peter Sargaard) and their kids (Aryana Engineer and Jimmy Bennett) after tragedy has struck losing their unborn daughter have decided to adopt. They felt Esther (Fuhrman) was the perfect fit. Little did they know the Russian 9-year-old hides a dark secret. One that will have Kate and her children fighting for their lives. One that has Esther’s obsessions set on John as more than just a father figure. Esther will stop at nothing until she’s taken over this family and gotten rid of everyone that’s stopping her.
To discuss the barbed wire trickery at the heart of Orphan would be to rob it of its deliciously arched bent power. Collet-Serra and screenwriter David Leslie Johnson have concocted a mean lively Molotov cocktail of a horror film. One that at first glance seems overlong at 127 minutes. However, upon review one will find that runtime is not a leisurely one but one that’s filled (one could say overstuffed) with story, character, and ideas. The film isn’t satisfied with just being another evil child film but more as it dives into the grief that infects a family when losing a child.
The film is aided greatly in its purpose and themes by the casting of Farmiga, Sargaard, and the entire cast. This is a big glossy studio horror film on par with something like The Omen (the original Donner-directed film), which yes is arched and funny, but always keeps its sights on the verisimilitude of the story. Farmiga and Sargaard set the tone and pitch and everyone follows suit. Farmiga especially, who in recent years has become the unofficial Queen of Horror, whose performance as Kate is as good as any of the dramatic turns she’s given.
Though the key is Isabelle Fuhrman as Esther. Only 12 years old when she was cast, is a marvel to behold. This is doubly so after one has seen the film. There is a layered intelligent quality to everything she does in the film that makes one marvel. How Fuhrman is able to juggle everything the film asks of her makes one wonder why she didn’t get more work after this.
Orphan delivers a truly entertaining studio horror film. So much so, that after the final credits roll, one will wonder why it took them 14 years to make a sequel.
The Transfer
The all-new 2024 2K Scan of the Interpositive is a delight and upgrade from the original 2009 Blu-ray release. The transfer is sharp, colorful, and without any image issues like artifacting or ghosting. The result is a beautiful transfer that could only be leveled up by a release of a 4K. Scream Factory continues to show why exactly we need new scans of films are constantly needed.
The Extras
They include the following;
The first of four all-new Audio Commentaries is with Film Critics Emily Higgins and Billy Dunham opens with a discussion of the major twist in the film, so spoilers do not listen to this track until you have seen the film. Some of the discussions include the opening scene and the brutality throughout the film; the work of Vera Farmiga – including the personal factoid that the actor was trying to get pregnant at the time and how it informed her performance – by the actor’s own admission; the work of Margo Martindale and CCH Pounder – including a discussion of horror films getting great actors in supporting roles; the work of David Leslie Johnson – as this is the first produced credit; the sexuality of the couple throughout the film; different iterations of the script that were much darker; the work of Isabelle Fuhrman as Esther – how she was cast and producer Leonardo DiCaprio championed her; the poster art and how it was altered but how the altering worked for the creepy factor; the dynamics of the children in the film; how grief is depicted in the film; and much more. Higgins and Dunham deliver a thoughtful dive into the themes of the film.
The second of four all-new Audio Commentaries is with Film Critics Mike Saunders, Jason Bolinger, Tadd Good & Bryan Clark opens with introductions to their commentary track (which is pulled from their Attack of the Podcast). This track is much more of a loose affair more of a discussion of onscreen action, performances, story points, and visuals, and not really about the informational factoids or anecdotes from the production.
The third of four all-new Audio Commentaries is with Film Critics Chris Alexander and Ali Chappell and opens with introductions and a great discussion of if the film is a “masterpiece”. Note that they do get into the twist of the film at the beginning. Some of the details include some of the true-life events that could be the basis of the story; references to the 2023 prequel – Orphan First Kill; the work of Vera Farmiga in the horror genre – including The Conjuring films and Bates Hotel; the work and career of director Jaume Collet-Serra; the career of producer Don Carmody; the actor Aryana Engineer and how she is hard of hearing in real life and how the cast learned to sign to be able to communicate with her; the work and performance of Peter Sarsgaard – including a great bit about him being mistaken for one of the Skarsgård clan; a great side discussion about Tales from the Crypt that evolved into Dark Castle production shingle – including a discussion of their output including this film; and much more.
The fourth and final of the all-new Audio Commentaries is with Film Critic Heather Wixson opens with how this was the first film she covered when she first moved to LA. Some of the details discussed include the casting of Vera Farmiga and Peter Sarsgaard – and the importance of the casting; the fact that Farmiga is an accomplished piano player in real life; a larger discussion about Farmiga entering the horror genre with this film; the theme of grief that plays out within the film – which leads to a contextual conversation about where the film comes out in the horror cycle; the film’s script being a part of the 2007 Black List – and the other scripts that were in that “class” of the list; the work and career of Isabelle Fuhrman – including a discussion about the prequel of the film Orphan: First Kill; the deletion of specific scenes – leading to a discussion of the tone of the film and how perfectly it balances the horror, drama, and black humor of the piece; the work of both Aryana Engineer and Jimmy Bennett as the other kids in the family; the sexuality and sexual politics of the entire film; a larger discussion of the various set pieces are construction and executed; and much more.
“Silent Story” – An Interview with Composer John Ottman (16:58) – this all-new interview begins with why Ottman chose to do just scores instead of scores and editing. Some of the details include how getting hired on House of Waxled to Orphan Collet’s next film; his first impressions of the film – watching it with the temp score; his first temp score on Orphan and how it was constructed along with the genesis of Jessica’s Theme which is the primary theme in the film; a discussion about how they spotted the film – spotting being where the score is placed within the film; a discussion of how he constructs the scare moments within a horror film and then specifically in Orphan; examples of his thought process and favorite moments from the score; and much more.
“Mama’s Little Devils: Bad Seeds and Evil Kids” (14:56) – this archival featurette looks at the history of evil children/bad seed films, and the making of Orphan. The making-of covers not just the basics of the film but the history of bad children in film and psychologically how these things, much more grounded, happen in real life. Featuring comments by producers Joel Silver, and Susan Downey, director Jaume Collet-Serra, stars Vera Farmiga, Peter Sarsgaard, Isabelle Fuhrman, writer David Johnson, critic David Delvalle; and more.
Deleted Scenes/Alternate Ending (4:10) – there are four deleted scenes and one alternate ending. They include a moment at the dinner table; Esther hiding evidence; a supermarket scene; getting caught smoking; and the alternate ending. The alternate ending is actually what you would expect without fuller context (it would have been nice for them to include the entire alt ending showing the fate of the specific character).
Still Gallery (9:47) – the still gallery consists of 117 images ranging from production stills and behind-the-scenes photos. The gallery can be navigated by using your remote’s next and back chapter stop buttons.
Theatrical Trailer (2:26)
The Final Thought
Scream Factory has delivered another great collector’s edition of Orphan. They have overstuffed this one with special features. Highest recommendations!
Scream Factory’s Blu-Ray edition of Orphan is out May 14th
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