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Asian filmmakers are indubitably the masters of ghost movies, but Spanish filmmakers are a close second. Movies like The Devil's Backbone (Guillermo Del Toro), The Others (Alejandro Alejandro Amenábar), The Abandoned (Nacho Cerdà) and The Orphanage (Juan Antonio Bayona) are both powerful and terrifying, yet very artistic. There is no need for blood, razors or any other killer apparatus. The Spaniards have a way with horror, and The Orphanage is the latest hispanophone movie to demonstrate that.
In this movie produced by Guillermo del Toro, Laura returns to the orphanage where she grew up, with the intent to reopening it with her husband and adopted son Simon. When Simon disappears mysteriously Laura will become convinced that the orphanage is haunted and that ghosts know what happened to Simon. Following her instinct, she will discover the secret tragedies that unfolded in the Orphanage.
New filmmaker Juan Antonio Bayona's horror movie leaves you guessing as to what is reality and what is fiction. Are there really ghosts? In the end, whether or not ghosts really haunt the Orphanage is superfluous: this is one of the intense movies to hit the screen lately.
With its measured doses or horror and suspense, it's psycologically unstable main character and it's use of the Orphanage, it is, in fact, one of the greatest ghost movies I have seen.
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