Liz Braun: "A visually stunning horror film and an auspicious directorial debut for Juan Antonio Bayona, The Orphanage engages the imagination in a terrifying fashion. No cheap thrills or manipulative shock tactics: what we have here is a scary story for grown-ups."

Liz Braun in person!

Guillermo del Toro served as executive producer on director Juan Antonio Bayona's debut feature, a chilling ghost story that echoes many of del Toro's own fascinations: the dream life of children, strong female characters, and a distinctly modern twist on classic Gothic horror. Laura (Belén Rueda) returns to the dilapidated orphanage in which she grew up with her husband and adopted seven-year-old son Simón in tow, intending to reopen the institution as a facility for disabled children. When Simón claims that he has found a new playmate in the abandoned building — a boy named Tomás who wears a sack mask over his head — Laura is led to discover a dreadful secret about her upbringing, and the restless spirits that attest to a horrible, long-ago crime. Rapturously received at its Cannes premiere and a smash hit worldwide, The Orphanage is a prime example of the intriguing overlap between art-house and genre cinema that has brought such directors as Park Chan-wook, Bong Joon-ho and, of course, del Toro, to international prominence.