Have orphanage stories ever prompted you to wonder what happens after the sweet central character moves on to her cheery adoptive family? What about the unwanted kids who are left behind? The Spanish import The Orphanage dreams up some bone-chilling possibilities. The picture follows a woman (Belen Reuda) who returns to the since-abandoned, seaside orphanage she was adopted from as a child with plans to reopen it for a new generation of parent-less kids. But when her own son goes missing, she’s forced to delve into the orphanage’s seamy past, which may be connected to her tragic present. Though virtually free of gore and torture – two elements that were in vogue in 2007 – The Orphanage managed to deliver the spookiest screen experience of that year.
