Cast: Vera Farmiga, Peter Sarsgaard, Isabelle Fuhrmam

Director: Jaume Collett-Serra

Screenwriters: David Johnson (screenplay), Alex Mace (story)

Children, little angelic bundles of innocence, the human condition at its purest, its kindest, its most uncorrupted, right? Are you kidding? Not in movie-world. Ever since Regan and Damien tortured their elders back in the Seventies, movie kids have had something devilish about them, and in recent years we have seen a return to prominence for screen youth in revolt. Kick-started back into life a few years back with the black-haired nightmares of the J-horror explosion (and its subsequent Hollywood remake cycle), young ‘uns have turned the tables: there was the snowbound blood letting of Tom Shankland’s The Children, bug-eyed kids from beyond the grave in The Unborn, and the long-delayed Renée Zellweger-starring Case 39 but in the here and now, we have Orphan.

On first appearances, all the genre requirements seem to be present and accounted for, chiefly the dark haired wee sprog this time in the shape of Little Bo Beep-dressing Russian orphan Esther. Adopted by grieving couple Kate and John, although polite, courteous and charming she may it’s not all smiles and laughter as wherever Esther goes trouble has a canny way of following. Director Collett-Serra offers up the usual creeps and chills, including the dramatic midnight, mid-storm lightning flashes (literally) but Orphan is different to the usual evil-kid flicks in that it delves a little deeper beneath the surface, its characters more than just bodies waiting to be sliced and diced.

In Kate and John, screenwriter David Johnson and Collett-Serra craft a truly believable couple, he an adulterer who has tested his wife’s trust, her a recovering alcoholic who has similarly strained the bonds of marriage. They have their own share of demons already, but nothing hangs over their heads more than the spectre of their stillborn child. And this tragedy is one which Esther, who arrives amidst this cross-firing emotional minefield, is only too readily prepared to exploit. These well drawn characters are bolstered by impressive performances too, especially Farmiga as the conflicted mother and Fuhrman as the child causing all the consternation, but while it is more a psychological thriller with slasher undertones than vice versa, Orphan’s trump card is still the final-reel reveals about the titular underage malcontent which formed the crux of the film’s theatrical marketing campaign. “You’ll never guess Esther’s secret!� the poster/trailer/DVD box teases, and while you probably won’t guess the surprise, it is one that undermines the film’s impact rather than strengthening it.

While the film has surprises up its sleeve, the same can’t quite be said for the DVD release. The secret-teasing trailer is included, alongside deleted scenes and an alternate ending which changes little of the film as is, and a Behind The Scenes-esque featurette comprised of clips alongside the usual talking heads – director, writer, producer, cast – explains that the film is ‘by no means your generic, run of the mill, ‘Bad Seed’ story,’ (Farmiga) or ‘not just an ‘evil child’ film.’ (producer Joel Silver). The inclusion of a psychotherapist specialising in domestic cases is a nice touch but most disappointing here are the interviews with Collett-Serra, producers Silver and Susan Downey, and little Esther herself, Isabelle Fuhrman, which fail to offer much detail or insight into the film, its production, or why kids really can scare the bejesus out of us. Where the film excelled in offering up depth beneath the surface, the DVD package frustratingly falls short of the mark. You’ll still never guess her little secret though.

Special Features: Deleted Scenes/Alternate Ending; ‘Mama’s Little Devils: Bad Seeds, Evil Kids’ featurette; Interview with Cast and Crew; Trailer

Orphan is out on DVD and Blu-ray via Optimum Home Entertainment on 30 November

By Alasdair Morton