Orphan: First Kill
2022 · Directed by William Brent Bell
Original language: English
- horror
- thriller
The story
After escaping from an Estonian psychiatric facility, Leena Klammer travels to America by impersonating Esther, the missing daughter of a wealthy family. But when her mask starts to slip, she is put against a mother who will protect her family from the murderous “child” at any cost.
What it’s like
Cold, washed-out institutional greys give way to sunny, manicured Connecticut suburbs in warm autumn light, with polished wood, pale linen and bright pastel interiors that feel too perfect to trust. The camera mostly sits steady and composed, with slow push-ins on faces and tense two-shot standoffs in clean, symmetrical rooms, and the score is a restrained, pulsing synth-and-strings drone that swells without warning. The mood is glossy and unsettling: a sun-drenched unease where ordinary domestic spaces slowly curdle. It suits a late-night watch with the lights off, or a Halloween-season rewatch. The pacing builds steadily toward sharp, sudden bursts of violence, which are brief but frequently bloody, with stabbings and blunt-force killings shown in close detail. Gore is moderate, and the dread often lands harder than the blood. Emotionally it is a tense psychological duel between two women protecting, or hiding, something. Expect profanity, some sexual innuendo, and a steady undercurrent of menace rather than anything gentle. For people who want a stylish, twisty thriller with a cruel edge and a chilling central performance.
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