Part of Dastardly Difficult December: film nr.6

If you've ever stumbled across this list of mine you know that scary kids in films creep me out. That fact alone made this film earn its strides with me as it creeped me out to no end.

This is not a scary film, it is more an atmospheric piece. It goes to great lengths to create a sense of foreboding that kept me on the edge of my seat for most of the running time.

This dread is centred around the titular orphan who is adopted by Vera Farmiga's character and her family. She is played with conviction by Fuhrman who carries the film on her young shoulders.

And I guess that's…

I've actually bumped this up half a star on a rewatch. I don't think I appreciated just how great Isabelle Fuhrman is in the titular role the first time I saw it. It definitely elevates what could have been a run-of-the-mill little shocker into something much creepier. One of the best child performances I have ever seen, and after her nicely sadistic supporting role in The Hunger Games as well I think she can easily become an actress of some distinction.

The film itself is for the most part quite signposted and full of the usual tropes of this type of film. I would ask why, after all the issues and trauma Kate (Vera Farmiga), the adopting mother had been…

So there’s this couple, they’re all like “Boo-hoo, our baby died, let’s get a new one from the baby-pound… uh, I mean, orphanage.” and the orphanage-lady is like “Here’s our selection, take your pick. But choose wisely, you can take only one.” Yes, she is Prof. Oak from the Pokemon games.
Really? I'm going to go over the plot. No, I am not.
It is a surprisingly good thriller. I avoided it for a while because I thought I've figured out the twist so what's the point, but it's still really cool.
Isabelle Fuhrman is brilliant, certainly one of the most promising child actresses. Coincidentaly Jimmy Bennett is also here, so he's the complete opposite, total shitsack of a child…

This fantastic, creepy and well made horror/thriller is even better than I remembered with 3 brilliant performances, the best of which comes from a child actor. From start to end there is a terribly foreboding atmosphere which is incredibly creepy and really sets a mood for the film and once Esther (Isabelle Fuhrman) enters the picture thinks get a whole lot more tense. Its Fuhrman's performance which knocks this horror/thriller out of the park who carries a lot of the film. She is supported with 2 great performances from Farmiga and Sarsgaard as her conflicting adoptive parents. The whole film is wonderfully crafted and manipulated with some great sound, editing and camera techniques used to constantly keep you on your…