Lizzie Borden Society Forum

Saw this movie last week and took my 17 year old son with me. I knew it was about a little girl who killed people before I saw it. It sounded much like "The Bad Seed", which I can never resist watching every time it's on.
There is something about a child who kills that strikes the marrow - it just isn't done!

I expected the movie to stink. What else can they do with a plot like that, I thought. Kid kills; kid gets found out; kid either survives or doesn't at the end. Wrong.

The movie takes place in the wintertime, and I wondered why release a winter movie in August. But when an usher peeked in the theatre and saw only me and my son in the audience, I could swear she turned the air conditioning down, and I was glad for the virtual cold weather.

A couple has two children and miscarries their third. They want to adopt and visit an orphanage, run by head nun C.C.H. Pounder (a favorite of mine). It seemed like there was no adoption process to go thru. They picked out "Esther" and the nun said it looked like they got along together good, and told the couple to come get her in two weeks. It felt like the film editor hacked out their bonding time to make it tighter. It was not overly long.

They put her in the local public school, and any kid that picked on her ended up real sorry.

In fact, anyone who crossed her ended up real sorry. I don't think I'm giving away any secrets. Isn't it predictable?

The mother starts putting 2 and 2 together and digs into Esther's past. What she finds out is something of a shocker. It is this morsel that makes the film different from other like-movies.

"Orphan" has plenty of suspense, other than a couple little things that didn't make sense - like the "adoption process" and the father. I kept sending the mother a telepathic message to kick the father in the groin.

I went in the morning to get the ticket price of four bucks. It would have been worth the full ticket price to see. I only snuck in some diet Vanilla Coke in a traveling cup, but bought a large popcorn and large Pepsi for my son, both refillable ($8.50 for them. I thought it was steep at $7.50, as it used to be.). It's a good popcorn munching movie, tho. I don't know if I'll buy the DVD. But my son and I thought it was pretty good.

I'm so glad you posted this, Augusta.

My daughter is 15 and just started getting into "scary" movies. How old is your son? Do you think 15 is old enough to watch this? It's R, right?

You've intrigued me with the twist that what the mother discovers is a shocker. I figured this movie would stink as well, and that's the only reason I was going to wait for it to come out on video. I was also worried about there being a lot of sex in it. Is there?

Hi Cheryl! My son is 17, and it's sad that he's heard and seen it all. The easy access online to pornography I think has won over my parental wishes. If he doesn't get it at home, there's always a friend who likes to share. I hate it. Free speech? What a flimsy cover.

I don't think there's any nudity in "Orphan". I do remember the mother using the "F" word once. I can't swear that's all the profanity in it, but that's all I remember.

I would take my 15 year old to see it. But you know your daughter and how she would react to, and if you want her to hear, the "F" word, and if there would be something else in the movie I've forgotten. The PG-13 movies usually put in one raunchy word to escape the "G" rating.

I used to watch a movie before my kids did. Especially if it was a tape. I'd remember where all the really awful words were and press the 'mute' button when they came up. (It worked!) Any nudity was just NO - or with the deal that they agreed to have their eyes covered up. My daughter did, but my son talked me into letting him put a blanket over his head, then he'd peek out.

I don't think they still play "Orphan" at the movies here. Maybe it will come out on DVD soon. Then you'd have the option to watch it first. But I think the "R" rating was based on the violence theme.

ooo- The Bad Seed! Scarred me for life! Fabulous movie- what an eeeevil little brat. Patty McCormack should have gotten an Oscar! Trailer at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHwztnNrvmM

I agree with you Shelley. That movie scared me half to death. Especially when she went after the janitor. I still avoid that movie even on tv.

This is how she looks today:

I'm surprised she didn't get an Oscar for that role! I wonder if she got other awards. She was such a great Rhoda!

Wow, Angel - thanks for posting the picture of her today. She's so pretty! There's no way I would have recognized her.

The movie was based on a play. If you notice, most of the action happens in one room and it has a whole lot of dialogue.

I taped it off tv about 20 years ago, and when I played it recently it was in pretty bad condition. I'll have to get the DVD.

I remember every time that movie was on the Afternoon Movie when I was little, I'd end up staying home from school. I would really feel sick in the mornings, but it must have been my yearning to see it. The same thing would happen any time "Night of the Hunter" was on.

She still scares me.!!

Anyone ever see Cathy's Curse? My sister took me to see it at the theatre when I was about 9 years old. I don't remember the rating of it but back then it scared me plenty. I seen it maybe once or twice on tv since then. It didn't scare me as much as an adult.

In the first part a girl is killed in a car accident and then years later her spirit poseses the body of her niece, I think it is. The niece is possesed when she has her aunt's doll.

I watched the trailer for "The Bad Seed" I don't remember ever seeing the movie before but it looks like something I should check out.

I haven't heard of "Cathy's Curse", Fargo. It sounds good.

There's this movie you can see for free on Fancast.com called "A Bucket of Blood". It's a b&w 1950-ish B movie. This guy creates sculptures by putting clay over dead people. The guy is really dumb acting - he overdoes it. But the movie is interesting; different. Maybe something to watch with friends and laugh with.