'Orphan: First Kill' is a prequel to the 2009 horror movie — here's how to watch the new psychological thriller (2024)

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• "Orphan: First Kill" will be available to stream on Paramount Plus starting August 19.
• The "Orphan" prequel sees Esther terrorize a family after escaping from a psychiatric facility.
• Paramount Plus costs $5/month for ad-supported streaming or $10/month without ads.

"Orphan: First Kill" premieres August 19 on Paramount Plus. The horror flick will also be available to buy from digital retailers like Prime Video. The movie serves as a prequel to 2009's "Orphan," which starred Vera Farmiga ("The Conjuring").

The new film follows the origins of Esther, a seemingly ordinary girl with a dark secret and murderous streak. After escaping from an Estonian psychiatric facility, Esther flees to America by pretending to be the missing daughter of a wealthy family. As Esther's disturbing behavior escalates, the family's mother realizes that her "child" might not be what she appears to be.

Check out the trailer for 'Orphan: First Kill'

Isabelle Fuhrman reprises her role from the original "Orphan" as Esther. "Orphan: First Kill" also stars Julia Stiles and Rossif Sutherland as the new couple Esther terrorizes. The movie is directed by William Brent Bell, who is best known for helming "The Devil Inside" and "The Boy."

How to watch 'Orphan: First Kill'

You can watch "Orphan: First Kill" on Paramount Plus beginning August 19. You can also buy "Orphan: First Kill" for $25 from streaming retailers like Prime Video and Vudu on that same day.

A Paramount Plus Essential plan costs $5 a month with ads, or you can get the ad-free Premium plan for $10 a month. Students can also take advantage of a 25% discount on the Essential plan, bringing the cost down to $3.75 a month.

Paramount Plus is supported by most Roku and Fire TV devices, Apple and Android mobile devices, smart TVs, and Mac and PC browsers. Check out the full list of supported devices on the Paramount Plus website.

If you don't want to subscribe to Paramount Plus, you can pay a one-time fee to buy "Orphan: First Kill" from a digital retailer. Once you purchase the film, you can watch it whenever you like. The movie costs $25 to buy in up to 4K quality. A cheaper rental option is also expected to be available, but pricing has not been announced yet.

Can I watch 'Orphan: First Kill' for free?

You can watch "Orphan: First Kill" for free by signing up for a trial to Paramount Plus. Paramount Plus offers a seven-day free trial for new subscribers.

Unless you cancel, Paramount Plus will charge the full subscription price after your first week.

Is 'Orphan: First Kill' worth watching?

As of August 18, "Orphan: First Kill" holds a "67% Fresh" score on Rotten Tomatoes. Early reviews indicate the movie could be a fun watch for fans of campy horror films.

In fact, the new prequel actually has a higher score than the original "Orphan," which currently holds a 53%.

Is 'Orphan: First Kill' a sequel?

"Orphan: First Kill" is premiering 13 years after the original movie, but it's not a sequel. The 2022 movie is actually a prequel set two years before "Orphan," which shows how Esther (Isabelle Fuhrman) first came to America.

How old is Esther in 'Orphan: First Kill'?

If you haven't seen the original "Orphan" from 2009, beware there are spoilers below.

Esther is a woman from Estonia who has a condition which causes proportional dwarfism. The big twist in 2009's "Orphan" revealed that Esther wasn't a 9-year-old girl at all, and was actually a 33-year-old woman trying to seduce her adoptive father.

"Orphan: First Kill" is set two years before the original movie, which means Esther's real age will be 31 in the new film. That said, she'll still be posing as a 9-year-old girl.

Esther's actress, Isabelle Fuhrman, was actually 10-years-old while filming the first "Orphan." Now in her 20s, Fuhrman reprises her role with the help of forced perspective and body doubles in "First Kill."

Is 'Orphan: First Kill' based on a true story?

"Orphan: First Kill" isn't based on a true story, but the original movie may have been loosely inspired by the real-life case of Barbora Skrlová, a woman born with a hormonal disease who posed as a 13-year old Czech boy named Adam.

When "Adam" was reported missing from a children's home in 2008, the search led to the discovery that he was actually a 33-year-old woman. Barbora had previously posed as a 13-year-old girl to an adoptive family.

Where can I watch the first 'Orphan' movie?

You can stream "Orphan" with a subscription to Paramount Plus. "Orphan" is also available to rent for $4 in HD format on platforms like Prime Video, Vudu, YouTube, and Apple TV.