Parents Say: age 15+ 
32 reviews
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A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this movie.
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Positive Messages
very little
The film's serious take on themes of adoption and loss are wholly undermined by the "killer child" plot; the film gives itself an out (in a twist too ludicrous to reveal), but much of it trades on a creepy, "taboo" images and concepts involving the 9-year-old at center of the action.
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Positive Role Models
very little
While the main characters' desire to adopt in the wake of a miscarriage at first presents a model of compassion and love, the film's gory, horrific violence soon wipes it away with a red tide of blood. Esther, the child they adopt, is pure evil, with no redeeming characteristics.
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Violence & Scariness
a lot
Extreme violence, much of it involving children. A young girl hurls a peer out of a play set, smothers another child to death, and points a loaded gun point blank at a third. She also kills adults via hammer beating, stabbing, and shooting. Perils include fire, vehicular endangerment, crashing through a frozen pond, fistfights, and more. A character is kicked in the head, hard, and the shot lingers on his/her breaking neck. Discussions of beatings and murders. Extensive blood, including violent surgical imagery. A character breaks his/her own arm to feign abuse.
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Sex, Romance & Nudity
a lot
A young child dresses and acts in a deliberately sexual, provocative manner, although her advances are rebuffed. A married couple engages in sexual acts in bed and in the kitchen; adults are seen stripped down to their underwear. A group of pre-teen boys looks at a p*rnographic magazine (nudity is shown). Sex is discussed with a younger child.
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Language
a lot
Extensive strong language, including "f--k," "s--t," "bitch," "prick," "crap," "a--hole," "oh my God," and more. "Retard" is frequently used as an epithet, and "Jesus freak" is used once.
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Products & Purchases
a little
Characters play the video game Guitar Hero; other brands shown on screen include Perfect Ten magazine and Lexus.
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Drinking, Drugs & Smoking
some
See AlsoIs Orphan based on a true story? The case that inspired the horror filmOrphan: First Kill is even more fun than the original OrphanOrphanOrphan: First Kill ending explained - will the Albrights discover Esther's secret?Extensive discussion of how one main character has had a problematic relationship with alcohol in the past, plus depictions of her being tempted to drink again. Another main character smokes cigarettes and gets drunk drinking an entire bottle of wine; viewers see some events from his woozy, boozy perspective.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.
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Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Orphan is a gory horror movie centers on extremely violent, sexual acts carried out by a 9-year-old girl. While the film's ultimate twist negates some of the queasy, sleazy feeling that comes from watching this kind of material, the bulk of the movie revolves around the shock value of seeing a child doing horrible things. Plus, there's lots of swearing (including "f--k" and "s--t"), as well as smoking, drinking, and sexual scenes between adults. Note: This review is of the version of the movie shown in theaters, not the unrated version with an alternate ending available on DVD. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
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Orphan Movie Review 1:37
- Orphan Official trailer
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Orphan
- Parents say (32)
- Kids say (169)
age 15+
Based on 32 parent reviews
aclaros476298 Adult
September 7, 2023
age 16+
Violent and Scary, But good plot overall!
Definitely one of my favorite horror movies of all time. This movie has a very big plot twist near the end which makes it even better. I totally recommend!
Alana P. Adult
September 9, 2023
age 16+
Very good for people who like psychological horrors
Very well done movie with an amazing plot twist at the end. Unlike others I don’t think there was too much sex, the sex scene added more to the plot twist in terms of understanding her character and motives.
What's the Story?
After a miscarriage, parents John and Kate Coleman (Peter Sarsgaard and Vera Farmiga) decide to adopt a third child into their family. Polite, reserved, and formal, Esther (Isabelle Fuhrman) seems like the perfect addition ... but she soon reveals a manipulative, malevolent side. Is Esther simply trying to fit in and gain a little social advantage in the family, or does she have a darker agenda in mind?
Is It Any Good?
If Orphan were more exuberant -- a bit more diabolically crazy, a bit more swiftly paced -- it might be fun; as it is, the film bogs down over its two-plus hours. Farmiga and Sarsgaaard are both good -- even if they're forced, by circ*mstance, to play people far stupider than they are -- but they can't break out of the script's narrow confines. Fuhrman lends a certain chill to Esther's crazier moments, but, at the same time, she's hampered by the story's contortions and weaknesses. Watching Orphan, you can't help but think that what was really needed wasn't an artist's hand on the camera but, rather, an editor's hand applied to the screenplay.
Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, ORPHAN is clearly trying to follow in the footsteps of other bad-kid horror/thriller efforts like The Bad Seed and The Good Son. But even with the presence of the always-watchable Farmiga and Sarsgaard, Orphan buckles and breaks under the sheer weight of its own excess, piling ludicrous plot hole upon ludicrous plot hole and excuse upon excuse in the pursuit of thrills, chills, and rough, tough action.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the movie's violence. Is it more or less realistic than what you've seen in other thrillers/horror movies? How does that affect its impact?
How do you feel about the fact that a child is the one committing the movie's most horrible acts?
Does the movie's twist let the filmmakers off the hook for some of the more extreme moments?
Movie Details
- In theaters: July 24, 2009
- On DVD or streaming: October 27, 2009
- Cast: Isabelle Fuhrman, Peter Sarsgaard, Vera Farmiga
- Director: Jaume Collet-Serra
- Inclusion Information: Female actors
- Studio: Warner Bros.
- Genre: Horror
- Run time: 123 minutes
- MPAA rating: R
- MPAA explanation: disturbing violent content, some sexuality and language
- Last updated: June 20, 2023
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