The world’s oldest 9-year-old is back! Director William Brent Bell and writer David Coggeshall resurrect old ideas in a new way in this highly entertaining prequel that sheds light on the miniature maniac’s backstory in Orphan First Kill.
The film opens at the grotty Saarne Institute, where patient Leena Klammer (a fully committed Isabelle Fuhrman), diagnosed with hypopituitarism (“a rare hormonal disorder that stunted her physical growth and caused proportional dwarfism”, thank you Wikipedia) gives the guards the runaround and inevitably escapes, murdering staff casually as she goes. On the run, she discovers a similarity between herself and a missing American child and so, posing as the missing girl, she becomes Esther and is reunited with her waspy American mother Tricia Albright (Julia Stiles) who eyes her suspiciously but takes her home to Connecticut and into her fabergé egg laden home, where Esther, who plans to rob the house, realises she’s hit the jackpot. Esther’s dad Allen (Rossif Sutherland, son of Donald) is restored, having been in a lengthy period of depression since his daughter’s disappearance, but brother Gunner (Matthew Finlan) is less enthused. Esther settles in, making a few missteps and attracting the attention of Detective Donnan (Hiro Kanagawa) who having worked on Esther’s case, is confused about her return and wants answers. But as Esther starts to integrate her way into the family, will they suspect that this isn’t the real Esther and are any of them safe if the truth comes out?
The story also verges on the gothic fairy tale, first the cuckoo in the nest and then the princess locked in the tower and I wonder if the addition of a human-friendly rat friend for Esther was a nod to this motif.
First things first, kudos to Isabelle Fuhrman, who is right at home playing Esther, even after a 13-year gap between this and the original film. Fuhrman is now 25, as opposed to 12, and while she does look more adult, clever work with makeup and body doubles allows a willing viewer to suspend belief and go along with the idea that all the adults in this film not only believe Leena is a child, but that the Albright family believe this to be their missing daughter. Julia Stiles also works well as the matriarch of this dysfunctional family; she looks very comfortable in pearls and trouser suits and does a great job framing the world in which the Albright family have a reputation to protect. The film skirts around some fairly big
issues, Leena’s actual origin story, or the effect of Esther’s lengthy disappearance on Dad Allen, but just like the first film, this isn’t the time or place for examination with the sheer level of activity involved in Esther’s ruse. Action scenes are choreographed well, although possibly because they feature a smaller person against a bigger person, they lacked some ferocity. A gorgeous shot of Esther walking through a fiery inferno was appreciated.
There are a few retcon’s and inconsistencies with the first film, most likely a response to controversies thrown at the original film surrounding a negative approach to adoption. The script, with more than one twist up its sleeve, dials up the camp and almost verges on soapy at times, which isn’t a bad thing in this case (one moment with a sunglasses-wearing Esther smoking a cigarette while cruising down the road listening to 80’s music was truly triumphant). The story also verges on the gothic fairy tale, first the cuckoo in the nest and then the princess locked in the tower and I wonder if the addition of a human-friendly rat friend for Esther was a nod to this motif. While we’re here, I have to say, the addition of her rodent pal would usually have me rolling my eyes, but so intrigued was I by where the film was going, I didn’t mind it one bit.
Orphan: First Kill brings fresh blood to what could have been a one-and-done movie, but strong performances and an engaging, twisty and downright fun story mean I have a newfound respect for what looks to be a new horror franchise worthy of repeated sleepover-watching.
Orphan First Kill is out on Digital Platforms and Blu-Ray from November 14th
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