Film Review - Orphan: First Kill

Images courtesy of StudioCanal.

While many consider the trend of remakes, reboots, sequels and prequels to be a problem of modern Hollywood, anyone who considers themselves even a cursory horror fan should be well acquainted with the idea by now. Ever since the slasher heyday of the 80s, there's been no such thing as dead and gone - for example, Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter is, in fact, the fourth entry in an 11-film chronology. We've seen numerous xenomorphs blown out of airlocks. We've seen origin stories for Michael Myers, a killer whose personality starts and ends with a repurposed William Shatner mask. We've seen the likes of Jason, Pinhead, Dracula and even Leprechaun go to space (and then, in the case of the latter, back to the hood - twice). There is no bar too low, no shark too big to jump, when it comes to continuing a horror franchise.

So then, why not offer up a prequel to Orphan a full 13 years after its bonkers reveal - a twist that, at the time, was uttered in bewilderment in high school classrooms around the world? I went in with a sense of wry glee that they could actually play off of the ramifications of such a reveal; if the audience already knows Esther is in fact a 33-year-old woman with proportional dwarfism, where could the story go from there? Thankfully, this prior knowledge genuinely benefits the film, as not only does it allow the prequel to venture into campy dark comedy territory, but also helps sell the visual image of a younger Esther, brought to life using forced perspective and make-up rather than the usual CGI trickery.

For the first half, things move along in a somewhat vanilla manner, that is until a sudden narrative twist of the knife refreshes interest and ensures that this prequel won't follow the first film beat for beat. What that revelation is, I'll leave for potential viewers to discover, but I will say that even as it greatly increased my enjoyment, it also made me wish the film were in the hands of a more daring director than William Brent Bell. While Bell has proved perfectly adequate as a horror director, this screenplay is rife with potential and, should the series continue, I'd love for someone with a little more bite to have a go at it. Thankfully, Fuhrman can clearly hold her own, chewing up just about every scene she gets, and Julia Stiles has ample material to work with as the mother placed head-to-head with the three foot terror.

While its visual and budgetary limitations may mean I can't exactly say Orphan: First Kill is a must-see on the big screen, it is well worth checking out for anyone who even mildly enjoyed the first movie. It's a long overdue yet simultaneously unexpected follow-up that has fresh blood pumping through its veins, and broiling aspirations to match. Besides, at least we got a couple of banging needle drops this time around.

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Orphan: First Kill is screening in cinemas from Thursday September 1st. For tickets and more info, click here.