‘Orphan: First Kill’ Review: Isabelle Fuhrman stars in a joyous horror sequel
As far back as horror has stretched, fans of the genre have come to learn that you can’t expect too much from a sequel to a classic text. From the 20th century sequels of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, Psycho II and Halloween II to more modern failures, such as The Descent Part 2, Sinister 2 and It Chapter Two, the second instalment to any horror franchise tends to be pretty disappointing.
Perhaps the sequel to the Orphan benefits from the fact that the original 2009 movie wasn’t exactly a masterpiece, but instead something of a haunted house thrill ride with a niche twist and a memorable villain at the helm. Strangely enough, however, Orphan 2, generically subtitled First Kill, builds off the commercial success of the original film and makes strides to be considered even better than its parent.
Set mere years before the events of the first film, First Kill sees the titular murderous 33-year-old woman, purporting to be an innocent young orphan, escape from an Estonian psychiatric facility and seek safety in the care of a normal American family. Claiming to be their missing child named Esther, the young woman smuggles her way into the wealthy home and begins to assert her powers of manipulation.
Defying the conventions of such aforementioned horror sequels, this new instalment to the Orphan ‘universe’ is helmed with proficiency by William Brent Bell, who brings the surprisingly concise screenplay by David Coggeshall to life. Instilling the film with a neat reinvention of the horror formula that plays to the strengths of the movie’s unique title character, the production team are able to create a horror flick better than the sum of its parts.
Much of the movie’s sheer delight comes from the melodrama of the lead cast, with Julia Stiles bringing a thrilling theatricality to her role as the loving mother and Matthew Finlan also impressing as the entitled son of the rich family. Though, as with the previous instalment, this movie is very much Isabelle Fuhrman’s, who once again plays the delightful evil titular villain with a malevolent, dry grin.
Being just 12 years old when the original film was released in 2009, bizarrely, it seems as though Fuhrman has barely aged a day since, with the sequel defying the realms of logic in the simple use of clever forced perspectives, camera angles and lighting. In a world where the cinematic de-ageing process usually involves copious amounts of CGI that makes actors look like uncanny Playstation 2 cameos, it’s refreshing to see innovative practical effects being utilised.
Whilst the film does trip over its own self-contained logic several times in an attempt to be more intelligent than its own good, for the most part, Orphan: First Kill is a pleasant joyride that sticks to the beats of the genre with a few creative flourishes. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel of horror, but it’s undeniable that Bell adds some flashing lights that make the spinning cogs of genre filmmaking look a little more exciting.
Esther may only be two films down, but she is quickly becoming one of the most curiously delightful horror villains of contemporary horror. Bring on Orphan: Chapter 3 (The Curse of Esther/Esther’s Revenge/Bloodlines).
