There are some things in life that it is hard to completely express gratitude for. After writing my over-enthused review for the theatrical release of Orphan, getting the DVD review without a doubt fall into that category. Here is a brief excuse on my part: I saw the film in a pack NYC theater with a group of people who were very invested in the film. For some odd reason, I followed suit with the mob mentality of the room and was falsely captivated by the mediocre piece of work that is Orphan. Now with that out of the way, redemption can finally be had, and Orphan can finally get what it has coming.

From my original review: "Kate (Vera Farminga) and John (Peter Sarsgaard) have been experiencing problems after facing the tragic loss of their daughter Jess who was stillborn among other personal issues. In an effort to not take the loss of their child in vain the couple decided to adopt a new child so that they could love a child who truly needs it. It's just too bad that Esther (Isabelle Fuhrman), the girl they decided to bring home is hiding an unruly psychopath and ingenious manipulator beneath her prim and proper facade. Soon Kate finds herself being the only one who can keep Esther from getting to her or her family." This is the only part of the theatrical review that was real to the film.

After this, the rest was mostly praise where it should have been littered with criticism. The torturing parts are nothing short of rubbish, no matter what my past self had to say about it. The big issue with it is that Orphan takes a bad step and follows the horror movie rules, specifically that children can’t be murdered. This isn’t always followed but it is somewhat of a guideline – for more, watch Scream. Also, it's hard to take the scenes seriously when they have such a childish nature to them. Pushing a girl off a slide, or setting a boys tree-house on fire with him in it might seem vindictive and terrifying for a child to be doing it, but everyone who was misguided by my advice and saw the film knows that Ester doesn’t fit that category.

If you are still interested in seeing the film than skip this paragraph because its time for a SPOILER ALERT! Ester is somewhere in her thirties and has a rare disease making her look like a child. Its hard to say why this could come off as a good twist, the surprise factor might be it. Surprises aren’t what makes a twist though. A solid twist is one that makes you look back at the film and realize that it was right under your nose the entire time. Orphan suffers from what