Michael_Elliott The Orphan (1979)** (out of 4)After the sudden death of his beloved father, David (Mark Owens) goes to stay with family members where he struggles to fit in and understand why he has no parents. Before long he starts suffering bad headaches and soon he thinks they might be causing him to murder.I had never heard of this film until I read Stephen Thrower's Nightmare USA where this was covered. This here is basically a movie that tries to fit into the art-house market so if you're expecting some sort of slasher or graphic horror movie then you're going to be disappointed. As long as you go into the film knowing what you're getting then you're going to find a flawed but well-made picture.The film is actually well-made and the direction by John Ballard is more than respectable. This film is basically taking a look at a kid suffering from his mother's death and then having to deal with the death of his father. THe horror elements are certainly here but they are pretty much in the background because the main focus is the mental state of this kid and what impact being an orphan might have on him.Technically speaking the film is impressive as it looks quite good and we're also given some good performances. Owens is quite good as the young child and he at least helps you stayed glued to what's going on. The biggest problem with THE ORPHAN is the fact that it's just too slow and too dull in spots to fully keep you entertained. This is one of those movies where it's easy to respect what the filmmakers were able to do but by the time the movie is over you really weren't all that entertained.

Wizard-8 Today, the all-but-forgotten movie "(Friday The Thirteenth) The Orphan" only rates as a footnote connected to the "Friday The Thirteenth" slasher series, since the producers of that film had to pay the producers of the earlier movie a fee to use the title. I had wanted to see the movie for years, but it was so obscure it was impossible to find. Finally, I found a copy at a thrift store, so I bought it and took it home. My verdict? Well, as I said in the summary line the people behind the movie were really trying. Despite the low budget, there are some good production values and skillful filmmaking techniques. The filmmakers also deserve kudos for not making this a simple exploitation film (though there are instances of blood and nudity), and were trying for a psychological kind of horror. However, the movie is pretty slow, even though the running time is only a little over seventy minutes. Maybe this could have been a good short film, but as it is it feels very padded. Still, there are much worse cinematic ways to take up your time.

stephendellabarca This movie is not bad but is affected by a low budget and a few bad actors (namely David's mother) and also the lack of murders (only two). Written and directed by an almost unknown director (John Ballard). This movie was played in very few cinemas and has not been released on DVD (only VHS and VCD). This movie is also known as Friday 13th: The Orphan and was made before the endless Friday the 13th series. This movie does did not generate a very good profit and was poorly received by critics (if any bothered to review the film at all) and can be found mostly at the bottom of the "Bargain bin" h It Wain't excellent but it was okay. h h h H

EyeAskance THE ORPHAN is a professionally wielded film with a few decent performances(the youngster in the title role most notably), and it certainly doesn't merit a critical belting in response to its basic efficiencies. What I personally found off-putting was its bland self-possession...this is actually less a horror film than a vague, drawn-out mystery with a lot of red herring "coming of age" infusion. It has something to do with a pubescent boy being put in the hands of his difficile, prohibitive aunt following the demise of his parents, and the gradual expedition of his potentially lethal hostilities. The proceedings are dusted with moments of fever-dreamy surrealism, and take place in a time around the Great Depression(stylistic details to that effect are surprisingly impressive). I wanted to like this film, and I did appreciate its inveigling directorial uniqueness, but it's so dull it couldn't saw through sand...there's a scant minutiae of bloodletting and scares, and frankly, it's not nearly as cleverly devised as it thinks it is. There's not much about THE ORPHAN which would classify as "marketable"...it's basically just a purposefully packaged and atmospheric dearth of what most people want in a horror film.4.5/10