Editor’s Note: The following are spoilers for Orphan: First Kill.
Do you hear it? That sound? Well boys and girls this is the sound Orphan: First Kill mania that swept the country. Although released on streaming, the prequel to the 2009 film Orphan has gradually gained significant box office success over the past few weeks. On top of that, it’s also getting a physical release just in time for Halloween, which means we’ll still have a few more months to go as people join the cult. Isabelle Fuhrmancreepy Esther and embracing the film’s chaotic yet imaginative presentation. Despite taking place before the events of the original, it takes the story in unexpected directions, making it one of the most joyful horror prequels in recent memory.
No, I’m not just talking about the revelation from the first movie that the young girl is actually an adult in disguise. While this initial revelation was shocking when it first appeared and took viewers by surprise on its own, this newest one doesn’t stop there as it pushes into new territory on its own. If you haven’t seen the movie yet and haven’t figured out what this part will be about, here’s your final warning about what it is. going to ruin everything from start to finish in a horror prequel. Don’t worry, you can bookmark this page and come back anytime as the movie is worth watching as cold as possible. Okay, is everything clear? Is there really no one who is not ready to delve into everything that happens? Okay, let’s dive into the madness of this movie.
The film opens with us seeing what Esther is up to before coming to America. Originally known as Lina, she paints and, like everyone else, figures out how to kill her in order to get out of the Estonian psychiatric facility known as the Saarnes Institute where she is being held. She gets that opportunity when a new art therapist named Anna visits the facility. Thinking quickly, Esther perfects her plan and leaves a trail of blood behind her before getting into the back seat of Anna’s car, who drives away unaware of the stowaway. After successfully escaping, Esther then kills Anna in her home and begins to investigate the missing children in America that she can most accurately portray. She stops at Esther, doing her best to reflect the appearance of a young girl. She then finds a police officer whom she tricks into thinking she is a child and just wants to go home to her family.
This also works and Esther is taken to the American Embassy in Moscow where she later meets her new mother Trisha (Julia Stiles), which comes to her personally. Seemingly thrilled to be reunited with her daughter, she immediately brings her home to the rest of the family. There she meets her new father Allen (Rossif Sutherland) and brother Gunnar (Matthew Finlan), who both welcome her return. The only problem is that there is a certain Detective Donnan (Hiro Kanagawa), who previously investigated the disappearance of the real Esther and appears to be suspicious of the whole situation. He keeps showing up and asking a lot of questions. Thus, Esther decides to go and eliminate him in order to protect her secret. She breaks into his house and stabs him from behind. With his dying breath, as Esther gloats that her own mother doesn’t know who she is, he utters two words that will be his last: “she knows.” Trisha suddenly appears and starts shooting at the dying detective. We then learn that Esther didn’t fool her and Trisha’s only reason for choosing “Esther” was to hide the fact that Gunnar killed her real daughter. What follows is a battle of wills between the two, where they basically see who can force the other out first, as Allen knows nothing about it.
It all culminates in a fiery finale in which the family fights in the house while the patriarch is away. After Esther escaped by stealing the family car but was returned by the police, Trisha and Gunnar decide to kill her. They try several times, though Esther quickly flips their tables. She shoots Gunnar with a crossbow in the art studio before turning to face Trisha. They fight in the kitchen, chaos starts a fire that no one puts out. Suddenly in the mix is the return of Allen, who has been notified of Esther’s arrest and cut his trip short due to anxiety. All three end up on the roof, perilously close to the edge. Allen then has to quickly choose between rescuing Esther and Trisha, who are both hanging by their arms. He chooses Esther and Trisha falls to her death below. As he drags Esther to safety, he sees that she is not really his daughter and is horrified. Trying to get away from her, he also falls to his death. Esther then exits the house as it is completely engulfed in flames.
This makes the ending both great and creepy as the movie throws the entire kitchen sink at the screen. While the original was more than amazing in its own way, the way this movie built on it and reinvented itself proved to be exactly what was needed to make it all work. There is no deeper meaning or purpose to this other than simply seeing a group of people try to outsmart each other before ultimately turning to brutal violence. It’s all about immersing yourself in the absurdity and anarchy of the horror spectacle, right down to the many moments when Esther listens to music, wreaking havoc on everything around her. Of course, she can continue like this with her disguise back on. This ensures that she can move on to yet another family, the one we saw in the original, that doesn’t forget who she really is.
Source: Collider
