Orphan (2009)

The real horror in Orphan is a dad who won’t believe his wife about anything, even as the evidence piles up around the kitchen. Peter Sarsgaard’s John is so trusting it becomes a running joke the movie doesn’t know it’s telling. Vera Farmiga’s Kate does the opposite: she notices everything, and nobody listens, which is maddening for two hours straight. The movie belongs to Isabelle Fuhrman. Her Esther is polite, gifted, dressed like a doll from a museum, and something behind her eyes is always doing math. It’s a great performance, and she runs every scene she’s in. The middle drags on the same loop: Esther does something, Kate catches a hint, John shrugs. Then the twist arrives, and it’s so wild that people still bring it up years later. It made $77.9 million worldwide on a reported $20M. A 6.0 because Fuhrman is terrific and the grown-ups are written dumb. $17.91 says a kid is extra polite to you this month and you quietly take one step back.

What works: Isabelle Fuhrman is polite and chilling at the same time, and Vera Farmiga sells every ounce of Kate’s panic.

What doesn’t: The adults ignore warning signs for so long that it gets frustrating, and the middle runs long on the same suspicious pattern.

Who it’s for: Horror fans who love a creepy-kid story with a twist they can spring on friends who haven’t seen it.