Orphan: First Kill

I remember the electricity in the audience the first time I saw the biggest surprise of 2009, Orphan. One of those late-summer, early-fall horror films that ...

That said, there’s a twist in this movie that’s every bit as bonkers as the one that came before it, one that could have sent the film spinning off into silliness—and maybe even does, a little—but is so remarkably entertaining that it just works. I hate to linger on this, as it may well simply be a snafu that only critics will have to deal with. And it looks like a straight-to-DVD sequel of a medium-sized hit (more on that in a moment), so it’s no surprise that it’s coming directly to Paramount+ and VOD this weekend rather than hitting theaters. It helps that Stiles remains one of the best and most underused talents in Hollywood, able to turn on a dime from warm-but-concerned to icily matriarchal. At first, Orphan: First Kill feels a bit like a retread, one of those prequels that does nothing more than fill in the gaps and explain certain tics from the original film. One of those late-summer, early-fall horror films that slots nicely into the August doldrums, Orphan was pitched to audiences a bit like a gender-swapped version of the Macaulay Culkin/Elijah Wood vehicle, The Good Son: a girl is adopted by a loving family and then starts tormenting said family because, as the tagline put it, “There’s something wrong with Esther.”

While we live in an era when practically any successful property can get a remake, sequel, or reboot, the number of people who would have guessed that such ...

“Orphan: First Kill” looks flat (and often cheap), when it really needs a visually astute director to come at it with the same out-there glee as Fuhrman and Stiles. With the mystery of Esther’s murderous background in the rearview mirror, “First Kill” centers her as more of a traditional slasher villain in early scenes, willing to do anything to get her freedom. Fans of the first film will remember that Esther escaped an Estonian mental hospital before finding her way to a new family, and “First Kill” basically documents a little trouble she got into along the way.

A follow-up to 2009's 'Orphan' on Paramount+, a Princess Diana documentary on HBO Max, 'Look Both Ways' with Lili Reinhart on Netflix and more to watch at ...

Simmons as the voice of a mysterious, Lovecraftian supernatural entity, speaking through a hole in a public bathroom stall to a lovelorn guy named Wes (Ryan Kwanten) and demanding an unspeakable favor. The movie features some framing scenes and flashbacks, but for the most part it stays in the toilet, letting a disgusting scenario inspire some squirmy horror-comedy. The pregnant version of Natalie Bennett ( [Lili Reinhart](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2020-08-24/lili-reinhart-chemical-hearts-riverdale)) moves back in with her parents in Austin, Texas, while the other Natalie leaves for Los Angeles to try to break into animation. [“Sliding Doors”](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-apr-24-ca-42337-story.html) scenario gets an update in the romantic dramedy “Look Both Ways,” which uses a pregnancy test as the forking path for a college graduate about to start her grown-up life. First-time feature director Thyrone Tommy (who also co-wrote the film with Marni Van Dyk) keeps circling back to the protagonist’s ill-fated affair with Selma (Emma Ferreira) — a singer who both inspires and maddens him — to hint at one of the reasons why he eventually becomes so distraught. The actor Leah Purcell reinterprets Australian writer Henry Lawson’s classic “woman against nature” short story “The Drover’s Wife” in “The Legend of Molly Johnson,” which she previously adapted into a play and novel. Even the many who loved and supported Diana — who far outnumbered the skeptics — robbed her of some of her humanity, just by treating her as an icon. A shy bride in her earliest public appearances, the princess later used the spotlight to draw attention to children’s charities and public health issues. Director Ed Perkins’ documentary “The Princess” is a nerve-wracking inside look at this phenomenon, seen via the dual perspectives of the British royal family and the people who scrutinize their every move — sometimes adoringly, sometimes cynically. “First Kill” is an origin story, going back to when the villainess Leena Klammer escaped from an Estonian mental hospital and passed herself off as Esther Albright, the long-missing daughter of a wealthy American family. But as the tabloid scandals mounted, it seemed everyone with access to a microphone had an opinion about her choices and her motivations. First: The “kid” turned out not to be a kid at all, but rather a ferociously evil woman with a disorder that made her look like a 9-year-old.

Isabelle Fuhrman (Esther Albright/Leena Klammer) · Julia Stiles (Tricia Albright) · Rossif Sutherland (Allen Albright) · Matthew Finlan (Gunnar Albright) · Hiro ...

If you want even more thrills and chills, don’t forget to check out our schedule of all the [upcoming horror movies](https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2554980/upcoming-horror-movies-all-the-scary-movies-coming-out-2020-2021) coming to theater and streaming services in the near future. Rounding out the main portion of the Orphan: First Kill cast is Samantha Walkes, who takes on the role of Dr. Well, this wraps up the major players of the Orphan: First Kill cast. Not all of the characters featured in the Orphan: First Kill cast are related to the young girl Esther’s claiming to be. [Netflix Top 10](https://www.cinemablend.com/tag/netflix-top-10) in August 2022), Crisis, and Every Breath You Take. To say that Kanagawa has an extensive filmography would be an incredible understatement, as the talented film, TV, and voice actor has given dozens upon dozens of performances throughout his career. His film work has picked up a considerable amount in recent years, with roles in movies like Brazen and My Fake Boyfriend, with more on the way. [Paramount+ subscription](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/2562226/paramount-plus-release-date-price-and-other-things-we-know-about-the-streaming-service), you might be wondering where you’ve seen the Orphan: First Kill cast before. [Stiles’ best movies and TV shows](https://www.cinemablend.com/streaming-news/julia-stiles-best-movies-and-tv-shows-and-how-to-watch-them) is an absolutely astounding collection of timeless classics like 10 Things I Hate About You, Save the Last Dance, Silver Linings Playbook, and so much more. His list of movie appearances includes everything from the Michael Crichton adaptation Timeline to Edge of Winter, and High Life to A Call to Spy. Since becoming an overnight sensation in Orphan all those years ago, Fuhrman has continued to find success in show business with appearances in movies like The Hunger Games, Cell, Good Girls Get High, and a series of short films. Leading the new family is Julia Stiles, who takes on the role of Tricia Albright, an upset mother desperately trying to find her missing daughter.

Written by David Coggeshall and directed by William Brent Bell, the prequel isn't quite as effective a psychological chiller as its predecessor.

The questionably awaited prequel to Jaume Collet-Serra's 2009 psychological horror film will likely be adored by fans but forgotten by newcomers.

Hardcore fans of Orphan will find a lot to love in First Kill. This is likely the best possible outcome of trying to make Orphan more than it once was. Honestly, the crowd best suited to enjoy Orphan: First Kill would be barred from seeing it without their parents at the theater. Despite these fairly obvious failings, the film does improve upon the 2009 original in a couple of key ways. First Kill is a tight 90-minutes with extremely well-defined acts, and that improvement in pacing is extremely helpful. Much of the family drama has the feel of a soap opera trying way too hard to stay alive. Instead, it tells the story that leads immediately to the beginning of the 2009 original. [seen the first Orphan](https://gamerant.com/overrated-2000s-horror-movies-cabin-fever-saw-orphan/) film should go and watch it first because First Kill spoils it in the first few minutes. A lot of its selling point is tied up in what [exactly is going on](https://gamerant.com/best-movie-plot-twists-ever/) with the titular orphan, a little Russian girl named Esther. She embeds herself as the missing daughter of a wealthy American family and sets to work trying desperately to blend in. Despite the title, the plot of First Kill does not depict little Esther's first murder. Orphan: First Kill isn't impressive on any particular level, but it does manage to avoid the most obvious pitfall a prequel to Orphan would suffer.

Not many actors can claim a breakthrough performance as impressive as that of Isabelle Fuhrman. In 2009, she took the horror world by storm as Esther, ...

All of it amounts to the idea that even on a family road trip to a spot designed for families to road trip to, there may be horrors in store. Instead, the Morris family on screen plays the game “Raw Deal”, a game show resembling “Wheel of Fortune” with the added caveat that penalties for losing include eating worms and losing a limb. As the Horrors close in, Lizzy remembers the “no pinching” signs and pinches one of them on the arm. In the book, the Morris’ and Clay are thrust into a terrifying obstacle course, coming upon all manner of murderous monster in their attempt to escape. There’s a palpable sense of rising fear in the book as the rides move from being fun to frightening that is somewhat lost in the televised version, given how few rides are actually featured. Ignoring a warning from one of the Horrors telling them to escape as fast as they can, the reunited trio sets off toward a sign that says “House of Mirrors”. While they pass a Horror carrying a head on the page, there’s no interaction with it as there is onscreen, honing in on the spooky in lieu of the silly. The show excises the “Doom Slide” entirely, rather skipping to “The House of Mirrors” which doesn’t come into play for several more chapters in the book. She knows she is the expendable member of the household and will likely be the one to pay the price for their love. Dumbfounded, terrified and angry, the family gawks at the smoldering cinders of their vehicle until finally mustering the strength to ask the ticket taker for access to a phone— one thing Horrorland doesn’t seem to have. Stine foray into the unknown to usher me into the throngs of a fun-filled family vacation than One Day at Horrorland, a tale that’s as much about the untapped desire to be thrilled as entertainment as it is about the dangers inherent in seeking out such terror. Fuhrman is fantastic in a supporting role as a troubled girl trying to figure out who she is in the shadow of her neglectful mother.

Back in 2009, movie audiences were introduced to a creepy little girl named Esther in the horror movie Orphan. Now, 12 years later, we'll finally learn ...

In the chaotic fight between Esther and Tricia that follows, the house catches on fire. so Esther pushes Allen off of the roof, too. The officer gathers proof, via fingerprints, that Esther is not who she says she is. Of course, the authorities know none of this. Esther briefly manages to escape but is caught by the police. Esther and Tricia both end up dangling from the roof, clinging for their lives. Allen returns to the house, climbs onto the roof, and offers a hand to his wife and fake daughter to rescue them. Tricia also knows that Esther has a secret crush on her husband. Leena positions herself to be deliberately discovered by the authorities and tells the police her name is Esther. It’s clear that the officer is on to Esther. Her mom, Tricia (Julia Stiles) has given up on ever finding her and wants to focus on her remaining child, a fencing champion named Gunnar (Matthew Finlan). Leena has a rare hormone disorder that prevents her body from aging, so she looks like a little girl.

Esther is back in brand new Orphan prequel movie Orphan: First Kill, and you can see it in select theaters, buy it on Digital, and stream it on Paramount+.

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Fuhrman is fantastic in this schlocky but never boring return to the 2009 cult favorite movie.

Karim Hussain, the director of photography who has worked closely with Brandon Cronenberg and on other genre entries, shoots the proceedings with a gauzy, somnambulant haze. “Orphan: First Kill,” however, hinges upon a twist introduced at the top of the third act that throws everything we’ve seen prior outrageously out of whack. There are less stakes but bigger world-building possibilities this time around now that the audience is in on the reality of Esther’s true identity: She’s a grown woman, not a child, and that comes with complications. [Orphan](https://www.indiewire.com/t/orphan/): First Kill” assures we are in the realm of a horror movie because it opens with an overheard shot of a car snaking up a mountainous road blanketed in snow. As with 2009’s “Orphan” starring Vera Farmiga and Peter Sarsgaard, Esther again targets a grief-addled couple, Allen (Rossif Sutherland) and Tricia (Julia Stiles). From there, this prequel to the 2009 cult favorite “Orphan,” now directed by William Brent Bell taking over from the first film’s director Jaume Collet-Serra, mostly diverges from such high-minded fare, settling into trashy TV movie vibes for the rest of its twist-laden run time.

The prequel now streaming on Paramount+ tells the origin story of Esther, the killer from the cult horror movie "Orphan."

The Mauerova sisters and Skrlová were all found guilty of child abuse offenses. She had been taken in by a family who believed her to be a 12-year-old girl called Anika, but was accused of abusing her adopted brothers and manipulating the boys' mother and aunt to mistreat them too. Fans of the two Orphan movies will be spooked to know they are loosely based on a true story. Skrlová managed to escape Brno and headed for Denmark, eventually ending up in Norway. [in the 2009 movie](https://www.newsweek.com/how-orphan-first-kill-connects-original-move-prequel-isabelle-fuhrman-1735159), tracing her movements from a psychiatric facility in Estonia to U.S. [Isabelle Fuhrman](https://www.newsweek.com/isabelle-fuhrman-orphan-first-kill-opens-august-19-1734635), now 25, plays Esther in both films.