Will Esther Become a New Horror Icon? Orphan Has Makings of a Cult Sleeper.
Posted on Monday, August 3rd, 2009 by Hunter Stephenson
Even though the presence of talented actors Vera Farmiga and Peter Sarsgaard was quizzical, the trailers for Orphan did little to convince that the movie was anything but a derivative, un-PC rip-off of The Bad Seed and Mac Culkin’s The Good Son. Producer Joel Silver (as well as Leonardo DiCaprio) seemed to be aiming for a quiet ground-double between pricey blockbusters. Pay no mind. Business as usual. But over the last two weeks, the oft-profane buzz around Orphan on Twitter and elsewhere, alongside a surprising 7.1 rating on IMDB, and enthusiastic genre reviews, now suggest the makings of a cult horror flick. Word-of-mouth about the ending and my kooky, inexplicable obsession with the movie’s titular character, Esther, finally lead me to check it out. It was worth it.
