For an R-Rated movie, The Orphanage is surprising appropriate, and could have easily been PG-13. There is no sex or nudity at all, and there are only two swears (including one F-word) although they only appear in the subtitles since the audio is in Spanish. There is even very little gore or violence-although there is one scene where we get a 5-second glance at the mutilated face of a car crash victim; in another scene, we get a quick glance at the distorted face of a child born with facial deformities. Other than that, though, there are no disturbing or gory images. Young children may be disturbed by some elements in the plotline, though. Although there is little gore, The Orphanage is still meant to be a psychological horror film, so its overall tone is very dark and creepy. A theme of dead/dying children is present throughout, including some talk of murdered children and an instance of suicide. In the beginning of the film, a child is said to be HIV positive (nothing sexual is implied). The end of the film is very tragic but moving, young kids may find it upsetting though. Overall, this is an extremely poignant film about a mother's undying love as she searches for her missing son. It is beautifully written and has an excellent storyline. If your kids are uncomfortable about talk of death, or if you are not comfortable with your kids hearing talk of death, this may not be the movie for you. Other than that, though, there is no real inappropriate content. My 9-year-old sister watched this and was fine. In my opinion, this would be completely appropriate for anyone 13+; for younger kids, you should judge for yourself on a case-by-case basis. As long as your kids are not easily scared, The Orphanage is okay to watch as a family movie.
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The Orphanage
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Is it age appropriate?
About our ratings(Flash is loading. If this text does not disappear you need to install the latest flash version)
Not age appropriate for kids under 13, age appropriate for kids over 16; suggested age 13. -
Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
Decent old-school ghost story, Spanish-style.
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 13–16
What to watch out for
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What Parents Need to Know
About The Orphanage
Parents need to know that even though the R-rating is too harsh, brief but grotesque visuals let us know the filmmakers could do worse if they wanted to. Disturbing imagery includes a mutilated victim of a car collision and a deformed kid with a skull-like face. A suicide attempt figures in the ending. There is a theme of infanticide and dead children. Nothing is shown, but we get news of children causing a playmate's death, then being killed (by poison) themselves. An HIV-positive character is part of the plot, and it's pretty much given as a death sentence.
Read our full review by Charles Cassady Jr.
Families Can Talk About
- Families can talk about what parts of the movie are scariest, and does the (generally) non-gore approach work? Do you agree with Laura's choice at the end? How does this film stack up to other favorite movie ghost tales?
Our Members Say
Most Recent Reviews
- I rate this title iffy for age 8 and give itMy concerns are:
- Inappropriate language
Great Thriller/Drama, might be a little disturbing to young kids
- I rate this title iffy for age 13 and give itMy concerns are:
- Inappropriate language
- Drinking, smoking, or drug use
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
An all around incredible movie!!!
This movie is a good old fashioned scary movie. It makes you think. No stupid hollywood bloody, gory, stupid stuff in it. its just an all around great movie! i would recommend to anyone who likes scary movies.
- I rate this title iffy for age 14 and give itMy concerns are:
- Excessive violence
I loved this movie passionately.
Have you ever noticed that horror movies nowadays are just become hack 'n' slash, sexed up, gored out movies without any real emotion or feeling?
- I rate this title on for age 2 and give it
Really sweet and sad!
This is a really good horror movie. Its suspenseful but it's not very bloody or anything. Its a really good story and its really sad!
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