Laura returns to the orphanage she spent time in as a child with her husband Carlos and little boy Simon in hopes of re-establishing it as seaside retreat for children with disabilities only to find there may be some former residents who never left. Nothing is as it seems and child's play takes on sinister overtones.

"The Orphanage" is closer to the classic haunted house themes of "The Others" as it attempts to give a sentimental view of life after death. Be warned, "The Orphanage" is often more sad than scary, and those not familiar with Catholic mysticism might find things a bit hard to believe. As goes the film's mantra…Believe, Then You Will See. Those with the patience and the heart will be greatly rewarded as the audience doesn't necessarily have to believe to relate to the characters that do.

There will be a simplistic but heartfelt explorations of grief, allusions to classic literature, uncovering dark secrets from the past, precocious children with spooky imaginary friends, creaking set designs and manipulative sound effects to create "gotcha!" moments, a creepy medium brought in for a séance and of course there will be a twist at the end.

"The Orphanage" offers nothing terribly new, but sometimes the same old ghost story presented in a beautiful way makes for the best type of cold-rainy-day entertainment.

The Orphanage | Mexico | 2008 | Rated R | 105 Minutes

Marvin Auditorium 101 BC Tuesday, November 3  6:30-8:30pm