Lately, it’s been hard to come across a truly scary movie that didn’t need the help of unnecessary blood and guts in order to shock the audience. Though the Saw movies succeed in using this type of genre (I had nightmares for weeks), a film that is able to make me just as frightened without having to resort to gory special effects is called The Orphanage.

This spooky film comes all the way from Spain under the direction of Sergio G. Sanchez. The film was released in the states earlier this year in January, and I feel like it’s a film that is a great yet lesser-known horror movie. The story takes place in, who would have guess it, an orphanage where the main character, Laura, grew up as a child and later bought to have her family live in. With her husband Carlos and adopted son Simon, she decides to make her new home into an orphanage for handicapped children. But as she’s busy preparing for this new orphanage, she regretfully pays little credence to the five imaginary friends that Simon talks about all the time.

The film’s very smart and plays on people’s fears of ghosts and spirits. There are twists and turns that are revealed as the plot moves along, and scenes that will just about make you leap out of your pants. It’s always good to take a risk with a foreign film since they are able to put a whole new spin on film that many of us are unaware of. If you’re one of those people that just can’t deal with the subtitles (movies are meant to be easy, right?), take a chance on this one because there aren’t many American films that can compare to its eerie plot.