The Orphanage Discussion Questions

What aesthetic choices does the director use to evoke horror in the audience? (Consider sounds, visuals such as the de-saturated quality of the film, etc).

Houses can be haunted, people can be haunted, and so, too, can objects be haunted.What does the "haunting" of objects teach us about our relationship to them? 

How do the ghosts communicate with the people in the film (ex. turning doorknobs, moving objects, etc)? Consider specific instances, and how these communications might work as a metaphor for something ghosts represent such as memory, trauma, grief, etc.

What is the true horror in the film? The horror behind the obvious horror?

What cultural conditions lead to the horror in the heart of the film?

Do you believe the child ghosts are responsible for the death of Simon? If they are not responsible, then what might this film be saying about grief? And why include those child ghosts at all?

What is the relationship between ghosts and technology in the film? What about in other ghost narratives you might have read/seen? How is a ghost itself a form of technology?

Can a ghost be a wish? If so, what is it a wish for, specifically in this film?

What is the significance of dolls/fetish objects used throughout the film? Why are dolls so creepy?

How does the setting of the film contribute to the horror?

In what ways does the house seem "animate"?

Analyze what makes this little guy so effectively creepy:




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