Orphan: First Killwas perhaps the biggest, and most pleasant surprise in the horror genre this year. The prequel to 2009’sOrphan,First Killoffers viewers a chance to see where Esther came from, and how she got to the United States.
The originalOrphansaw a family adopting a little girl from Russia, who tries to seduce her new father, kill her new mother and siblings - and it turns out (spoiler alert) that she is a 33-year-old woman with a rare hormonal disorder that makes her look like a child. The film was an instant classic in the horror community due to its simple aesthetic and well-planned twist. But after over a decade, when it was discovered that a second film was in the works, there were troubled rumblings in the horror community. Could a film that relied so heavily on a twist do it again, when everyone knew the twist?
First Killproved that it could do just that. Rather than just a retread, the prequel shows us “Esther’s” origins as a 30-year-old woman named Leena who makes a violent escape from a home for the criminally insane, how she got to the United States as a 9-year-old girl, and how her family died and she got placed with the family we saw her with in the original film. Yes, there is a twist; no, I’m not going to tell you what it is.
I was so impressed withOrphan: First Killthat I couldn’t wait to sit down and chat with the star of the film,Isabelle Fuhrman, and directorWilliam Brent Bell. Fuhrman played Esther across both films, first playing Esther when she was a child, then returning to the role as an adult. For Bell, best known for his work directingThe BoyandBrahms: The Boy II, this was his first entry into the franchise. We spoke about the choice to return (or to join) the franchise; that twist (no spoilers!); and how Isabelle almost wasn’t brought back to play Esther!
Orphan: First Killis in theaters, On Demand and streaming on Paramount+.
