By Ryan Clark
The Orphan is not a horror film, despite the "Friday the 13th" subtitle and the presence of a somewhat nasty knife murder late in the film. It's a psychological study of a young boy under the care of his controlling Aunt Martha following the accidental shooting of his father and the suicide of his mother. He idolizes his father, who was often absent while exploring Africa, so much that his memories of the man all have the tone of a 70s cologne commercial. The boy's aunt, while well-meaning, seems determined to strip away any remnants of the father's influence, including letting go of the black handyman who befriends the boy and tries to undo some of Aunt Martha's harm by teaching him about life in a manner in which his father would approve. The boy rebels against his aunt at every opportunity, even going as far as rejecting communion during mass and forming his own African-influenced religion, worshiping a gigantic gorilla statue (!) he keeps in the shed behind his house. Is he just a normal kid smothered by his overprotective aunt, or is he perhaps sicker than she thinks he is?
The Orphan is not a horror film, despite the "Friday the 13th" subtitle and the presence of a somewhat nasty knife murder late in the film. It's a psychological study of a young boy under the care of his controlling Aunt Martha following the accidental shooting of his father and the suicide of his mother. He idolizes his father, who was often absent while exploring Africa, so much that his memories of the man all have the tone of a 70s cologne commercial. The boy's aunt, while well-meaning, seems determined to strip away any remnants of the father's influence, including letting go of the black handyman who befriends the boy and tries to undo some of Aunt Martha's harm by teaching him about life in a manner in which his father would approve. The boy rebels against his aunt at every opportunity, even going as far as rejecting communion during mass and forming his own African-influenced religion, worshiping a gigantic gorilla statue (!) he keeps in the shed behind his house. Is he just a normal kid smothered by his overprotective aunt, or is he perhaps sicker than she thinks he is?
The Orphan, which was filmed under the title "Betrayal" and was based on a short story called "Sredni Vashtar" by Hector Hugh Munro, is one strange and enigmatic film. Production started in 1968 and lasted until the late 70s, and you can tell because the boy's hair changes in every scene. Mark Owens, who plays the orphan, is awkward in many scenes, but he's sometimes effective. Peggy Fuery is particularly good as the aunt, and Afolabi Ajayi, who died during filming, is a welcome and friendly presence in a film crowded with mostly cold characters.
Unfortunately, the film is also amateurish in terms of sound editing and cinematography, and its style is at first off-putting. Some films like The Last House on the Left benefit from the filmmakers' inexperience. Not so with The Orphan, which is director John Ballard's first and only movie. It really detracts from the power that an at least slightly more accomplished production would have had. Many scenes were cut by the producers to bring down the running time,
and one can't help but think that these scenes, as described in Stephen
Thrower's wonderful book, Nightmare U.S.A., would have further expanded the intriguing and complex characterizations in this unique movie.
When I finished watching the film, my first thought was, "I like the frozen ravioli better than the frozen tortellini. I think I'll buy that from now on." My second thought was, "That was interesting, but I'll probably never watch it again." But you never know. A revisit may be in order somewhere down the line.
