Orphan, the 2009 horror movie starring Isabelle Fuhrman and Vera Farmiga, was a spite-filled thriller that stunned audiences and somehow achieved the rare accomplishment of being both a financial success and a cult classic. Legendary film critic Roger Ebert gave it three-and-a-half stars out of four in his review, writing, “You want a good horror film about a child from hell, you got one.” The story of Esther (Fuhrman) now lives on in Orphan: First Kill… a bloody, twisty prequel more than worthy of its predecessor’s legacy.
The new film jumps back and recounts how Esther — whose real name is Leena Klammer — came to live in America, years before being adopted by Kate and John Coleman, played by Farmiga and Peter Sarsgaard in Orphan. After a violent escape from the Saarne Institute in Estonia, Leena pretends to be Esther Albright, the missing daughter of Tricia and Allen Albright, portrayed by Julia Stiles and Rossif Sutherland. Esther claims to have been kidnapped and raised by her abductor in Russia. First Kill follows the Albrights as they welcome their lost-lost child back while hoping to heal whatever mental and emotional trauma she may have from her time in captivity. Not dissimilar to the original film, however, Stiles’ motherly character starts to catch on that something is not right with Esther, and she seeks to find out what, leaving Esther feeling as if she has no choice but to protect her secret by any means necessary.
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Any initial reaction to the idea of an Orphan prequel that essentially sums up as “where could this story even go” would be understandable and forgiven. On the surface, knowing the big twist of Orphan is that Esther is actually a grown woman pretending to be a child can make fans of the modern classic feel as if First Kill would not be able to match the bizarre qualities that were so captivating about Orphan. After watching the film I can confidently say: That absolutely could not be further from the truth.
First Kill begins by very much leaning into slasher movie elements, following Esther as she executes her escape from the Saarne Institute, and ultimately Russia entirely, with a number of bodies in her wake. This was a very clever direction for the film, and character, as it further cements Esther’s rightful place in the hall of horror villains, but is also a bit of misdirection for the audience. We’ll say no more about that though, so as not to spoil anything…
While the strong story and script — by David Coggeshall, David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, and Alex Mace — and Furhman’s return are both crucial elements in making First Kill such a fun and exciting horror flick, director William Brent Bell and his team deserve a lot of praise for how brilliantly they captured Furhman’s performance as a woman pretending to be an adolescent child. Using young stand-ins alongside the actress, and having Furhman set lower in most scenes, accomplishes a brilliant practical effect that makes the movie infinitely better than had they opted to use CGI, such as having Furhman’s face inserted over that of a smaller or younger actor. It almost has this retro feel, stylistically, like the original , which absolutely enhances the viewing experience.
Furthermore, the trajectory of Furhman’s relationship with Stiles’ character is another perfectly balanced element that gives the film a lot of respectability. There is very much an intense emotional journey taken between the two of them, and even though fans of Orphan know essentially how things end… you still will not be prepared for how things end. To borrow a phrase from Ebert, “You want a good horror film about a child from hell…” now you got two. Orphan: First Kill begins streaming exclusively on Paramount+ this Friday, Aug. 19.
