Orphan: First Kill Review: Isabelle Fuhrman Shines in Horror Prequel

There’s something to be said of how horror origin stories because they’re largely a mixed bag and, unfortunately, revisited several times. This probably won’t be the case for Orphan: First Kill, a franchise that really only works because of star Isabelle Fuhrman, who’s about as charming and unassuming as her character Esther is. The prequel from Dark Castle, the same production company behind the 2009 film, doesn’t actually require the viewer to see the original movie directed by Jaume Collet-Serra. First Kill is directed by Brent Bell, who’s also worked on Stay Alive (2006), The Boy (2016), and The Devil Inside (2012).

The only thing you really miss out on if you skip the 2009 film is the major reveal that Esther is not a 9-year-old girl but rather a 33-year-old woman by the name of Leena Klammer, who’s an escaped mental patient from an Estonian psychiatric facility who suffers from a rare pituitary disorder that stunts her growth. This fact is established early on at the start of the beginning of First Kill as we see Leena in her natural element before escaping and picking her new identity, which is that of a missing child. Coincidentally, “Esther” ended up reuniting with the child’s family, who reported her missing with Julia Styles and Rossif Sutherland playing the parents, Tricia and Allen Albright. They also have a much older son Gunnar (Matthew Finlan).

For those keeping score, the Coleman family of the 2009 film, played by Vera Farmiga and Peter Sarsgaard, are nothing like the Albrights of First Kill. While the Collet-Serra film plays up the mystique of Esther’s past and cast a wider range of characters, Bell’s film provides more of a linear path focusing more on the Albright family. At the center of it all is Fuhrman’s performance, which provides its own set of physical and mental challenges considering the 25-year-old actress is revisiting the role she played 13 years ago with the same nuance and vengefulness.

How “First Kill” Builds Upon “Orphan”

While Fuhrman isn’t acting alongside other younger actors in First Kill, she definitely more than holds her own physically and psychologically, especially with her co-stars. Stiles complements Fuhrman at every turn in their scenes, and Finlan more than fulfills the similar role to the antagonistic Jimmy Bennett’s Daniel did in the 2009 film. Another difference is First Kill is less cruel than its 2009 counterpart, which makes Fuhrman’s character actually more sympathetic. Orphan: First Kill hits all the right notes, faithfully maintaining the spirit of the 2009 original while providing extra nuance and layers to Esther. Credit goes to Fuhrman, Stiles, Bell, and writers David Coggeshall (who penned the screenplay), David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, and Alex Mace. The film, which also stars Hiro Kanagawa and Samantha Walkes.

Orphan: First Kill

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Review by Tom Chang

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8/10

Isabelle Fuhrman is back in fine form putting the same intensity with additional nuance in Esther 13 years later. Director Brent Bell is able to expand on Orphan with First Kill by telling a more focused story than the 2009 original. Julia Stiles and Rossif Sutherland offer a great contrasting dynamic as the Albrights to complement Fuhrman.

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