Haunted house tale is superbly scary

Were I given to hyperbole, I would proclaim "The Orphanage" to be an instant classic of gothic drama, a masterpiece of suspense and a supernatural thrill ride that leaves you breathless!

"The Orphanage" blends raw shocks with nail-biting tension in a simple, tersely told story of a haunted house, a missing boy, and a mother torn by guilt and grief.

I hesitate to call "The Orphanage" a horror movie, because the label connotes gore and cheap sensationalism, not that there's anything wrong with those. This dark, enthralling movie belongs in a whole other category of supernatural chillers, closer to the quietly unsettling "The Uninvited" and "The Turn of the Screw" than to "Halloween" or "Friday the 13th."

"The Orphanage" comes from first-time feature director Spanish filmmaker Juan Antonio Bayona, who has only made a few film shorts and music videos. But the film's executive producer is none other than Guillermo del Toro, director of last year's stunning, imaginative war/fantasy drama "Pan's Labyrinth."

Under del Toro's guidance, "The Orphanage" blends elements of classic ghost tales such as "The Haunting," "The Shining," "The Others" and "The Legend of Hell House" and throws in "Peter Pan" as a recurring motif.

The story -- presented in luxuriously foreboding wide-screen frames -- begins with a little girl named Laura playing with friends at an orphanage near the Spanish coast. Years later, Laura (Belen Rueda) returns with her husband, Carlos (Fernando Cayo), and buys the now-deserted orphanage, intending to turn it into a home for orphans.

Their young son Simon (Roger Princep) seems to enjoy the huge house with its high ceilings and labyrinthine corridors. One day on a visit to the beach, Simon tells Laura he has made a new friend, a boy in a cave.

Simon asks Mom if the boy can come home with them. She says sure, assuming that Simon has created another invisible friend to join the two he already has. Simon leaves behind a trail of seashells so his new friend can find their house. Later, Laura opens the front door. There on the porch are the shells, piled up. Eeeeek!

Then Simon mysteriously disappears during a party. Months pass with no leads. Laura finally asks professional ghostbusters for help. They move into the house and set up cameras, microphones and a medium (Geraldine Chaplin) to contact the spirits in one of the edgiest, eeriest sequences in modern ghost movie history.

To describe more might spoil the many plot twists and delightfully shameless Depends moments that Bayona, operating from Sergio G. Sanchez's lean and literate script, has in store.

In an amazing control of tone, "The Orphanage" lurches from spine-tingling terror to child-like innocence with the snap of a finger. The ending is profoundly disturbing, yet touching in ways we wouldn't imagine.

Note: "The Orphanage" has been rated R for some vague reason called "disturbing content." R?

Walt Disney, who greatly enjoyed scaring children, would climb out of his cryogenic coffin to challenge this silly rating. This movie contains no sex, graphic violence or foul language. But it is scary. But too scary for kids 16 and 15? The Ratings Administration is way outta touch on this one.

"The Orphanage"

Four stars out of four

Opens today

Belen Rueda as Laura

Fernando Cayo as Carlos

Geraldine Chaplin as Aurora

Roger Princep as Simon

Written by Sergio G. Sanchez. Produced by Mar Targarona, Joaquin Padro and Alvaro Augustin. Directed by Juan Antonio Bayona. At the Century Centre in Chicago and the Evanston Century. In Spanish with subtitles. A Picturehouse release. Rated R (disturbing content). Running time: 98 minutes.