Orphan: First Kill
Esther's Back, Bitch!
Welcome to Pop ‘n’ Pizza, a newsletter highlighting what’s new in pop culture and pulp fiction. This week, I’m talking about one of the most satisfying movie-watching experiences I’ve had this year, ORPHAN: FIRST KILL. 🍕🥤
Orphan: First Kill
Genre: Horror / Camp
Release Date: August 19, 2022
Running Time: 99 Minutes
Rated: R
Studio: Paramount Players
Behind the Scenes
Directed by William Brent Bell
Written by David Coggeshall
Cinematography by Karim Hussain
Music by Brett Detar
In Front of the Camera
Isabelle Fuhrman (ORPHAN, THE NOVICE)
Julia Stiles (THE OMEN, THE LAKE)
Matthew Finlan (BRAZEN, MY FAKE BOYFRIEND)
Rossif Sutherland (POSSESSOR, THE RETREAT)
How Did We Get Here?
2009’s ORPHAN, directed by Jaume Collet-Serra (THE SHALLOWS, HOUSE OF WAX), stars Vera Farmiga and Peter Sarsgaard as a couple who, after the death of their unborn child, adopt a mysterious nine-year-old girl named Esther (Isabelle Fuhrman) who turns out to be a psychotic little creep.
If you haven’t seen the movie, I’d highly recommend checking it out before you dive into this prequel, as the first film hinges on a twist that the new movie acknowledges upfront. You can rent ORPHAN for $3.99 on most streaming platforms, including Amazon Prime Video.
What’s It About?
“After orchestrating a brilliant escape from an Estonian psychiatric facility, Esther travels to America by impersonating the missing daughter of a wealthy family. Yet, an unexpected twist arises that pits her against a mother who will protect her family from the murderous child at any cost.” — Paramount Players
Why You Should Check It Out
Directed by William Brent Bell (of THE BOY and BRAHMS: THE BOY II), ORPHAN: FIRST KILL has absolutely no business being as good as it is. I mean to tell you I was a-hootin’ and a-hollerin’ while watching this twisted high-camp masterwork.
Written for the screen by David Coggeshall, from an original story by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick and Alex Mace (who penned the first film), ORPHAN: FIRST KILL knows that audiences have minuscule expectations for a low-budget prequel to a 13-year-old movie, which gives them the freedom to get as wild as they want to with the story.
Like Mike Flanagan’s OUIJA: ORIGIN OF EVIL, or even Tobe Hooper’s THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 2, Bell’s film plays with the audience’s expectations and subverts them gleefully, delivering something truly unexpected. It knows it can’t replicate the twist of the original, so instead, it turns the whole thing on its head by dropping Esther into a truly insane situation where her adoptive family is more fucked up than she is.
Julia Stiles is out of her goddamn mind in this movie — the perfect foil to Isabelle Fuhrman, who is clearly having a blast playing the iconic Esther once again. To use the parlance of our times, she's an ICON, she's a LEGEND, and she is THE MOMENT. I don’t want to say too much more for fear of spoiling the fun, but suffice it to say that ORPHAN: FIRST KILL is a definitive POP ‘N’ PIZZA movie.
Have some friends over, order a couple of pizzas, crack open an ice-cold Coca-Cola Classic, maybe smoke a bowl or three, and enjoy one of the most entertaining and certifiably unhinged movies of 2022.
Slices (Out of 5)
🍕🍕🍕🍕
Where to Watch
ORPHAN: FIRST KILL was released simultaneously through limited theatrical release, video on demand, and Paramount+ on August 19, 2022.
You May Also Like…
If you dig this, you may also enjoy:
MALIGNANT | HBO Max
OUIJA: ORIGIN OF EVIL | Netflix
THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 2 | Prime Video
HELLO MARY LOU: PROM NIGHT II | Shudder
SLUMBER PARTY MASSACRE (2021) | Prime Video
Trailer
Hey, thanks for reading Pop ‘n’ Pizza! If you found this edition interesting or useful, please share it with friends and subscribe to receive future issues!