In Orphan: First Kill, murder is more than child’s play

Bell, along with cinematographer Karim Hussain, production designer Matthew Davies and art director Andrea Kristof, visualizes Esther’s psyche with subtle symbolism and shrewd use of foreshadowing. Mirrors and reflections register as a notable motif, reinforcing Esther’s duality. Wickedness is represented not solely through action but also aesthetic design, be it in an image juxtaposing an age-advanced sketch of Esther and a blood-splattered Leena, or the reflection of Esther on a grand piano while her actual self occupies just a sliver within the frame. Brett Detar’s score further augments the playful, sinister atmosphere, along with soundtrack selections by Interpol and Michael Sembello.

Like any good second chapter in an evolving franchise, the original narrative elements are properly expanded. Leena both gets her trademark velvet ribbons (and learn how she got those scarlet ones that adorn her wrists and neck), and cultivates the adoptive split persona that leads to lethal misdeeds. The filmmakers also pinpoint the formation of her Electra complex—fittingly stoked by a Shirley Temple movie—and draw further parallels between her and a similarly misunderstood creature, a cute rat, which she befriends in the Albright home.

Now that Fuhrman is too old to play the character’s pre-teen alter ego, Bell and his collaborators sufficiently disguise her twentysomething age by utilizing forced perspective and body doubles (Kennedy Irwin and Sadie Lee) when needed. Leena’s escape from the mental institution employs a harmonious symphony of blocking, performance, timing and editing (by Josh Ethier) to seell its trickery. However, other scenes later in the picture don’t sell the ruse as effectively.

Meanwhile, Fuhrman shows renewed, devilish insight in her creation that perfectly plusses the character’s complexities. The new scenarios and motivations offer fertile ground for her character work. Stiles, who once again delivers the goods in a Lee Remick-inspired performance, makes for a worthy scene partner and adversary, leading to thrilling scenes between the two formidable talents. She gives the role depth and dimension, especially after her character experiences a drastic alteration.

Despite a need for snappier pacing in the first and third acts—before and after big revelations occur—the film otherwise proves highly entertaining. Offering the winning combination of a subversive spin on a well-established villain, Orphan: First Kill is a gnarly, wild and absolutely demented ride.