Joaquin Padro

Pan's Labyrinth director Guillermo del Toro produces director Juan Antonio Bayona's gothic frightener about a long-abandoned orphanage with a particularly troubling past. As a child, young orphan Laura spent her formative years being cared for by the staff of a large orphanage located by the Spanish seaside. Those were some of the happiest years of Laura's life, and now, 30 years later, the former charge returns to the dilapidated institution with her husband, Carlos, and their seven-year-old son, Simon, to reopen the orphanage as a facility for disabled children. However, something ominous haunts the darkened hallways of this silent, stately manor. When Simon's behavior begins to grow increasingly bizarre and malicious, Laura and Carlos start to suspect that the mysterious surroundings have awoken something ominous in the young boy's imagination. It's not long before Laura, too, is drawn into this disturbing web and the repressed memories of the past come flooding back in a terrifying torrent of tension and deeply disturbing revelations. With opening day drawing near and their situation growing increasingly grim by the hour, Carlos attempts to write off Simon's bizarre behavior as a desperate bid to get more attention from his distracted parents. Laura isn't so easily convinced of this theory, though, and soon embarks on a desperate quest to unearth the terrible secret that lurks in the old house, waiting for just the right moment to inflict devastating damage on both her and her family. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

A man becomes convinced an unexpected visitor has taken up permanent residence in this tense thriller from Spain. Felix (Andoni Gracia) is an architect who has recently built a beautiful and modern mansion that he calls home. However, Felix is unexpectedly living there alone after his fiancée, Vera (Mònica López), brings their relationship to a close, and now he finds himself spending lots of time by himself, thinking about what might have gone wrong. Late one night, Felix is surprised to hear knocking at his door, and discovers a stranger is standing at his doorway. Introducing himself as Martin (Agustín Villaronga), the scruffy man asks Felix if he can make an emergency telephone call; against his better judgment, Felix lets him in, but the man vanishes a few minutes later. Before long, Felix notices a number of strange sounds echoing through the house, and begins to wonder if Martin is stowed away somewhere in his home. In a panic, Felix calls Vera, who offers comfort and her body to her former beau, but while she originally intended to reassure him, Vera becomes unnerved when she hears the mysterious noises, too. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide