Directed by Juan Antonio Bayona, The Orphanage (2007) is probably the scariest film I have seen to date. The first time I saw it was in a small old cinema in Leeds called Hyde Park Picture House, which definitely added to the spookiness of the film.
The plot behind the film is that a woman brings her husband and young son back to her childhood home, an old orphanage, where she plans to reopen it as an orphanage for handicapped children. Before long her son Simon begins to say he has 5 invisible friends, of which his mother thinks have just sprung from his imagination. However, at the opening of the new orphanage Simon asks his mother to come see his new 'invisible' friend Tomas' secret cabin, of which she refuses, leaving him to run off in a mood...
If I go any further I would spoil the plot, however I would highly recommend this film to anyone who likes a good scare. Presented in Spanish with subtitles, some people may be in two minds about watching it, however having to focus that much more on the words seems to make the film even more effective. If the film had been translated into English I don't think it would have been as interesting. This way you get the original effects that were intended for the film, as well as being able to understand what they are talking about. This is something that is incredibly important when considering your audience through film. What may make sense in one language, may differ in another. The cultural ideas behind the film are also important, as something may be only relevant to a certain region. It's definitely something that needs to be considered through all aspects of design when thinking about the bigger picture to your audience.
Here is the trailer -
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