Esther’s terrifying saga continues in this thrilling prequel to the original and shocking horror hit, Orphan. 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.

For in-depth thoughts on Orphan: First Kill, please see my colleague Mike Vaughn’s review from its original theatrical release here.

For additional thoughts on Orphan: First Kill, please check out our discussions on The Video Attic:

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Video Quality

Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment brings Orphan: First Kill to Blu-Ray with a really unique 1080p video presentation in 1.85:1. It should be noted right out of the gate that this is not the most beautiful transfer you will find on the market. The aesthetic of the film is intentionally soft and hazy, due in large part to maintaining the illusion of Isabelle Fuhrman looking like a young child. Given those parameters, this is a terrific approximation of the film on home entertainment. Black levels are appropriately deep with no discernible digital noise. You will thankfully not find any banding or crush popping up here. The image is clean with the cool winter color palette rendered with precision. The flesh tones are natural with a magnificent amount of detail present in close-ups. The presentation provides a significant amount of depth on display, especially in the interior shots of the house. The production design and the fabrics of clothing provide crystal clear textural details. This presentation does a fine job for this film.

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray release boasts a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that handles this mostly subdued film well enough. Dialogue comes through clearly without getting muddied by the score or any sound effects. While they are far from overwhelming, this disc brings the pulse-pounding moments to life with a depth and clarity of sound that makes it feel fully realized. As the characters roam from room to room, the sounds of creaking floors and other subtle effects flow out of your side and rear speakers. Each sound is rendered with perfect spatial awareness. The implementation of environmental effects such as wind and crackling fire come through in a natural way. There is a decent amount of activity in the low-end when the moment calls for it, but it could use a bit more raw power. Paramount has delivered a perfectly capable track that gets the job done. There are English, English SDH and Spanish subtitles provided.

Special Features

There are no special features provided on this disc.

Final Thoughts

Orphan: First Kill is fundamentally a film that should not work as well after knowing the major twist of the original film. Yet, as you go along this ride which more fully explores the character, you are surprised by some of the crazy twists and turns that are thrown at you. Isabelle Fuhrman may be over a decade older now, but she still brings a lot of personality to this creepy character. Julia Stiles also comes to play with her performance. Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment has released a Blu-Ray featuring a strong A/V presentation and nothing in the way of special features. This film is not a modern classic, but it delivers some cheesy, bloody fun if you are in the mood. Recommended

Orphan: First Kill is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.