William Brent Bell’s psychological horror film, Orphan: First Kill, officially hits theaters and streaming on Paramount Plus today. Based on current reviews from a variety of eagle-eyed critics, early indications have crowned the bone-chilling prequel as superior to its 2009 predecessor, Orphan.
The official trailer for the eerie follow-up film premiered just a little under a month ago, where horror fans were reintroduced to the sinister Esther.
Based on 56 critics’ ratings, Rotten Tomatoes has showcased a score of 70 percent for the Isabelle Fuhrman vehicle, with the overall critical consensus stating: “Leaning into its ludicrous premise, Orphan: First Kill is a sequel that holds its own, and for fans of campy horror, may even represent an improvement on the original.”
With the second installment in the series on the right track, perhaps the film is trending upwards to a direction of eventually capturing a 100 percent Certified Fresh score in the coming weeks. The jaw-dropping performance from Fuhrman, who apparently meets her match in the much-anticipated prequel, has been applauded by several critics.
Horror fans have been waiting patiently for over a decade to see the return of Esther and her malicious manipulation. Only this time, folks will be able to digest the wicked origin story that led her to these ways.
Orphan: First Kill is in select theaters now and available to stream on Paramount Plus.
