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The Orphan (1979)

Today, the all-but-forgotten movie “(Friday The Thirteenth) The Orphan” only rates as a footnote connected to the “Friday The Thirteenth” slasher series, since the producers of that film had to pay the producers of the earlier movie a fee to use the title. I had wanted to see the movie for years, but it was so obscure it was impossible to find. Finally, I found a copy at a thrift store, so I bought it and took it home. My verdict? Well, as I said in the summary line the people behind the movie were really trying. Despite the low budget, there are some good production values and skillful filmmaking techniques. The filmmakers also deserve kudos for not making this a simple exploitation film (though there are instances of blood and nudity), and were trying for a psychological kind of horror. However, the movie is pretty slow, even though the running time is only a little over seventy minutes. Maybe this could have been a good short film, but as it is it feels very padded. Still, there are much worse cinematic ways to take up your time.