10 Awful Twists That Ruined Awesome Horror Movies
8. Orphan
The "rare medical condition" out is commonplace across horror, perhaps most apparent in 2009's Orphan.
The film is about, you guessed it, an orphan! Esther, to be precise, played by actor Isabelle Fuhrman.
Esther is adopted by a couple after they lose a child to stillbirth. All seems well at first, but things soon take a turn for the dark. Obviously. This is a horror film. What else did you think was going to happen?
As the seemingly innocent child becomes more and more murdery, her adopted mother Kate suspects that all is not as it seems. Her suspicions ring true when it is discovered that "Esther" is actually Leena Klammer, a 33-year-old woman with a condition that makes her appear like a child.
Hypopituitarism is a real thing that can stunt the growth of children affected by it. It's very uncommon, but it does exist.
Unfortunately, the legitimacy of Esther's affliction does little to make this twist feel earned. This trope already felt so played out by 2009 and its reveal here left audiences feeling deflated rather than delighted.
Still, they made a second Orphan film in 2022, so clearly the studios didn't mind.