Gamespotting – El Orfanato

“Uno, dos, tres, toca la pared!”

These words, part of a child’s game, open the scene in the Spanish film The Orphanage (El Orfanato), a subtle, well-wrought horror film produced by cinema master Guillermo del Toro.

The film is well spooky – there were a couple of instances where I shrieked (apparently making it that much scarier for the friend I was watching with). The plot (which you can read about, spoiler-free, here) focuses on a woman who returns to the orphanage where she grew up, and the mysterious and disturbing events which permeate the household after her son makes an imaginary friend.

The game she and the other orphans play is known as “Un, dos, tres, chocolate inglés“. One child faces a tree (or a wall), and counts (in the film they say, “Un, dos, tres, toca la pared”) while the other children creep forward, freezing when the counter turns to face them again. This is similar to the American game “Red light/Green light.” There are also variations in the UK (“What’s the time, Mr. Wolf?“) and Japan (“Darumasan ga koronda“).

The game appears a few times in the film, a way to show both the clarity and inscrutability of their innocence, which serves as both a source of joy, and of terror. Similarly, a scavenger hunt played by mother and son is great fun for the child, naive of its implications, while the mother grows increasingly frightened as she becomes aware of what it could mean.

In trying to research this part of El Orfanato I found a few references to the childrens’ game, but many were related to the film, making me wonder if its box office success in Spain helped generate a renewed interest in the game. (According to Wikipedia, it took in $8.3 million over four days, giving it the biggest opening of the year and becoming the second highest-grossing debut ever for a local movie.)

But for my sanity’s sake, I hope that’s not the case. Considering how spooky the film is, I would be really freaked out should I ever come across packs of children playing this thing.