‘Orphan: First Kill’ Spoilers – Ending Explained
Orphan: First Kill brings audiences back to the demented adventures of Isabelle Fuhrman’s Esther. The twist from the original movie is out, but that doesn’t mean that the prequel doesn’t have surprises of its own. Here’s a look at the Orphan: First Kill ending and how it fits into the horror universe that would continue two years later in the story.
[Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers from Orphan: First Kill.]
‘Orphan: First Kill’ is a prequel taking place 2 years before the original
The Boy director William Brent Bell takes the director’s chair with a screenplay written by writer David Coggeshall. Orphan: First Kill is a prequel to the 2009 original, taking the story back two years in the past.
Esther (Fuhrman) is a patient in an Estonian psychiatric facility in 2007. However, she doesn’t plan on remaining in their care for much longer. Esther successfully makes her escape, traveling to America to pursue the next step in her plan. She assumes the identity of a missing girl from a wealthy family.
‘Orphan: First Kill’ ending results in the death of an entire family
The beginning of Orphan: First Kill appears very similar to its predecessor. It initially maintains a serious tone, with an unassuming family welcoming Esther into their home. The audience is aware of the fact that Esther has a condition that makes the adult woman have the appearance of a child, but her new family isn’t. Nevertheless, Orphan: First Kill incorporates comedic twists and turns of its own that feed into the ending.
Esther goes to extreme lengths to keep her secrets. However, the wealthy family has ones of their own. Detective Donnan (Hiro Kanagawa) begins to suspect that Esther might not be who she claims to be. As a result, Esther plans to kill him before he figures it out, but the mother of the family, Tricia (Julia Stiles), deals the killing blow.
Tricia reveals that she knew from the beginning that Esther wasn’t her real daughter because she helped cover up her murder. She was never missing. The mother believes that she did what was necessary to protect her son, Gunnar (Matthew Finlan), from facing the consequences of his actions. However, her husband, Allen (Rossif Sutherland), is completely innocent in the matter. As a result, Tricia and Gunnar blackmail Esther to play along as a part of the family to convince the father. However, they plan on killing her as soon as it becomes convenient.
Meanwhile, Esther develops a connection with Allen that extends far past a father/daughter relationship. She has romantic and sexual feelings for him, which Tricia exploits. Esther truly picked the wrong family to mess with.
The Orphan: First Kill ending finds Esther fighting for survival against the twisted family. She outsmarts Gunnar, killing him first. The large family home goes up in flames, forcing Tricia and Esther to fight one another on the roof. They dangle from the side of the house as Allen arrives to try and save them. Tricia loses her grip, falling to her death. However, he successfully saves Esther.
Esther’s false teeth pop out, revealing her true identity. However, Allen completely rejects her romantic advances, ultimately falling to his death, with his body resting next to his wife’s.
The prequel sets up the 2009 original
The Orphan: First Kill ending sets up the events to take place two years in the future. The filmmaker didn’t even need to prioritize CGI to get Fuhrman to look the right age. The government continues to see Esther as a child, with her secret remaining hidden. They sympathize with her situation, as her supposed family is now dead.
A voice from an unseen character speaks as the camera zooms in on Esther. They figure that she’s sure to find a home because who wouldn’t want to adopt such a precious girl? Audiences who saw the original film know that she doesn’t get caught in quite the same antics. Rather, she has the family in the palm of her hand, manipulating them with ease.
