“I’ll Shoot Mommy If You Tell.”
One of the most unique slashers that will be on this year’s Thirty-One Days O’Horror list is sweet little Esther. If you’ve seen either of the films that feature her, Orphan (2009) or its prequel, Orphan: First Kill (2022), you know just how deadly….and demented….Esther is. She’s quite possibly one of the most sinister killers on this list, and that’s a list that includes Freddy and Jason so far!
For those of you unaware, little Esther is actually thirty-three year old Leena Klammer, an Estonian serial killer who suffers from a form of hypopituitarism, a rare disease that makes her look much younger than she actually is. She uses this to her advantage, assuming the life of Esther Albright, a young girl who is accidentally killed by her brother, Gunnar, and whose body is hidden by Gunnar and his mother, Tricia. This particular fact comes into play in the second film, where Tricia agrees to let Esther live on in order to protect her son and to hide the fact that the real Esther is dead from her husband, Allen.
Esther moves from family to family, usually due to some traumatic event that involves the death of the adopted family members. In Orphan, Esther attempts to kill off her new adoptive family and seduce the father of the family. Keep in mind that Isabelle Fuhrman, who was around ten years old at the time, portrayed Esther. It is both amazing and uncomfortable to watch her performance in both films, as she does a brilliant job as both the young Esther and the adult Leena. In the second film, Fuhrman was in her mid-20s and was de-aged using makeup. Forced perspective was used to make her look much shorter than she actually was, and this led to some rather awkward looking moments in that film. Still, Fuhrman received a ton of praise for her performance in both films and definitely deserved it.
The character of Esther is based upon a real woman. Barbora Skrlova posed as a thirteen year old boy in Norway and as a twelve year old girl in the Czech Republic. You can read an article about it here. It’s an absolutely insane and twisted tale of starvation, sexual abuse, a cult, and police evasion. I highly recommend reading the article, but be prepared to feel sick after doing so.
With her death in the first film, it’s highly unlikely that we’ll get another Orphan movie. That said, I believe that the story should be left alone with just two films. A book series would work much better, as there would be no issues with the age of the actress.
Thanks for checking out today’s post. See you again tomorrow!
Ken's Alternate Universe! 