Do you have to watch Orphan to understand Orphan: First Kill?

The disturbing 2009 movie, Orphan, brought something new to the horror film genre and left fans wanting more of the story. Well, now we’re getting that come Aug. 19!

Orphan centered around Esther, the adopted 9-year-old of Kate and John Coleman. But the scary reality was that Esther is actually a 33-year-old psychotic woman named Leena Klammer from Estonia. She has hypopituitarism, a rare hormonal disorder that stunted her physical growth and caused proportional dwarfism. She’s spent most of her life posing as a little girl. And that causes big trouble for the family that adopts her.

Actress Isabelle Fuhrman reprises her role in the prequel as Esther/Leena. Do you have to watch the first Orphan movie to be able to follow along with Orphan: First Kill?

Do you have to watch Orphan to understand Orphan: First Kill?

If you haven’t seen the 2009 psychological horror, but the upcoming Paramount+ movie has piqued your interest then that’s ok! It isn’t necessary to watch the first movie to understand Orphan: First Kill.

The 2022 film serves as a prequel to the events of the first movie. In fact, as the title suggests, we’re going to see the very beginnings of Esther’s bloody crusades in America.

After Esther’s “brilliant escape” from an Estonian psychiatric facility, Esther goes to America and impersonates the missing daughter of a wealthy family. But an unexpected twist arises when she’s faced with a mother who will protect her family at any cost.

In Orphan, we found out Esther/Leena has murdered at least seven people, including the last family that adopted her. By the sound of the synopsis and title of the new film, that obviously hasn’t happened yet. If you haven’t checked out the first film, I definitely recommend you do. It’s a definite must-watch for any horror movie buff!

Orphan: First Kill will be available to stream on Paramount+ beginning Friday, Aug. 19 in the U.S. The film will also debut the same day on the big screen in limited theaters.