Its creators understood that the job demands clearing a high bar for crazy, which inspires a go-for-broke pulp energy that’s appealingly ragged.

Orphan: First Kill would not pass logical examination by a reasonably sentient teenager, but it has fun with its materials and does not lose sight of its one governing idea -- that every family is weird in its own peculiar way.

While there is a fair bit of blood left on the walls, floor and elsewhere, this is more of a psychological thriller than a slasher flick, and is far the better for it.

The trickery isn't always as accomplished as it could be, distracting from a narrative which already stretches credulity.