The True Story That Inspired Orphan
After the release of "Orphan," fans were intrigued about whether or not its story had any basis in reality. The 2009 horror film follows Esther, a 33-year-old woman with hypopituitarism who pretends to be an orphaned 9-year-old girl in search of a forever home. While the premise might seem far-fetched, the film was inspired by the real-life case of Barbora Skrlova, a 33-year-old Czech woman who pretended to be a 13-year-old girl named Anicka, or Anna.
Barbora was part of a splinter group of a Christian organization, the Grail Movement, which her father had founded. Katerina and Klara Mauerova were members of this group. Katerina introduced Barbora as a sickly child — 13-year-old "Anicka" — to Klara and her two sons, Jakub and Ondrej. Soon Klara grew close to Anicka and wanted to adopt her. A mysterious person known as the 'doctor' told Klara what treatment Anicka needed, along with instructions to harshly discipline Jakub and Ondrej. The boys were locked in cages, abused, and manipulated to follow anything the sect asked of them. According to Klara's testimony, Skrlova participated in the abuse of the boys and encouraged it — even teaching Klara how to handcuff the boys.But when the police found Ondrej locked and tied up in a room in Klara's home, they didn't know Skrlova was one of the perpetrators and took her into custody, too. Afterward, she went "missing."
She pretended to be a boy for a year to hide from authorities
After Skrlova's disappearance from the children's home, detectives used DNA evidence 'Anicka' left behind to discover her identity. The investigation led the police to Martin Fahrner, who had a wife and 13-year-old son named Adam in the Czech Republic. Skrlova had shaved her head and pretended to be his son, Adam. After a few months there, she claimed to her school in Oslo that she was being abused by Martin and ran away. Police detained her after she admitted she was Barbora Skrlova.
This mysterious case had many twists and turns, and Klara Mauerova claimed that she was manipulated by Katerina and Skrlova into abusing her children. "I couldn't act like a mother," she testified. "I didn't beat the children of my own free will, I had to do it according to the instructions."
Unlike Esther from "Orphan," Skrlova didn't meet her demise at the hands of her adopted mother. Instead, she was sentenced to prison for five years for her crimes. She was released two and a half years early and was on probation until 2016. What has become of her since then remains unknown.
If you or someone you know may be the victim of child abuse, please contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services.