Am I that desensitized?

Everyone seems to love this movie. It is at this moment a 7.6. This was the least scary movie I have seen in a while with the exception of campy horror.

Not necessarily. Don't base sensitivity on one movie.

I didn't find the movie scary. A few scenes had me jump. My friends found it terrifying. They're easily frightened in general.

I just found this movie to be artfully crafted and brilliantly written. It's scary in a different way. I'd say haunting or chilling is the right word. It's a haunting thought that a) you can unknowingly and unintentionally harm or even kill someone you love b) you can become so absorbed in the unknown that reality doesn't mean much to you anymore.

I don't watch movies in order to be scared because I don't especially like to be scared. But I watch certain movies despite the fact that they will try to scare me. That said I've watched a number of scary mystery thrillers and series because I love the mystery aspect and the atmosphere (Sixth Senth, The Gift, What Lies Beneath, The Village, Sleepy Hollow...). Sometimes I even watched stupid horror movies because of certain actors (Nightmare on Elm Street, House of Wax). I don't believe those two movies scared me at all. So even though I don't understand why some people watch movies in order to be scared I'm not THAT squeamish.

I was certainly scared very much by "The orphanage". The film even managed to make me scream once - when she was in the cupboard with the secret door and suddenly a ghostly arm appeared at the door and closed it. I don't know if a movie has ever made me scream before this one... They most certainly used the horror setting very well in my opinion.
Cheep scrares like the mangled face or the bloody fingernail didn't much bother me but the times when the screen went black for long long seconds alone made me more than nervous. I wouldn't have managed to watch 10 minutes of this film alone and was very glad that I had company... Right now I would call this the most scary movie I've ever watched.

I guess it's different for everyone.

I thought it was scary at several points, and the acting was very good (apart from the actor who played the husband, who looked like he'd rather be elsewhere). But the beginning of the film could have been a lot better to build more sympathy for the characters, because the kid just came across as bratty and the mother came across as slightly cold.

Overall, it wasn't as good as Orphan (2009), which had a completely different story but has similarities and was much more engaging and satisfying to watch.

And I think the method of using a horror/supernatural setting for a movie which is more about drama was done better in Take Shelter (2011).

'pay the man'

Its "Introductory Horror", Hollywood (yes, I know this movie wasn't done in Hollywood, but stay with me on this) has all kinds of "introductory" movies. Like Number 23 is a "introductory psychological thriller", The Others and The Orphanage are introductory horror movies. Only the Oprhanage is not done in hollywood

They are great for people to start in the genre and dig deeper, they are great movies BUT they are botherline "non-genre". And I feel that ultimately, these kinds of movies leave a lot of "holes" open in their plots. It's not a "plot hole" In the sense that it is something that clearly contradicts, but something that if you really try to think about it, you won't be able to create a "whole story" that feels satisfying.

There are many moments in the movie that only work in the context of "what the viewer" knows at this or that moment; if you think about it after watching the whole movie, probably it won't fit that well.

I absolutely agree with the OP. Very disappointing, not scary at all, not thrilling, not interesting overall. A boring experience.

And for those who ask:
THE RING is a scary movie, THE OTHERS is a scary movie, The Orphanage is NOT!

Moreover, the story reminded me of a french movie, Saint Ange (2004), which IMHO is far better.

P.S. It was advertised as a horror movie in my country.

I thought the film was good but quite slow

THis is kind of only loosely a horror movie, it was more of a phycological drama, which if you was watching while thinking it's gonna be a scary horror movie might not be what ya looking for! I quite liked it and found it eerie and a cool plot line but the first time i watched it was with mates when we was drinking and expecting a scary movie and i didn't appreciate it or watch it properly. glad i watched it again!