Director: Alejandro Amenabar
Writer: Alejandro Amenabar (Screenplay)
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Fionnula Flanagan, Christopher Eccleston, Alakina Mann, James Bentley, Eric Sykes, Elaine Cassidy
Plot: A woman who lives in a darkened old house with her two photosensitive children becomes convinced that her family home is haunted.
There may be spoilers the rest of the review
Verdict: Hauntingly Beautiful Horror Film
Story: The Others starts by taking us to Jersey in 1945 being sharply alerted by Grace Stewart’s (Kidman) scream. Grace gets a new team of helpers around the house including Mrs Mills (Flanagan), Mr Tuttle (Sykes) and Lydia (Cassidy) after her former team all vanish suddenly. Grace lives in this mansion with her children Anne (Mann) and Nicolas (Bentley) who have a rare skin condition meaning they can’t be exposed to bright lights. Grace’s husband Charles (Eccleston) went off to war but has never been heard from since.
The house has some curious rules that include the curtains being closed at all times the children are in rooms and that every door must be locked after going through. It isn’t long until strange events start happening around the house and the children start interacting with people who are not living in the house. When it becomes apparent other people are in the house Grace mounts a full search looking for answers but comes up empty handed.
Deciding to look for a way to stop the haunting Grace ends up leaving the house just at the time she meets her husband returning from war while we learn the new house keepers are hiding a secret that will change everything. Charles may have returned from war but he hasn’t been himself because he has been stuck in bed ever since.
The Others is a horror film that manages to never fully scare but keeps every scene open to a potential scare. We have a real gothic feel to how the story unfolds and with the final twist we are left amazed. We do get hints about the end throughout the film but it is left to us to only really notice second time around. The film ticks all the boxes for a truly haunting horror by creating instant isolation, the need for darkness and most of all a mystery. I will hear a lot of people saying it doesn’t scare as much as it could but you have to remember the film isn’t about jump scares, it is finding out the truth. (8/10)
Actor Review
Nicole Kidman: Grace Stewart is wealthy mother of two children who live in an isolated mansion on the island of Jersey. She gets a new team of helpers around the house only to start hearing noises and voices around the house she goes out to make sure nothing hurts her children. Nicole gives a great performance in what is her only horror role to date. (8/10)
Fionnula Flanagan: Mrs Bertha Mills is one of the helpers who comes to the house, she has knowledge about the house and has to help Grace keep the children safe. Fionnula gives a solid performance as the wise character who knows more than she is letting on. (7/10)
Alakina Mann: Anne Stewart is the daughter of Grace who first starts interacting with the others in the house, all while her mother doesn’t believe her at first, she seems to have the best ideas on who the people actually are. Alakina does a good job as the scared but tough daughter. (7/10)
James Bentley: Nicolas Stewart is the younger child and son of Grace who gets easily scared by what is going on. Nicolas does a good job as the scared son. (7/10)
Support Cast: The Others has a very small cast which helps the story stay easy to follow with the group being haunted.
Director Review: Alejandro Amenabar – Alejandro does a great job making one of the best horror films in recent years. (9/10)
Horror: The Others keeps the horror simple but doesn’t resort to cheap scares, giving the film a gothic horror feel throughout. (9/10)
Mystery: The Others does create a good mystery as we try to figure out what is happening. (8/10)
Thriller: The Others does keep you guessing but does offer you clues as the story unfolds. (7/10)
Settings: The Others creates a brilliantly atmospheric settings creating isolation for our characters. (10/10)
Suggestion: The Others is one for all the horror fans to enjoy it won’t be like anything you would have seen before. (Horror Fans Watch)
Best Part: The Twist.
Worst Part: It is hard to watch a second time when you know the ending.
Believability: No (0/10)
Chances of Tears: No (0/10)
Chances of Sequel: No
Post Credits Scene: No
Awards: Nominated for a Golden Globes for best actress Nicole Kidman.
Oscar Chances: No
Box Office: $210 Million
Budget: $17 Million
Runtime: 1 Hour 41 Minutes
Tagline: How do you keep them out, when they’ve already invited themselves in?
Trivia: The film opened in the US at number 4 in the box office charts and stayed around that figure for its initial run. Seven weeks into release it actually climbed up to the number 2 spot.
Overall: The Others is one of the best horror films you will see, it will keep you guessing until the final moments.
Rating 
