Wicked storyline

Rating: 8/10 (25 October 2011)

There aren't many negatives to "The Others" especially in terms of plot development, imagery, and acting/casting. The only thing I can say is that if you are a huge blood/gore horror movie fan, bypass this one. If you like eerie atmospheres and spooky ambiance, you'll be pleased with "The Others".
Nicole Kidman plays overbearing and religious mother, Grace Stewart to perfection. She's obviously overprotective, due to her two children's medical condition: xeroderma pigmentosum, or a sensitivity to sunlight. The two children, Anne and Nicholas are delightfully frightening in their own right. Grace's husband has left to fight in WWII, leaving the family alone in a large, and apparently haunted, house. Grace is alone with three, also frightening, housekeepers. She is overbearing, and her rules are extensive which leads to tension between Grace and all of the other characters in the film.
As Grace becomes more and more aware that there is a presence (or several) in the house, thanks largely in part to her daughter, her behavior becomes more and more erratic. "The Others" is full of delightful plot twists, and the children themselves are so hauntingly accurate in their portrayals of light and socially deprived children that the blood and gore so common in today's horror cinema is not missed.
The film picked up in the last half, which is when I caught on to several of the subtle hints that lead you to a not-so-obvious conclusion. Even though I swore I had the entire plot figured out, I was still delightfully shocked by some aspects of the ending. Viewers will be satisfied, I'm sure, and horror fanatics will be delighted by a film that strays from the norm of the genre. Easily an 8/10, which is only because of the rather slow-moving beginning. Happy haunting!