A Masterpiece of Gothic Horror

Rating: 10/10 (3 January 2006)

World War 2 has just ended, but Charles Stewart has yet to return home to the island estate where his family await him. His wife, Grace, is a highly stressed woman. All of the servants have recently quit without notice, leaving Grace alone to care for the two children, Nicholas and Anne. To Grace's relief, three new servants arrive and offer their services; Mr. Tuttle tends the grounds, the mute Lydia takes care of the housework and the wise old Mrs. Mills becomes the children's new nanny. Nicholas and Anne are both highly photosensitive children and can never be exposed to sunlight, or else they will die within minutes. Therefore, the curtains are kept tightly closed and the gloomy mansion is lit only by weak candlelight. But although Grace seems to be getting her life back under control at last, something sinister seems to have invaded the mansion. Anne swears she has seen "others" in the house: an old, blind woman and a little boy. Grace suspects Anne of making up stories but soon, she too is hearing odd noises. Footsteps can be heard upstairs in rooms locked and empty. A grand piano plays by itself. Voices and whispers echo throughout the house. As the emotionally fragile Grace begins to fall apart, the terrible truth becomes unavoidable: the house is haunted. But who, exactly, are the ghosts?
This is such a great, classy ghost story, genuinely frightening without a drop of blood anywhere in sight. Nicole Kidman delivers a knockout performance as Grace, who is so tightly wound up that you keep waiting for her to explode at any given moment. The entire cast is awesome, if you want to know the truth. Fionnula Flanagan is kindly and sweet, but also scary as hell when she wants to be. Alakina Mann is seriously creepy as Anne, the somewhat sadistic older sister. The mansion and its surrounding grounds drip with Gothic horror, shrouded in mist, silence, neglected gravestones and fallen leaves. I suppose I ought to have seen the great twist ending coming, but I honestly never suspected a thing and was exhilarated by the revelation.
Highlights include a scary voice in an empty storage room, a music room door that slams shut in Kidman's face, some eerie photographs of the dead and, of course, the great scene between Grace and an old, blind woman wearing her daughter's dress. Truly creepy stuff! Fans of films like The Changeling and The Eye will really love The Others. This is one of the best ghost stories I have ever seen, boasting an intelligent script, an awesome cast and a well thought out story filled with twists and turns and true horror. 10 stars.