The perfect example of how to create a ghost story.

Rating: 9/10 (3 February 2015)

The Others is one of my favourite horror films of all time. It has a good plot, it is subtle, it gives nothing away until the end and everything it does is relevant to the story. I would recommend viewing the movie twice to really appreciate everything that it does, you will miss many things upon first viewing and watching it twice will really enhance the experience.
It is set in the early 1900's and the house, costumes and style are very well presented; they do a good job of transporting the viewer to that time. The story is all based within a mansion where a woman and her two young children live with their three housekeepers. Her two children suffer from a photosensitive disorder and are not allowed to be in direct contact with sunlight, this means that the house is constantly in darkness, offering a much more eerie experience. The daughter claims that she can see ghosts around the house, this is ignored by the mother at the start but before long she is questioning the matter herself. Is the house haunted?
My main gripe with many horror films is that things are revealed too early on, in ghost stories you will see the ghost before any real suspense has been able to build. In my opinion the scariest things in horror films are the things that you don't see, the things that only your imagination sees. This is where The Others excels.
The Others consists of around 6-7 characters with the majority of it being dedicated to Nicole Kidman, who does a fantastic job with a really convincing performance. She is a very mysterious character who seems extremely paranoid about her children's health and wellbeing; she appears as a woman who is on the edge of sanity. The whole supporting cast are fantastic and not one of them lets the casting down.
The Others is a film in which you cannot say much about without the fear of giving anything away, but I will say one thing, the ending is spectacular. So many horror movies struggle to get the ending right, The Others shows its fellow horror flicks how it should be done. Its certificate is only an age 12 but in my opinion it is much creepier than many age 18 films I have watched. If horror movies are your scene then I would recommend this very highly.
9/10