Who are the others?

Rating: 8/10 (15 August 2001)

Warning, may contain spoilers.
Although I can't say that The Others is as good a haunted house film as The Changeling and even something like Amityville Horror II, it is still a very atmospheric, dark and well done film that most horror films only wish they could emulate. This is a film that accentuates psychological terror and atmosphere over blood and machetes. It also takes its time getting to the point but along the way you are treated to a film that wants you to figure out what is going on, literally behind closed doors. I had heard from people that there is a great twist at the end of the film and that made me keep my horror senses open. I really tried to figure out what the catch was, but about a third of the way into the film, I ceased trying to figure it out and I was just enjoying the film for all of it's artistic merit and style. And what this film lacks in the area of genuine scares and chills, it more than makes up for in the aesthetic of the film and the make-up. I recommend this film to anyone that is tired of all the Scream rip-offs and films that have no idea what the difference is between gore and raw primal fear. I can, in a way, compare this film to a film like The Blair Witch Project. It's not what you can see that frightens you, it's what you can't. We are always afraid of those sounds that go bump in the night. But not necessarily what makes them. The Others never forgets that concept.
When you make a film about a haunted house, the first thing you have to do is have a great setting and an ominous looking house. The Others accomplishes that by having it take place in the 40's, just after the war, in England. For some reason, English haunted houses just seem ripe with history and they create an atmosphere conducive to the chills and fears that haunted houses produce. This house is no exception.
Nicole Kidman plays Grace and she and her two children live alone in this ominous house. Her two children are both photosensitive, which means that if sunlight, or any strong light touches their skin, they could break out in massive hives and die. This is a clever plot device because it means that the entire film has to be filmed with the lights off and only dim candles burning for light. Other film makers would kill for a premise like this because it actually gives the director a legitimate reason for the lighting to be the way it is. And lighting is one of the key components in any horror film.
As the plot moves along, we find out that Grace's daughter, Anne, seems to be able to see and talk to ghosts in the house. Grace, being a devout religious believer, doesn't believe in ghosts and tells Anne that she is lying. She also tells her that when you lie, you don't go to Heaven, you remain stuck somewhere in purgatory. Harsh words to be telling a 12 year old no less.
Suddenly, three servants come knocking on the door and tell Grace that they are there in response to the ad that she put in the paper (but what are their real motives for being there?). Grace hires them and they go about their business of making sure the shutters are closed and all the drapes are shut. It is also a strict rule that before one door is entered, the other has to be locked. This presents some problems for the caretakers as there is some 50 doors in the house.
The Others plods along and drops hints every once in a while to assist us in trying to figure out what is happening and what the so called secret is. But not enough to make it obvious. The imbroglio just keeps getting stranger as the film prods forward.
Director Alejandro Amenabar has a keen eye for detail and he does a good job of keeping us interested. Some eerie looking pictures show up and then are brought back later in the film and before you realize it, the conclusion is upon us. And when the twist comes, you are almost glad that it ends the way it does. This is similar to The Sixth Sense where you may want to see it again to see if you missed anything the first time around. I have only seen it once, and although it is a good film, I don't planning on seeing it again. I am satisfied that I picked up everything the first time around. And as I said at the beginning of the review, if you are more interested in a film like Urban Legend and I Still Know What You Did.... then perhaps this is not the film for you. The payoff is worth the wait, but you have to be patient.
8 out 0f 10-- Much more in the style of Sixth Sense than Friday the 13th. And as much as I enjoy the Friday films, I will take a film like this any day over a film like Halloween 10 or Nightmare on Elm Street 9.