Boring, dull & pointless

Rating: 6/10 (6 August 2002)

I had high hopes for this film after hearing so much about it - how it relied on creepy atmosphere and sound to supply chills rather than jump out at you gore. Well, it certainly doesn't have any jump-out-of-your-seat frights. That's for sure. It barely has any thrills at all. Creepy atmosphere will only take you so far. Like Blair Witch Project, The Others is like sex without climaxing, all build up and no pay off.
The ending is rather pointless and really doesn't add anything to the story. It's an easy twist to figure out and from the moment I did, I realized everything happening had no point as the ending renders it all moot. The only good moment is the way the twist is revealed but it can't redeemed the 100 minutes of tediousness leading up to it. How this managed to get on the Top 250 list here is beyond me. I think I'll go watch 'Signs' again, to see how slow build and creepy atmosphere can be done well *and* pays off with genuine scares.