Moody!

Rating: 9/10 (23 March 2012)

I'm not usually a horror film fan; they tend to be schlocky, clichéd and full of characters that absolutely deserve whatever they get. But I am a fan of the more psychological horror films; The Others ticks all the right boxes for me. It has no special effects or gore for that matter, so it relies on moody lighting, a tense score, great acting and storytelling - at some points in the film, a combination of these things actually make broad daylight seem creepy. My only snagging point is the disease that the children have - they're photosensitive - so any exposure to sunlight will kill them. This is the basic set-up that the whole movie is based on, at first it may seem like a poor excuse to keep the house in perpetual darkness, but gradually it becomes a revelatory plot point. Now, if you're sharp, this light-sensitive ploy will be a dead giveaway right from the start.