Another winner from Alejandro Amenabar!

Rating: Null/10 (1 June 2002)

'The Others' may be Alejandro Amenabar's most conventional film to date, but it is an effective and creepy old fashioned supernatural thriller, and continues the promise shown by his first two (highly recommended) movies 'Tesis' and 'Abre Los Ojos'. While I can't stand Nicole Kidman at the best of times I must admit she convinces as a nervous and overly protective mother trying to figure out the increasingly unsettling situation she finds herself in. This is arguably her best performance since 'Dead Calm' all those years ago. She is supported by two talented child actors (Alakina Mann and James Bentley, both making their film debuts), and a solid cast of character actors - Fionnula Flanagan ('How The West Was One'), veteran British comedian Eric Sykes ('The Plank'), Elaine Cassidy ('Felicia's Journey'), and (briefly) Christopher Eccleston ('Shallow Grave'). Genre fans will no doubt swiftly guess what is really going on, especially if the name Herk Harvey means anything to you, but that won't spoil your enjoyment of this well made, atmospheric and genuinely scary movie.