Excellent Horror

Rating: 10/10 (21 March 2003)

The best psychological horror that lives up to "The Sixth Sense" is the "The Others". "The Others" is a true suspense film in every sense of the phrase. Here are the reasons (spoilers contained within): (1) Nicole Kidman is one of the best screen actresses I have ever seen. Her mentally exasperating and nail-biting performance is the best of her career. (2) Alejandro Amenabar is one of the most creative filmmakers out there right now. He presides over this movie with a hand of a creative master. (3) Amenabar's writing skills are excellent as well. Every scene that he wrote give a sense of the mental dread that the family feels as they progress toward the climax and conclusion. (4) The musical score also enhances the dread. Amenabar is also a musical jack. (5) I love the metaphor of light in a mansion as a water on a sinking ship. (6) The cinematography and lighting leaves no wanting. (7) The events of the story are spooky enough. (8) The last twenty minutes of the film are worth the ticket price alone. (9) The rest of the cast put in excellent performances as well. (10) Truly classic horror methods were used to convey mental dread. Ten reasons give a score of ten. Overall, this is a truly spooky film and it should have received an Oscar for either acting, directing, screen writing or even musical score.
PS: Also see "Abre los Ojos" and "Vanilla Sky" to see Alejandro Amenabar's creative genius at work. He along with Tom Tykwer are part of a new wave of filmmakers from Europe that have invaded the United States and brought some clarity and sanity to the supposed normalcy in American cinema. Let the good work keep coming! Here ends my rant!