The Others (2001)

A welcome throwback to the spooky traditions of Jack Clayton's The Innocents and Robert Wise's The Haunting, Alejandro Amenábar's The Others favors atmosphere, sound, and suggestion over flashy special effects. Set in 1945 on a fog-enshrouded island off the British coast, the film begins with a scream as Grace (Nicole Kidman) awakens from some unspoken horror, perhaps arising from her religiously overprotective concern for her young children, Anne (Alakina Mann) and Nicholas (James Bentley). The children are hypersensitive to light and have lived in a musty manor with curtains and shutters perpetually drawn. With Grace's husband presumably lost at war, this ominous setting perfectly accommodates a sense of dreaded expectation, escalating when three strangers arrive in response to Grace's yet-unposted request for domestic help. Led by housekeeper Mrs. Mills (Fionnula Flanagan), this mysterious trio is as closely tied to the house's history as Grace's family is--as are the past occupants seen posthumously posed in a long-forgotten photo album.

With her justly acclaimed performance, Kidman maintains an emotional intensity that fuels the film's supernatural underpinnings. And while Amenábar's pacing is deliberately slow, it befits the tone of penetrating anxiety, leading to a twist that extends the story's reach from beyond the grave. Amenábar unveiled a similarly effective twist in his Spanish thriller Open Your Eyes (remade by Cameron Crowe as Vanilla Sky), but where that film drew debate, The Others is finely crafted to provoke well-earned goose bumps and chills down the spine. --Jeff Shannon Amazon.com essential video

The Others

Love this movie! Its a wonderfully suspensful movie, with a classic feel to it. It just proves that gore and guts are not needed to get a jump out of the audience.
This company shipped the movie to me, with no problems or delays. Great service! October 8, 2008

The Others

The movie was good. Very haunting and with surprises along the way. I highly recommend this DVD. Thanks. Michael August 13, 2008

The Others

This movie is awesome! What an unbelievable twist in the end. For once, you get to see what it feels like to be on the OTHER side. August 5, 2008

the others

I thought that this was a good movie. They had all these strange rules like closing one door before opening another then locking them and having all the curtains closed, etc. Then in bonus footage you learn that xps is a real condition. The characters were really quite interesting, although the husband's story was a little weak. One thing that viewers might find slightly offensive is that it kind of knocks Christianity a little and also the mother says to ask for forgiveness of the virgin. It also is lacking a kind of moral message that would make it a movie that people would watch over and over again. Over all though it's an interesting movie with lots of twists and a good ending. July 1, 2008

Beautiful movie.

The funny thing is, I thought this movie would just be a cheesy horror flick... but it turns out to be a beautifully touching movie. Yes, it is a scary movie, but it's certainly got a lot more depth to it than any other I've ever seen. Beautiful movie. Just watch it! June 29, 2008

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