What is The Others?

Grace is a religious woman who lives in an old house kept dark because her two children, Anne and Nicholas, have a rare sensitivity to light. When the family begins to suspect the house is haunted, Grace fights to protect her children at any cost in the face of strange events and disturbing visions. The Others is directed by Alejandro Amenábar and stars Nicole Kidman, Fionnula Flanagan, and Christopher Eccleston.

The Others is what I would call a slow burn treat for people who love horror. When at the beginning of the movie you kinda have no clue where it’s going at all. It’s not that it’s confusing, but you’re just going through the motions alongside the characters. That may seem boring to some if you can’t get interested in the characters or learning about them, but in my case, I found the characters fascinating and enjoyed learning more about them and their motives. Though in the back of mind I was always wondering what exactly was going on behind the scenes. Not behind the scenes of the movie, but of the characters. Even when there’s nothing shown to be happening on the screen there’s this air of building tension that not everything is what it appears. The Others want the audience to take what’s it’s doing at face value, but it gives the audience enough clues that something beyond the surface worth exploring.

I don’t want to spoil The Others because I went into the film almost completely blind and I think that’s the best viewing experience you can have of the film, but the film does an incredible job of putting together a story without relying on a twist that is later revealed. The twist pulls the whole film together like a pretty bow, but the movie before the twist is a great story within itself. It’s a slow burn because if you’re at like me you knew that there’s a twist that’s going happen, but you don’t really care when you watch the film because the film itself is a tremendous viewing experience. You kinda forget that there’s a twist coming until it happens and everything that happened before the film is strengthened. It’s honestly an amazing twist that I didn’t call though I probably should have. You either see the twist coming or you will feel overcome with stupidity that you didn’t realize it before. I was apart of the latter group, but I couldn’t even be upset with myself because the twist is just that good.

If you have not already seen The Others, what are you doing! Watch The Others before someone less considerate than me spoils the film for you. It’s a film that if you’re in it for the long haul then you will be rewarded for sticking with it. I honestly am so glad that I watched it and I can’t wait to watch it again. I believed that it’s one of those films where you may even like it more on repeat viewings. If you know the twist going in I can’t imagine all the details that are there in the films that notice that you didn’t the first time. In my opinion, that’s what makes an amazing twist, a twist that doesn’t change anything you saw prior to the film, but instead enhances it. It turns an already great film into an underrated classic. I can’t recommend The Others enough, please check it you out and if you haven’t so already.