The Others (2001) (Movie Review)

   When it comes to sub-genera’s in horror movies, the haunted house genera has always been my personal favorite. This is when I feel horror has the chance to get the most creative, atmospheric and it always makes the scares feel more like a theme park ride. The one thing I love more is when a familiar genera gets tilted on its head, and creates something refreshingly original in the process. The 2001 horror movie “The Others” is one such gem that takes the basic concept of a thriller in a spooky house, gives it a twist, and makes for an engaging experience that doesn’t always rely on things going bump in the night. 

I remember back when this movie first came out, I was just getting out of elementary school, the marketing for the film gave me nightmares, but I was also very curious about the film. Needless to say, this movie became one of my earliest exposures to the genera, and I’ve sense looked back on it as a classic from the early 2000’s. Most horror movies of the decade were either unoriginal, or needlessly violent, and it made “The Others” stand out as a bright spot in an otherwise weak decade for the genera. In fact, I vividly remember word of mouth spreading at the time that “The Others” was one of the best films the genera had to offer sense “The Sixth Sense”. While “The Others” has become more obscure over the years, I do feel it stands on the same high-ground as “The Sixth Sense”, but also stands apart with its own strengths.  

    We begin with a terrific opening credit sequence that’s paired with colorless illustrations, most of which tease sequences to come in the film. I personally adore opening credits of this sort, as they always get me excited for what we’ll be seeing. The music is also effectively calm and peaceful ... which is then broken by the sound of a screaming woman. When a father disappears in action, a lonely mother named Grace is forced to take care of her two sick children in a giant, secluded mansion. The children are photosensitive to sunlight, thus are forced to be kept in the shadows, and as a result, this family can’t help but feel figuratively, literally, and emotionally trapped. Upon the arrival of three mysterious house keepers, all kinds of strange auditees begin to take shape, and the family soon fear a different presence has entered their house. The house keepers themselves seem to know more than they let on, and the daughter claims to be seeing a mysterious boy named Victor. As more and more strange sounds and oddities occur through the house, it becomes a complex jigsaw puzzle, with twists and surprises around every corner.  

    In many respects, this movie combines the spooky subtlety of 1963’s “The Haunting” with the ghostly drama of “The Sixth Sense”, and the two come together perfectly here. 

Just like with “The Haunting”, “The Others” thrives on its atmosphere, it’s slow decent into the unknown, and isn’t relying on frightening entities leaping out of the shadows. Yet, so much dread and terror still seep through the cracks in this movies brilliant structure. With the kids allergic to sun light, it presents a constant threat to the characters, and makes for a fitting excuse for the audience to be constantly trapped in the shadows with them. It also makes for an effective use of natural lighting, as in some scenes, basic candle light is as bright as it gets. The setting itself becomes a character with its own personality, and I like that the house isn’t overly gothic in its design. While it’s macabre, the unease mostly stems from a sense of isolation, and how the grounds are surrounded by what seems to be a permanent fog. The film also knows how to sustain a sense of tension, while also letting the select scary highlights sneak-up on us. Of course, the most famous scene that was all over the marketing is when the doubter, while in a white veil, is suddenly replaced by a mysterious entity. The mother asks where her doubter is, only for the figure to reply … “I am your doubter”. That scene spooked me before I even saw the film, and it was referenced in other forms of media, including a spoof in the 2003 comedy “Scary Movie 3”.

    Another strength that sustains this picture are the performances from the cast … namely Nicole Kidman who has to act in a number of scenes by herself, and still delivers a top-tier performance. 

I first loved the actress when I saw her Oscar nominated performance in the 2001 musical “Moulin Rouge”, and as I continued to view her in movies like 1999’s “Eyes Wide Shut”, Nicole Kidman had a secure spot as one of my personal favorite actresses. “The Others” represents another bright spot in the actress’s career, as she’s full of intense, nervous energy, and her eyes alone convey so much. Sense this movie isn’t relying on non-stop shocks, it needed a strong leading presence to sustain the film, and if it wasn’t for Nicole Kidman, I don’t think the film would be as consistently thrilling as it is. The supporting cast is also very good in their parts, especially Fionnula Flanagan, who delivers a dual performance as both a loving, yet mysterious caretaker. In many scenes, she comes off as warm and friendly, but there’s always a sense of mystique to the character, like she’s some kind of mastermind pulling the strings. The two kids also deliver above average performances for children in a horror movie, especially the young Alakina Mann as the little girl Anne, who manages to hold her own when acting alongside an A-list actress like Nicole Kidman. I’m generally surprised that neither of the kids did much acting outside of this movie. The young Alakina Mann has what I’d like to call a celebrity face, in which I’d swear I’ve seen her in other movies or TV shows, even though I haven’t.  

    Another effective plot device is that the little girl regularly see’s the figurative intruders in the house, with a spooky old lady being the most frequently reoccurring. 

There’s a well-placed red-hearing thrown in that the old lady might be a Witch, and it leads the audience into thinking that the film will go on a conventional path of finding and defeating a villain that’s been behind all the haunts. Now we come to the point where I have to talk about the big twist ending, so if you don’t want anything spoiled … go see the movie, it’s worth it, then continue reading. Okay, so after the kids decide to venture outside into the woods at night, they discover gravestones outside their house, and it’s revealed that everyone … the caretakers … their mother … and even the kids themselves are all dead, and they’ve been living in their own version of purgatory this whole time. Thus, we’ve been experiencing an inverted haunted house story in which the ghosts where the ones being haunted by the living. It’s a brilliant concept and, in my view, makes this a superior haunted house tale. While other films like Tim Burtons “Beetlejuice” had a similar premise, that film at least told the audience what it was about from the start, whereas this was an effectively structured mystery. Theories of the afterlife and limbo have always been an uncomfortable subject, and the thought of a purgatory in which you don’t even realize you’re dead always got under my skin.

    In many respects, this film could be viewed as a spiritual successor to “The Sixth Sense”, but not just for having a big twist ending. Like its predecessor, the horror of the story isn’t evil entities terrorizing a family, it instead stems from a place of human lose, personal drama, regrets, and the repercussions of their mistakes. It’s a different kind of horror that I’d encourage more movies to aim for, rather then the straight forward conventions we genera fans are easily drawn too. I’ll always love the spooky, haunted house adventures, but this film was a much-needed twist to the genera, as it gave us the familiar, yet comes off as something fresh and original. It also proves that an unnerving experience doesn’t need to rely on big effects or non-stop frightening imagery to leave an impression, and that to me is when a horror movie is doing something special. If you’re a genera fan itching for something a little different, I’d highly recommend “The Others” as one of the best, most chilling, PG-13 horror movies that the early 2000’s had to offer.

Thanks for reading my review of the 2001 Horror movie classic “The Others” … and be sure to treat yourself to one good scare this October.