a classically elegant, yet gut-wringing ghost story with a brilliantly conceived twist ending
The Others (2001)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:146
Fresh:122
Rotten:24
Average Rating:7.2/10
Consensus: The Others is a spooky thriller that reminds us that a movie doesn't need expensive special effects to be creepy.
Runtime: 1 hr 44 mins
Genre: Horror/Suspense
Synopsis: THE OTHERS begins with a close-up of a woman screaming. By the time this intense film ends, everyone watching it will be screaming and gasping. Nicole Kidman stars as Grace, a woman raising two... THE OTHERS begins with a close-up of a woman screaming. By the time this intense film ends, everyone watching it will be screaming and gasping. Nicole Kidman stars as Grace, a woman raising two children by herself in a creepy mansion. World War II is over, but Grace's husband never returned. Meanwhile, the two children, Anne and Nicholas, must constantly stay in the dark because they are deathly allergic to light. Then one day three people show up to take over for Grace's disappeared staff, and trouble starts to brew. The odd trio--an aging nanny, an elderly gardener, and a young mute girl--seems to have a slightly different agenda than Grace and the children do. But when Anne starts talking to strange, unseen people, the scares start building to an incredible climax. Alejandro Amenábar's highly stylized English-language debut is one of the better haunted-house films of the past few years. Not only did Amenábar write and direct the film but he composed the eerie music as well. Nicole Kidman is outstanding as the overprotective mother trying to save her children, while Fionnula Flanagan excels as the nanny with a deep, dark secret. Because the children must remain in darkness, Grace must lock every door behind her, to make sure that the children don't accidentally enter a brightly lit room; it is a marvelous horror-film device that Amenábar uses to perfection. [More]
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Fionnula Flanagan, Christopher Eccleston, Elaine Cassidy
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Fionnula Flanagan, Christopher Eccleston, Elaine Cassidy, Eric Sykes, Kames Bentley, Renée Asherson, Alakina Mann, Andrew Wagner
Director: Alejandro Amenábar
Director: Alejandro Amenábar
Screenwriter: Alejandro Amenábar
Composer: Alejandro Amenábar
Studio: Dimension Films
Reviews for The Others
an enjoyable, well made thriller for those who like things that go bump in the night
The fact that the big surprise is so obvious makes the deliberate pacing seem painfully slow.
Bumpy at first, with a few too many clichés and an awful lot of doors opening and closing. But by its final image -- a beautifully fading portrait through a window -- I was swept in.
A delicious little ghost story that takes place within the confines of a single haunted house and recalls such minimalist classics of the genre as The Innocents and the original version of The Haunting.
This is the sort of old-fashioned, but highly effective horror/ suspense picture that puts any and all 'slasher' films to shame in both eliciting the goosebumps and delivering the scares in an intelligent fashion.
Clever as the film is, though, it turns out to be an exercise in narrative withholding that's more headache provoking than suspense laden.
Favors too much teasing delay spiced by arbitrary insinuations (war guilt, marital discord, etc.) and a 'surprise' topper that could have made even Rod Serling squirm.
The Others is a thoughtfully chilling movie. It is not the action, but the look, sound and feel that make it nerve-racking.
Creepy-verging -on-campy thriller with a great payoff, but a lot of broken promise.
An unconvincing, pretentiously artsy pastiche of just about every hoary old gothic thriller you can think of.
Coming near the end of a summer season filled with overproduced, underwritten movies, The Others feels like a small miracle.
A welcome throwback film to an era when the thriller belonged to actors and the genre was manipulated by directors, not special effects wizards.
A second outstanding performance from Nicole Kidman in just over two months.
Something that giants such as Steven Spielberg, Ridley Scott and Tim Burton have not been able to match so far this year.
Overall, Almenabar offers too little, too late in the story for viewers who like a sporting chance to out-think their thrillers.
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