OTHERS, THE
Released: August 10, 2001
Executive produced by Tom Cruise and starring his ex-wife Nicole Kidman, "The Others" is a classic horror film in the truest sense. Rather than simply churning out another "Scream" or "I Know What You Did Last Summer", Spanish director Alejandro Amenábar ("Open Your Eyes", 1997) gives us a beautiful and chilling story in the style of "The Sixth Sense" and the better elements from "The Blair Witch Project". The film opens with Kidman awaking from a nightmare, screaming her loudest scream. That alone was enough to scare quite a few people in the theatre. In this movie, set on the island of Jersey located off the British coast during post WW2, Kidman plays Grace, mother of two children and wife of a soldier who is presumed dead in the war. The kids, played masterfully by Alakina Mann and James Bentley, apparently suffer from some sort of fatal allergic reaction to light. Because of this, the whole house is shrouded in shadows, curtains shut and simple candlelight is all that exists to guide them through the darkness. To make matters seem even more claustrophobic, the house is covered in what seems like a permanent fog. Describing too much of the plot is dangerous because it would be tempting to reveal the things that make this such a efficient and unique horror movie. Like "The Sixth Sense" before it, "The Others" relies on storytelling, character development and good writing. Add in Kidman's Oscar caliber performance plus those of the children and the three or so others in the cast (pun sort of intended) and you have a movie that is chilling with a few genuine scares along the way.
115 Minutes
Dimension/Miramax