Unlike most traditional horror films “The others” uses subtle ways to make you afraid. And very afraid I was while watching this movie. My boyfriend and I were startled enough to actually jump several times throughout the movie. I can not remember the last time a movie has made me do that.
It is 1945 and Mrs. Grace (played by Nicole Kidman) lives with her two children Anne (played by Alakina Mann) and Nicholas (played by James Bentley) who both suffer from a photosensitivity allergy. If they are exposed to the light they will break out in sores that could lead to their deaths. When the children are in a room the curtains must be closed and all doors to that room must be shut. This basically means the family is trapped in total darkness. It does not help that the huge house the family lives in is constantly surrounded by a thick fog.
Three mysterious strangers show up at her door step after she has placed an ad for domestic help. Mrs. Tuttle (played by Fionnula Flanagan) is the more prominent of the three. Mrs. Grace warns them “One door can not be opened until the previous is closed. This house is like a ship with sunlight being the water.” Mrs. Grace had placed the want ad because her former servants have disappeared without collecting their wages or leaving a note.
Also Mrs. Grace’s husband has not returned since going to serve the British in the World War II. After a year and a half of not hearing from her husband she removed the phones and the radio from the house. This lack of communication adds to the feeling of being cut off from the rest of the world.
Right away you are clued into the fact that all is not right with the house or the new servants. Then Anne starts to converse with ghosts that live in the house. Her mother doesn’t believe Anne until she hears them herself. The rest of the film is Mrs. Grace trying to figure out who is sharing the house with herself and her two children. The answer makes this one of the biggest surprise endings in the movie industry.
The movie does feel a bit slow at times but in the end it is truly worth it. The bright spots in the film were Nicole Kidman, the children, Anne and Nicholas and the housekeeper Mrs. Tuttle. They all helped shape the movie into something truly unique.
This is a classic style horror film. I would recommend watching this with a date or family member. You will definitely need a hand to hold during a lot of the film. You may have trouble falling asleep the night you watch it. I know I did.