My daughter is interested in scary movies so I’m constantly on the lookout for scary movies that aren’t rated-R so we can watch them together. I’ve owned The Others on DVD for a long time and recently realized it was only PG-13. I hadn’t seen it pretty much since I bought it so it was like watching a new movie that had been spoiled. I’d say this film is Not Quite Golden, Ponyboy just shy of being a Must See.
Grace Stewart (Nicole Kidman) lives in a large home with her two photosensitive children and they start to notice weird things are happening in their house. Their new house keeping staff and the family begin to believe there are intruders or ghosts in the house.
Alakina Mann and James Bentley play Anne and Nicholas Stewart and really add to the creepiness of this film. Their photosensitive condition add some really weird rules that the housekeepers and Grace have to follow like never having two doors open at the same time and the curtains have to be shut. Add in a Victorian style house somewhere in England not long after World War II and you’ve got a creepy setting. The children then take the focus of the creepiness and performed perfectly.
The writer/director Alejandro Amenabar does a great job of establishing tone. The atmosphere of the film really makes the haunting creepy. Add in an pretty solid story that the reveal gets most people pretty good. It’s an ending that some people may not like, but I found great both times I remember watching this film.
While I like the film, there is something missing for me. I can’t quite put my finger on what is keep this film from being a Must See, but it doesn’t excitement like other films have in the past. Maybe it’s Christopher Eccleston’s role in the film or the dramatic irony that the housekeepers bring to the story. Whatever it is, I still enjoyed this film and my daughter did, too.
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