The Others
The Plot
The Others is set in the Channel Islands during World War II, where Grace Stewart lives with her two children and awaits the return of her husband from the war. Because her children have a rare disease which makes them photosensitive, the curtains in every room are kept permanently drawn and every door locked the moment it is closed, so that even in the middle of the day the house is sealed in a state of perpetual night.
Under strange and mysterious circumstances all of the servants left the house with a word, and so Grace takes on three new housekeepers—who seem to have a strange connection with the house themselves. As time goes on and the strange and disturbing occurrences begin to add up, Grace becomes more and more convinced that her family is not in fact as alone as they thought; but the new housekeepers seem to know something about her and her children that even she has yet to discover.
The Breakdown
Location, location, location. It’s setting and atmosphere which make The Others something really special: the dark house, the locked doors, the mounting sense of paranoia which inevitably borders on hysteria. Nicole Kidman gives an excellent performance as a person teetering on the edge of a precipice, and the dread of what lies on the other side builds until it’s almost unbearable.
The Scare Factor
The Others is deeply unnerving, steeped in rich atmosphere which will stick with you long after you finish the movie. If you’re a fan of haunted house stories, this one will be a hit.