The Others

Alejandro Amenábar, 2001, Spain, USA, France, Italy, Colour, 104 mins, Certificate: 12

It’s been 20 years since The Others first haunted our thoughts and feelings. But it feels like it was only yesterday that we shared Grace’s struggle to keep her photosensitive children safe in an old, family house, on the island of Jersey, just after the 2nd World War.

Chilean-Spanish director Amenábar’s (Thesis, Open Your Eyes, The Sea Inside, Agora) English debut is a masterpiece of subtlety as it tells its story through absences – what remains unseen, unspoken, unthinkable.

Fearlessly original while shrewdly paying tribute to such inspiring, black and white classics as The Innocents and The Haunting, it became and remains one of the highest grossing horror movies of all time.

A profound experience still, it features a powerhouse, BAFTA nominated performance by Nicol Kidman, a final twist that leaves you gasping for air, a commanding, British, supporting cast, and a lingering, yours to carry always, realisation.

Hell is rarely, if ever, the Others.

“The Others proved that the same ploys that scared people 40 years earlier could still work on them now. We’ll always be afraid of the unknown. We’ll always be afraid of the dark. In the right hands, our minds are a house that is easily and eternally haunted.” Scott Tobias, The Guardian

“It has spooky atmosphere, a wicked twist of an ending and an ice-cold grabber of a performance by Nicole Kidman as Grace… When it comes to turning the screws of psychological terror, Amenábar is an expert technician.” Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

“It’s a surprise just how confident and controlled Amenábar’s first Hollywood venture turns out to be. Subtle, too. Absence makes the heart beat faster: the absence of light, the corporeal absence of loved ones. Shrewdly cast, Kidman is pitch perfect. It’s a clammy, ingenious film, one of the best studio movies of the year.” Tom Charity, Timeout