The rule is simple, the mansion must always remain in darkness and never open a door without having closed the previous one.
For years, ghost stories have served as the basis for creating successful productions. It is enough to remember M. Night Shyamalan's masterpiece, The Sixth Sense (1999) which, although it is part of the horror films that are not for over 18s, manages to generate suspense and terror. In 2001, Alejandro Amenábar managed to elevate the simplicity of the concept through a narrative arc that is impossible to predict. Without complications, The others subverts expectations and surprises everyone with its ending.
What is The Others about?
The plot of The Others is extremely intriguing and disturbing
Set on the island of Jersey in 1945, The others follows the story of Grace, who lives in a Victorian mansion with her two children. In the isolated home, the children are raised by their mother within strict religious rules. When three new servants join the family, the woman explains to them that The house must always remain in darknessbecause the children suffer from a strange disease that prevents them from receiving daylight. They also cannot open a door without the previous one being closed.
While the plot is quite intriguing, what truly makes the production one of the best horror movies lies in its unexpected plot twists and the incredible acting of the cast. In this broken home, with A father who has not yet returned despite the end of the war, and a mother who seems to have lost her mind.the isolation and imposed conditions generate a claustrophobic and enigmatic scenario.
One of Nicole Kidman's best performances
The role played by Kidman is that of A woman consumed by her own moralityHer state of mind separates her from the world around her and prevents her from seeing everything that is happening around her. In this way, she is torn between dreams and reality.
His volatile personality suggests that danger lies not hidden in the corners of the gloomy mansion, but right under one's skin. a strict and completely dogmatic characterIn this way, the tension and the ghosts appear long before little Anne begins to draw and count the specters she sees in the house.
The terror in The Others is not in the supernatural
The others are not terrifying for the reason you think
As the fog suffocates humanity in a home without light, and Anne assures the presence of spirits within its walls, Grace's emotional and mental stability collapses. Thus, she has no choice but to find a middle ground between her religious beliefs and the need to reach a favorable agreement with the specters that roam the halls.
This way, The classic archetype of the haunted house takes on another meaning. Terror is not directly associated with the supernatural, but with the emotional burden of its protagonists. The ghosts represent the reasons why the first servants left and the house became a kind of suffocating prison.
In The others The truth is dosed as the tension intensifies. The fear is not caused by typical scare techniques, but by what we cannot see. The battle between Grace and her daughter becomes the central axis of the plot. While the mother refuses to question her unwavering religious beliefs, Anne claims to have been interacting with supernatural intruders.
Thanks to this, the viewer is gradually immersed in what can be described as a creepy plot full of unexpected twistsin the style of the best gothic horror films, where the pieces are distributed throughout the entire plot.
In short, The others has everything it needs to generate tension and surprise the viewer through an unexpected ending. In addition to Nicole Kidman's impeccable performance, we are talking about an ending that defies any kind of prediction from a narrative point of view. Without complications, Amenábar manages to create an atmosphere of suspense when presenting disturbing events, while addressing important themes around loss and denial.
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