The Others

I am just going to come out and say it that I enjoy The Others far more than I do The Sixth Sense. The only reason I feel the need to make this statement is because of the similarity of their shock endings (I didn't give anything away did I?) and the relative closeness of their release dates. Now, don't get me wrong, I like The Sixth Sense, I like it a lot, but The Others is by far a much deeper and thoughtful film and in my mind, a whole lot creepier. For me, it was refreshing to see a ghost story done with such complexity in the aftermath of films such as The Haunting and The House On Haunted Hill, remakes of classic, innovative films that had been watered down into special effects bonanzas without any real substance. Its rank of 83 in the list of the '100 Greatest Scary Movies' is somewhat appropriate, though I would have liked to see it rank higher as I still hold that the film is entirely too underrated.

I have heard some say that they felt like The Others had an anti-Christian message of sorts, that the doubt of the children was rewarded, but I tend to disagree with such sentiments. Most definitely this movie is making a statement about faith and belief, but to say it is denouncing it would be a falsehood. Rather, it is a critique of blind faith and of sacrificing thought in order to accomplish it. Faith cannot be a cult of personality and humbleness is a trait which humanity tends to shed in order to express one's individuality. The children are not so much rewarded for their doubt as much as Nicole Kidman is shown that claiming to understand God and all of its complexities, claiming to have the knowledge that makes up the grand design, all of that will lead to disappointment. Her faith is shattered, yes, but it is also renewed at the same time.

But the themes are only part of what makes The Others work. One of the cleverest devices used in the film was to give the children Xeroderma Pigmentosum, an extremely rare condition and very unlikely that both siblings would have had it, but as used in the story, it is very well played. Because of their sensitivity to light, the house is utterly bathed in darkness, curtains drawn tight and doors locked shut, which leads to a frightening feeling of isolation. And so, when the voices start and the movements begin, we an empathize with the horror of it all. The children really are alone for most of the picture, shut away from their mother, and quite literally shut away from the outside world, unable to escape the menacing curiosity of those who haunt their home.

It was a clever take on the whole 'haunted house' story. One of the main problems with such tales is that there really is always an option to leave, though the antagonists, for narrative's sake, never think to actually do this. The Others solves this problem brilliantly: not only does their illness prevent the children from going outside, but also the house itself has in some way become a tomb and it is just that some of the more rational characters have a hard time seeing it.

This film is fantastically scary and fun. It carries just the right amount of thematic commentary and genuine fright to make it enjoyable for both kinds of Horror fans. It also, oddly enough, marks the third film we have visited on this list that features Christopher Eccleston. Who would have thought that he could be so scary?