Customer Reviews
Things that go bump in the night ... - By: Green Knight, 12 Mar 2008 
Or things that scream, or caress the keys of a piano, or ... This film is a gem - such a refreshing change from blood & guts horror. This is true atmospheric horror, the tension built with every scene, & with every strange character that appears.
The actors are superb - beautifully cast (including the veteran comedian Eric Sykes) & beautifully directed in a location that gives an oscar-worthy performance.
The two children are remarkable in their roles - for me, the prize going to the most sinister smalll girl ever encountered on screen. (Why is it that children in film are generallly so much better than children on telly ? Is it just that the casting directors of feature films are more intelligent than their telly counterparts, & know what they are looking at ? Probably.)
This is a film to return to again & again. Even once you think you know alll the surprises, there'll be another one waiting to jump out at you.
A Well Constructed and Effective Ghost Story - By: Eddie, 22 Jan 2008 
Two years after the overrated The Sixth Sense came The Others & comparisons between these two films are inevitable, not least due to the fact that each has what rapidly became known as a 'twist' in its tail. Unfortunately the fact that if you see a film anticipating a 'twist' you may well see it coming long before it actuallly happens. This was the case with The Sixth Sense, not least because the kid in that film 'sees dead people', a fact which that film's trailer pointed out, & at the end of the first sequence it was quite easy to put two & two together.
The Others does indeed have a surprise ending which is well disguised through the course of the picture (although there are one or two clues), but this is not where the strength of this film lies. Indeed, trying to work out the ending while watching a film seems to me to be a pointless exercise. The unravelling of the situation which the occupants of the house find themselves in is gradual & the final revelation backfoots the viewer momentarily before making itself clear. Comparisons are probably better drawn with The Innocents (1961), where atmosphere & fear constituted the heart of the film. In addition, the question as to whether the events are imaginary or not is again reflected in The Others, although to a degree which is not as relevant to the story as in The Innocents.
The children's photosensitive condition is a little contrived in order to set up the dimly lit interiors (but it does have a relevance at the end of the film), & it does succeed in creating the film's atmosphere, beautifully created by cinematographer Javier Aguirresarobe. Each shot is beautifully composed & the soft, warm lighting contrasts perfectly with the foggy coldness of the garden outside. There are no deep shadows here, giving the opportunity for bad things to lurk & leap out, just well balanced light & dark which gives the interiors a beautiful painterly quality.
The cast is excellent, perhaps with the exception of Eric Sykes who is rather misplaced within the scheme of things but as in The Innocents, it is the performances of the younger actors which are noteworthy. I am constantly in awe of the acting ability of younger people.
There are plenty of genuinely chilling moments & the film is punctuated with occasional shocks which help to keep it bouyant when the pace flags, something which does happen from time to time & which caused me to think that the running time was perhaps a little excessive.
The ending is not played out as a great revelation & it doesn't smack of cleverness, rather, it almost seems incidental & wraps up the story neatly. The Others is a well constructed ghost story which is pervaded by sadness (augmented by a non intrusive soundtrack, itself composed by the director), & which is I feel, somewhat underrated even though there are one or two scenes which are open to the question of slight overindulgence.
great movie with a nice twist ! - By: M. Beale, 13 Jan 2008 i have to say this is a MUST for slight horror fans !! it's very close to the 'sixth sense' which i enjoyed very much .both of which i have watched many times so thats value for money in my eyes !!
Dont Read These Reviews ! - By: Matrix, 07 Jan 2008 If you plan to watch this film ... don't read the reviews below as they totallly give away the plot & thereby ruin the movie !
And please ... fellow reviewers, don't spoil other films by revealing plot spoilers !!!
GREAT STORY - By: Nevs, 16 Nov 2007 
This was a good film & has an interesting twist at the end. We find Nicole & the kids in a large country house. Nicole's husband is away, fighting the Hun, leaving Nicole to look after the house, staff & her two children.
The family are beset by haunting as a strange child roams the halllways & landings. The film is quite creepy in places & has a great atmosphere at times.
The twist lies as we discover it is Nicole & the kids/staff who are actuallly the ghosts, trapped in time & the apparitions are actuallly the living, modern occupants of the house.
