Sticking with the theme of possibly-haunted domiciles established yesterday, let’s jump across two ponds (or, to be quicker, fly over Eurasia) to the UK, specifically the Channel Island of Jersey, and skip back in time to the waning weeks of World War II. This is the setting for The Others, a film that has come highly recommended by quite a few of my horror contacts, so my expectations are admittedly kinda high going in. Here’s hoping.
The story centers on a single mother taking care of her two children in a manor house on Jersey. The children have some sort of allergy to sunlight (I’m sure this is a thing, but the way she phrases it just makes it sound like a parent making some excuse up so that her kids don’t have to go to public school or participate in gym class or something), so most of the rooms require their drapes closed and doors shut. Out of the blue, seemingly, a trio of household staff members show up at the manor to fill the open positions there. The seeds of mystery are planted. Soon, the children tell stories of encountering spectral children and whatnot around the house. Of course, the mother doesn’t believe their apparently tall tales, but she soon begins to believe them as she experiences spooky occurrences herself. But what is the nature of the “haunting” here? And what bearing does the husband’s return from the front have on things?
So, let me get this out of the way right now: I knew a bit about the twist going in. I wasn’t quite sure of the details or how things would shake out, but I knew what the underlying answer to everything was. This didn’t ruin the viewing experience for me, it just changed it from a cold viewing. That being said, having seen the run-up, I’ve gotta say that the reveal didn’t have much punch for me, and I believe I’d be saying the same had I not known about the twist up front. Suffice it to say, so that I don’t ruin things for anyone, I’ll say that the story still mostly works as a ghost story, but the twist doesn’t add quite as much as I was led to believe from the hype. C’est la vie, and all that.
Meanwhile, the film certainly looks pretty, thanks to some appropriately hauntingly atmospheric cinematography from Javier Aguirresarobe (whose work can be seen in The Road, Thor: Ragnarok, and, apparently, the upcoming live-action Dora the Explorer film, which is a thing). Alejandro Amenábar’s direction is clean, lacking any distracting frenzy and whatnot, allowing his visuals and actors to tell the story in a calm, measured fashion. Nicole Kidman nails the role of the grieving and worrisome mother, her stress and deteriorating mental state all too obvious from the strained expressions her face contorts into. The children, meanwhile, oscillate between passably capable and thoroughly un-stomach-able, especially the son, who constantly looks to be on the verge of angry tears regardless of the context.
Overall, though, as much as it didn’t live up to the lofty expectations I held for it, The Others is a solid, smoky ghost tale, well worthy of a mid-October viewing.
Allusions of Grandeur 