The Others: A Stylish Modern Haunted House Classic

Alejandro Amenabar's 2001 film The Others evokes so many of the average person's greatest fears that it must be included on any list of haunted house classics. The horrors it exploits include, but are not limited to, abandonment, insanity and the unknown. Add a twisted surprise ending and you have a tale that delivers the chills every horror fan craves.

The story already in progress as the movie begins is that the father, Charles Stewart (Christopher Eccleston) has gone to war but does not return when the fighting is over.
The protagonist/mother Grace (Nicole Kidman)lives alone on an island with her two chronically ill children. Even her priest has stopped visiting her. The house is surrounded by an impenetrable fog and the feeling of isolation is palpable.

Gradually Grace begins to question the reality in which she lives. The drapes that protect her children from the sun are hidden. Her daughter disappears briefly and an old woman appears in her place. The children are terrified of a little boy only they can hear. Then three servants appear in answer to an ad the poor mother has not yet placed. Grace has to wonder whether she is the victim of a haunting or she and her children are going crazy.

In the second act Charles returns but then disappears just as quickly leaving more confusion. The servants reveal a grisly secret in an attempt to help Grace understand what is happening to her but they only succeed in terrifying her more. Finally the ghostly invaders will not be stopped. Grace and the children can no longer hide from the unknown in the film's terrifying climax.

This is a film much like The Matrix or Jacob's Ladder that makes the viewer question his or her own perception of the world. Psychological horror like this can be the most disturbing because it forces us to consider who is self and who is other. One who appears to belong in one situation is an outsider from someone else's view.

We all know on an intellectual level that setting fear aside in any situation helps to bring acceptance or a resolution. On a primal level, however, it is more natural to react with fright to what we do not understand. For those of us who love horror movies it may be because the modern world doesn't provide us with some sort of necessary adrenal gland activity. While I wouldn't want to live in a haunted house, when I want to get that addictive fight or flight feeling the world of The Others is a fun place to visit. If you consider it fun to be scared I suggest you check out this flick.