The Others (2001)

Movie · 2001 · Horror, Mystery, Thriller · 1h 41m · PG-13 · English

Curator score: 6.9/10 (955.1K ratings)

Sooner or later they’ll find you.

Overview

Grace is a woman who lives in an old house kept dark because her two children, Anne and Nicholas, have a rare sensitivity to light. When the family begins to suspect the house is haunted, Grace fights to protect her children at any cost in the face of strange events and disturbing visions.

Ratings

Director

Alejandro Amenábar

Production

Cruise/Wagner Productions, Sogecine, Las Producciones del Escorpión

Cast

Nicole Kidman, Alakina Mann, James Bentley, Fionnula Flanagan, Christopher Eccleston, Eric Sykes, Elaine Cassidy, Keith Allen, Renée Asherson, Michelle Fairley, Gordon Reid, Alexander Vince, Ricardo López, Aldo Grilo

Where to watch

AMC+, Philo, Shudder

Curator Review

Verdict

A polished, old-school gothic ghost story with a strong central performance, patient dread, and a genuinely satisfying twist. It’s more eerie and atmospheric than violent, and it rewards viewers who like haunted-house mysteries that play fair with the audience.

Best for

  • fans of atmospheric gothic horror
  • viewers who enjoy twist-driven mysteries
  • people who like restrained, elegant supernatural suspense
  • audiences drawn to strong lead performances in horror

Skip if

  • you want nonstop jump scares or gore
  • you dislike slow-burn setups
  • you prefer horror that explains everything early
  • you’re not in the mood for a somber, claustrophobic tone

Overview

The Others is a finely controlled ghost story that understands the power of silence, shadow, and performance. Alejandro Amenábar keeps the film tightly wound, building unease through the house itself and through Grace’s increasingly fragile certainty about what is real. Nicole Kidman anchors everything with a performance that is both severe and deeply vulnerable, which gives the film its emotional weight as well as its menace.

Worth noting

What makes it endure is how classical it feels without becoming stale. The movie leans into gothic tradition, but it also works as a psychological mystery, constantly asking the viewer to reassess what they think they know. The atmosphere is the real engine here: candlelight, locked doors, muffled sounds, and a house that seems to breathe around the characters.

Bottom line

The ending is the kind that reconfigures the whole film in retrospect, and the movie earns that reveal by staying disciplined throughout. If you like haunted-house stories that are elegant rather than noisy, and creepy rather than chaotic, this is one of the better mainstream examples of the form.

Top Letterboxd reviews

scoobert doo (aka mo) (5★) · 5928 likes

first plot twist: *happens* me: i totally called i- second plot twist: *roundhound kicks me in the back of the head* shut it NERD

#1 gizmo fan (4★) · 4153 likes

nicole kidman can take that rifle to my head anytime she likes

lauren (3.5★) · 3758 likes

for the 15 years i had my cat, he and i would always watch movies together. this afternoon we watched our last one together. around 4 weeks ago my dad died. at 5:47pm, willy, my beloved cat of 15 years passed as well. i can confidently say willy was the best, most loving cat in the world. a beautiful little guy who grew up with me and saved my life too. i love you so much willy

Jay (3.5★) · 2700 likes

love insane women walking around a creepy house at night hearing shit, gotta be one of my favourite genders!

Roberto_ (4★) · 2449 likes

they’re social distancing

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Topics

gothic, haunted house, supernatural, mystery, slow burn, atmospheric, claustrophobic, psychological horror, period setting, twist ending

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