The Others [Horror Movie Review]
Alejandro Amenábar's 2001 The Others is hard to describe without spoiling it; even comparing to to other ghost movies it resembles might offer too much.
That being said, there's a lot to love for someone who enjoys a) films that take place in the turmoil of WWI or WWII (The Others occurs in the latter) and b) anything Gothic. As someone writing a Gothic story set in the Great War, this film's aesthetic appealed to me immediately, and it didn't disappoint. I have an appeal for the creepy stylistic cinematography and costume choices, and the plot of a weary, heavily religious mother attempting to protect her children with ghosts in the lonely, dark home sucked me in. It's great to see the bleakness of the 20th century wartime dovetailed with this old, rickety terror element with a complicated female protagonist who's a mother to boot.
I kept on with the ride, knowing next to nothing about the movie going in and wondering how the hell it would wrap up.
And then the ending happened.
Wow.
This may easily be one of my favorite films of all time.