The Others may be a film who's success depends solely upon the execution of its twist ending (which no doubt you already know) but it is an original, tragic drama that uses the paranormal as a backdrop to tell a story about grief, madness and denial.
The film has the aesthetic and pace of an old hammer horror film,
or perhaps even Polanski's work, it is reminiscent in style of the Ninth Gate and Rosemary's Baby, in that it is a gothic slow burn which focuses on atmosphere over all else.
Obviously I'm going to get into spoilers for this review as you no doubt have already seen this film. The thing that works best about the others is the twist that Nicole Kidman and her family are the ones haunting the house and the visions they are seeing are brief glimpses of the living trying to contact them through seances.
That is a phenomenal idea and it makes the entire movie worth watching, that central hook is the glue that holds the whole film together because when it comes into play at the end it is nothing short of brilliant.
It's a film that I believe actually works better on the second watch because everything has a tragic, sad quality to it. You're waiting for Kidman's character to come to the realization that she is a ghost having what can only be described as a post-life crisis.
Its not one of my favorite paranormal movies but its definitely a good film.
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