The Others
PG-13, 1h 44min: Horror, Mystery, Thriller
My Rating: 9.5/10
IMDb Rating (as of 6/12/17): 7.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 83%
Where you can view it (as of 6/12/17): Amazon Video
The Others is one of my all-time favorite films. Yes, I said films, not just horror films (although my personal favorite genre) but all films in general. This film really transgresses the genre, the same way that The Shining or The Sixth Sense completed this same task. Although, not nearly as notable as the two films mentioned, I believe that The Others deserves a spot on that list. Below is a paper I wrote for class, complete with in-text citations and all. Although I tried to shorten it a bit, I left in all prudent information in it to convince you (yes you the one disagreeing with my opinion of this film) that it truly does transgress the horror genre. Without further ado, here is a pretty expansive look at the 2001 film The Others.
PS. There will be spoilers.
The Others, directed by Alejandro Amenábar and produced in 2001, is a masterpiece that hit its stride along the likes of The Sixth Sense (1999). The Others is crafted brilliantly with all of the multiple elements of film working simultaneously to support the many motifs, as well as keeping a viewer engaged and on the edge of their seats while still bringing verisimilitude to the table. The film is overlaid with religious undertones, the general idea of death, and one woman’s spiral out of control, which eventually leads to a sinister ending. All while not being obnoxious but rather subdued unconscious themes that work to fit the elaborate narrative and keep the viewer in 1940s England with Grace, Anne and Nicholas.
It is prudent to mention, however, that The Others does fall into the cliché as mentioned by Rick Worland. He states that the staid haunted-house movies that the major studios attempted after the success of movies such as The Sixth Sense (1999) showed how stagnant the genre was becoming as they all presented gothic imagery through effects that seemed to belong more to science fiction rather than horror (Worland 269). Although The Others fell right into this trap along with several other films coming out around the same time, it is evident that Alejandro Amenábar adds elements to keep the film fresh. The Others could also, and probably is, one of the films that began this effort by major studios to mimic this successful troupe. The elements of suspense and mystery along with the many literary features serve to set this film apart from its copycat counterparts.
The entire film is laced with religious undertones, highlighted through the lighting, costuming and narrative in general. Anne and Nicholas have a disease that prevents them from being able to go out into the sunlight, or rather be exposed to light in general, without surmounting an allergic response and becoming so ill they are close to death. Due to this fact, most of the film is in pure darkness with the only light in some interactions between characters being candlelight. Although candlelight is not directly connected to Catholicism, as in all candles allude to religion, in this case, it does. A candle is used during church services quite often, and there is even a scene in the film where Anne is reading out of the Bible by a candle, and Grace tells her to say a “Hail Mary” which is traditionally done by the light of a candle.
The costuming utilized throughout the film supports these religious undertones as well, in the form of Anne. Anne is wearing white throughout the film, multiple times. White signifies purity in the eyes of the Catholic Church and in society in general. This idea that children are the purest, and the constant imagery of Anne in white including and most notably when she is dressed in her first communion dress, support this idea that Anne is coming upon the age when she will essentially promise herself to the church. She even makes the remarks as Grace is admiring Anne that she “[…] looks like a bride” which comments on the fact that as a society, and a religious society at that, promise children to the church so early in life. Many horror films comment on issues occurring in society today, this film is no different (Worland 119). Not only that, but the whole scene is done by candlelight, cementing in the fact that this act of Grace making Anne try on her first communion dress is religious in and of itself.
In terms of the overall narrative, the references to religion are so outward that it seems as if the film is completely about religion and Catholicism in general. The first scenes visible are those of Anne, Nicholas and Grace reading over their booklets, all of which pertain to certain stories from the bible. If either child goes against the bible or sins then Grace threatens them with purgatory. The idea of the rosary, which both Nicholas and Grace use when dealing with “the intruders” is signifying that, to them, God is always there, it is something that Grace harps on the children over and over again. There is also the striking scene where Grace punishes Anne, ruthlessly; by making her read out of the bible and telling her that she needs to repent. These religious undertones seem a bit out of place, especially as Grace is using it to cruelly and not in a very Christian way whatsoever punish her children. In this sense Grace is embodying Barbara Creed’s notion of the monstrous feminine, as was mentioned earlier she forces them to study religious texts alone, and in Anne’s case read the bible out loud for hours, these medieval methods could be used to “ward off the [children’s] fear of [their] very own identity sinking irretrievably into the mother” (Creed 72). In this way Grace is trying to push her kids back to her, to stop them from misbehaving by essentially striking the fear of God into them. These undertones comment on religion, it comments on the fact that people hide behind it to be unfair to others, and that even the most religious people can snap. There is also a great irony, in the fact that Grace and the children make several comments about what happens to children or people in general (such as the men who died during wartime) after they die. Grace, as was mentioned above, even threatens her children with purgatory, which rolls into the next motif of death.
Although, seemingly obvious the motif of death is interwound so closely throughout the film. In many ways, that on the first watch, a viewer might not pick up on this theme that clearly illuminates the information that the main characters are in fact the ghosts the whole time. This is done through the narrative in general, the lighting, editing, costuming, and music composition as to not be obnoxious but all the while alluding to this simple fact. As was mentioned above, the fact that Grace and the children keep referring to death and where people go after they die is a huge motif throughout the film. This subject comes up on multiple occasions that, compounded with Grace finding the “book of the dead”, which makes death so crucial to the narrative and to the entire film itself. Further instilling the motif of death is when Charles comes home from the war and the first thing Anne asks him is “daddy how many people did you kill?” The children’s constant fascination with death is alarming and serves to make the audience question similar things that the children are questioning.
The lighting, and how it serves this motif, is evident from the first frame. The children (as stated above) must be in complete darkness at all times. This fact adds such an element, along with the fact that the only light throughout many of the scenes is candlelight, creates an eerie landscape. The shadow lurking around every corner, and darkness in general, is symbolic of death. The outside being engulfed in fog signifies the unknown, which to many is death. Due to the fact that the children are asking so many questions on the subject, and the outside is filled with dense fog, it is evident that this unnatural landscape is symbolizing death as well. Fog can also indicate something supernatural, which is exactly what Grace thinks she is experiencing, and where Grace and the Children are actually stuck in as well, something completely supernatural. This gothic idea, both with the fog and the element of the supernatural, is something that has become somewhat of a staple in this subgenre of horror (Worland 269). Therefore, this motif of death threaded throughout the film in such a manner is only fitting.
Editing along with the brilliant costume design and music all serve to show death. This is most evident in the case of the help that arrives for Grace. One scene, in particular, does a brilliant job of showing death, and death literally knocking on Grace’s door all by clever camera work, editing, costume design and sound. There is a profound scene where Mrs. Mills, Mr. Tuttle and Lydia are all standing outside of the house peering in through a locked door. All of who are wearing black, surrounded by the fog, and the lighting used is back and side lighting, casting half of their faces into darkness. The camera angle slowly zooms away from them, and the music grows louder as Mrs. Mills tries to explain to Grace the dire circumstances her children are in at the current moment. All of them look disturbing and elements of films are utilized together in order to highlight the idea that all of these characters are dead. Mrs. Mills is trying to show Grace what she really is, and this is done in this scene alone. Mrs. Mills and others are knocking on Grace’s door, pleading with her to see reason and look at all of the facts. In this way not only is Mrs. Mills pleading with Grace she is also pleading with the audience, and making it fairly obvious that they are all dead.
Lastly and most evidently is Grace’s spiraling out of control throughout the film, and as the film progresses this loss of power precludes the beginning of the film. This spiraling is shown very evidently through the course of the narrative highlighted by its direct reflection of Barbara Creed’s article entitled “Horror and the monstrous-feminine.” This theme of both Grace spiraling out of control as well as Creed’s notion is also illuminated through the use of the camera angles, misè-en-scene, music composition and editing techniques.
Grace is the embodiment of the monstrous-feminine, she is extremely tough on her children their “[…] contact with ‘authority’ is with the maternal authority when the child learns […] ” (Creed 73). This quote by Barbara Creed highlights the cruel and unusual forms of punishment that Grace inflicts upon her children for doing the smallest of mistakes. Throughout the film, it is evident that Grace is losing her temper, both with “the intruders” and with her children. The abject at work can also be seen in this film as Grace pans over her husband and his return, she turns into this perfect housewife then, once he leaves, turns back into the “archaic maternal figure” (Creed 72). As the film progresses and Grace becomes more and crueler as well as visibly losing her mind, it is evident that Grace smothered her children with a pillow then killed herself; she, again, becomes the archaic mother as Creed mentions.
This idea of Grace’s spiraling is also done in film techniques to really highlight her mental status. The most notable is from a scene towards the end of the film. Grace is standing at the bottom of a staircase; it is a birds-eye view displaying her submissiveness in this situation. The staircase itself is winding and yet angled at perfect 90°, the floor also mimics this design with symmetrical floorboards all winding to one central spot. All of the lines in this scene are also pointed downward towards Grace. These elements really clarify the fact that Grace is spiraling downward, with literal signs of her mental status on the decline. The music in this scene is also eerie, and the only diegetic sound is Grace fiddling with her rosary, she is desperately trying to find strength and keep herself steady. Yet, she is failing miserably.
The Others, although similar to many other films in this subgenre of horror, uses elements skillfully in order to present many complex themes throughout. The religious undertones, paired with the death motif, and lastly the mental status of the mother are all brought to light in a way that helps move the narrative along and keeps the audience invested even long after the film is over. This film also utilizes ideas and notions from Barbara Creed, which cement the overall horror troupes and their comment on society.
Hope you enjoyed the read! Now back to your regularly scheduled short film reviews, be sure to check out my ‘Coming Up Next‘ page!
-Courtney
Horror Film Mondays 