The Others...With a Sprinkling of Drac!
Today, let’s get into The Others. We all know it. Released in 2001, it was a box office success and won a handful of Goya awards, including best picture. A damn impressive feat for an English-speaking film, but that speaks to how fantastic this movie is. It’s moody, atmospheric, dark (quite literally and figuratively), and subtly creepy throughout. It’s everything you want in a gothic, supernatural horror film (for the purposes of this article, we'll just call it gothic horror). For the cherry on top, it offered viewers a truly intriguing storyline, great performances, and a genuine surprise at the end—well before such plot twists became tired tropes and lazy alternatives to originality.
I’m a bit of a sucker for a gothic horror flick. This isn’t true for all films in this subgenre, but it’d be safe to say gothic horror tends to burn a little slower, biding its time while weaving its delicate tendrils around the audience’s attention. Gothic horror often leans heavily on sophistication and ambience to help tell its story, contributing to a rich backdrop for its often complex and damaged characters. These aren’t slashers, monster pics, or teen drivel. Gothic horror films, when done well, are a bit more grown up. They often tell a deeper story that relies more heavily on character development for propulsion, and less on gore and scare tactics. They’re often engaging, thoughtfully constructed, and told in a way that doesn’t belittle the audience. Don’t get me wrong, there’s plenty of potent cheddar sprinkled on this subgenre.
Gothic horror has quite the history. For starters, the main bloodsucker himself, Dracula, is the godfather of the subgenre. Since its release in 1931, Dracula has been serving up nightmare fuel to the masses, spurring remakes, spin-offs, and a slew of subsequent films. Sure, Dracula’s got some years on his back and isn’t quite as terrifying as he used to be, but Lugosi’s Dracula is 99 years old and is still formidable. But you could take the gothic subgenre back even further— further back than Germany’s Nosferatu, released in 1922. Homeboy Nos didn’t speak a lick of English, and this was long before the days of radical practical effects or CG, but still Nosferatu pulled no punches with his ability to scare viewers. Where he lacked was simply having been made in another country, and with a production company that didn’t have “Universal” in front of it. We know Dracula well because Hollywood has long-reaching arms, and Universal had the funds to propel the Count’s story far and wide. It didn’t hurt that in 1897, Bram Stoker wrote a little book called Dracula, from which the film was adapted. Dracula had fans before he met his copilot, Bela Lugosi.
Since the dawn of the subgenre, gothic horror films (and now TV) have been treating us to romantically terrifying tales with opulent settings. We started with Dracula and took several amazing stops along the way, with films and series like The Haunting, Interview with a Vampire, House of Usher, The Woman in Black, Crimson Peak, The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor, and the entire original Penny Dreadful series. Not to mention those potent, cheesy contributions like…oh, I don’t know…saaaay, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, released in 1992. You know the one. It stars Keanu Reeves, with an English accent so notoriously bad it took the spotlight off the amazing Gary Oldman, who made a wonderfully menacing Count. Not to mention that flamboyantly badass aesthetic he worked hard enough to make RuPaul weep.
Gothic, supernatural horror has made for some premium grade entertainment, and one of its finest cuts is The Others, starring Nicole Kidman, Fionnula Flanagan, and two extremely talented rugrats that are rugrats no more. It’s a story about a single mother raising two children with a deadly disease that requires they live in relative darkness. An already isolated yet tedious existence at the end of WW2 on the British island of Jersey is made all the more arduous when the children start to suspect their home is haunted. That’s about all the summarizing this film needs. Anyone who’s seen it can attest to the need for a bit of discretion.
The Others is a multi-layered, yet seemingly simple story. The idea, even the conclusion, isn’t so complicated. But the deeply damaged psyche of each character is what drives this beautifully ominous film, adding far more depth and understanding to the motivation behind certain decisions. Fear is also served selectively and intelligently. We’re not constantly bombarded with jump scares, nor is there really any gore to speak of. It chooses wisely when to pull back the curtain and unveil something that, while initially scary, comes to full, heartbreaking fruition in the end. But make no mistake, it’s an eerie movie and a chilling story, with a sense of foreboding throughout.
Combine great writing, beautiful cinematography, a stellar concept, and incredibly solid acting, and you’ve got a great film like The Others. Honestly, it’s one of the best horror films made. Maybe not top 10, but very possibly. And it’s certainly in my top 20, which says a lot. I’ve watched copious amounts of horror and can confidently say it takes one hell of a film to rank among the top 20. While I passionately adore the Horror genre, I’m fully aware that it delivers more duds than fireworks—which is true for all genres. Still, I'm always objective, honest, and highly selective in my pursuit for great horror. I’d love to say I’m thrilled by anything, but the truth is that very little dazzles me. The Others happens to be a dazzler. It might not appeal to slasher fiends or hardcore lovers of body horror, but for those who like to let their horror breathe, it’s an excellent option.
With all the praise I’m lavishing on The Others, I do have some pretty strong opinions regarding its future. Near the end of 2020, it was announced that Universal Pictures would be remaking this film. While most fans don’t love remakes, I’m not one to hate them for their mere existence. If anything, I often find myself curious despite any skepticism I might have. And I always try to reserve judgement until I’ve seen a film. That being said, they need to keep their dirty, money-grubbing paws off The Others and focus on making more original content. I’d be more than interested if The Others was, say, forty or fifty years old. But this film was released in 2001. It won’t even be 20 until August! The very sparingly used CG is still great, the film doesn’t look dated, and the acting will be difficult to top. I fully understand the desire to remake beloved films that have lost some luster to age, or films that might have benefitted from more modern FX or CG. But this remake is utterly lost on me. I can’t imagine how they’ll build on what’s already been created, which tells me they very likely won’t, which is too often the case with remakes. But I suppose there’s hope. Maybe the remake will become a casualty of 2020/2021.
If you’re looking for the kind of fulfilling slow burn only a high caliber film can deliver, look no further. The Others offers a feast for the senses and lingers just long enough not to outstay its welcome. While you’re at it, if you haven’t seen the original Dracula, rectify that oversight and right your cinematic wrongs.
Until next time…
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