The Others
for thematic elements and frightening moments.
Reviewed by: Douglas Downs
STAFF WRITER
| Moral Rating: | Very Offensive |
| Moviemaking Quality: |
|
| Primary Audience: | 15 to Adult |
| Genre: | Suspense Horror |
| Length: | 1 hr. 41 min. |
| Year of Release: | 2001 |
| USA Release: |
August 10, 2001 |
ghosts in the Bible
FEAR, Anxiety and Worry… What does the Bible say? Answer
AFRAID OF THE DARK—How can I help my child to trust in God’s care when she is afraid at night? Answer
HELL—What does the Bible teach? Answer
Is there an actual place called “Hell”? Answer
Why was Hell made? Answer
Is there anyone in Hell today? Answer
Will there literally be a burning fire in Hell? Answer
What should you be willing to do to stay out of Hell? Answer
How can a God of love send anybody to Hell? Answer
What if I don’t believe in Hell? Answer
THE GOOD NEWS—How to be saved from Hell. Answer
CATHOLICISM: What are some of the ways in which the Bible and the Roman Catholic church differ? Answer
THE OCCULT: What does the Bible say about it? Answer
REINCARNATION: What does the Bible say? Answer
Are you good enough to get to Heaven? Answer
How good is good enough? Answer
Will all mankind eventually be saved? Answer
| Featuring | Nicole Kidman (Grace Stewart), Fionnula Flanagan (Mrs. Bertha Mills), Christopher Eccleston (Charles Stewart), See all » |
| Director |
Alejandro Amenabar |
| Producer | Cruise/Wagner Productions, Sociedad General de Cine (SOGECINE) S.A., See all » |
| Distributor |
“Sooner or later they will find you.”
No, I personally don’t believe in ghosts. But I do like a good ghost story. I fondly remember many heard around the cubscout campfire. If you can separate the biblical truth concerning eternity and the fantasy of a good yarn, then “The Others” may be just for you.
There are many things that I liked about this film even before I saw it. The budget was a mere $17 million, proving that a low budget does not mean low quality. Another likeable element is that this episode of the ghost files does not contain any special effects. Can a film keep our attention without the assault of CGI technology? Goosebumps come in droves with only sounds, screams, and the haunting question of “what’s on the other side of that door.”
“The Others” is a low-key and well-photographed movie with lots of style, one which plays on your imagination and certainly toys with your fears. Writer/Director Alejandro Amenabar came up with a great story. Instead of contending with the things that get bumped off in the middle of the night (thanks to Dimension Films and others) the scares come from things that go bump in the night. Amenabar knows how to push all the right buttons and give us a thrill with a definite twist.
Nicole Kidman as Grace, the over-protective mother, may as well be given the Oscar® award right now. She is outstanding in this role. Living in an isolated mansion on the island of Jersey just off the British coast, her photosensitive children Anne (Alakina Mann) and Nicholas (James Bentley) are forced to darkness because a strong dose of sunlight could be lethal. Grace has set about to keep the house dark and very structured for their protection. She homeschools her children in the Catholic view of scripture and other academic lessons. Their care is overwhelming and her present servants have left without notice. This problem is remedied when three servants respond to Grace’s advertisement for domestic help. Our trio of helpers is supervised by Mrs. Mills (Fionnula Flanagan). Slowly we begin to witness clues that the house may be haunted.
The children have seen the evidence of apparitions several times, but they cannot convince their mother. She underscores lessons from scripture to counter Anne and Nicholas’s fears. She teaches them that what they see is impossible. We have the children’s questions about the afterlife answered from Grace’s devoutness. This film, set in 1945, provides many classic Catholic teachings on eternity and the supernatural. One of those views is that there are four levels of Hell. The place of punishment for the damned is first. This is where the Devil and his demons will go. Secondly, Limbo of the Infants (limbus parvulorum) is for children who are not baptized. Thirdly, Limbo of the Fathers (limbus patrum) is for those who died before Christ. Finally, Purgatory is for those who die in sin and still owe a debt.1 While this is certainly not the Protestant Christian’s view of Hell, the theme is true to the belief system of the film.
I would caution parents with children because of this strong undercurrent. It almost has a stronger plot point than the other supernatural elements. It is one thing to accept the fact that there are no ghosts and on the other hand cast a fog over Biblical Doctrine.
Our heroine is grieving the uncertainty of a husband that never returned from war. We have all of the elements to stir up suspense. Where is the true source of the apparent intruders in the house? Well, I’m not going to spoil it for you! You will have to be patient as you enjoy the ride. CGI addicts may find this film slow and boring. If that describes you, you may want to cruise through McDonalds and catch “The Mummy Returns” again.
“The Others” contains almost no language, violence, or sex. That is truly amazing for a PG-13 film! And be sure to take the PG-13 warning: this pic is far too creepy for children. The scenes are disturbing and very intense. My age suggestion would be for those 15 and up. I do recommend this movie to those that are discerning enough to separate fact from fiction. If you have any doubts about what you believe concerning life after death or eternity—avoid this film. But if those questions are settled based on what the Bible teaches, “The Others” can be very entertaining. It is much better than most horror/slasher films (generally not a tough standard to meet). It would be nice to see the Limbo pole raised.
Footnote: The Roman Catholic teachings on hell mentioned in the film are obtained from Pre-Vatican II Catholic Church teaching (not the current view held or taught by the church). [return]
[Average / 4]
This movie is great because it takes care to build suspense and bring you along without having to use cheap thrills. I saw this with several friends and we all loved it. The audience jumped several times at different points in the movie so the scares are well earned. In the end this movie left me entertained and unoffended.
[Better than Average / 5]
I highly recommend this movie, but I don’t think it is for children under thirteen. There is too much suspense and the atmosphere is literally a blanket of darkness… and you do not know what is lurking within it! There is no sex, a minimum of violence, no vulgarity, no nudity. it’s sad that Hollywood can make a horror film without any of the above, but cannot repeat this kind of production in its other movies.
I really liked this movie, and I think you should hit the theaters to see it. The darkness around you only adds to the gloom of the film and builds atmosphere. I personally do not believe in “ghosts” but this film was very intriguing.
[Better than Average / 5]
There are some offensive places in it. There is no cursing nor any sex that is shown. However, the inspiration of the Bible is being attacked and you need to know what you believe and why you believe it when you see this movie.
[Very Offensive / 4½]
This is an adult movie, but only adult in subject matter—not in immoral behaviors. While there are some very obvious religious put-downs, I am confident that believers will NOT have their faith challenged by this movie! Non-believers won’t be turned off to religion in my opinion, unless they are thinking of converting to pre-Vatican II Catholicism. Interesting movie. PS—Although my age looks old in print, we have six children from ages 6 to 23, so I try to stay aware of what is going on in the world!
[Better than Average / 5]
[3½]
There is one non-christian event that takes place in this movie (I won’t say what it is!) but nothing sexual or anything. There is one use of the word D*** but she says the house is Damned so I didn’t think it was that big of a deal. Overall, this movie was a pleasant surprise that I will definitely see again!
[5]
I know a lot of kids my age and even younger that could handle this movie. It is about the ONLY movie these days that does not use the Lord’s name in vain, has absolutely no swear words (except for the word damned but it wasn’t really used in a inappropriate manner) no sex or gore. This movie shows you that a movie doesn’t need a huge budget and great special affects to be a hit! I do not think a lot of Christians will be offended by this movie and I definitely recommend seeing it!
[Better than Average / 5]
[Average / 5]
[Extremely Offensive / 4]
It is so sad that such an appropriately made horror movie, nearly one-of-a-kind, has such a heretical message. Just because there’s no such thing as ghosts doesn’t mean ghost stories are never appropriate; Christians accept lots of fantasy forms. But this movie is specific about undermining God.
Granted, the woman is Roman Catholic and already believes heresy, so at least it’s not true Christianity that is being frowned upon. But replacing one heresy with another accomplishes nothing. Replace it with the truth!
The heresy is not exactly prevalent, but definitely a significant point of the movie.
With that said, if you’re a mature Christian looking for a well-made ghost movie that has none of the objectionable content that most horror movies have, and if you can overlook the heresy of the movie, you’ll like it. But I only recommend it for discussion purposes among mature Christians.
Moral rating: Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 5
The movie even tried to somewhat rip-off the [Film Title Deleted] ending. How a director can be comfortable with that is beyond me! Also, if Christians are so accepting of this movie and its anti-Bible or anti-Christian type message why do I see so many people going out of their way to bash movies like Rush Hour 2? It was a complete waste of 2 hours and it makes absolutely no sense to me!
[Average / 1½]
[Better than Average / 4]
When the family realizes that there are ghosts in the house, the daughter asks the mother about Heaven, and the mother says basically that she isn’t really sure what she believes anymore, since the ghosts should be in Heaven and not roaming around the house.
This is how my view and my paraphrasing the main characters thoughts during this scene, but I think it was obvious that the movie wanted to show a contrast with the woman’s beliefs about the afterlife once she comes to the conclusion that there are ghosts in the house. If you like a cool ghost story and weren’t offended by movies like “The Sixth Sense,” then I would recommend this movie.
My Ratings: [Better than Average / 4]