Prime Just Quietly Added the Best Forgotten Horror of the 2000s

Summary

• In 2001, a great gothic horror movie starring one of Hollywood's best actresses was released.
• The movie was about a single mother and her two children who encounter the supernatural at the end of World War II.
• Now forgotten, the film was commercially and critically successful and is now available on Prime Video.

What attracts us to the horror genre? In many ways, of course, the fact that it is an excellent artistic framework, through which any idea can be conveyed. But what really keeps us coming back to the genre is, of course, the emotions it evokes. And these emotions are not only achieved through crazy exaggeration and over-the-top expression. Sometimes a creepy atmosphere and a deep dive into the psyche of the characters is enough for a movie or series to be considered truly scary.

The year 2001 is worth mentioning in this context. It was a time when the world of cinema was really buzzing with quality horror: in that year alone, From Hell, Hannibal, Session 9 premiered in the USA, and the other part of the world was enthralled by J-horrors like Pulse, Suicide Club, Tomie: Re-birth.

But in the same year, a completely unjustly neglected film, co-produced by Spain, France and the USA and starring Nicole Kidman, was released: The Others. It is a truly eerie flick that focuses not on expressive means, but on the tense atmosphere and inner state of the characters.

The movie recently became available on Prime Video, so without further ado let's find out what it's about and why it's worth watching.

What Is This Nicole Kidman Movie About?

The movie in question was released in the United States in August 2001, and within a few weeks had earned an impressive box office in the U.S. and elsewhere. Yet, 23 years later, it is rarely mentioned, hardly ever included in lists of the best horror films, and is not remembered on social platforms as often as the other films mentioned above. And that's a huge oversight!

The Others is a gothic thriller/horror, written and directed by Alejandro Amenábar. It is notable not for its flashy special effects, but for the performances that make you believe in the terror we experience when confronted with the supernatural and the truth that we actively try to hide from ourselves. The movie takes place in 1945 on a remote British island called Jersey. There, Grace Stewart (Kidman) is left with her two children after her husband is killed in the war, and she keeps the house with the curtains closed around the clock because the kids are sensitive to light.

One day, a trio of servants arrive who claim to have worked in the house before. Grace is happy to hire them, but what follows are some eerie revelations she finds in the attic and grounds of the house. Only, as the plot will suggest, the mysterious trio are by no means the subject of the most chilling revelation.

Commercial Success and Critical Acclaim

With a budget of only $17 million, the film paid off handsomely at the worldwide box office, grossing an impressive $210 million. What's more, many critics raved about the film upon its release, and it went on to win eight awards at the 16th Goya Awards, three awards at the 28th Saturn Awards, and numerous awards and nominations at other equally prestigious ceremonies. Of course, there were plenty of not-so-warm reviews: Robert Ebert, for example, gave The Others two and a half stars out of four, praising the film's minimalist style but not its overstuffed plot.

Nevertheless, on Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an impressive 84% score from critics, giving it 'certified fresh' status. Many critics have praised Amenábar's handling of trauma and its repression, as well as Nicole Kidman's performance. The result is a powerful supernatural gothic whose specialty is mood, not gallons of fake blood.