AshUnow
This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.
Scarlet
The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.
Dana
An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.
christopher-underwood
This is a film I have never seen before and to be honest had never even heard of but is a beauty. At the start, with idyllic woodland scenes and boys at play, although the sun shines and the trees look magical, there is already something not quite right. Director, Robert Mulligan unsettles the viewer partly in traditional ways with uncanny sounds or sudden movements but there are also unusual camera zooms and pans that disconcert because the source and intention is unclear. Something is afoot that we do not understand. The film proceeds and initially seems a sunny, happy, extended family at work and play in a small community but the twins seem to have their own agenda. Maybe it is not all harmless fun. Uta Hagen is brilliant in a most important and central role but is her involvement with reference to the church and angels really so helpful? Oh, and people start dying.
Tom Dooley
Made back in 1972 this remastering by Eureka films does total justice to this film that never got the accolades it fully deserved. Set in the Connecticut summer of 1935 we meet twins Niles and Holland Perry. They live in an extended family but their mother seems to be dealing with some sort of mental breakdown. Their paternal grandmother has taught them a 'game' that she brought from her native Russia which seems to involve outer body experiences.Then a series of things start to happen around the farmstead and as the evidence starts to unfold it becomes clear to Niles that his twin is responsible - even though he really knows that Holland does not mean to be bad. What unfolds is a chilling game of life and death.This is one of those films that will get the hair on the back of your neck to rise – for all the right reasons. Played absolutely straight by a stellar cast this is just quietly horrific; but it is all done in good taste. It has aged really well and has extremely high production values with a story that will hold you right until the end. It is also so well done that you would have no problems watching it again – which is quite rare in such a genre of film making. If you have never come across this one before then you have a treat waiting for you – absolutely recommended.
dougdoepke
Psychological horror at its best. No one who's seen The Other goes away unimpressed. As other reviews indicate, the movie has developed a strong cult following and deservedly so. Like so many low-key gems, this one too would likely fade into oblivion were it not for DVD and the internet, which can now build an audience from the grass-roots up. And this obscure little movie certainly merits revival.Director Mulligan worked against convention, filming his classic in bright open sunlight, instead of the creepy shadow and low-key stage lighting dictated by Gothic tradition. But the style works, thanks to a fluid and highly intelligent camera. Watch the opening scene, as the slow pan meanders its way toward the solitary boy revealed finally in dreamy soft focus. This reverie sets the perfect psychological tone for the story and is key to the over-arching plot device. There are other moments of slow, silent pans that lend both atmosphere and creepy suspense, and I particularly like the way Mulligan stays with Niles' little world in spellbinding fashion. That way, the surrounding mayhem is only glimpsed and not belabored, allowing our imagination room to take over. For fans of the genre, his technique is reminiscent of Peter Weir's 1970's co-classic, Picnic at Hanging Rock.Horror films rarely rely on acting for their impact. This one, however -- as other reviewers point out -- is a rarity. The performances are first-rate, particularly the astonishingly fine turn by the Udvarnoky twins. Chris who plays Niles achieves a naturalness and spontaneity that is itself almost scary. I don't think I've ever seen a farm boy portrayed more convincingly, nor has boyish exuberance been more expertly conveyed than in his spirited gallop to wherever he's going -- which makes the main plot device all the more sinister. Then too, there's Diana Muldaur's agonizing portrayal of the mother. It is only through her stricken eyes that the audience comes to realize the enormity of what's happening, while the shot of her wraith-like face framed by a dirty window pane is enough to haunt many a sleepless night. Moreover, the bustling farm family, always busy with this and that, appears straight out of a Norman Rockwell painting.Yes, the story unfolds in a complex manner, placing a bit of a burden on the audience. And there are a few holes, as when the elderly neighbor calls the magician Holland instead of Niles -- presumably she's close enough to the household to know better. Nonetheless, there's not an ounce of fat on Tom Tryon's screenplay, while the scattered parts come convincingly together by movie's close. For those fans max'ed out on slasher-gore and blood-fest, this exercise in implied horror is the perfect antidote -- and a worthy addition to the legendary tradition of Nosferatu, Vampyr, and Val Lewton's imaginative 1940's cycle of Cat People, I Walked with a Zombie, and The Seventh Victim. So don't miss it.
meddlecore
The Other is an interesting film that puts an intriguing twist on the good-evil twin concept. It tells the story of a pair of young twins- Nyles and Holland- who have been brought up under the tutelage of a Russian woman- Ada- who has initiated them with the abilities of remote viewing and psychic possession. In the film, the boys are only ever together when they are alone- never when others are present. This leads you to believe that "The Other" one- Holland- is actually dead. But his ghost still seems to remain, at times remotely possessing, and seemingly taking over the body of, his brother from beyond the living realm (and getting him into all sorts of trouble in the process). Ada and their mother do seem to be privy to this, but remain powerless to intervene, because "their" (the boys') powers have become so adept.While the two boys remain best friends, it's clear that Holland is evil and constantly manipulating the more pious and innocent Nyles. Things particularly revolve around a "cursed" ring that had once belonged to- and is supposed to be buried with- their father.It's clear that Holland is willing to go to all lengths to prevent others from trying to get in between he and his brother- even going as far as to kill their cousin (when he finds out Nyles has the ring), and attack their mother (when she confronts Nyles about the ring and severed finger that he carries around "for" his dead brother).Eventually we discover that Holland is very much dead; having fallen into a well on one of his past birthdays. But, because of the abilities they were endowed with, he has been able to retain his abilities, and remain connected with his brother, even in death.Ada tries to convince Nyles that Holland is dead, and that he can't blame Holland for all the terrible things that have been going on. This, of course, angers Holland, who then steals their newborn brother. Ultimately leading to the film's conclusion.The end is sort of ambiguous, allowing you to accept that Nyles was being manipulated by the spirit of his dead brother, or opt for a reading where both boy's are dichotomous elements of Nyle's psyche- with Nyles acting out in jealousy (toward his incoming baby sister). However, the final shot does seem to imply that Holland was, in fact, acting through Nyles to perpetuate torment on the family, prior to taking over total control of his good brother's (former) physical form- after the death of Ada.This film is both disturbing and atmospheric. It keeps you immersed throughout, by remaining just ambiguous enough to allow you to read it in either of the aforementioned ways, while tending to direct you towards the former reading (if you were paying close enough attention to the details). There's no forced happy ending, either. Rather, it ends on a foreboding note that perfectly accentuates the tone present in the build-up of the film. It's the type of film that will leave you uneasy and unsure- as you ponder on whether everything was carried out by Nyles, or whether he was being controlled from beyond the grave. It is certainly one of the more complex films from the ghost-related horror genre, and as such, requires both attention and interpretation. It's definitely a solid horror which should be seen by fans of psychological horror. Highly recommended.9 out of 10.
