The Others is a haunting and memorable horror movie about the Stewart family, and its ending includes a twist that answers many questions.
The 2001 Gothic horror movie The Others is perfectly tense and well-plotted, and the ending has a twist that is as emotional as it is gripping. Grace Stewart (Nicole Kidman) and her two children, Nicholas (James Bentley) and Anne (Alakina Mann), live in a beautiful old home in Jersey and miss their husband and father, who fought in World War II. Instead of solely relying on jump scares, the supernatural story leans on Kidman's powerful performance as a mother doing her best to protect her children from the ghosts in their house.
With a slow pace that allows the movie to feel atmospheric, The Others is among the many horror movies that should be watched twice, as it's completely different upon a second viewing. The smart twist in the final act re-frames the story and explains what is really going on. Unlike some reveals in movies that feel illogical, the end of The Others works flawlessly.
What Is The Others' Twist?
The big twist in The Others is that Grace figures out that she is a ghost, along with the servants in her home and her children, and "the others" are a new family living in the house. This is a hard truth for Grace to grasp, as she was truly convinced that she was still living, and The Others ensures that she looks afraid throughout the entire movie. The reveal is shared when a medium holds a séance that features automatic writing, which explains that Grace took her own life and also killed her children using a pillow.
The Others' twist ending sets it apart from the best supernatural horror movies as this is a unique way to wrap up the story. Instead of having Grace try to touch another person and realize that she is invisible, or another corny way to get this point across, the séance scene is a clever and eerie choice. Since the medium is in touch with the spirit world, they are the right person to relay this information, and the automatic writing is unexpected.
Why Did Grace Kill Her Children?
Grace killed her children because she was grieving her husband, Charles's (Christopher Eccleston) death, which occurred during the war, and she was struggling. She felt alone and didn't have anyone to talk to about what happened. She spent her time trying to take care of her children and put on a happy face. The beginning of The Others hints at this ending and proves why this is one of Nicole Kidman's best movies. In the first scene, Grace has a bad dream, suggesting she's haunted by something, and Kidman looks afraid at every moment.
The explanation given in most supernatural movies is that ghosts can't leave a house if they have a message that they wish to relay to a loved one or a problem that they wish to solve. The Others follows this formula, as Grace is still in her family home because she can't move on from the pain that she feels. She has found it difficult to process her emotions over this trauma, which makes sense given the challenging experience of watching a loved one go off to fight in a war and never come home again.
