Customer Reviews

The Other [VHS]

5 star:		(63)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

"The Other" portrays young twin brothers (Niles & Holland) in depression-era, rural Connecticut. The boys live with and are being raised by their large extended family (including a very young John Ritter) after the death of their father. Their mother (Diana Muldaur of "LA Law") is unstable and has become a near recluse in her attic bedroom. The boys are thus free to run wild and wreak havoc on their family and neighbors.

Released in 1972, "The Other" is rather eerie with supernatural overtones, including a magic ring and a strange "game" the boys like to play with the help of their grandmother (the talented stage actress Uta Hagen). The tone is helped immensely by the controlled direction of Robert Mulligan ("To Kill a Mockingbird") as well as uniformly good acting; the twins are played skillfully by Chris and Martin Udvarnoky - this movie was their only one.

On the negative side, the story builds very slowly, and some viewers may be put off by the languid first half. However, the movie definitely pays off: the last 20 minutes are tense and chilling. There are a number of twists -- mostly obvious but very effective nevertheless. Overall, "The Other" is a solid suspense film that will entertain viewers who enjoy atmospheric chillers. Hopefully, it will be released soon on DVD, as the cinematography is really quite beautiful.

I watched this film late at night after having seen "Freddy Vs. Jason" and I don't need to tell you that "The Other" freaked me out more. I would say this is more on the line of M. Night Shamylam's films like "The Sixth Sense" than a slasher/supernatural devil child movie. The film has a beautiful bucolic, rustic setting and takes place in the 1930s and involves the story of twin brothers, Niles and Holland, one who is good and the other, evil. Elements of "To Kill a Mockingbird" with the dark side of humanity as portrayed in Shirley Jackson's stories. There are some surprises and plot twists in this film that I will not spoil but it does set up things nicely and you will find yourself thinking back and having it all make sense. As beautiful as the setting was, there is a sense of dread underlying the film and I found myself caring enough about the characters and what was going to happen to them to worry about what their fate would be. The child actors portraying the twins are very natural and believable and the realationship between good twin, Niles and the Nanny played by Uta Hagen is very believable and well acted. Good chemistry. I have heard of this movie but usually listed for late night TV but always saw that it had 4 stars which differs from most late night movies. Well made and acted movie which was scary, chilling and tragic. Sadly, I have to agree with some of the other reviewers that this type of movie wouldn't be shown at your neighborhood multi-plex these days. A lost gem that you should definitely check out to remind you of what a real thriller is. You will not regret it.

This is a great and creepy film with some really clever twists that'll give you chills. The author (Tom Tryon) and cast did a wonderful job relating a very thoughtful, spooky, and edgy tale.

WARNING: A few of the reviews here at Amazon give away key surprises and plot twists. I therefore strongly recommend, if you haven't seen this film, to see it before reading any of these tell-all, giveaway reviews.

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 VHS 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 wth 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.

Well, regardless that most people do not see this movie as I do with regard to the plot, especially the climax, I still hold my own ideas that I've had since my first viewing of it, since I also read the novel a few times, whereas I must have seen this movie close to 100 times as a teen. Different people seem to hold what I consider very unusual ideas about the plot - they go on to say how "obvious" the plot is and yet go on to create a completely different plot than what I personally understand it to be! Perhaps you shall decide for yourself in watching this great film.

Without giving too much away, I hope, ask yourself about which boy is REALLY which and how do you really know - and why did the mother actually go mad? Was it because she was also concerned about what the surviving twin was claiming, which was actually wrong relative to who he really was? And if it was really the "evil twin" who dies, why does the horror continue? Seemingly, my own view of the plot is the exact opposite about what other reviews have claimed, which is why I'm putting in my own two cents, so to speak.

At any rate, this is an amazing movie no matter what you think the plot actually is, or what questions remain unanswered. The overall mood and the music is uncanny, and almost every line is delivered in a very memorable way that stays with you for years longer than the general flow of conversation in other movies. (Well, I suppose especially if you'd seen it as often as I have.)

Think about what you are seeing and hearing, since this movie does tend to demand more at least in comparison to modern movies which often demand little.

For example, one may ask if that "flashback" that "Niles" has(ANOTHER "accident" you should ask?) is what really happened or is just a pretending because of guilt at one level.

"I'm me - Niles Perry"

"Are you SURE?"

I'm really surprised people seem to have missed out on what that could actually mean. Ah well. Most assuredly recommended.

The book is a bit different in some ways since it does "explain" most things the movie doesn't seem to (at least based on how people interpret it), but also recommended reading.

The Other kind of has the feel and look of a made-for-tv movie. This makes the movie more effective, in my opinion, because you just don't expect this kind of acting and depth from MTV. This movie respects it's audience, and is not the typical Hollywood over-achiever. No special effects needed, here. I was surprised the movie was available, and even more surprised that at least 40 other advocates (no pun, again) wrote positive reviews. Maybe we should just keep the movie a secret among ourselves, and hope to god it never gets remade! P.S. If you can find it, "The Fool Killer", BW, with a young Anthony Perkins, is a real sleeper.

This in my opinion is one of, if not the greatest horror film(s) of all time.
I know that is a bold statement, but trust me; this one stands up to the test.
The movie begins innocently enough, introducing us to the two brothers- Holland & Niles, who are playing. But through the brother's dialouge, we pick up some horrible facts about their lives, deaths in the family, and Holland's insistance that nobody find the ring that he gave to his brother. From that point on, the film messes with your mind. You have to watch carefully and listen to everything being said. I won't say more, for I wouldn't want to rob you of the surprise ending, nor any of the suspense leading up to it.
The acting is excellent, which is rare when you have 2 twelve year olds as the main protangonists. Great script, great everything, this is a must for all horror, mystery and psycological movie buffs.

OH, just a delightful and not so little thriller with the rarely seen UTA HAGEN, excellent as Pandora, err Grandmother who loves her grandsons just a touch too well ...... BUT the focus is not on innocent Grandma,more on the two boys - or is it the 'bad seed' boy?

Nasty things happen on this little farm circa 1930ish Countryfolk - a missing infant, sibling rivalry, a magic act gone slightly wrong - then jumping into a haystack, containing a few foreign objects ..... plenty of good thrills here, including some rather ghastly work with pruning shears ....

AND the conclusion? Can't give that one away! Great cast headed by Uta Hagen with Diana Muldaur, Chris and Martin Udvarnoky as our 'double-trouble'.

Based on the novel by Tom Tryon ["Harvest Home", "Crowned Heads" {Fedora} etc.]

Great sense of real doom and terror in this one! Nice combo with "The Bad Seed" - maybe even "The Omen" .....

I saw this movie on video about 10 years back, and I have been looking to buy it ever since...I never will understand why this fim has not received the attention it deserves... Along with "The Haunting of Julia," it is one of the two most scary films I have seen. I am equally happy to say that The Other does not rely on gore and other cheap thrills to get its point across... Instead, it uses superb storytelling and acting that keeps you hooked through the surprise ending.To close, I guess I should say that most films I see and like, I forget about after a year, or so. The Other is the kind of classic shocker that I don't think I will ever forget. The fact that it is still so clear in my mind after all these years should tell you something. Quite frankly, in its genre, there is no better!

There's just something about a good old fashioned thriller. Something ominous yet thoughtful. Sinister yet complicated. Dark, foreboding, gloomy, and terrifying. All these are great adjectives to help describe the film adapation of Thomas Tyron's best-selling novel The Other. Horror films of the 1970's have an appeal and a quality that the films of the '80's (with all their blood and gore and slashing) lost. The '70's produced such gems as Don't Look Now, Audrey Rose, Demon Seed, The Omen, and of course the mother of them all, The Exorcist (my comment about '80's gore notwithstanding). The Other is a perfectly paced and well crafted film that stands up to these fine examples of 70's psychological horror. There's the Depression, a remote farm, a family shadowed in despair, hints of the supernatural, and a mystery that stays just two steps ahead of you until it's too late. Many may say that the film is boring. I say the pacing of the film allows you to savor every last frame and nuance. Many may say that they had it all figured out from the get-go. I say, stop ruining it for the rest of us. The Other is a slowly unspooling yarn of a nightmare of a story. The film is well shot and directed with style by Robert Mulligan. Not to mention the cast headed by the incomparable Uta Hagen (may she rest in peace), the Udvarnoky boys (now middle-aged, living and working quiet lives in New Jersey), and the gone-too-soon John Ritter. Diana Muldaur's performance is breathtaking. If you enjoy the telling of eerie tales that leave you with that cold, queasy feeling in the pit of your stomach, pick up the upcoming dvd of The Other. Great addition to your dvd library and a great example of 1970's psychological horror.