The Other (1972)

The greatest movie ever made..!

Fantastic!

It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

Love the Twins & Uta Hagen...great performances... I watch this movie every time I get.

I saw this as a "TV Movie Of The Week" when I was a few years younger than the actors portraying these twins...and, they really scared me!As a child, I thought "Wow! These twins would be the 'ultimate bullies' in school! Get on their bad side, and, even adults cannot protect you...they'll kill adults, too!"Along with the novel it's based upon, this movie is very good...and, believably-terrifying!This movie is:detailed in astral-projection, and, its misuse;lead by a European-born grandmother (portrayed by the great Uta Hagen) who is believable in her knowledge and sensibility of 'controlling' magic, and, not abusing it in wrongful and selfish ways;about such power and knowledge punitively abused by children who feel even slightly threatened by others;for anyone who likes a great thriller about the handling of 'good' powers by those who use them in a 'bad' way.I like this movie...mainly because it's presented in a non-grotesquely manner, which, in this case, is even more frightening than if it were all blood-and-guts; and, because, children are involved...and, that's even more disturbing!If you decide to watch this...you won't believe the twisted ending; nor, who/whom is behind it all!

The plot twist I saw it coming a while before it was revealed but this didn't take away any of my enjoyment to see the rest of it. This is not the movie's fault. I bet back in 1972 most people wouldn't have guessed that. Now many people must have seen something similar to it already.Still in the ending it leaves for multiple explanations. Reading the different interpretations on the board here all of those had good arguments to be correct. I'm not sure what my interpretation was. The movie is based on a book (which I haven't read) that also leaves for different interpretations.I really enjoyed the movie, compelling story and interesting characters. Good acting from both the twin boys and the grandmother was awesome. The Great Game she taught her grandsons was really a clever idea.

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.