10 Awesome Horror Movie Twists You Never Saw Coming
4. The Protagonists Are Ghosts - The Others
Nicole Kidman's step into the spooky side of things is an understated one, but a film that continues to persevere far longer than its sell by date by the power of its twist alone. Taking a leaf out of the books of famous examples like The Sixth Sense, it's definitely not unheard of to have characters be dead all along - but never quite with this much conviction from every character in the movie.
The Others of course tells the story of a lonely woman living with her two children as she awaits her husband's return from the aftermath of WWII. Both her kids suffer from a rare photosensitivity disorder that makes them need consistent darkness - and of course, an old, spooky, dimly lit home in the 40s is ripe for haunting from all sorts of 'other' creatures.
As the film plays out in its deliciously creepy tone, it becomes apparent that not everything is as cut and dry as restless spirits. In fact, it's Kidman and her family that are the ones dead all along, and the visions they see of 'the others' are from a seance attempting to reconcile their home with the long dead family that just won't leave.
It's a twist that comes absolutely from left-field, and elevates the film to new heights because of it.