pittro12 Love the Twins & Uta Hagen...great performances... I watch this movie every time I get.

NORDIC-2 After viewing Roman Polanski's film version of Ira Levin's 'Rosemary's Baby', actor Thomas Tryon (1926-1991) was inspired to write his own Gothic horror novels. His first effort, 'The Other' (Knopf, 1971), proved to be both very good and a major bestseller, quickly prompting Tryon to join forces with director Robert Mulligan ('To Kill a Mockingbird'; 'Summer of '42') to create a film version. Set in the summer of 1935 on a Connecticut farm (but actually shot in Murphys, California in the Sierra Nevada mountains, 150 miles east of San Francisco), 'The Other' focuses on Niles Perry (Chris Udavarnoky), a 12-year-old boy coming of age in a family rocked by tragedy: Niles' identical twin brother, Holland (Martin Udavarnoky), has recently died from a mysterious illness, as has his father in a freak accident, and the boy's grief-crazed mother, Alexandra (Diana Muldaur), is struggling to maintain the last vestiges of her sanity. The late, mischievous Holland Perry is dead to everyone except Niles, who sees and converses with his brother and firmly believes that Holland has come back from the grave to keep him company. Either an evil spirit or a figment of Niles's twisted imagination, Holland—abetted by the Perry's strange, ethereal grandmother Ada (Uta Hagen)—prompts Niles to arrange "accidents" that kill or paralyze family members. Or is it all entirely Niles' doing? The perfectly balanced ambiguity at the heart of the story, which equally supports a supernatural or psychological explanation, is not original with Tryon; Henry James introduced the trope in his great horror novella, 'The Turn of the Screw' (1898, also made into a hauntingly effective film version entitled 'The Innocents', 1961). Beautifully photographed by Robert L. Surtees ('The Graduate'; 'The Last Picture Show'), 'The Other' starts slowly but inexorably builds to a powerful climax and must be ranked one of the most underrated horror films ever made. VHS (1989) and DVD (2006).

yfguitarist The acting all around was over-the-top, theatrical, and unconvincing. The boys, the Russian lady, the mother, the fat kid, and the rat lady come to mind. Where was the director to reign their performances in? These kids obviously couldn't carry the film, and yet they have so much dialogue. It was cringeworthy and annoying.I watched it with two other people. After 50 minutes, one of them asked if we could watch something else because of the acting and silly plot. We watched some more because I assured them it was an alleged classic and would surely get better. The second person, who has a high tolerance for Lifetime/Hallmark-type films, also said the acting was awful.I decided I would finish it the next day by myself, but I ended up fast-forwarding through most of the repetitive scenes. To be fair, I didn't see the twist coming, nor did I expect that dark of an ending. So it gets a couple extra points for that.I'm surprised at all of the rave reviews citing this as a masterpiece of subtlety (what) and one of the greatest horror films of all time (possibly from people that saw it at a very young age).

Scott LeBrun "The Other" is an adaptation of the Thomas Tryon novel, scripted (and executive produced) by Tryon himself, which tells us a story of evil set against the backdrop of a peaceful farming community in Depression era Connecticut. Director Robert Mulligan ("To Kill a Mockingbird") milks the location for a lot of atmosphere - and the finale is particularly sinister - but the horrors of this film are largely psychological, which will appeal to those genre fans looking for something subtle.It stars legendary acting teacher Uta Hagen, in one of her rare film roles, as Ada, the doting grandmother to twin boys Niles and Holland (played by actual identical twins Chris and Martin Udvarnoky). Niles is the more grounded one and Holland the more mischievous one. They also live with other relatives including an incapacitated mother, Alexandra (Diana Muldaur). Niles has been taught a special "game" by Ada, which allows him to see through the eyes of others.But don't let that lead you to believe there's much if any of the supernatural in this story. It's done in a more realistic manner, and the effectiveness of the film hinges on ambiance, mood, and performances. Hagen is quite wonderful, and the Udvarnokys - who unfortunately never made another film - offer completely natural, unaffected portrayals. The excellent cast also features Victor French, Lou Frizzell, Portia Nelson, John Ritter (in one of his earliest big screen appearances), Jack Collins, and Ed Bakey. Production design (by Albert Brenner), cinematography (by Robert Surtees), and music (by Jerry Goldsmith) are all beautiful. This is one of those films that does take you back to a different time and place. The end is haunting and not likely to be forgotten by the viewer anytime soon.The story's critical revelation actually occurs sooner than you might expect, but things only build from there; Tryon still has more twists and turns up his sleeve.Highly recommended to horror fans, especially those who favour the traditional variety of horror.Eight out of 10.