Seven Days of Scares 2019: Day Three

The Others (2001)

Written & directed by Alejandro Amenábar. Starring Nicole Kidman, *Christopher Eccleston, Fionnula Flanagan, Eric Sykes, Keith Allen, James Bentley, Alakina Mann, and Renée Asherson.

Towards the end of the second world war grace retires to a country house with her two children, awaiting the return of her husband. Grace's children suffer from a light sensitive disorder which means they live in relative darkness. After Grace takes on some servants to take care of her family a series of increasingly stranger events occur.

The Others won seven Goya Awards, Spain's equivalent of the Oscars, including Best Director and Best Film (the first English language film to do so). It was also nominated for numerous awards including BAFTAs, Golden Globes and Saturn Awards.

Kidman herself won four awards for her performance. An impressive achievement considering Kidman tried to convince the producers to hire someone else for the role, not convinced she wanted to make a a dark movie after the joyful experience of making Moulin Rouge. She also contemplated quitting during product as the film was giving her nightmares "At one point I didn't want to make the film because I couldn't even go there emotionally".