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The Film
[Rating:3/5]
The Other is an overlooked horror film that forgoes the gore in favor of more nuanced thrills. Directed by Robert Mulligan (To Kill a Mockingbird) from a Tom Tryon screenplay based on his own novel by the same name, the story ponders the question of good and evil as two sides of the same coin.
In the 1930s, Holland and Niles Perry are 10-year-old twins living in the Connecticut countryside. What seems like an idyllic life is soon interrupted when very strange deaths and other occurrences begin to plague their family. Niles, a cheerful, outgoing boy, is pitted against his brother, a brooding and churlish boy whose troublemaking causes trouble for the family as they try to unravel the mysteries behind what is happening to them.
The direction by Mulligan helps this slow-burning film along a lot, as does a rare onscreen performance by legendary acting coach Uta Hagen who plays the twins’ grandmother. She is simultaneously electrifying, matriarchal, and also a bit scary. The score by Jerry Goldsmith and eye-catching cinematography by Robert Surtees also aid Mulligan’s subtle direction along.
Anyone hoping for lots of histrionics and gore will be disappointed in The Other as a horror film. That said, the subtlety of the story and careful use of misdirection, music, imagery and acting make it a genuinely enjoyable if not completely perfect thriller.
Video Quality
[Rating:4.5/5]
The Other was shot on Eastman 100T 5254 35mm film stock and this AVC 1080p transfer to Blu-ray from Eureka’s Eureka Classics imprint looks true to form, with an organic layer of grain, a tempered but natural color palette very common to the early-seventies filmmaking, and good contrast.
Audio Quality
[Rating:3.5/5]
The original monaural soundtrack is supplied in LPCM 2.0 (48kHz/24-bit). While it isn’t as atmospheric and dynamic as modern mixes, but it is relatively clean and free from distortions and hiss with intelligible dialogue.
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:2/5]
- Trailer (1.85:1; 1080p/24; 00:03:12)
- 24-page booklet with a new essay by Aaron Hillis, and more
The Definitive Word
Overall:
[Rating:3.5/5]
The Other is the sort of old school, slow moving, thinking man’s horror film that might throw some modern audiences for a loop, but given a chance will yield satisfying results. The visuals, unexpectedly fine performances, no doubt helped along by Uta Hagen, and carefully placed scares make it worth viewing.
Additional Screen Captures
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[amazon-product region=”uk” tracking_id=”bluraydefinit-21″]B00QVJ0MZ2[/amazon-product]