AllMovie

Some horror films leave such a chilling impression that they become impossible to forget. The Other is one of these. Adapted by Thomas Tryon from his novel and directed by Robert Mulligan, The Other is a dark, eerie minor masterpiece that is filled with lasting images: a finger wrapped up in a handkerchief, a boy leaping into a pile of hay with a pitchfork in it, the corpse of a baby drowned in a wine barrel. The film focuses on twin brothers living on a New England farm in 1935. Peeling away in layers, the tale reveals a family fraught with tragic accidents that don't appear so accidental. Tryon's three-act script nicely builds up the suspense revealing the evil that resides within one of the boys. However, a disturbing twist at the close of the second act abruptly shifts the direction of the plot and sends the film into a frightening spiral in which all of the truths are finally exposed. As he did with Summer of '42, director Mulligan perfectly captures the time period as well as the essence of childhood. Young stars Chris Udvarnoky and Martin Udvarnoky do an excellent job playing these devious children, but it is Uta Hagen who steals the show as their all-knowing grandmother. Jerry Goldsmith's score is purposely low-key and in keeping with the picture's ominous, downbeat tone. The network television version added a voice-over to the film's final shot.