Summary

• The Others' twist ending re-frames the story and reveals that the ghosts haunting Grace and her children are a new living family that moved into their house.
• Grace killed her children because she was grieving her husband's death in WW2 and struggled to cope with her emotions.
• The ending of The Others explores themes of grief, the effects of war, and the lack of support for mental health struggles during that time period.

While the 2001 Gothic horror movie is as emotional as it is gripping, and the ending of The Others explained that the ghost story's true themes are grief and regret. Grace Stewart (Nicole Kidman) and her two children, Nicholas (James Bentley) and Anne (Alakina Mann) live in a beautiful old home in Jersey after their husband and father died in World War II. Instead of solely relying on jump scares, The Others' supernatural story leans on Kidman's powerful performance as a mother doing her best to protect her children from ghosts in their house.

With a slow pace that creates intense atmospheric dread, The Others is among the many horror movies that should be watched twice, as it's a completely different experience upon a second viewing. The twist in the final act re-frames the story and explains what the plot is truly about, proving that nothing is as it seemed — both for the audience and the characters in the story. Unlike some twist endings in movies that feel illogical, the end of The Others works flawlessly.

What Is The Others' Twist?

The Others Is A Haunted House Story Told From The Perspective Of The Ghosts

The first twist in The Others is that Grace figures out she is a ghost, along with the servants in her home and her children, and "the others" — the ghosts haunting Grace and her children — are a new living family that have moved in to the house. This is a hard truth for Grace to grasp, as she is truly convinced she is still living, and The Others ensures that she looks afraid throughout the entire movie. The reveal is shared when a medium holds a séance that features automatic writing, which explains that Grace took her own life and also killed her children using a pillow.

The Others' twist ending sets it apart from other supernatural horror movies as this is a unique way to wrap up the story. Instead of having Grace try to touch another person and realize she is invisible, or another similar way to get this point across, the séance scene is a clever and eerie choice. Since the medium is in touch with the spirit world, they are the right person to relay this information, and the automatic writing is unexpected.

Why Did Grace Kill Her Children?

The Loss Of Her Husband In WW2 Drove Grace To Do The Unthinkable

Grace killed her children because she was grieving her husband, Charles's (Christopher Eccleston) death, which occurred during the Second World War, and she was struggling. She felt alone and didn't have anyone to talk to about what happened. She spent her time trying to take care of her children and put on a happy face. The beginning of The Others hints at this coming reveal in the ending. In the first scene, Grace has a bad dream, suggesting she's haunted by something, and Kidman looks afraid at every moment.

The explanation given in most supernatural movies is that ghosts can't leave a house if they have a message that they wish to relay to a loved one or a problem that they wish to solve. The Others follows this formula, as Grace is still in her family home because she can't move on from the pain she feels. She finds it difficult to process her emotions over this trauma at her husband's death. When she kills her children, it compounds it, and she blocks the moment from her memory when she begins haunting the family home as a ghost.

Do Grace & Her Family Leave?

Grace Believes This is Still Her Home, Even In Death

The Others explained what happened to the Stewarts: Grace and her children will continue living in the home as she isn't ready to let go. While Viktor (Alexander Vince) and his parents, who have bought the house, decide to live elsewhere, Bertha Mills (Fionnula Flanagan) tells Grace that she will have to accept another family moving in. Grace rejects this warning, saying that the house still belongs to her. It's clever that Mrs. Mills is the one to share this information, as she says one of the movie's most memorable lines.

"Sometimes the world of the living gets mixed up with the world of the dead."

Although there is no sequel, the end of The Others suggests Grace, Nicholas, and Anne's spirits will always reside in their house, and they will battle with each new family over who should be the rightful owner of the property. The Others shows the determination Grace has at the end of the story, as she has lost so much, and she doesn't want to give up the place that once comforted her and her family. She appears hopeful it can provide the same warmth that it once did now that she knows the truth.

The Clever Hints That Grace And Her Family Are Dead

The Movie Sets Up The Big Twist

While The Others has a surprising ending, upon subsequent viewings there are hints that Grace, Nicholas, and Anne are ghosts. The children have an illness where they are photosensitive and can't be out in the sunlight. With the knowledge that the children are dead it's clear that their photosensitivity is because they are ghosts. It's also thematic, as Grace doesn't want to shine a metaphorical light on the truth of her children's pallid appearance or what she did to them during their final moments.

After Grace discovers that she and her children are dead, they go outside and feel the sun on their faces, which is a brief moment of happiness and freedom after their somber experiences. The Others is an incredibly dark movie in the literal sense, and the lack of lighting takes on heavy significance once the twist is revealed. The darkness creates a memorable, creepy atmosphere, and it's evident that Grace and her children are suffering from spending so much time inside. The reveal would be less impactful if the home was well-lit and the family often enjoyed themselves outdoors.

The Real Meaning Of The Others' Ending

The Ending Of The Others Is About Grief And Confronting The Past

The ending of The Others explained the movie's themes of grief, the residual effects of war, and how Grace attempts to go on with her life after the death of a loved one, but it's never the same. The reason Grace and her children are ghosts is sad and speaks to the pain that families feel when they lose someone. In contrast to other horror movies about supernatural entities, The Others is driven by emotion and loss. Grace was never able to say goodbye to Charles, while she knew that society expected her to move forward.

The Others also speaks to mental health struggles, as Grace didn't receive the support that she needed when she was alive. She had a hard time raising her children alone while her husband was away at war, and after his tragic demise, her life became even more difficult. Since the movie is set in 1945, this is realistic, as Grace would have felt pressure to hide her feelings. The somber conclusion of The Others emphasizes the lack of support systems at the time and the fact that there was no open discussion of depression.