The Others
Grace is a religious woman who lives in an old house kept dark because her two children, Anne and Nicholas, have a rare sensitivity to light. When the family begins to suspect the house is haunted, Grace fights to protect her children at any cost in the face of strange events and disturbing visions.
Despite a moderate budget of $17.0M, The Others became a massive hit, earning $210.0M worldwide—a remarkable 1135% return.
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
The Others (2001) reveals meticulously timed story structure, characteristic of Alejandro Amenábar's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 12-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 41 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.6, the film showcases strong structural fundamentals.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Grace awakens screaming from a nightmare. She lives in isolation in a dark Victorian mansion with her two photosensitive children, Anne and Nicholas, enforcing strict rules about keeping curtains drawn and doors locked. Her husband Charles has been away at war for over a year.. Structural examination shows that this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 12 minutes when Grace finds all the curtains in the house torn open, flooding rooms with dangerous light. Anne insists she saw intruders—an old woman and Victor. Grace is forced to confront that something threatening is happening in her controlled environment.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 26 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This shows the protagonist's commitment to Grace hears the piano playing and enters the room to find it empty but still warm from someone's touch. For the first time, she cannot deny the presence of something inexplicable. She actively chooses to investigate the supernatural occurrences rather than dismiss them, crossing the threshold into accepting a reality beyond her control., moving from reaction to action.
At 51 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 51% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Of particular interest, this crucial beat Charles tells Grace he must leave again and says, "You're not like that anymore." He vanishes, and Grace realizes he was never truly there. This false defeat shatters her hope for normalcy and forces her to confront that something is fundamentally wrong with her reality. The stakes shift from protecting her children from intruders to discovering the truth about their existence., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 77 minutes (76% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Grace confronts Mrs. Mills about being dead. In her darkest moment, she admits the truth she's been suppressing: "I went mad" and killed her children with a pillow, then killed herself. This confession contains the "whiff of death"—the literal death of her children and herself, and the death of her denial., indicates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Synthesis at 82 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 81% of the runtime. Grace confronts the living family, declaring "This is our house!" The terrified living family flees. Grace, Anne, and Nicholas reclaim the house, accepting they are ghosts who will remain. The servants fade away, having helped Grace accept the truth. Grace tells her children they will stay together, no longer in denial but at peace with what they are., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
The Others's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 12 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs systematic plot point analysis that identifies crucial turning points. By mapping The Others against these established plot points, we can identify how Alejandro Amenábar utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish The Others within the horror genre.
Alejandro Amenábar's Structural Approach
Among the 5 Alejandro Amenábar films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.2, reflecting strong command of classical structure. The Others represents one of the director's most structurally precise works. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Alejandro Amenábar filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional horror films include Lake Placid, A Nightmare on Elm Street and Cat's Eye. For more Alejandro Amenábar analyses, see Regression, The Sea Inside and Agora.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Grace awakens screaming from a nightmare. She lives in isolation in a dark Victorian mansion with her two photosensitive children, Anne and Nicholas, enforcing strict rules about keeping curtains drawn and doors locked. Her husband Charles has been away at war for over a year.
Theme
Mrs. Mills, the new housekeeper, tells Grace: "The world of the dead gets mixed up with the world of the living." This establishes the film's central theme about the boundary between life and death, and the difficulty of accepting one's true nature.
Worldbuilding
Three servants mysteriously arrive: Mrs. Mills, Mr. Tuttle, and Lydia. Grace explains the house rules about the children's photosensitivity—no curtains can be opened before the previous room's are closed, doors must remain locked. Anne claims to see ghosts including a boy named Victor. The isolated, oppressive atmosphere of the house is established.
Disruption
Grace finds all the curtains in the house torn open, flooding rooms with dangerous light. Anne insists she saw intruders—an old woman and Victor. Grace is forced to confront that something threatening is happening in her controlled environment.
Resistance
Grace resists believing in the supernatural, insisting on rational explanations. Strange sounds, piano playing, and Anne's encounters intensify. Grace searches for intruders but finds no one. Mrs. Mills quietly suggests there may be "others" in the house, but Grace clings to her conviction that she controls the house and protects her children.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Grace hears the piano playing and enters the room to find it empty but still warm from someone's touch. For the first time, she cannot deny the presence of something inexplicable. She actively chooses to investigate the supernatural occurrences rather than dismiss them, crossing the threshold into accepting a reality beyond her control.
Premise
Grace explores living with the supernatural presence. Anne communicates with Victor through automatic writing. Charles remains emotionally disconnected. Grace finds a mysterious Book of the Dead containing post-mortem photographs. The house's oppressive mystery deepens as Grace navigates between protecting her children and confronting impossible phenomena.
Midpoint
Charles tells Grace he must leave again and says, "You're not like that anymore." He vanishes, and Grace realizes he was never truly there. This false defeat shatters her hope for normalcy and forces her to confront that something is fundamentally wrong with her reality. The stakes shift from protecting her children from intruders to discovering the truth about their existence.
Opposition
Grace's grip on reality deteriorates. She becomes increasingly paranoid and violent, attacking the servants whom she believes are conspiring against her. Anne's communications with Victor intensify. Grace discovers the servants' graves in the cemetery and realizes they've been dead for years. Her entire understanding of the house collapses as the truth closes in.
Collapse
Grace confronts Mrs. Mills about being dead. In her darkest moment, she admits the truth she's been suppressing: "I went mad" and killed her children with a pillow, then killed herself. This confession contains the "whiff of death"—the literal death of her children and herself, and the death of her denial.
Crisis
Grace processes the devastating truth in anguish. She and the children wander the house in darkness, grappling with what they are. The servants explain they're trapped between worlds. Grace must face that her desperate need for control led to tragedy, and now she must decide how to exist in this new reality.
Act III
ResolutionSynthesis
Grace confronts the living family, declaring "This is our house!" The terrified living family flees. Grace, Anne, and Nicholas reclaim the house, accepting they are ghosts who will remain. The servants fade away, having helped Grace accept the truth. Grace tells her children they will stay together, no longer in denial but at peace with what they are.