The Other (1972)

Director:

Robert Mulligan

Writers:

Tom Tryon (screenplay)
Tom Tryon (novel)

Release Date:

29 September 1972 (Sweden)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Niles and Holland are as close as twin brothers can be. Appearances can be deceiving... and deadly.

Plot:

Down in the farmcountry of the US two twins are born. One of them turns out to be good, while the other becomes rather evil.

Plot Keywords:

Twin | Murder | Accident | Evil | Death

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Uta Hagen	...	Ada
Diana Muldaur	...	Alexandra
Chris Udvarnoky	...	Niles Perry
Martin Udvarnoky	...	Holland Perry
Norma Connolly	...	Aunt Vee
Victor French	...	Angelini
Loretta Leversee	...	Winnie
Lou Frizzell	...	Uncle George
Portia Nelson	...	Mrs. Rowe
Jenny Sullivan	...	Torrie
John Ritter	...	Rider
Jack Collins	...	Mr. P.C. Pretty
Ed Bakey	...	Chan-yu
Clarence Crow	...	Russell

Runtime:

108 min | 100 min (FMC Library Print)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

UK:12 (DVD rating) | UK:X (original rating) | France:-16 | USA:PG (Approved No. 23156) | Finland:K-18 | Germany:16 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Murphys, California, USA

Company:

Benchmark

Trivia:

In post-production, editing done to the film caused over half of Jerry Goldsmith's music to be left out. The soundtrack was finally available in 1997 along with The Mephisto Waltz (1971).

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Niles is talking to his mother, she drops her flowers and Niles hops down to pick them up. When he does so his small can of Prince Albert pipe tobacco falls to the floor spilling the contents. However, it can be seen that the contents had already been placed before the can hits the floor.

Quotes:

Holland Perry: Ada says Ada says.
[breaks mirror]
Holland Perry: There's seven years bad luck! Let's see what Ada says about that?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Good Son (1993)

Spooky

For a movie I haven't seen in 10 or 20 years, and one that I disliked on its initial release, THE OTHER sure has stuck with me. It is a low-budget, low-key retelling of a psychological horror novel by actor-turned-writer Tom Tryon, and it is pretty darned faithful to its source material. The twins playing the murderous kid are terrific, and veteran thesp Uta Hagen is a standout as the grandma. It used to run on TV a lot. Now it is a "lost" classic. See it if you can. There is a cellar sequence, of which I will say no more other than that it is key to the whole plot, that is sure to scare the pants off even the most hardened horror film fan.