The Other (1972)

Director:

Robert Mulligan

Writers:

Tom Tryon (screenplay)
Tom Tryon (novel)

Release Date:

29 September 1972 (Sweden)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Mystery

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:

Grandmother Grandson Relationship | Dead Children | Baby | Spanking | Infanticide

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

Filming Locations:

Murphys, California, USA

Company:

Benchmark

Trivia:

As the film needed to take place during summer, the small town of Murphys, California, was substituted for shooting instead of on location in Connecticut.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: Holland laughs as he leaves the room with the hydrocephalic baby, but his mouth doesn't move.

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.