Customer Reviews

Them

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

If your the type of person who's bored to death with those crappy Hollywood re-makes and terrible sequels and your looking for something else that maybe has some originality to it then you've come to the right place. Them (a.k.a. Ils) is the latest horror/thriller from France that relys more on suspense and the fear of the unknown rather than gore and blood which was very effective and very scary, David Moreau and Xavier Palud have created a film that was so intense and very original that I thought finally a good film that wasn't so dull.
the film was also abit weird it also had some great atmosphere the darkened mansion was a perfect setting for this tale because of its layout and overall size, it works well to add some scares and how these people could come in at the middle of the night without the victims knowing who they are or where they came from so they become two ordinary people in a terrifying situation so its sort of a reoccurring theme in the film.

The film starts off with some unseen assailants who begin terrorising a mother and daughter who's car just broke down on a lonely stretch of road in the middle of nowhere during a rainstorm they soon get killed, how this scene was setup was quite good and very clever.
We are soon introduced to a school teacher named Clementine and her husband Lucas who reside in a mansion in the Bucharest suburbs (somewhere in Romania) in a secluded area near a forest, when night falls they begin to hear some strange noises downstairs leading the couple to believe that someone or something is in their house, the couple are then being tormented and these home invaders become increasingly more hostile and keep playing some psychological mind games there were some very exciting scenes as well when the couple were trying to escape for their lives.

At first I thought it was a supernatural horror film and the way it was setup would give the viewer a disturbing and creepy image thats hard to believe and you don't get to see 'them' until the last couple of minutes towards the end of the film I'll just leave it as a surprise so I'm not going to ruin it for anyone but all I have to say is that the ending was brilliant and left me feeling very surprised, this was a fantastic foreign horror that shows that you don't need any blood and gore to terrify the audience (even though I do like that stuff alot) I highly recommend this great horror film although some people might not like it.

Writer and Director team David Moreau and Xavier Palud know fear and have made a tense horror film with moments of greatness. They know it's not what you see that scares you but what you don't, tapping into childhood fears such as the dark, strange noises, and thinking you've seen something which helps with brilliant camerawork.
The film starts in Bucharest Romania with a mother and daughter arguing in their car when they have a car accident. The car accident in itself is scary because the filmmakers have chosen to do a documentary style which adds that, this is really happening feel along the lines of Tobe Hooper's classic The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. That real feel is appropriate being we are told at the beginning the film is inspired by actual events and again reminded in greater detail about said events at the end, so you can't necessarily repeat this is just a movie to yourself. As a side note the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie trailer plays automatically once you put in the dvd and is also freaky and gets you ready for the film, but back to the accident. The mother crashes her car into a utility pole and gets out to open the hood while her daughter starts the car, we can't see the mom from where the daughter is and she suddenly stops responding. When the girl gets out to look she cannot find her mom so she calls mom over and over to the dark woods and finally a voice other than her mom's answers back from the woods.
The next scene we meet Clementine (Olivia Bonamy) a beautiful school teacher from France who is finishing up a long day and heading home to her lover Lucas. On her way to their secluded new home which they appear to be renovating she sees police and tow trucks tending to the car mentioned above which crashed not far from their house.
A conventional scene of Clementine and Lucas joking around and eating dinner shows an intimate side of the characters which invites us into their lives. Following dinner Lucas doses off on the couch only to be awakened by a stray dog barking who visits from time to time. Lucas goes outside to provide the dog with a snack and then heads to bed.
What follows is a home invasion that is done with some of the most effective scares I've seen in this area of horror. First, before Clementine heads to bed she receives a strange phone call, after which she is awakened by a car radio outside, their house is far from the road and secluded so this alarms her, all this is done ever so subtly and realisitc. She wakes up Lucas and they both go downstairs turning on each light as they go, like most would. When they look out their kitchen window they notice Clementine's car has been moved.
It is subtle real scares like this that are terrifying because we can put ourselves in those situations. The actors are great and in the making of documentary we learn that Olivia Bonamy who plays Clementine had a fear of heights (which she had to overcome in the film utilizing this fear for the part) and mentions this film is the only one that stuck with her after it was over, adding it's hard to sleep at night. There is also a scene of her crying but not for the film, from exhaustion and injuries she got while filming, and being in a constant state of tension. Also on the making of documentary there is no joking or laughing, everyone took this film seriously and it shows.
I give this the highest recommendation possible, this horror film is a must own. This is not in your face blood and guts, it's tapping into hardwired fears of the unknown and evil that exists that there are no answers for. I feel the film will get scarier on multiple viewings after knowing everyones fate.

DVD FEATURES
The Making of Them - About 25mins very informative. The actors come across very intelligent with an appreciation for what they've done. Everyone seemed to take making this film seriously.
Composer Rene-Marc Bini Featurette
The Torture of Clementine Featurette
Trailers
English Subtitles

The best thing 'Them' has going for it is the pacing, which is exactly what many people will think is the worst thing. If you are more in tune with the fast paced horror of a '28 Days After' or the 'Underworld' saga, then this movie is probably not for you. If, instead, you appreciate slow and steady tension that builds thoughout the movie, then you'll find a lot to like with 'Them'. That's not to say that it treads on any new ground necessarily, but only that the directors make excellent use of the techniques available to tell their fairly predictable horror tale.

The movie follows Clementine, a French language teacher in Romania, and her writer boyfriend Lucas, who are terrorized one night by unknown tormentors in their isolated country home. As I said, nothing new here that hasn't been done from as far back as 'When a Stranger Calls' from the late 70's. Except this time it's based on a true story, and directors Moreau and Palud make the most of it with great camera work and editing. Both Olivia Bonamy and Michael Cohen as the strangers in a strange land turn in excellent performances as well, and honestly, I rooted for them all the way up until the end.

Several things added to the baseline creepiness of this movie, none of which would top watching this all by yourself, late at night, in a country home far from any help. Knowing that it was based on true events is downright morbid and chilling. Also, the director's judicious use of music adds another layer to the tension by not overplaying their hand (I'd have to watch it again, but there's very little I remember for a soundtrack so to speak. Only the sound effects from the woods).

Patience is the word here, as it does take several minutes before the main story gets going. I felt that the added wait only added weight to the tension, but I give over my suspension of belief pretty easily to the filmmakers. It's up to them to lose me. More discerning viewers, or at least those that the directors have to work hard at getting their attention, may want to take a pass on 'Them'. For the rest of us though, it's definitely worth renting.

Fantastic French horror/thriller, and the best horror film I've seen since "The Descent". Imagine "High Tension" with no blood and no dumb ending and you'll get "Them" (aka "Ils"), a super taught, tense as hell thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat for the whole film. And as a bonus it stars the beautiful Olivia Bonamy (from "Bloody Mallory"), which is never a bad thing.

I went on a search for what I considered the scariest movie of all time. Not slasher/bloody scary, but the type of movie that creates an atmosphere of fear, then takes you a step further, then a step past that to the point that you get chills down your spine. 'Them' is the movie that finally got my vote as the scariest. After giving up on American horror movies, I moved to the foreign ones. This was hand-down the scariest one of the bunch. The setting, the characters, the antagonists are all set up beautifully! The director is a master at his craft. See this one if you enjoy being scared of the unknown.

THEM (ILS) is horror at it's most basic. Victims (the terrified) and victimizers (the unknown terror), w/ very little else. If you're looking for elaborate gore sequences, explosive sfx, or pointless sub-plots, forget it. This is a film more like the original TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE or THE STRANGERS than any teen-friendly extravaganza. We get a big house w/ a young couple in it, out in the middle of nowhere. Enter the invading horde of hooded maniacs, and we're off! I love this movie! The ending is a grabber too!...

I was pleasantly surprised by this film. The acting was good as was the story. Alot of people compared this to The Strangers. I felt as if these characters (THEM) were much more intelligent. Olivia Bonamy (MR 73) was very good and seemed very frightened! The story takes place in a home kind of in the middle of nowhere. A couple is off to bed when strange noises begin occuring and they realize...They are not alone. The first five minutes of the film are very frightening as well. I recommend you see this film and watch it all the way through preferably at night! Thanks for reading :)

I wish that someday someone will make a movie about A Remote Country House With Trapped Victims that would really be believable.

THEM suffers from the same improbable actions of the victims that destroyed THE STRANGERS--which is yet another movie about two people trapped in a house by unseen force.

In THEM,the husband and wife hear weird noises and then they see that someone has driven their car down the driveway. The husband goes to investigate in the pitch dark--without a flashlight or any kind of weapon. Although they have a cell phone, they only use it once--and then it's forgotten for the rest of the movie.

This is what drove me crazy--throughout the entire movie, neither the man nor the woman ever arm themselves with even a butter knife or a nail file--until the very end when the man does finally grab a crowbar for defense.

One would think that living out in the middle of the woods with no neighbors that you'd at least have a hunting rifle, a bow and arrow or a BB gun. And after you've received bizarre phone calls, and hear strange noises in the house and see someone sitting in your car in the pitch dark that you'd either call 911 or arm yourself with something--like a curtain rod or a slab of frozen steak from the freezer.

Another in the low budget movies that are almost all smoke and
mirrors. But in this one the viewer actually learns who and
what are responsible, and why, sort of. Supposedly based on true events, the
movie is indeed suspenseful and sometimes quite frightening.
Not a great film, but better than some of the others in this
style. A teacher and her boyfriend spend a weekend at his
country house in Romania, and are terrorized by mostly unseen
attackers. To say much more would make this a spoiler. If the
set-up intrigues you, based on most reviews, you are likely to
be pleased overall.

Typically late at night there's always an appetite for really B low grade movies to have a laugh at before it's time to hit the sack. Tonight proved to be a little different when the old boy stumbled across a french film called "Them" on the sundance channel and got introduced to one of the scariest films yet to date. Now we have seen horror in all genres from the hilariously bad to the really horrific and have to say this one will stick with us. Right from the chilling opening scene we were gripped and had to watch further to see what this film had to offer. Honestly this was the wrong one to watch right before getting some shut eye.

Taking place in Romania a woman Clementine and her beau Lucas are planning to have a nice quiet evening in. They live in a very isolated mansion located deep in the woods with no neighbors within an ears reach. After having dinner they decided to get to bed to be bothered by a strange phone call. From there it all starts going down with her car being stolen, flashlights in the windows, the t.v being turned on downstairs as just the start to their horrific night. We don't want to spoil anything further because this one is a must watch for any fan of suspense.

Them honestly was one of the most intense films we've ever seen that didn't rely on anything more then atmosphere. If your some lunatic gore seeker then you're not going to enjoy this one because you won't get any cheap scares. This one plays very heavy on you mind and will keep you on the edge of your seat the entire way through. The ending is more disturbing then anything, especially when you discover who "Them" turns out to be. If you're in the mood for a true scare then pick up Them, lock you doors, hit the lights, and get down on the floor for a real treat. It was so good the old boy can't even crack any jokes during the review which really says something.