Wes Craven Presents They (2002)

"They" is definitely creepy!

This film deserved to do better at the box-office than it did, but it is well suited for the small screen (and a stormy night with popcorn).

Amazon did a nice job describing the story and so does the product description, so don't look for anything along those lines in this particular review.

This is NOT your standard shocker as it lacks bloodshed, visible monsters, sex, slam-bang CGI effects, and gore, but the style, approach, and brooding atmosphere is similar to the rash of Asian-inspired horror films of late. Below are my hits and misses with this tidy little horror film.

The Hits:

1) The film is very well acted, especially by some newcomers to film.
2) It is intelligently written and keys in on themes and issues that many can relate to in their own lives.
3) The direction is confident, but not intrusive. One gets the impression that he knows exactly where he is going (even when he doesn't --consider the alternate ending that I personally like better than the theatrical one).
4) This film is appropriately creepy and atmospheric and I always prefer those films over the more in-your-face horror gems (that are great in their own right).


The Misses:

1) A few overly slow periods.
2) Some aspects of the film we have seen too often, such as the whole thing under the bed or in the closet idea as used in Boogeyman or the dead trying to punch a hole into our world as in Pulse.
3) The decision by the director to go with an ending from another movie and not the one originally intended and listed as the "Alternate Ending" on the DVD was, in my view, a huge error. I thought this well-crafted film would have done better with a more original ending and not one rather shamelessly copied from another film. I think most will be very satisfied with the ending and even consider it appropriate, but I prefer a bit more originality and found the ending predictable and disappointing.


Overall, this is a truly excellent "little" film that deserves more recognition. It is worth owning, but it may not have great repeat value once you really know the storyline. It's the kind of film you may watch every once in a blue moon when you forget enough of the details.


****Spoiler Alert**** Don't read if you want to have a surprise ending***
In reference to #3 under "Misses," the ending is far too similar to Carpenter's ending to his Prince Of Darkness. In that film, the heroine goes through a mirror and can't return, but sees the outside world; in this film, it's the closet acting as the mirror. It's the same exact concept, just a different venue. I still think that's cheating a bit --lol. July 28, 2008

Good Movie

I liked this movie while two other people who I watched it with hated it. So it simply comes down to personal preference. I wouldnt say its really Scary, but come on How many horror movies really are. The acting was solid all around. The ending was kind of a letdown but again how many endings really give you what you want. I remember watching this movie in 2003 and thinking there would be a part 2 released shortly afterwards. Just don't pay attention to any negative reviews watch the movie with a open mind and theres a good chance youll like the movie for what it is. A Decent Horror Movie, not stuff of legends but pretty damn good.

I recently bought and watched it again and it was good like I remembered it. I would say this is a must have for a Horror Collection and I still hope they Make a part 2. June 18, 2008

A Terror-Filled Nightmare

Legendary horror film director Wes Craven has created a very scary and psychologically thrilling movie where frightening childhood fears become real.

The movie begins with a young boy lying in his bed during a thunderstorm. The boy tells his mother that he's afraid. But, his mother reassures him that everything will be fine. However, everything turns out very wrong, and something grabbed the child.

Fast forward 19 years. Julia (Laura Regan) is a young psychology Master's degree candidate. She is out on a date with her boyfriend Paul (Marc Blucas) when she gets a frantic phone call from Billy (Jon Abrahams). Billy and Julia were childhood friends and both suffered from "night terrors". Julia agrees to meet with Billy; much to the chagrin of Paul. Upon arriving, Julia notices the bad condition Billy is in. He begins babbling incoherently about "They"; the creatures that tormented him as a child. This babbling goes on for several minutes until Billy pulls out a gun and kills himself right in front of Julia.

A few days later at the funeral, Julia meets two other friends of Billy: Sam (Ethan Embry) and Terry (Dagmara Dominczyk). They too suffered from the same night terrors that Billy and Julia did. After talking for a while, Julia learned that Billy, Sam, and Terry suffered with nightmares well into college. Each also displayed a strange mark on their skin. Billy also kept a journal, and Sam has become engrossed in each entry. The marks on the skin are believed to be something left behind by the creatures so that they could come back later and collect them.

Sure enough, Sam and Terry are "collected". Julia, fearing that she might have the mark, asks Paul to check. Finding nothing, Julia begins to feel somewhat better. However, Paul didn't check everywhere and soon, Julia is suffering from her own new set of night terrors. Is all of this in her head, as her psychologist expects, or is she really convinced that "They" are coming back for her?

This is a very good movie. It took a while for me to get into the plot, but after a short time, I became engrossed in the film. The plot is expertly designed around the nightmares of children, and its something everyone can relate to.

I highly recommend this movie. Wes Craven does a good job of building on the childhood nightmare experience, and he expertly weaves it into a very scary movie. By the way, the ending is by far the best part of the movie. Don't miss this fine psychological thriller. December 18, 2007

Why? Undeserving of a star.

The worst, dumbest movie I have EVER seen. And I'm a real movie buff. Don't waste your time or money. December 16, 2007

A VERY CRIMINALLY UNDERRATED MOVIE!!!

Anybody who has read my reviews knows I love dark, atmospheric, supernatural, Lovecraft type of stuff, and Wes Craven Presents "They" is a criminally underrated film that was released in 2002 that did poorly in theaters and has a reputation of being a bad movie. "They" had a very troubled history. First, even though his name is in the title, Wes Craven was the executive producer, and had nothing to do with the development(just put the money up). The script went through many re-writes, and the film does not resemble the original concept. It went through a number of directors, and many re-shoots to deal with the ever changing script. When the movie was finally released, it was slammed by critics and many horror fans and I simply cannot understand why? This movie captures the Lovecraft style, supernatural VS. insanity like very few can.

Our story starts off with Julia(Lara Reagan) who is a young adult living in an unidentified city persuing her masters degree in psychology. After a night out with her boyfriend, she recieves a call from her childhood friend, Billy who is desperate to talk to her. She meets him at a resteruant and sees that he is extremely aggitated and incoherent. He claims that he was marked by "They" through night terrors he(and Julia)experianced as children and "They" are coming back for him. he shows a wound from what he claims was an object "They" marked him with. After explaining himself, he becomes even more erratic, and suddenly shoots himself. At Billy's funeral, Julia meets Sam and Racheal, who were friends of Billy's. It seems that they also are experianing the problems that Billy had before going crazy. As the movie progresses, Julia starts to experiance the paranioa and delutions that Billy suffered from, and she realizes that Billy might be right. Is she going crazy, or are "They" coming for her?

The story is Lovecraft style horror and solid. It's a complete story with no noticable plot holes. The movie is well defined, but leaves alot up to the viewers imagination, movies that are defined, but unexplained are always more frightening. It has little things in the background like Billy's dresser full of batteries, the electrical rolling black-outs, and drawings that Julia made as a child that fill the movie with explaination without being to obvious. It has a linear story, and is all about the boundery between insanity and the supernatural, kind of like 'The Shining'.
The overall look of the movie is great. Very naturally dark and minimal use of color. It gets darker as the movie progresses.
The editing is solid. It has quick, jerky camera cuts during suspencefull moments. Overall the movie moves at a really good pace.
The acting and dialoge are great. Lara Reagan(Julia) carries this movie, and gives an outstanding performance! Her body language and emotive facial expressions carry entire scenes. Pay close attention for a short apperance by a very young Jodelle Ferland(Silent Hill, Tideland).
The effects are great(but are not abundent). I'm sure some computer work was done to capture the dark, somber look, but the special effects are sparingly used. "They" are C.G.I. created, but are always extentions of shadows and blended in with the natural darkness(good use of an electrical blackout)and are not reveiled until the climax, and even then it's just individual 'body' parts.

This movie is so under-appreciated!!!! Everything about this movie is spot-on. Suttle music, dark atmosphere, great convincing acting, ambiguos suspencefull moments, what more could anybody ask out of a supernatural/psychological movie? The only reason for the poor reviews and obscurity I can think of is that it was released amoung a crop of watered-down, PG-13 horror movies and was overlooked; This movie is rated PG-13 only because there is no gore. This is the type of movie(like The Ring)That works on psychological suspence. The DVD comes with an alternate ending that is equally disturbing and somber, but completely alters the focus of the movie, and is in conflict with the opening scene, so I'll say that the theatrical ending is the better.
This movie, to me, was more 'real' than Silent Hill, and every bit as enjoyable. Let me end this review with a friendly question: How can any fan of supernatural/psychological horror not like "They"???? 4.5 out of 5!!!! November 21, 2007

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