They (2002)

After witnessing a horrific and traumatic event, Julia Lund, a graduate student in psychology, gradually comes to the realization that everything which scared her as a child could be real. ... See full summary »

Director:

Robert Harmon

Writer:

Brendan Hood

Stars:

Laura Regan, Marc Blucas, Ethan Embry

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Laura Regan	...	Julia Lund
Marc Blucas	...	Paul Loomis
Ethan Embry	...	Sam Burnside
Dagmara Dominczyk	...	Terry Alba
Jon Abrahams	...	Billy Parks
Alexander Gould	...	Young Billy
Desiree Zurowski	...	Mary Parks
Mark Hildreth	...	Troy
Jonathan Cherry	...	Darren
Peter LaCroix	...	David Parks (as Peter Lacroix)
Jessica Amlee	...	Young Julia
Jay Brazeau	...	Dr. Booth
L. Harvey Gold	...	Professor Crowley
David Abbott	...	Professor Adkins
Jodelle Ferland	...	Sarah (as Jodelle Micah Ferland)

Storyline

After witnessing a horrific and traumatic event, Julia Lund, a graduate student in psychology, gradually comes to the realization that everything which scared her as a child could be real. And what's worse, it might be coming back to get her...

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Plot Keywords:

friend | nightmare | darkness | suicide | swimming | 

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Taglines:

Sore wa noroi no kokuin. Kesshite nigerarenai [Japan]

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Genres:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for terror/violence, sexual content and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 November 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

Wes Craven Presents: They

Filming Locations:

Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$17,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$56,964 (Hong Kong) (19 September 2003)

Gross:

$56,964 (Hong Kong) (19 September 2003)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dimension Films, Focus Features, Radar Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Though Brendan Hood is credited as screenwriter, he only came up with the basic idea. Everything in his original draft was subsequently written out by the producers, and it's estimated that up to 10 people have worked on the script.

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Goofs

When Julia wakes in the mental hospital, the sheets are pushed down to the foot of the bed, and the rails are down. When the Doctor and orderly come in after she's taken, the bed is made and the side rails are up.

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Quotes

Billy: They hide in the dark so you can't see them.

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Connections

Referenced in The Cinema Snob: They Saved Hitler's Brain (2012)

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Soundtracks

"Movin Back Home"
Written by Danny Allen
Performed by Danny Allen, David Harris Chapple, Michael Kinkade (uncredited)
Courtesy of Blue Buddha Entertainment

User Reviews

A typical genre piece but a reasonably enjoyable one on those terms

When Julia Lund goes to a late night diner to meet friend Billy she assumes he is on something when he starts babbling about how "they" come for him in the dark and how he has to work nights to survive. However she did not expect him to kill himself, claiming that it is his only way to escape the monsters that he fears in the dark. At the funeral she meets some friends of Billy who seem to believe his ramblings and tell her stories that cannot possibly be true. When Julia herself starts seeing things in the dark, she starts to doubt her own sanity.

Opening with a scene that trades nicely on childhood fears of the dark and dark spaces, this film continues with the one idea that there are monsters out there but cannot ever get above the level of basic and rather obvious horror. Not that this is a bad thing in itself but put it this way – it is very much a "Wes Craven Presents" affair even if his name was taken off it for wider release. The story isn't great as really it is just enough narrative to string together lots of flickering lights, shadowy movements and jump scares; it never gets below the surface and is never intriguing enough to really engage but then I suppose that is not what the film is aiming for. Rather it just wants to be a horror that trades on sudden things and half seen creatures and, as such, it works well enough. The creatures stay hidden even when you see them (a good thing) and the ending does not betray the mood of the majority.

The cast aren't anything to write home about but they are as good as the standard you expect for such films. Regan is impressive even if a lot of her role involves screaming; she still does manage to descent convincingly and her fear is believable. As director Harmon enjoys the ominous places such as cupboards and corners and he uses them well even if he is never above having something suddenly jump out – it is hardly Ring but it suits the type of film he is trying to make.

Overall this is not a great film but it is an enjoyable genre film – a horror with unseen beasts and lots of basic jump scares. It doesn't work above that level but thankfully it doesn't really try to. It may be bad grammar, but if you like this sort of thing then "They" is worth checking out, even if it is a bit samey and predictable for the majority.