They (2002)

A psychology student finds all her childhood fears and phobias becoming real after a traumatic event.

Director:

Robert Harmon

Writer:

Brendan Hood (as Brendan William 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:

mental institution | supernatural horror | friend | nightmare | suicide | 

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Taglines:

The fear is real.

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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

Did You Know?

Trivia

The explanation for why "They" target certain children and return later to hunt them down is ambiguous. One theory is that "They" are doing what human researchers do when we study a species which is to tag the specimen, release it, and later use the tracking device to find it again in order to chart its progress and development. Also similar to human researchers, "They" won't tag and study every single creature in the breed, just a random few to study in depth.

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Goofs

In the opening stormy weather scene lightening and thunder crash and the power goes out. Young Billy's flashlight quits working as the scene shifts back to young Billy's window there is a night-light lamp that is still illuminated.

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Quotes

Julia Lund: Do you have any idea what he was trying to tell us with all this?
[holds up a battery taken from Billy's drawer full of batteries]
Terry: Maybe he was planning for a really long camping trip.
[pause]
Terry: Or that he was afraid of the dark.
Julia Lund: I know that feeling.

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Alternate Versions

The work print features this alternate ending which is not available on DVD anywhere. When Julia is knocked out in the subway it cuts to 9 months later in a mental hospital. Julia convinces a panel of psychiatrists, including Dr. Booth, that she is cured. She sees one of the monsters climb through an air shaft in the ceiling, but continues to claim that "They" don't exist. She is released and goes home only to set up high-powered lights all over her apartment. The camera pulls out of her bedroom as she sits on her bed. A door creaks open in her darkened hall and it cuts to black.

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Connections

Referenced in Outlast (2013)

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Soundtracks

Trampoline
Written by Ryan McAllister and Scott Rogers
Performed by Dakona
Courtesy of Wayne Ledbetter for Eric Godtland Management, Inc.

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.

Details

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 USA:

$5,144,090, 1 December 2002

Gross USA:

$12,840,842

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$16,446,271

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