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:

When darkness falls, you better watch your back!!!

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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

Jessica Amlee filmed an alternate opening scene featuring a young Julia sleeping and being terrorized by "They" in her bedroom, in contrast to the theatrical cut which features a young Billy instead. It was cut and reshot after test screenings, and Jessica Amlee only remains in the film via photographs and a short scene featuring VHS footage of a young Julia awakening from her night terrors in a mental hospital.

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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

Billy: [to Julia] They can't be in the light. They hide in the dark so you can't see them.

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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 What's the Movie? (2011)

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Soundtracks

Center of the World
Written by Ryan McAllister
Performed by Dakona
Courtesy of Wayne Ledbetter for Eric Godtland Management, Inc.

User Reviews

Imaginary creatures who live in the dark come to get their victims.

This film has it's good and bad sides. There's a lot of potential and beautiful scenes in this movie. I don't know how they managed to find that country scene with mists, the moon, a country road and everything just perfect!

It also succeeds in scaring the viewer quite a few times with startling attacks and creepy camera work. I would even have liked to see more of this, but true, it might become repetitive, and we know how how we hate repetitive stuff in the world of the short attention span! Also sound is used to scare, like the telephone ringing in the 'Exorcist', at a tense moment.

It also slightly over uses the "monster coming to get the camera" scene, where a scary monster comes at the camera (/viewer). These are good methods of scaring people.

There are some terrible logic errors and they do spoil the film for 'thinking' people. If it was a real scenario her boyfriend, for example, wouldn't let her out of his sight! Much of the plot relies on the people isolating themselves from others for anything to take place. The strange thing is, even though they know they are in danger, they still go off on their own, where no one is there to help them. Whenever there are people present, nothing happens.

This flaw ruined the film a bit for me. I kept thinking "why is she doing THAT", when nothing would happen if she did THIS. Very frustrating... but I guess they were out to make a movie about people being attacked when they were alone, and this is what they ended up with. (The British "Lenny Henry Show" did a great parody of this kind of movie, with the actors always saying: "We've got to split up, it's more likely we get chopped up that way!" and "oh-oh, the music's changed, that must mean - here comes the bad guy!")

Also, without spoiling anything, there are some places where people just seem to willingly ignore the facts. Like when a window is broken -inwards-, into a closed chamber. No one even noticed that, and one is left asking - and then what? Just another missing person from a locked room? How many of these can there be? Where are the paranormal investigators when you need them? Where are the university geeks want to become the "ghost busters"? They investigated stuff like this in "The Entity" and that was supposed to be based on a true story.

Coming back to the positive side, I can imagine the actress playing the main part was chosen because she bears a striking resemblance to a young Mia Farrow in "Rosemary's Baby". Those types are always believable when scared to death. One seems to identify with a skinny (almost anorexic (was that possibly the comment they were making with her vomiting in the railways station?) sweet young thing. Her boyfriend is far too conservative for his own good. Letting her sleep alone in a double bed! What kind of gentleman is that, in this day and age! Just think: If her impotent shrink had been played by Bruce Willis he'd have followed up on her story and we'd have seen some aliens splattered all over the subway! - Now that'd been juicy! Sorry wrong film. That's "Mimic".

"They" is one of these movies that end up being rather annoying the more you see it. From all sides... and I agree there was a LOT of potential in there. Just not quite enough attention to detail.

Still: *** /5

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