They Wait (2007)

A young mother and her six-year-old son come face to face with the mysteries of two murders and a great crime against the Chinese community into which they have recently arrived from Shanghai.

Director:

Ernie Barbarash

Writers:

Trevor Markwart (story), Trevor Markwart (screenplay)

Stars:

Jaime King, Terry Chen, Pei-Pei Cheng

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jaime King	...	Sarah
Terry Chen	...	Jason
Pei-Pei Cheng	...	Aunt Mei (as Cheng Pei Pei)
Henry O	...	Pharmacist
Regan Oey	...	Sam
Colin Foo	...	Raymond
Tseng Chang	...	Xiang
Michael Biehn	...	Blake O'Connell
Vicky Huang	...	Shen
Donald Fong	...	Ben
Wally Houn	...	Pang
Stephen Chang	...	Funeral Director (as Stephen MD Chang)
Donny Lucas	...	Sam's Doctor
Suzanne Bastien	...	Nurse #1
Erika Conway	...	Nurse #2

Storyline

A couple returns to North America for a family funeral, having lived in Shanghai, China for the previous six years. Soon after they arrive, their son Jamie begins to see ghosts and suffer possession by one of the living dead, and it all ties in with the Chinese festival of Ghost Month, when the doors of hell supposedly open and angry spirits are given the chance to terrorize the living.

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Plot Keywords:

ghost | pharmacist | funeral | murder | miscegenation | 

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Taglines:

Bad things happen to those who wait.

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Genres:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some violence/disturbing images

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 April 2009 (Philippines)

Also Known As:

30 Jours de terreur

Filming Locations:

Gastown, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

TVA Films, Brightlight Pictures, CHUM Motion Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min 89 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

User Reviews

An Asian style ghost story without all the clichés

Don't get me wrong, I love The Ring, The Grudge, and most J-Horror movies with the jerky movement ghosts and tales of revenge.

However this movie seemed to be able to communicate the same concepts that make the Asian ghost stories so intriguing without resorting to all the same clichés. And when they do decide to throw in a jump scene, it is usually not where you expect it or completely out of nowhere.

It is a simple story that has been told over and over, but this adds and Asian twist with concepts such as Hungry Ghost Month and Spirit Money without alienating a western audience.

Overall the story is pretty predictable and that is the only downside to this movie. Once you figure out what is going on, it's pretty much a "which road will they take to the end" as opposed to a surprise around each corner. The acting is pretty decent for this type of flick. The kid actually does a good job - never know how they will do in these.

I would recommend this if you want to introduce some of the elements of a good Asian horror story without all the oddness that is directly copied in some of the other remakes. Many of the concepts of the genre are there without the kabuki inspired movements.