Them
by David Moreau, Xavier Palud
List Price:
Our Price: $1.99
You Save: $22.99 (92%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $1.90 (click here)
Category: DVD
See more DVD details
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD details
Actor: Michael Cohen, Olivia BonamyDirector: David Moreau, Xavier Palud
Brand: MPI
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0
Format: Anamorphic, Color, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 77 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-03-25
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Dark Sky Films
Product features:
- The Film That Terrified Europe Has Come To America A young couple lead a happy, quiet life in the countryside. But little do they know they're being surrounded. When night falls, the couple will come face to face with THEM. They are everywhere, even in their home. Who are they? What do they want? The answers will take them to the very limits of fear itself." Format: DVD MOVIE G
DVD Reviews of Them
DVD Review: 1.65 STARS: Almost two stars for effort, but the end product is a major disappointment.
Summary: 2 Stars
By way of prefacing this review, I feel compelled to point out that "Them" is presented in the french language. There are English subtitles, but there have been no attempts to dub this movie as of yet to my knowledge. I understand it just came out, but I think people should know that this movie is French, not that I do not like the French language, but I just don't speak it very well. This fact is immaterial to my grade and review of this film. Please be advised that this review is designed to analyze the elements of horror and, therefore, certain revelations regarding the movie's plot are necessary to this discussion.
"Them" has received glowing reviews from many of my Amazon friends and other well-respected reviewers. I wish that I could join in their appreciation for this movie, but I cannot do so in good conscience. It should be noted that "Them" is a somewhat difficult movie to review because there are some good and bad things about it, but the end product is sub-par in quality. The movie starts out well enough when the audience is introduced to a mother and her teenaged daughter driving along innocently enough in their minivan. An accident occurs, and then something very strange happens. From this point, the movie shifts gears to what I would presume to be a married couple who are the main characters in this movie. They have a large house somewhere on the French countryside. They appear to a be a normal couple, but their home seems to be rather isolated from the rest of the world and not a bad setting for a horror movie.
During the night, strange things start happening to this couple, and they get scared. It soon becomes obvious that our main characters are in some trouble, but what kind of trouble are they in? Who is after them and what do they want? These questions spark the audience's interest and hold the audience in some suspense; this is one of the good things about "Them". Moreover, the apparent dangerous situation that our protagonists find themselves in makes for some degree of horror for sure. The mystery of the whole situation dealing with that of the unknown allows for the development of the horror that has been generated. The cinematic horror inheres in the main characters' situation along with the setting and atmosphere which both work to increase the tension in the audience and this is certainly effective in the movie's early stages. In a sense, the concept behind "Them" is a good example of what a horror movie should attempt to do in that it develops the theme of the unknown and works the imagination of the viewer which is always a great strategy when it comes to horror. In all honesty, however, there are a multitude of problems with "Them", and the success is short-lived due to bad acting, ill-advised direction and poor thematic development. Moreover, I do not believe that this film was executed well at all, and I would also argue that "Them" is a prime example of the horror movie that starts out well, but fades towards the end into what is ultimately a miserable conclusion. Here are some reasons why "Them" fails in its essential purpose.
First, I thought the acting was rather poor and undynamic. Was the acting adequate? I suppose so, but the rigidity with which the plot was executed reflects badly upon the direction and the acting, and the movie is not nearly as effective at producing horror as it could have been. In other words, I did not find the acting to be genuine or sincere; it just seemed so artificial or generic in quality. As a consequence, the action came off as lifeless to me and very unconvincing. I struggled to stay in this movie because of this problem. Granted, many European horror movies have bad acting and the dubbing makes it even worse, but something about the acting and plot execution in "Them" just seemed unnatural and artificial to me.
As I eluded to above, the concept for this movie is sound, especially for a horror movie, but the execution left a lot to be desired. The best the movie has to offer is the home invasion scene, and the first part of the chase scene in the woods, but the potential of these scenes seemed unrealized to me due to poor acting, undynamic characters and poor direction. However, after these scenes, the movie changes direction for the worse. It should be noted that the more the viewer sees of the so-called "villains", the less scary the movie becomes; this is a fundamental and fatal flaw in "Them". The prowess of the villains in this horror movie is absolutely pathetic, and this fact works to dilute the building tension and degree of horror that was generated in the first part of the movie. Therefore, what the audience essentially gets in "Them" is a movie that starts out fairly well, stimulating the interest of the viewer with a very imperfect display of setting-induced horror that is unfortunately diluted by undynamic characters and insipid acting performances, followed by a rather undynamic chase scene and an ultimate decline in suspense with the revelation of the killers' identity.
The movie's ability to inspire pure horror is already somewhat compromised by poor execution and undynamic acting, but by the time the tunnel scene takes place, any possible sense of fear is displaced with a sense of disbelief at the absurdity of the movie. In fact, when the villains are finally revealed to the viewer, the viewer is just about disgusted with what he/she sees. At least, this is the feeling I got from this film. The so-called twist in the end is ineffective and leaves the viewer with a very dissatisfied feeling.
There was potential for this movie, and this movie showed some signs of being a decent horror film as it definitely had its moments. However, "Them" is too shaky and inconsistent in its ability to produce genuine cinematic horror. In fact, I would argue that atmosphere is largely lacking in "Them". While the setting-induced horror is good for a little while during the home invasion scenes, this effect is neutralized and then some by the subsequent parts of the film, especially the conclusion.
In short, "Them" had some potential and showed some signs of at least attempting to get the "scary" thing right, but the movie is unable to pull it off on a consistent basis or as a whole and ultimately fades terribly towards the end. The result is a mixed bag of effectiveness lacking and a largely disappointing attempt at a horror movie. Perhaps, "Them" best represents that type of movie which had potential and was headed in the right direction, but for whatever reason was unable to put it all together and follow up on its initial effectiveness. I think that the creators of this flick were so determined to shock the audience with the conclusion of the film that the film's effectiveness as a horror movie is actually sacrificed for this largely ineffective and poorly concocted twist (if you can even call it that) of an ending. Personally, I was very disappointed in this film, and it just did not do it for me at all. However, I can see why some people would like the movie for the concept behind it and for what it represents relative to today's Hollywood garbage generated by the likes of Rob Zombie and Eli Roth.
Description of Them
THEM (AKA ILS) - DVD MovieBestsellers in DVD
![The Story of Jeremiah [VHS] Image](/images/noimg.gif)
The Story of Jeremiah [VHS]Vision Video; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Wresting With God [VHS]by Vision Video
Vision Video; Published: 1990-10-01; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Price in other shops:
Study Bible Video with Workbook [VHS]Spring Arbor Distributors; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $7.95
Price in other shops:
Tempo:Childrens TV Favourites Video [VHS]HarperCollins Audio; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $9.17
Price in other shops:
Tempo.Herbs:Parseley'Sb/ Party Video [VHS]HarperCollins Audio; VHS Tape; VHS Video
![Strike the Original Match [VHS] Image](/images/Strike-the-Original-Match-VHS-0001374079-X.jpg)
Strike the Original Match [VHS]New Liberty Films; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Price in other shops:
![Medjugorje The Miracles and the Message [VHS] Image](/images/Medjugorje-The-Miracles-and-the-Message-VHS-0001373293-X.jpg)
Medjugorje The Miracles and the Message [VHS]JPN Film Production; Release date: 1995-12-15; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $29.99
Mayo Clinic Echocardiography Review Course for Boards and Recertification DVD 2008by Mayo
DVD
Price in other shops:
Pediatric Diagnostic Imaging DVD: Single Userby Oakstone
DVD
Price in other shops:
Cost Accounting [VHS]by Charles T. Horngren, George Foster, Srikant M. Datar, Howard Teall
Pearson Canada, Toronto; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Similar DVDs, VHS Video, Audio CDs
IntruderMusic Video Dist; Release date: 2005-08-09; DVD
Best price: $6.88
Price in other shops:
TriangleFirst Look Pictures; Release date: 2010-02-02; DVD
Best price: $11.67
Price in other shops:
The House of the DevilMPI; Release date: 2010-02-02; DVD
Best price: $5.74
Price in other shops:
High Tension (Unrated Widescreen Edition)Lions Gate; Release date: 2005-10-11; Published: 2005-10-01; DVD
Best price: $5.44
Price in other shops:
Inside (Unrated Edition)Genius; Release date: 2008-04-15; DVD
Best price: $5.50
Price in other shops:
2:13 (DVD + Digital Copy)EBH; Release date: 2011-06-28; DVD
Best price: $3.32
Price in other shops:
![[Rec] Image](/images/Rec-B0028DRGDQ-X.jpg)
[Rec]Sony; Release date: 2009-07-14; DVD
Best price: $7.85
Price in other shops:
Eden LakeGenius; Release date: 2009-01-06; DVD
Best price: $7.61
Price in other shops:
MartyrsGenius; Release date: 2009-04-28; DVD
Best price: $6.99
Price in other shops:
Frontier(s) (Unrated Director's Cut)FRONTIER; Release date: 2008-05-13; DVD
Best price: $7.34
Price in other shops: