Them, 2006

Ultimately--and I feel really spoiled for saying this--Them is only a very good movie and not a great one. Because the movie is so short, it can never develop the more thought provoking elements, and so there's not a whole lot of substance beyond the visceral thrills and shocks. BUT! Those chills and shocks are excellent, and it has an opening sequence second only to Jaws in terms of tension and pure terror. The ending also has some shots which have a simple, subtle beauty to them even as they gut punch you. As for the production values, the acting is solid, the direction has that high-adrenaline slickness that you see in recent French horror films, and the sound mixing is terrific (you'll see what I mean). All in all, an excellent film to see once, and a good substitute to Haute Tension or Inside for people who want the excitement of New Wave of French Horror without the gore.

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Yes, it has subtitles, get over it. It's actually a pretty good movie. I cant really give way any of the plot because the movie is so compact at 67 minutes that giving any gives it all. Suffice it to say its about a couple living in a cottage in the middle of the woods and things go awry. It starts off with a bang then starts the rollercoaster again from ground zero. Building back up the momentum takes some time, but it kept me interested. Filmwise, it's clearly not a big budget movie, and has some moments where lighting becomes an issue with being too dark to see whats happening - but it's still very good. The actors do a great job, and they really make you feel their fear and horror. In the end, the movie has tension and thrills and is sad emotionally while providing some scary moments. I wouldn't call it horror, but more a thriller and a good one at that.

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Them isn't too bad. It mostly suffers from having 45 minutes of lead-up time when nothing is happening. When it comes time for the thrills, they don't pan out, at least not enough to make up for the trudging build up. It's very brutal, and it bears a strong resemblance to The Strangers, both in plot, and the fact that most of the movie's focus is on a man and woman stuck in a house alone. It's iffy on whether this is worth a recommendation, but it all comes down to whether you'll wait for the eventual payoff, no matter how stomach-turning it may be. It claims to be based on true events, but so was The Strangers, and that was a lie.

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