(2007)
Landshark posted a mediocre review of this movie last year. Ok, it wasn’t mediocre, it was exceptional and I insist you read it before going any further here. And don’t just pretend to read it either because I’ll be able to tell.
Are you back? Good. You just fell for the oldest Horrorthon trick in the book. Now I don’t have to provide a summary, suckers!
Unlike the other French movies I messed with this year, Them concentrates on tension rather than excessive, soul crushing, agonizing torture. That's the first problem. The second is that I really only had enough room for one French home invasion flick this year. Though Them has far more in common with The Strangers (and was made first) I cannot help but compare it to the jarring and far more memorable Inside.
Once the initial surprise regarding the nature of their attackers wears off, a big fat let down kind of sinks in. Landshark touched upon this and I'd just like to add- damn straight! I actually started to judge the protagonists harshly the more I learned about “them”. Eventually I found myself shaking my head knowingly and offering advice. “Why didn’t they just_____?” and “Why, what I would have done is _____.” Also the plausibility of “them” orchestrating such an effective Michael Myers-like assault comes into question. I grow weary of typing “them” so I'll leave it there. If you like scares with relatively little gore then this baby's for you.
3 comments:
I loved the tension of this flick. I also liked that the couple didn't have any drama of their own going on, they were just normal folks who got fucked with on a grand scale.
Ha ha! I didn't reread Landshark's review like you said and I have no idea what you're talking about!
Excellent review but I can tell that this movie would frustrate me based on your ___'s. I hate it when horror movie decisions supplant realistic decision making. Octo recently discussed the rational approach to dealing with the 10 Little Indians scenario found in many "who-is-doing-it?" slasher films (i.e., all remain in the same room and play Scrabble). When obvious decisions are ignored for the sake of create "horror" I tend to lose interest ("No, I don't think you should go in the basement").
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