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Whistle Stopper - Them (a.k.a. Ils)
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List Price: $24.98
Our Price: $13.70
Your Save: $ 11.28 ( 45% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Dark Sky Films
Starring: Olivia Bonamy, Michael Cohen
Directed By: David Moreau, Xavier Palud
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Average Customer Rating:   
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Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Binding: DVD
Brand: MPI
EAN: 0030306814193
Format: Anamorphic
Label: Dark Sky Films
Manufacturer: Dark Sky Films
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Dark Sky Films
Region Code: 1
Release Date: 2008-03-25
Running Time: 77
Studio: Dark Sky Films
Theatrical Release Date: 2007-08-17
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: A very well-made, pointless, cynically exploitative film
Comment: I like a good, scary movie as much as the next person, and I'm certainly no prude when it comes to horror cinema; but anyone who enjoys sadistic movies like this ought to get their head examined. Similar to "Last House on the Left" (original version), in "Them" we are subjected to the ritualized terrorizing and torture of the protagonists. "Them" is supposedly based upon true events. If this is really the case, then it is an even more inexcusably exploitative film than if it were pure fiction. If the message is "Look how shockingly unhinged certain elements in our society are, what is becoming of us?" then this point has been made with greater subtlety and watchability in numerous other films.
From a technical standpoint, "Them" is extremely well-made. It is truly terrifying and intense, meaning that it is well-directed, edited, and acted. The cinematography and the sets are extremely well-designed too. The specific style with which these elements are executed makes for a hyper-realistic film - so realistic, in fact, that suspension of disbelief is really not at all in play. This realistic quality is part of what, for me, makes the film impossible to stomach. "Saw" and its ilk are also movies I prefer not to watch, but they are members of what might be called fantasy torture cinema; whereas "Them" is more insidiously exploitative due to its realism - a nasty dirty trick played on the audience: those viewer's who are sensitive people will come away with horrific images that will flash unbidden across the retina of their mind's eye for days or weeks; and those viewers who are insensitive to things like ritualized, realistic torture will look upon this as an entertaining, intense movie, thereby being cynically manipulated by the filmmakers. So, the movie is an insult to everyone who watches it. A truly well-made, pointless, cynically exploitative film.
Yeah yeah, they had every right to make it - free speech and all that. But it's too bad they chose to.
Customer Rating:
Summary: I was very sleepy while watching "THEM"
Comment: The trailer looked great for the movie "Them." It looked like it would be a very frantic and intense movie to watch. Instead, it turned out to be a very boring and irritating movie for me to watch. I also had a hard time trying not to fall asleep. I checked out the positive reviews on Amazon and it sounded like it was going to be a classic horror movie. This movie will receive a negative review from me and I find it hard to believe that someone would actually be shaking with fear after watching this movie.
This movie had the approach of everything happening step by step like a novice guide to making a horror movie. Part one, watch the mother and daughter's sterile tragic demise. Part two, understand what your leading bland female does for a living before she goes home to her man. Part three, get to know the boring leading male before he has dinner with his lady. Part five, they are invaded by "THEM." Part six, they try to escape from "THEM." Part seven, see "THEM" leave the scene of the crime and it's the end of the movie. What a waste of time!
The scare factor didn't work when you were reminded that this was based on an actual event. The leading couples were generic and there will be absolutely no emotional investments in their character development department. Their only purpose in this movie is to be scared, run and hide, and try to escape for help. I won't reveal the group of people who comprise of "THEM," but since I'm one foot taller than most of my attackers, I'm going to run after "THEM" and make "THEM" scared for ever trying to mess with me. You'll know what I mean after finding out who "THEM" group of people are. I've seen other movies of these type of attackers that creeps me out. If I mentioned the name of the movies that creeped me out, then it would tell you what type of attackers I'm desrcribing in this movie. Therefore, I won't mention the name of the movies.
It was extremely irritating for me to hear the couples running inside the house or even to hear "THEM" running around loosely inside the house. It wasn't creepy and it was no different from hearing someone banging the hammer over and over far too long to the point where you remove the hammer away from this person and zonk them over the head with it for being such an annoying pest! When the couple are running outside, the running sound effect was horrendously fake and embarrassing to hear.
It was a terrifying experience to pay $20 for this movie and then waste 77 minutes of my time viewing this movie. If I can't get rid of this movie, at least I can watch "THEM" if I need help falling asleep.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Rumania is no place for the French!
Comment: The emergence of French horror within other markets has been the big news lately. One can almost make a film list as long as those from Japan, Korea, or the USA. And what does this mean to the horror aficionado? This means great news indeed.
Here we have a little film called Them. Though not a long film (maybe an hour and a quarter at most), we have nonstop suspense and guessing from the pre-credit beginning to the shocking ending. This is a story of a young French couple living in Rumania, where the young woman works as a French teacher. Luckily for them, it seems, they were able to rent a beautiful manor house in a secluded and quiet country wooded setting.
But what they thought would be a young couple's life of bliss turns out to be a horrific nightmare where they along with the audience just doesn't know who or what is behind their lurid predicament. Are our antagonists common burglers who happen to choose the wrong house? Do we have some form of cult or occult group lurking out in the middle of the woods? Are our young couple just being harrassed by some indigent folks?
No matter what, whatever is out lurking around their home and whatever they want, soon turns into a life and death struggle for the young couple. Escape to a population center is the only thing that will save our protagonists ... or so they think! And that leads to the unbelievable ending ... what was out there and why they were out there. And the reason why is probably more alarming and fear-provoking than the past hour and fifteen minutes we just watched!!!!
So if you are looking for a really good horror film here is where to start. You will in no way be disappointed.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Another Incisive French Horror Film
Comment: Them or Ils is a French horror film released in 2006. A quasi-remake came out this year called The Strangers, a film I have not seen but I probably will if only to make the comparison. Them claims to be based on a true story, and whether true or not, any speculation from the audience works to the film's advantage. It follows a woman named Clementine and her husband named Lucas. Clementine is a teacher who recently moved from France to a rural part of Romania. The film opens with a scene that will tell you right off the bat what the film's intentions are but this only serves to heighten the degree to which the film's suspense is a massive success. Clementine and Lucas are disturbed at their quiet and isolated home late in the evening and the disturbances escalate gradually and intensely. Them seems like a 45 minute movie and I mean that as a huge compliment. There hasn't been a more effective thriller in a few years and it's all done with very little violence, at least when compared to some of the other films that make up this recent wave of solid French horror films (i.e. À l'intérieur, Haute Tension, and Frontière(s)).
The French have always made great films and we've seen transgressive French films surface more and more frequently over the last ten or twenty years (I think of Irreversible and some of Catherine Breillat's work). To see French cinema excel in this particular genre is no surprise and although Them's themes of paranoia and isolation are certainly in tune with this, it notably lacks the shock-factor that the more obviously violent associated films have. It makes up for all of that by serving up top-notch suspense. In fact I'd rather see horror go this route than the gore and splatter-fests that clean-up at American box offices this time a year on an annual basis.
This film makes no direct commentary but there are small voices denouncing Them as an indirect commentary and example of French fears regarding European Union expansion. An interesting angle and critique of a film that may or may not actually even know better. No worries; here in the states and perhaps everywhere else, the film will for the most part serve its purpose of sitting you down and taking you for a ride. The film's ending also hits very hard and it surprised me in a unique way. I'd recommend this over a lot of junk that will no doubt be heavily advertised to the mainstream in the coming weeks.
Customer Rating:
Summary: "so-so"
Comment: This movie was ok. Especially the very first part of the movie. If the rest of the movie was as suspenseful as the first part I would have given this movie 5 stars. It's the French version of "The Strangers." I would recommend this movie to anyone who likes suspense. You, however, will be disappointed if you watch "High Tension" or "Frontier(s)" first.
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Editorial Reviews:
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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. Who are they? What do they want? The answers will take them to the very limits of fear itself."
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