User reviews

Having suffered from night terrors since age 3, that progressed to night terrors with sleep walking by 5, I was thoroughly creeped out by the story line and since I still have night terrors on a regular basis I thought the idea that your marked was very interesting and a scary thought. Decent horror flick, not a blood fest, but the kind of movie that gives you the willies, especially if your afraid of the dark and suffer from night terrors. Worth a watch! ;)

While preparing for the examination of her Master Degree in Psychology, Julia Lund (Laura Regan) is called by her friend from childhood Billy Parks (Jo Abrahams) to meet him in a bar. They both had nightmares when they were children, and Billy is totally disturbed with demons from the dark that would be chasing him and commits suicide in front of Julia. The traumatic experience, plus the meeting with two friends of Billy, Sam Burnside (Ethan Embry) and his girlfriend Terry Alba (Dagmara Dominczyk), in the funeral make Julia having nightmares again. When Sam tells her that they four have been tagged in their childhood, and demons are coming to get them to the darkness, Julia becomes afraid of the dark and asks for help to her boyfriend Paul Loomis (Marc Blucas).

"They" is a promising good movie that fails in the conclusion, which is not satisfactory. This movie is not totally bad, but I prefer "Fear of the Dark" (2002), which explores the same theme using the psychological factor of the common fear of the dark that children might have. The option in "They" of making the demons real, with reasonable special effects, is sillier, unexplained and not so scary. My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): "Habitantes da Escuridão" ("Inhabitants of the Darkness")

Okay, I know this is a horror movie and they don't end well, I get that. It's what my wife and I only agree on. I'm super-hero movies and science fiction while she's true life drama and an avid Lifetime watcher where the man is always the bad guy. We meet halfway in horror. ANYWAY...like I said, I get that horror movies end horribly, but at least some of them have a way where our hero's research what is happening to them and they find some arcane way to fight back. I sincerely hope you're not looking for that in this film...'cause it's not there. I find at the end that I've just watched a Kobayashi Maru. In nerd talk, and yes, I'm a huge nerd...it means that this was a no-win scenario. People in this movie had no chance. I'm just watching this movie now in 2021. Don't know how I missed this one. It was good, but it's a one time watch, I'm afraid. Peace.

I rented this movie last night with a friend of mine because I had heard it was sooooooo awful on this website and wanted a bad movie to laugh at.

I was suprised to find out it is actually a decent horror movie. People who say this is one of the worst movies ever must have only seen 5 movies in their whole lives and they all must have been in the top ten here at the imdb.

I do have a couple of problems with it.

1)The CGI monsters are very fake looking in a few scenes, this really detracts from suspense.

2)They show too much of the monsters too early on in the movie. They should have watched The Others where suspense was created by not showing The Others till the very end.

Other then that I thought this was a decent horror movie, what else do people expect out of a horror flick then this? It was kinda creepy and interesting to watch the people die, the plot was decent involving the whole psychology aspect. People who think this is one of the worst movies ever need to watch Fear Dot Com or any of the Freddy/Jason movies after number 3 or so.

7 / 10

Nineteen years ago, young Billy Parks was taken by a mysterious force in his bedroom. In the present, Julia Lund (Laura Regan) is working towards her masters degree in psychology. Paul Loomis (Marc Blucas) is her boyfriend. She meets childhood friend Billy who claims that they were marked as children and warns her about the dark. He then shoots himself in front of her.

This thing is devastatingly slow. There is no tension whatsoever. The story is stripped down to basically nothing. It doesn't maintain any creepiness. As a horror, there is nothing to be afraid of in this. The jump scares are really telegraphed. Laura Regan screams but that's all. The "Wes Craven presents" is the first warning. Essentially, it means that Wes collected a paycheck but otherwise has little to do with the filmmaking.

What happens in the dark? Do monsters lurk in our closets and under our beds? Are they coming for us? Some children think so... and they may just be right. A small group of adults begins to be terrorized by "night terrors", a condition that causes them to believe they are being visited by creatures. Are they? This film was very hit and miss with me. While I have to say it wasn't overall one of the better films I've seen, including some questionable acting and just a rough plot... it has a really good basic story beneath it, some interesting scientific backbone, and a nice role for Ethan Embry. I would have enjoyed more Embry and less of the lead actress, who was not someone I was able to sympathize with.

The film was produced by Wes Craven, which is supposed to be a draw, but anyone following the horror scene knows two things: the producer has very little effect on the finished product, and even if he did, Craven's best years are probably behind him. Even with occasional success like "Scream", he will likely never regain his once-cherished mantle. This film doesn't help.

Some SPOILAGE...

I didn't think this movie was all that bad...certainly wouldn't call it trash or a classic. It did "borrow" some from "Darkness Falls" but for whatever reason, i found this a bit more creepy....maybe because i find creepy, shapeless, unseen-moving-shadow-type monsters (like those from our childhood fears) more frightening than a screeching witch-like thing flying about as if on a broomstick....i've seen the moving shapeless shadows moving in the dark corners of my room; i've yet to see a flying witchlike thing. The star could have been more voluptuous, but then that's kind of what i liked about this movie...none of the standard gore, sex, and slash. The slightly open doors of the dark closets which hid the monsters of our childhood as they observed us, worked for me; I made sure my closet doors were shut that night. Also the abandoned pool scene was somewhat of a flashback-fright for me. All in all, I thought this was an entertaining movie that was technically well done. Contrary to most, i also liked the ending. "They" definitely works better on viewers who are home alone at night...those dark areas of the house seemed a bit darker; and all the little unexplained creeks and bumps a sleeping house makes seemed more meaningful. I do wish they would have expanded more on the brief theory that darkness may be the channel used to travel from one dimension to another... In truth, there is really a limit to how many different ways a horror movie can scare you; we've seen them all over and over...it is just like a thrill ride, we all know what is going to happen; the challenge in a horror movie is to touch something in us that results in a fear response; i guess therein lies the key as to whether you like or dislike this movie.

I haven't read the other reviews. I watched with know prior knowledge and thought it was one of the better horror movies I've seen. I had heard of Wes Craven before. And assumed he produced better films in the genre. Horror is a recent genre of mine. I have have binged probably 30 or more films this summer watching one's offered by different streaming services with little selectivity on my part except I have screened out those with IMBD ratings below 3 usually. Overall, the genre has more cheaply made, amateurish productions than any other I have come across.

"They" is in the top 10 percentile in my view which gives it at worst a 7 at best an 8, since I have never seen any 9 or 10 in the genre. The acting is good, production quality is good; character development appropriate for horror, special effects good, plot is good, story development is probably among the best with the right amount of flashbacks and at the right time. The only negative is that there aren't really any plot surprises. The story is tolerable to empathetic viewers because the ending is pretty much given at the beginning, but there's enough uniqueness in the protagonist that the audience can hope for a unique resolution.

This movie is getting hammered left and right which surprises me after viewing it. I thought it was scary, creepy, and suspenseful through the whole movie. While it's true that the movie doesn't explain what or why THEY exist it does what it's meant to do....creep you out! People boo hoo in other reviews stating "whah,whah, we don't get a nice neat explanation as to why the creatures are here and where they came from", think about it.....how would any of the characters in the movie gain these "clues" or "information"? It's not like one of the creatures would leave a book behind or talk about their motives! I guess most people can only enjoy this type of movie if it A. explains the origin of the terror B. explains their motive C. exploits their weakness & D. shows the character triumph in the end.

I enjoyed guessing wether everything is real or mental and the bleak but eerie ending answers that! I DID NOT like the alternate ending on the DVD which p***es on the audience and says "the last 90 minutes was a delusion of a mental patient, SUCKER!!! NYAH NYAH, there are no monsters!" That ending would've made the beginning pointless (and the whole movie). The alternate ending has also been done several times in other movies which would've made it more lame! The normal end was perfect to me.

THEY didn't have any gore or action fight scenes but that actually makes it more creepy, you see the creatures for a split second and they attack swiftly,quietly and efficiently.

This movie reminds me of a '90s comic called Dark Dominion (I believe) in which there is a parallel world of demons and certain people can cross over into it.

Why do some movies always arrive in the studio with an evil twin? (examples: Volcano-Dante's Peak, Leviathan-Deep Star Six, Armageddon & Deep Impact) This and Darkness Falls ARE twins....must stay in the light, a drawer full of batteries, etc. Darkness Falls (just like Jeepers Creepers) went downhill when the creature is seen by EVERYONE in the police station which makes it more like a Godzilla type of monster.

The DVD could use some more features, but I will definitely buy it once the price is right. If your looking for a creepy thriller to see at night go ahead and rent this movie!

Noah

First of all, I absolutely believe that this movie is underrated.

This movie is somehow different from the other horror movies. It leaves a mark in your mind, you remember this movie. It has a interesting storyline. Acting is not bad. Maybe the ending could be improved and the graphics could have been better. But compared to the movies nowadays "They" should have at least a note of 6,5. It is creepier and more interesting than the young-group-gets-trapped type of movies. Also it has a atmosphere that catches the viewer and forces him/her to lock to the screen.

I'd agree to disagree anyone who thinks this movie doesn't worth a 6,5.

An excellent little horror-movie. It probably did not too well at the box office (not even with the "Wes Craven Presents" attachment), but this is worthy to check out. Don't expect stupid, obnoxious teenagers who can't act in the leadroles, don't wait for silly, embarrassing one-liners, don't relay on cheap CGI (not even on expensive CGI, for that matter). What we get is a tense horrorthriller, well acted throughout by a cast of fairly unknowns, which relays on atmosphere, minimal special effects and leaving a lot to the imagination of the audience (which, as most of true horror-fans know, can't be beaten by the most expensive and amazing FX). To my opinion, great horrorfilms are those which are taken seriously, by the creators, the actors, by everyone involved. Take a look at Night of the Living Dead (1968), The Exorcist(1973), The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978), Dawn of the Dead (1978), Halloween (1979), The Thing (1982) etc. (to name only a few of 60ties, 70ties and 80ties horror classics). What they have in common is seriousness. They might contain some humour, but it never takes over the movies to a degree that the audience is allowed to lean back in their seats and grab a next handful of popcorn in anticipation of the next shocking sequence... What these movies are capable of is to keep the audience at the edge of their seats, to scare the audience into believing and fearing what its sees and not sees but make believe seeing it) and to make the audience go home afterwards with a feeling of unease. That is what THIS movie does very well: make the audience uneasy, because it deals with a primal fear: darkness and what may be IN the darkness. Its a little gem, and i think it will be considered as a "classic" in years to come.

This had to be one of the worse movies I have ever seen. The ending positively sucked. And what came before it was trite and filled with a weak story-line and bad acting.

I never thought I'd say this, but the best actor in the film (besides the CGI monsters) was the guy that played Riley in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The heroine they chose was this annoying little actress that remained wooden in all but the most dramatic of scenes. And not to be too superficial, but she looked like the poor man's Calista Flockhart. No wonder she couldn't fend off the monsters: eat some Wheaties lady!

Save yourself a few bucks and pass this one up at the video counter. Trust me, it's a boring ride filled with tons of questions and no answers. It told absolutely no "story", which in hindsight was a good thing...otherwise the ending would have really pissed me off. But since I didn't know what the heck was happening anyways, it didn't leave me with a big empty feeling or mad. Nothing gets resolved and nothing makes sense. You don't know what the monsters are, where they come from, what they want with the characters: nothing, nada, moot. The idea that they were eating the characters is ridiculous b/c why would they limit themselves to those particular morsels...not to mention that the main chick looked like she had about 1% of body fat on her entire body. It'd be like eating rattlesnake for dinner and trying to get that full feeling.

Reminded me a lot of the Blair Witch Project 2: Waste of time and waste of money.

I think many things can cause nightmares. And sometimes real life things can manifest in your dreams and scare the hell out of you. As for the movie, I don't think you can compare one horror movie with another. You can only compare them if they are remakes of other horror movies. For instance Carrie. It was a huge mistake for anyone to remake Carrie. The remakes were terrible. I won't watch super scary movies. I can't do Freddie Kruger.

This is about as lame and pointless as a horror movie can get.

The full title is "Wes Craven Presents They", but I couldn't find anything on the IMDb about Wes Craven having anything to do with it. He should count himself lucky; the man can direct a good movie, but apparently hasn't a clue when it comes to "presenting" something (the last movie he "presented" was "Wishmaster", which was even worse).

The film is about a group of young adults who all suffered from night terrors (sudden, intense fears in the night) as children. So the plot the writers pasted on has to do with the idea that these night terrors were caused by these slimy, spider-like creatures from, I don't know, an alternate dimension. Now, for some reason, these creatures HAVE COME BACK FOR THEM! (gasp in terror).

What are they? Where do they come from? What do they want? Why are they coming back for these characters? What do they really look like? Why am I watching this? The screenplay doesn't even attempt to answer any of these questions (especially that last one), and instead just settles for the highest number of "What was that noise/Who's there?" scenes I've ever seen in one movie. One literally follows another the entire time.

"They" steals from so many movies it's hard to keep track, but most blatant is a scene lifted directly from the entertaining, little-seen 80's horror/comedy "House", in which a medicine cabinet becomes a doorway into another world.

Repetitive, dull, predictable, not scary, and it has an attempted "Gotcha!" ending that instead just comes off as annoyingly anti-climactic.

Star Laura Regan is pretty and doesn't seem to be that bad an actress, but as her boyfriend, Marc Blucas (who was so good as Riley in the 4th season of "Buffy The Vampire Slayer), is astonishingly bad.

Skip it. You'll thank me.

"They" is a surprisingly good thriller, the likes of which I haven't seen in quite some time. The concept of suspense seems to be something that the modern film industry has forgotten. Not so with "They". This movie lives and dies by its suspense.

There is a constant tension to the movie. Is she insane, or really being stalked by demons? Will they get her, or will she escape? Every single scene is dark and gloomy, providing plenty of opportunities for these dark demons to attack...even the ones that should be brightly lit. There's a true sense of isolation and hoplessness.

Having said all that, there is very little meat to this movie. It is basically the story of one woman fleeing from demons, both symbolicly and literally. We are never told where the demons come from, or where they go to, or what they want.... We never really see a lot of backstory, or resolution. It's just a chase. One long chase...but a suspenseful one.

It has been the worse film i ever seen...

It is simply a very good piece o sh**.

In this film nothing happens, from the the beginning to the end, the script its extremly poor that compits with our worst suburbs like "cova da moura", its a waist of time and money.

"They" is a hidden gem, and an extremely underrated horror.

This is real Horror. The kind that makes you scared to turn off your light. The physicological kind. The very thing nightmares are made of. We have all had "those dreams", whether in our childhood or adult life's. We always have a fear that something is coming for us. Something bad. We don't know what, all we know is - they are going to get us. "They" is a well crafted modern horror, with a slight old school vibe. Forget all the new high budget, best CGI Hollywood offerings. This is far better.

It's now 2008 and "They" still remains in my top 10 favourite Horror movies of all time. Why? It's everything you want in a great Horror. Scary, eerie, creepy, unsettling, claustrophobic - that's what we want, right? When making a Horror movie (that you want to be successful) you have to have suspense - great suspense. "They" has a tremendous amount of suspense from start to end. It has all of those "No, don't go in there moments", but not like your typical, average Horror. It's different. It understands it's audience, and what the audience wants. It delivers in all the right ways.

I've read a lot of bad reviews for this movie - why I don't know. It makes no sense to me. Does no one know what a great Horror movie is anymore? Has almost everyone been fooled by the (oh so generic) Hollywood cheap scare tactics? - maybe so. One thing I do want to point out is, "They" was released in 2002. "Darkness Falls" was released in 2003. So "Darkness Falls" took all of They's ideas. I'm tired of reading reviews were people are complaining saying how "They" ripped of "Darkness Falls". Get all the facts before you accuse.

All in all "They" is one of the best Horror movies I've ever seen. It scares you to your core. It leaves a lasting impression. It's genuinely frightening. It will leave you feeling more than satisfied.

Well, what are you waiting for? Get "They" now!

Let me start off by saying this movie sucks. The entire plot was poor from start to end. Bad acting, bad everything, a waste of money, a waste of time. Everything was predictable. If the movie is playing for free, its still not worth the time and effort.