The nature of the couple’s tormentors makes the action scarier than it would have been with, say, a supernatural monster, but it also represents a cheap and nasty move by Moreau and Palud.
Comment
01/28/07
Them (2007)
62
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:52
Fresh:32
Rotten:20
Average Rating:6.1/10
Consensus: Suspenseful and tense from start to finish, the French horror film Them proves that a lack of gore doesn't mean a dearth of scares.
Theatrical Release:26-01-2007
Synopsis: Somewhere in Romania; Clementine is finishing her day of teaching the local kids French. On her way home she spots an abandoned vehicle beside the road. She continues on unaware of what happened to... [More]
Reviews for Them
A 20-minute calling card short extended to a tolerance-stretching 74 minutes, this is an effectively directed but ultimately pointless wind-up exercise.
01/26/07
Top CriticSo skilfully does the film shield its hand that the final "reveal" actually comes as a disappointment - the enigma was truly much harder to bear.
01/26/07
This superb horror thriller breaks violently into your consciousness, robbing you of all sense of security.
06/13/07
Top CriticPlenty of jolts and some pleasingly spooky scenes, with the tension ratcheted up to fever pitch, but then it all falls to pieces with a badly fumbled ending.
01/26/07
Claustrophobic and exhausting, Them fumbles its payoff but reminds us why French chillers are a rare but thrilling treat.
01/26/07
77 minutes of gloriously sustained tension.
01/26/07
Top Critic77 minutes of gloriously sustained tension.
07/14/07
Top CriticA perfectly-fine stripped-down little horror movie and if you're not a hardcore horror fan you'll probably find some of it surprising.
01/29/07
Top CriticJust one long unendurably tense and frightening sequence, beginning with the terrified couple waking in the middle of the night and having to creep downstairs, extended like a violin string about to snap.
01/26/07
Top CriticNo story-structure, no succession of scary scenes and then ordinary-life scenes to clean the palate. Just one long unendurably tense and frightening sequence.
07/14/07
Top CriticEffective in an unambitious way, it gives a new meaning to 'Boys in the Hood'.
01/28/07
Has a terrific slow-burning intensity as it torments its central characters (and the audience). Although it waits a bit too long to play its trump card.
08/15/07
Suspenseful, eventually, but the first half's a snooze.
01/26/07
Top CriticClick to read the article
04/23/09
This freshman effort from the French team of David Moreau and Xavier Palud would rate an A in film school. But that doesn't mean it's worth seeing.
10/12/07
The fright is crafted well enough, but the twist at the end calls for more originality than filmmakers David Moreau and Xavier Palud wield.
08/24/07
Top CriticThat it is based on a true story does not compensate for the absence of either suspense or horror.
08/23/07
A disturbing DV-shot horror thriller.
08/11/09
One of the least understood movie monsters is the pronoun.
08/05/07
Latest News for Them
August 16, 2007:
Critical Consensus: Superbad is Certified Fresh; The Invasion Crash-Lands
This week at the movies, we've got some McLovin (Superbad, starring Michael Cera and Jonah Hill), pod people (The Invasion, starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig), and... More...
August 02, 2007:
Bourne Is Certified Fresh; Hot Rod Hits the Skids; Bratz is Grade-Z; El Cantante Hits A Flat Note
This week at the movies, we got amnesiac spies (The Bourne Ultimatum, starring Matt Damon and Julia Stiles), loser daredevils (Hot Rod, with Andy Samberg and Isla Fisher), salsa... More...
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