Entertaining but bland.

The horror genre is comfortably separated into two different categories. The first is of course the mindless, gory horror fest when the objective is not to scare the audience but fill the screen with far too much disturbing gore. The second category is the horror film low on violence and gore. Instead this is replaced with spine-chilling moments and effective thrills. When done properly, both categories can produce some good work. They is certainly part of the latter. Toned down to a PG-13 rating in America; this film is not for those who crave gory horror films such as Friday the 13th or Nightmare on Elm Street.

While They had an interesting premise that plays on the genuinely recognisable human fear of the dark it was ultimately a bland and predictable entry to the horror genre.

After an opening sequence that effectively sets the tone for the film, we are then introduced to a graduate student of psychology named Julia Lund (Regan) who is currently studying for her masters. She is pulled into the psychological problem of her childhood friend Billy (Abrahams) who endlessly drones on about staying in the light and how "they" are out to get the both of them. Naturally at first Julia believes that this is mindless ranting without any fact. It's only after one of Billy's worst episodes that she finally realises that Billy might not be totally insane. As the arachnid demons living in the dark get more persistent, Julia begins to talk to some of Billy's friends as they attempt to find a way around their seemingly inevitable fate.

The premise of They is an expansion on the typical childhood fear of the dark. Every child goes through the phase of being terrified of the dark. The creatures in this film can only attack in the dark and when no-one else is around. Of course, kids watching this will probably never sleep again. There are a number of genuinely spine-chilling moments throughout the film. Even more surprisingly is that the film is actually scary at times. If you watch it in a dark room with the lights out on a rainy night, be prepared for one pretty terrifying experience.

For a tame, watered-down horror film it's a necessity that the film must carry some solid filmmaking. I have no complaints about the directing or the cinematography. Unfortunately some of the scares might also trigger a bit of laughter due to some awkward framing.

I had my reservations about the cast. Complaints were limited when it came to Laura Regan in the leading role. Her fear and motivations are palpable during the more intense horror scenes. On the contrary there are several instances when more acting is required. She also looks a bit too cute, even when she's meant to look terrified. This is another case of Hollywood choosing an attractive actress as opposed to an actress that perfectly suits the part.

They is cheesy; however its atmosphere is solid and scary. There are plenty of opportunities for the audience to be at the mercy of the filmmakers; not knowing what will happen next but aware that a scare is about to occur. Some of the scares are predictable albeit still quite chilling at times. Whenever the lights are terminated and the shot darkens we know that something terrifying is about to happen.

One of the film's flaws is in its gross predictability. At least 60% of the scares can be predicted before they occur. The film is slightly uplifted by its unconventional ending. It's extremely clever to stay away from the clichés when it comes to horror. Although the conclusion is slightly unsatisfying, at least the filmmakers weren't afraid to stay away from the genre clichés.

They is a decent entry to the horror genre. It's far from brilliant but the pasting it took was grossly unnecessary. For me the film was atmospheric and scary despite being corny and predictable. Worth seeing. "Presented" by Wes Craven.