They (2002)

37% of critics liked it
(54 reviews)
30% of users liked it
(12,387 ratings)

A college students discovers a horrifying truth behind the old saying "They only come out at night" in this thriller. Julia Lund (Laura Regan) is a college student studying psychology who, as a child, was haunted by "night terrors," hideous nightmares so vivid they seem real. As Julia's life becomes… More A college students discovers a horrifying truth behind the old saying "They only come out at night" in this thriller. Julia Lund (Laura Regan) is a college student studying psychology who, as a child, was haunted by "night terrors," hideous nightmares so vivid they seem real. As Julia's life becomes more stressful, her childhood nightmares begin coming back; what's more, her friend Billy (Jon Abrahams), who had similar dreams as a boy, also reports that his terrors have returned, complete with the same monsters he claims spirited him away for two days when he was little. Julia's boyfriend Paul (Marc Blucas) is certain they're both just imagining things thanks to too much studying and too little sleep, but when Billy turns up dead, an apparent suicide, Julia is convinced something really is out to get them. Certain there really are monsters which come out to get people when the lights go off, Julia is determined to find and harness these creatures of the dark, while Paul is convinced his girlfriend has descended into madness. While he's given possessive credit for the film in the United States, Wes Craven was not in fact a part of the creative team behind They. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 29 min.
Directed By: Zbigniew Kaspruk, Robert Harmon
Written By: Zbigniew Kaspruk, Brendan Hood
Genres: Drama, Action & Adventure, Horror, Mystery & Suspense

In Theaters: Jan 1, 2002 Limited
On DVD: Jun 1, 2003
Studio: Arts For The Free Spirit

Critic Reviews

Randy Cordova, Arizona Republic
It's certainly entertaining enough and made with great style, but the whole thing feels slightly undercooked.
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly
The attempt to build up a pressure cooker of horrified awe emerges from the simple fact that the movie has virtually nothing to show.
Ed Park, Village Voice
Efficient, suitably anonymous chiller.
Scott Foundas, Variety
They ought to be a whole lot scarier than they are in this tepid genre offering.
Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter
Represents something very close to the nadir of the thriller/horror genre.
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
A perfectly acceptable, perfectly bland, competently acted but by no means scary horror movie.
Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com
'Wes Craven Presents.' Such an endorsement is meant to be a mark of quality, and indeed it is--bad quality, that is.
Scott Weinberg, eFilmCritic.com
I've seen They twice now, once theatrically and once via DVD, and...for the life of me...I can't tell you what it's about.
Nick Rogers, State Journal-Register (Springfield, IL)
On the heels of The Ring comes a similarly morose and humorless horror movie that, although flawed, is to be commended for its straight-ahead approach to creepiness.
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
You can understand the trouble the movie faced. It didn't have any big-name stars, it wasn't rated R, and it wasn't based on a Stephen King book.
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
The movie's gloomy atmosphere is fascinating, though, even if the movie itself doesn't stand a ghost of a chance.
Steve Rhodes, Internet Reviews
With the cheesiest monsters this side of a horror spoof, which They isn't, it is more likely to induce sleep than fright.
Rich Cline, Film Threat
Harmon ... does crank up the tension, getting nicely petrified performances from the young cast.
Marc Savlov, Austin Chronicle
Characters wander into predictably treacherous situations even though they should know better.
Paul Malcolm, L.A. Weekly
Stinks from start to finish, like a wet burlap sack of gloom.

Read all 15 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Luke B

I've heard the original script is brilliant and inventive. So thank God 10 writers were brought in to come up with this seen it all before cack. Poor performances all round, when a lead actress in a horror can't act scared it's time to pull the plug. Add to that the… More
I've heard the original script is brilliant and inventive. So thank God 10 writers were brought in to come up with this seen it all before cack. Poor performances all round, when a lead actress in a horror can't act scared it's time to pull the plug. Add to that the fact the chaarcter is a whiny little annoying bitch who continues to go into the dark just makes her a twat. Get angry at your boyfriend for having a few drinks, blame somebody for scaring you when you walk around backwards in basements, but don't expect me to give a shit if you die or not. The creatures are are rather effective until the brief spots of light reveal them to be CGI evil. I could go on about the bad points such as a funny suicide and the fact that everybody else is killed swiftly but when the protagonist is attacked she can fight them off for a good 10 minute finale. Don't waste your time.
Todd S

THEY are part of one of the worst movies I have seen in years. I'm not even sure who the fuck THEY are! Usually Wes Craven doesn't put his name on something unless it's decent. This isn't even close to decent. This is the slowest, most boring horror film I've… More
THEY are part of one of the worst movies I have seen in years. I'm not even sure who the fuck THEY are! Usually Wes Craven doesn't put his name on something unless it's decent. This isn't even close to decent. This is the slowest, most boring horror film I've ever seen! "Hey remember that shit that scared us 19 years ago, when we were kids, well all of a sudden it's back, so ummm call your childhood psychologist." Laura Regan is laughable, getting more upset by some crap on her finger than her friend blowing his head off in front of her, and it's just downhill from there. There is nothing scary about this film. I really have to question how shit like this even gets made.
Donna D

The movie was confusing and I could not get into the plot of the story. It was a dud for me and I didn't care for it much actually. Disappointing.
Christopher B

Wes feeds us a turd sandwich. This fuckin' guy can't even present a decent movie let alone make one.
paganchild1979 p

not one of his best ones, but it was pretty good. You could tell that it was a Craven production.