Review Copyright Cassandra Henry, 2002

(click here to skip to this movie's rating)

"They come for you when it's dark." -- Billy CASS' CLIP (WARNING: **spoilers below**) Billy (Jon Abrahams) is a typical six-year old petrified of the dark. At bedtime he's afraid because the toys in his room seem scarier and the noises get louder and spookier. "Can I sleep in your bed tonight?" Billy begs his mom. Of course, his mom says "No" because Billy's a big boy. Well, mom, kiss Billy boy good night, because year after year, "they" will come out from his closet or from under his bed and take him away. Where? Only "they" know. Julia's (Laura Regan) life is pretty happy and somewhat normal. She's preparing for her master's in psychology, and she has a caring boyfriend, Paul (Marc Blucas). However, one phone call will change her life forever. Fast forward 20 years later. The "night terrors" have forced Billy to change his lifestyle. He works nights, he sleeps during the day, and he keeps a diary of every encounter with the nighttime creatures. Billy has reached the end of his rope, so he calls his old childhood friend, Julia, for advice. Julia is the perfect person to give Billy advice because: (1) she also had night terrors as a kid (which she sought treatment for from child psychologist Dr. Booth (Jay Brazeau); and (2) she has a psychology background. On a rainy night, Julia meets an unrecognizable Billy in a dingy diner. Billy starts rambling about their childhood night terrors and tries to explain to her that "they" are back to get him. He tells Julia when babies start crying or the electricity goes haywire, that's the sign that "they" are present. From Billy's behavior, the only thing Julia is convinced of is that Billy is suffering from some schizophrenic episode. But after all these years of nightmares, Billy has had enough and suicide is his only way out. At Billy's funeral Julia meets two of his old college friends, Sam (Ethan Embry) and Terry (Dagmara Dominczyk). Their friendship with Billy and their childhood nightmares are the only things connecting Julia, Sam and Terry together. To help them unlock the mystery surrounding Billy's madness and eventual suicide, they read his diary for clues. After the funeral, they all start experiencing pretty bizarre happenings. Julia tries to explain these strange events to Paul, but he blows her off as being a little crazy. Because Julia really believes "they" really exist and these recent incidents freak her out, so she goes back to Dr. Booth for a consult. He tells her this is not unusual because she's under a lot of stress. [Wrong Doc! Julia's not crazy. The stupid fools watching this dumb-ass movie are]. As luck would have it, Julia, Sam and Terry will each [thankfully] discover that the creatures once lurking in their closets and under their beds now exist in empty basements, swimming pools, elevators and the subway. And, if the audience is lucky, "they" won't be back for a sequel. DA 411 The main reason I went to see They was because I thought it was a Wes Craven flick. The opening scene is the only good thing They had going for it. To make They appear more suspenseful, they included the standard scary music track, thunderstorms, and dark lighting. The monsters aren't on the scene. They're in our pockets stealing our hard earned money with crap like this. Hey Wes, you owe me $7.00. CASS' CONCLUSION "They" (the movie executives who green lighted this damn movie) are back with yet another useless piece of cinematic trash. THEY:   back to top Copyright Cassandra Henry, 2002 EMAIL: cass@3blackchicks.com