They’re Heeerrreee…

David Moreau and Xavier Palud’s ‘Ils’ (or ‘Them’ in the US) had gained a lot of hype before its release in the States. Even afterwards, the praise only got better. It’s easy to see why, considering that this film literally puts you on the edge of your seat for a little over an hour. During this film, my heartbeat quickened, my eyes widened, and I even shit myself. Okay I’m lying’my eyes didn’t widen. But poo-poo humor aside, this film is genuinely craptastic.

Clémentine (Olivia Bonamy) and Lucas (Michael Cohen) live in their beautiful but isolated Romanian home where they spend peaceful evenings together. This all manages to change one night when a mysterious presence begins to harass our protagonists. At first, it’s simple; a few phone calls with no response except light whispers, the TV turning on and off, and their car being stolen. Spooked enough, they call the cops, but that’s when the electricity is cut and our couple has to endure the game of the mysterious ‘them.’

I know I didn’t do the plot any justice right there, but it’s seriously impossible to discuss this film’s story. It’s SO bare and genius that I almost feel like I’m giving too much away by that paragraph alone. It feels extremely realistic and it’s as if we’re experiencing everything that happens with the characters. We know as much as they know about what’s happening to them and we find out the resolution when they do. The film also uses a supreme lack of music to heighten its effect, but at the same time creeps you out by using various sound effects to emphasize the presence of ‘them.’ The acting is great and extremely believable and generously adds to the film’s ‘what the fuck would YOU do in this situation??’ idea.

The ending is quite shocking as well. I’m not giving shit away, but I was genuinely taken aback by this conclusion and the entire movie stuck in my mind for a long time. I’d highly recommend this film to any horror movie fan with a brain. If you’re expecting a fucking slasher movie or anything along those lines, you’ll be disappointed. This is a psychological horror/thriller that put me in the same trance as ‘Session 9′ once did and kept fingers twiddling and my nails chewed.

Moreau and Palud are directing the upcoming ‘The Eye’ remake, which now has me even more nervous than ‘Ils’ did. Either I’ve misjudged their credibility, or these guys are going to make the first (and probably only) successful Asian-to-US remake. Either way, ‘Ils’ is going to give ‘them’ enough street cred for a long time.

The Hidden Message: Get more ‘Beware of Dog’ signs.