October 13th, 2014 
Brian Leak 
Of all the holidays celebrated worldwide, no single day is more loved by the UTG staff than Halloween. With the arrival of the year’s best month, the time has finally come to begin rolling out a plethora of features and special announcements we have prepared in celebration of our favorite day, including the one you’re about to read.
Now in its third year, 31 Days Of Halloween is a recurring feature that will run throughout the month of October. The hope and goal of this column is to supply every UTG reader with a daily horror (or Halloween-themed) movie recommendation that is guaranteed to amplify your All Hallows’ Eve festivities. We’ll be watching every film the day it’s featured, and we hope you’ll follow along at home.
[Warning: the material within is likely NSFW]
Day 13: Them (2006)
Before 2008’s Jessica Alba vehicle The Eye, came a completely overlooked horror-thriller gem from the tandem writing and direction of David Moreau and Xavier Palud. Them, known as Ils in its country of origin, is simple in delivery, relying not on grotesque imagery or digital effects, but on the acting of its leads, the inherent terror of its subject matter, its lighting, atmosphere, sound design and even its score to elevate its eeriness, tension and realism that effectively keeps you on the edge of your seat (or peeking out from your covers) for the entirety of its succinct 74-minute runtime.
Opening initially with French text onscreen that translates to “This story is inspired by real facts,” we’re quickly thrust into a tense situation that sets the terrifying tone of Them.
After the opening scene, presumably the following day, we meet Clémentine (Olivia Bonamy), one of our two leads. She’s a teacher, still adjusting to a relatively new job and the pressures that come with it. After class, Clémentine makes the 30-minute drive to her massive home out in the woods, which appears to not be far from where the chilling opening scene takes place. It’s here, at the mansion-like home with the large, overgrown property that we also meet our second lead, Clémentine’s husband, Lucas (Michaël Cohen). From this point, what begins as a playful, relaxing evening for a young couple quickly descends into a frightening night as they fight for their survival, seemingly being tormented and or hunted by an unknown antagonist.
You’ve got a huge house inhabited by only two people. It’s late into the night, with heavy downpour, in the middle of nowhere. This all makes for top-notch creepiness. Add in an unsettling chain of events and a perfectly accentuating score and just as the film’s tagline suggests, “you’ll never feel safe in your own home again.” Once you make it to the film’s ending reveals, you’ll probably feel unsafe when it comes to a lot of other everyday things as well, ultimately returning to the events of this film in your head time and time again.
While Them does contain many of your typical home invasion thriller devices, it’s ultimately the realistic nature of the way it’s all laid out that makes you feel so uneasy while watching the film. There’s no overtly far-fetched actions or invincible villain, and what you see onscreen could potentially happen to anyone. It’s for that very reason that as a child, shows like America’s Most Wanted or Unsolved Mysteries resonated within me and terrified me more than movies like Halloween or Friday The 13th. Plus, Robert Stack and that Unsolved Mysteries theme by Michael Boyd and Gary Remal Malkin were scary as shit.
If you don’t mind reading subtitles and are looking for a film this season that doesn’t have to rely on gore or CGI to scare the crap out of you, look no further than Them. It’s short, simple and wholly effective. If you don’t have your doors and windows locked before you watch it, it’ll be the first thing you do immediately after. You’ll probably decide to leave at least one light on as well.
You can watch an intense trailer with a ridiculous voice-over below, and pick up a copy of Them through Amazon, if you feel so inclined.
Editorial written by: Brian Lion
Last year’s Day 13 film: Session 9
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