Sunday, November 2, 2008

Ils (Them) (2006)

The opening scene of this French horror film is terrifying. It plays upon fear of driving through dark wooded areas at night when the unexpected may happen (and does). This scene gets you good and warmed up. It's the best scene; the rest of the movie doesn't hold up to this, but if you see it, you'll understand.

Why won't you play with us? We are introduced to a couple living in a large, secluded house in the country. Lucas (Michaël Cohen) and Clementine (Olivia Bonamy) have had a nice relaxing evening afternoon after the workweek. When Clementine decides to get some work done while Lucas sleeps, odd things start occurring. She gets a call with strange noises on the other end. She eventually re-joins Lucas but awakes to different noises coming from downstairs and outside. As they start investigating, the learn they aren't alone. The story moves along as Clementine and Lucas battle the mysterious hooded figures to survive. That's really it for plot. The simple, yet frightening sounds add to the unease. The house is reminiscent of a European version of the hotel from The Shining. The house itself becomes a character, playing a role and adding to the tension, but what is most eerie is the ending when you learn that this movie is based on true events. I won't give it away but it's unsettling.

Directors: David Moreau and Xavier Palud

Country: France and Romania

Genre: Horror

Minutes: 90 minutes

Scale: 3.5

1 comment:

Jen @ GreetQ.com said...

I really liked this film. I think the most interesting bit is that the thing to fear isn't a monster or some crazed person with a chainsaw - it's innocent and unexpected and that makes it really creepy. Good pick!