Weekly Review -- And now for the creepy stuff...

Them (2006) -- Based on my history as a critic and fan, I find that there is only a handful of newer horror films that can shock audiences. With many of today's genre entries exploiting every type of violence -- relishing every type of inhumanity, dissecting every body part and holding every drop of blood under the unforgiving camera lens just for kicks -- there is hardly a sense of primal cinematic fear anymore. Rarely anything is left to the imagination and rare are the times when there is actually a solid narrative putting the brutalities in context. However, there are gems like David Moreau and Xavier Palud's Them -- original title Ils -- that are capable of making a nightmare out of a simple and somewhat relatable story, favoring a paradoxically angry subtlety and volatile atmosphere in place of literal, corporeal shocks.

Novelist Lucas (Michaël Cohen) and his girlfriend, teacher Clémentine (Olivia Bonamy), live in an isolated country house. One night, after they have turned in, strange things start happening, indicating the arrival of uninvited guest(s). There is sneaking and creaking; bizarre sounds that seemingly come out of nowhere; unseen forces wreaking havoc around Lucas and Clémentine's one-time sanctuary. Unsure of where to turn, the couple try to defend themselves and flee, but how far can they run, and who are the mysterious attackers, anyway?

Them is an intense and unnerving movie, made even more shocking by its revelations and by the French filmmaking tradition of savoring each scene, using slow pacing and long shots. The scenes in the attic and in the menacing woods are deliberately dragged out, using tension as a Sword of Damocles that hovers above the audience, ready to strike at any time. The directing and camerawork successfully puts us in the main characters' shoes; we feel their disoriented fear, confusion and aggravation.

**HUGE SPOILERS AHEAD (please highlight to read)**

I did have a problem with some of the film's aspects. How come two adults were not stronger than a few young children? Lucas and Clémentine could have easily knocked the boys out and run for their lives. Also, why did they trust one of them in the first place? The possible answer is that, at this point, they would have done anything to save their skin; personally, however, I would have a tough time trusting someone who was watching me get tortured just moments ago.

**END OF SPOILERS**

Them makes the similarly-themed Panic Room look like Home Alone. It never lets up. The film is a merciless journey through the darkest subterrains of human psyche and treats its subject of home invasion with gut-wrenching boldness. I dare you not to think twice about this film the next time you turn the lights off in your home.

8/10