Them or Ils (2006)

Plenty of scary movies like to heighten the fear factor by saying it's based on a true story, or taken from actual events; however, more than half the time it's just not true. Sure, you could say that Texas Chainsaw Massacre or Psycho are based on real events, but that's taking an extremely broad view. Both TCM and Psycho were influenced by the ever so lovable Ed Gein, but that doesn't mean the events depicted in the movies were true to life. While he did use women's flesh as lampshades and nipples as belts, he didn't, for example, keep his mother's dead body in the basement. Although the real story of Ed Gein is frightening and horrific enough, Hollywood just can't help but twist things to an absurd degree. 

These were my first thoughts at the beginning of Them when the words "based on true events" flashed onscreen. 

Basically, the movie centers on a young French couple who have just recently moved to Romania. Clementine (Olivia Bonamy) is a French teacher at the local middle school living with her boyfriend, Lucas (Michael Cohen), a writer. They are still getting settled in their over-sized home, apparently out in the middle of nowhere, when they are tormented by an unknown force. 

I say "unknown force" because, although they look like people, you never really get a good look at them, and they also make a ratcheting sound that no human being could make. It also annoyed me that the horror movie cliched "invincible bad guy" appeared to be a factor.

Have you ever seen Behind the Mask: the Rise of Leslie Vernon? You should. It's great. Leslie is the prototype Scary Movie Stalker, who takes us behind the scenes of his own murderous rampage. He shows us the secrets of how to be a good Scary Movie Stalker. What's most awesome about this movie is that it points out the unrealistic and truly absurd elements scary movies apply to their bad guys.  One of the things he mentioned was that, in chasing his victims, he had to appear to be walking while still keeping up with his sprinting target. It's ridiculous. But, on to my point:

It seemed like there were only two of these man-creature things chasing the poor couple, which made it seem just as unrealistic as Leslie Vernon's walking-while-staying-caught-up-with-the-sprinting-coed routine, and made me slightly annoyed. I was freaked out - don't get me wrong - but in the back of my head I was like: so much for being based on true events, this is just another case of overcompensating the facts. That is, until the very end. Holymosesonastick. Talk about terrifying. This movie is amazing, but I would suggest you don't watch it while you're home alone, you might regret it.