Whenever a horror film begins by trumpeting that it was based on true events, I tend to immediately take that claim with a huge grain of salt.  In the case of Them (AKA Ils in the filmmaker's native France), that skepticism seemed justified as the film proceeded like a derivative (but still frightening) low-budget horror flick.  But then there's a twist in the final twenty minutes that is so disturbing that the story suddenly becomes a realistic tragedy.  As it turns out, the events actually happened.  As for whether that helps or hurts the film probably relies on your personal views.

Clementine (Olivia Bonamy) and Lucas (Michael Cohen) are a French couple transplanted to Romania.  They live off a secluded road in a large, sprawling house that has fallen into disrepair.  The simple fact that the house is surrounded by spooky looking woods should tell you exactly what kind of movie you're in for, and for the most part, you would be right.  Late one night, Clementine awakes to the sound of loud music being played outside.  She wakes Lucas and they make the classic horror movie mistake of going to see what's happening.  In no time at all, they are being chased through their home by mostly unseen figures that seem to be everywhere at once.  Who are these intruders and what do they want?  The who is the big twist I already mentioned.  What they want to do is play a psychologically grueling game of cat and mouse with the couple.  The why remains unclear, keeping the film in a surreal and unsettling place.

Them is reminiscent of several classic (and not so classic) horror films, not just in its setup but also with the visual approach it takes.  It's impossible to watch the film without being reminded of the original Halloween.  Not just in the story of an unrelenting villain (in this case villains) attacking our helpless heroes, but in the way that co-directors David Moreau and Xavier Palud use empty space and shadows that overwhelm the frame to produce an atmosphere of absolute dread.  In addition to John Carpenter's classic, there are several moments that come across as referential nods to everything from The Evil Dead to Last House on the Left to Lucio Fulci's Zombie.  Whether these moments were intended or not, they undercut the immediate horror of the moment, coming across as smirking fan-boy inside jokes.

Shooting on grainy DV, Moreau and Palud give the film a documentary feel that makes it all the more frightening.  The low resolution of the images actually creates deeper blacks.  When Clementine or Lucas walk into a shadow, they seemingly disappear from the screen, taking several nerve-wracking seconds to reappear.  At the same time, those shadows lurk constantly over the shoulders of the couple, forcing you to look past them into what might be springing out of the darkness.  The whole film really is a masterpiece of atmosphere.  Then why am I ultimately not recommending it?

There are two main problems I have with the film.  The first is that it just isn't entertaining.  Sure, the performances are spot-on, the sense of dread is suffocating and the scares are very scary (for a change).  I'm not saying the film isn't well made.  It just doesn't have a lick of entertainment value to it.  The story becomes so nihilistic by the end that it doesn't matter whether the couple lives or dies, it's impossible to leave the theater feeling any emotion but depression.  The second problem stems from the whole based on a true story opening.  If this film had been fictional, it could have been worthwhile as a serious horror film.  As it is, the fact that it's based on a true occurrence in Romania makes the proceedings feel exploitive in a very bad way.  Instead of watching a movie that sought to terrify and move me, it felt like I was watching a snuff film.  In interviews, Moreau and Palud admitted to changing their original script once they found out about this specific case.  They didn't change it to make it differ from a real-life tragedy; they changed it to make it more like the actual crimes.  This admission comes across as a cynical ploy to earn a little more credibility for their film. 

I have no problem with basing films on actual violent crimes.  In most cases, the filmmakers are responsible enough to find a point of view that illuminates a greater truth about the people involved, or human nature in general.  This year's superb Zodiac would be a good example.  But with Them, the filmmakers make the callous decision to simply recreate the events of one terrible night and offer no attempts at explanation of the antagonist's motives.  While some might argue that this makes the film more frightening or that this is what true horror movies are about, I tend to disagree.  In the end, this lack of perspective feels more like making a few bucks off a senseless crime with no thought to the victims or their families.

All this being said, I can't help but admit that Moreau and Palud are undoubtedly talented.  The fact that they managed to raise this kind of a reaction out of someone as jaded to even the most extreme horror films as me, is a true achievement.  They are filmmakers to watch out for in the future, even as I try to forget what they offered up as a debut.

Matt Wedge is a writer and film reviewer living in Chicago.