Wes Craven Presents: They

Wes Craven Presents: They (2002) I’m always a little suspicious when I see someone’s name in front of a title. Does this mean the famous director really left his mark on the film or does it mean the producers figured the movie would sink on its own merits without a big name in the title? In this case it’s probably the sinkage theory at work here. Starring the anorexic looking Laura Regan, this is a movie that is really about those things that go bump in the night. And speaking of the night, it seems that the wiring in the unnamed city it is shot in is defective everywhere the heroine goes coincidentally keeping things dark at key moments. To be fair, the movie does generate a bit of suspense and excitement and can raise a few goose bumps on the non-jaded viewer. The story concerns children’s night terrors and whether they might be more than they seem. Maybe there really is a monster in that dark closet. And speaking of monsters, these appear to have come from the same group that was made for the movie ‘Pitch Black’ and they have the same operational restrictions to the dark of night. Enough excitement is generated by having the chief protagonists confront their worst nightmares to make this a rentable item in spite of it being shot in Canada. The DVD comes with an alternate ending that puts a completely different spin on what everything means and the movie also has some decent surround sound effects. The movie is rated PG-13 for: Excessive Canadian subways, blood drippings, wholesome boyfriend, general creepiness, poor wiring, and for the kid that really disappears under his bed.