View source for Ils

{{work|wppage=Them (2006 film)}}
[[File:ils-them-movie-poster1_3455.jpg|frame|Note the similarities to another well received horror [[REC|film's]] poster.]]

''[[Ils]]'' (''Them'' in English) is a 2006 French horror film set in a remote country setting of Romania.

Clémentine (Olivia Bonamy) is a French teacher who has recently moved to Romania with her partner Lucas (Michael Cohen). One night, they hear strange noises and investigate. From there, [[It Got Worse|it gets worse.]] It turns out that  {{spoiler|they are being harassed by a group of children, aged from 10 - 15, which might sound like [[Narm]] fuel, but turns out to still be as scary as the unknown intruders at the start of the film. Just because they're kids, it doesn't make them any less terrifying.}}

Ils was well received for maintaining excellent tension throughout (the film only lasts for around 75 minutes, but this is not to its detriment) and for being a scary film without the use of much gore. Most of the scares are of the [[Nothing Is Scarier]] variety, with the intruders often just tormenting the couple [[For the Evulz]]. The film is also notable for having relatively little dialogue. It's not a feature which has too much attention called to it, but this is a film that people who shy away from subtitled films could manage quite well.

Not to be confused with ''[[Them]]'', a 1950s creature feature, ''[[They]]'', a thriller from the early 2000s, or the 2008 horror film ''[[The Strangers]]'', which has a similar premise.

{{tropelist}}
* [[Absurdly Spacious Sewer]]: Justified/Averted/Played Straight, whether they are mere sewers (played straight) storm drains (justified, as they need to be larger to allow greater flow of water) or maintenance tunnels underneath a highway (averted, as they are meant to be accessible to people.)
* {{spoiler|[[The Bad Guy Wins]]: Though they avoid [[Karma Houdini]], as they get arrested some time after the events of the film.}}
* [[Bloodless Carnage]]: For the film, anyway. Despite being ''terrifying'', the film is almost completely goreless. What is shown is very subtle, and not [[Squick]]-inducing at all.
* [[Danger Takes a Backseat]]: Happens in the prologue.
* {{spoiler|[[Downer Ending]]}}
* {{spoiler|[[Enfant Terrible]]}}
* [[Eye Scream]]:  {{spoiler|Subverted. A sharp implement is thrust towards Clémentine's eye, but she quickly jerks away just in time.}}
* [[Foreshadowing]]: Quite a bit, including the shot of Lucas turning off a TV, which has the hallway reflected in the screen, while the program has  {{spoiler|a child}} running past the area the reflection covers. Also, see [[Fridge Brilliance]] below.
* [[Fridge Brilliance]]: For most of the film the [[Hell Is That Noise]] sound is not immediately identifiable. But after [[The Reveal]], and the shot showing what makes the sound,  {{spoiler|specifically a ''child's'' toy}} it becomes apparent that the sound is [[Foreshadowing]] [[The Reveal]].
* {{spoiler|[[Heel Face Turn]]: Subverted ''hard''. At first, it seems that one of the attackers turns against the others and tries to lead Clémentine and Lucas to safety. He's faking.}}
* [[Hope Spot]]: In the form of  {{spoiler|a light at the end of a grated-shut tunnel.}}
* [[Hot Teacher]]: Clémentine.
* [[Idiot Ball]]: Averted. The characters don't seem to even own one. They do all the right things, but their tormenters are just very good at being one-step ahead.
* [[It Got Worse]]: If Clémentine thought getting her car stolen was bad...
* {{spoiler|[[Karma Houdini]]: Subverted.}}
*  {{spoiler|[[Kill'Em All]]: "Five days after the incident, the bodies of Clémentine Savior and Lucas Medvec were found by police..."}}
* [[Nothing Is Scarier]]: The intruder's main method of torment.
* [[The Reveal]]:  {{spoiler|The killers are children. Young children, who just want to "play."}} 
* [[Very Loosely Based on a True Story]]: Played straight.

{{reflist}}
[[Category:Horror Films]]
[[Category:Ils]]
[[Category:Film]]
[[Category:French Cinema]]
[[Category:Films of the 2000s]]
[[Category:Pages with working Wikipedia tabs]]
[[Category:Psychological Thriller]]