2018 / 87m - USA
Horror
1.5*/5.0*
They Reach poster

Watches

June 05, 2020

1.5*/5.0*

They Reach is a film that's a little too successful at trying to be an 80s kids horror. Dall doesn't even attempt to hide his influences and shoots for a full-on 80s atmosphere. Kids on bikes, cassette tapes and walks on train tracks included. If you've all seen it before, you either lived through the 80s or lived through last decade's 80s revival.

If these revival-type films are your thing, Dall does a pretty decent job, just don't expect too much from the horror itself. There's no real gore to speak of, the film isn't very tense and apart from some demonic looking arms, the evil presence remains safely off-screen. It's all very tame and expected.

The actors aren't that great either, the delivery of the comic relief in particular is cringeworthy. There are just a handful of moments where the film breaks out of its 80s stronghold and the film starts showing some real promise, but that's hardly enough to save the film. Add to that a terrible cop-out ending and you have a pretty big disappointment.