They (2002 film)

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They
Directed by	Robert Harmon
Produced by	Tom Engelman Ted Field
Written by	Brendan Hood
Starring	Laura Regan Marc Blucas Ethan Embry Dagmara Dominczyk Jon Abrahams
Distributed by	Dimension Films
Release date(s)	November 27, 2002 (USA)
Running time	89 min.
Language	English
Budget	$17 million (estimated)
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

They (also known as Wes Craven Presents: They) is the title of a horror film released in 2002. The plot centers on the phenomenon of night terrors and their impact on the lives of adults who experienced them as children.

1 Plot
2 Production
3 Original spec screenplay
4 Cast
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] Plot

They tells the story of a Psychology grad student named Julia (Laura Regan) and an event that turns her life upside down. As a child she experienced horrifying night terrors, but has seemingly overcome the problem. She reunites with a childhood friend, Billy (Jon Abrahams), and he tells her that he believes their night terrors are caused by something otherworldly and warns her to stay out of the dark, before suddenly committing suicide. At his funeral, Julia meets two of Billy's friends who slowly begin to believe his claims. Julia's night terrors return and she begins to doubt her perception of the world around her.

[edit] Production

The movie began life as a spec script written by Brendan Hood. Hood's script was originally conceived as a cyberpunk horror story involving organic cybernetics and the fear of lost identity. When the producers at Radar Pictures purchased the script, they decided to give it an "overhaul," resulting in the screenplay being re-written by ten individuals (including Joel Soisson and Frank Spotnitz) to the point that no material remained from the original spec. However, despite the numerous re-writes, Brendan Hood's name was left in the film as the sole writer, despite the fact that virtually nothing in his script made it to the final product. The numerous re-writes and re-imaginings led to a troubled production as the script continually evolved and changed, with numerous re-shoots (directed by Rick Bota) being called for after filming initially wrapped.

The film premiered to largely mixed reviews. In the aftermath of the film's release, the original spec script was posted online where it received far better reviews than the movie itself. The script has since developed a small cult following among sci-fi fans.

[edit] Original spec screenplay

The original spec dealt with a group of four recent college grads who discover that Earth is actually run by a race of organic machines which allow the human race to exist so that they can kill them and harvest their corpses for "spare parts" as their own bodies break down and deteriorate. Shortly thereafter, the machines begin to eliminate the students, not only killing them but using their influence and abilities to wipe the memories of their family and friends-- making it as though they never existed.