They Reach

I'm convinced every review here saying this movie was decent, is a troll.. Was this some school project, is that why they used stop motion for some effects? Did the children actors write and direct this? At least it was somewhat funny..

A lot of reviewers, some of whom, I supect have not seen this film, have, in my opinion, been very unfair to it. "They Reach" is by no means a bad little horror film.

There's a real "Stranger Things" meets "The Goonies" vibe on offer here, rounded out with a 70's nostalgia trip, that's done extremely well. This is balanced by surprisingly excellent acting from younger cast members in particular, who really steal the show.

The horror effects are nothing special but they don't really need to be. In spite of the blood and minor gore, this is on a certain level a dark horror comedy. Its not supposed to be taken too seriously.

In short this ones a winner. Its inherently likable, watchable and entertainingly silly in a scary demonic kind of way.

7/10 from me.

Awkward horror comedy looks good but is full of unsuccessful tone shifts. Balancing horror and comedy is possible but it didn't work here. In reviewing a bad film, I try to look for something positive to say. The highlight of They Reach is the delightful Eden Campbell as Cheddar, best friend of lead girl Jessica. Campbell easily steals the film. Her funny performance makes me want to see her star in a teen comedy as that type of character - a bold, boisterous, fast-talking, quick-witted, rambunctious girl eagerly embracing mischief and shenanigans. She reminds me a bit of Eden Sher, in being someone who isn't just giving a good comic performance, but who comes across as a funny person. Give her a film with a better script and more focus on her as a comedic lead, I think she'd be fantastic.

Temper your expectations and you can find this one quite enjoyable! The acting is good, the story is simple, solid, and fun, the look is great(camera work, color grade), and the music holds it all together quite well.

This definitely has a bit of a Stranger Things vibe but it certainly has it's own direction and feel, if not an entirely different sort of motivation. The story isn't entirely predictable, which is nice.

Overall, if you like the horror/mystery genre I think the odds are good you would enjoy this movie as well.

I loved the idea and really wanted to like it but the acting was not good. Some really weird scenes made me wonder what were they thinking. It has good ideas and even some Stephen King vibes but I wouldn't recommend it.