Universal Pictures new thriller looks very creepy. It could be an under-the-radar hit.

View trailer here- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCU0k_jbCUo

What do you guys think?

~Zack~

It's a clear rip-off of "Them", so I'm not expecting much. But judging by the trailers alone, yeah, it looks pretty well-made.

Them? Is that a Wes Craven movie?

~Zack~

No. It was a foreign film. The one you are thinking about is "They".

Supposedly, somebody on the IMDb board for the film saw an advanced screening and is claiming that the trailer gives away most of the scarier moments.  Which sucks, cause it looked kinda creepy.

Not the action on screen so much, more from that music.

How is it a rip-off of Them?

Either way, the trailer has impressed me. I'm gonna check it out.

~Zack~

"How is it a rip-off of Them?'--Are you kidding me? It's the exact same premise with more or less the exact same style of excecution.

Just so everyone knows which Them I'm talking about, its original title is Ils and it came out in 2006.

I'll still check this out simply because it looks well-made and I always love watching a nice Suspense flick.

Here's the imdb link to THEM:

http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0465203/

Not for nothing, it does look very similar. Bertino might have changed it to make a different story but...I don't know.

Gbe

I had thought it was a remake of THEM - is there any indication it might be an actual remake with the credits buried somewhere? You're right that it looks awfully close to NOT be a remake.

The preview is very creepy and effective, it's a movie I'd be waiting for , so let's hope it's not disappointing and maybe a remake not a rip-off

Ok, this, from the IMDB boards, IF true , answers the question:

or the last time let's get this straight: "The Strangers" is NOT a remake of "Ils" (or "Them"). Although similar in plot and obviously genre they have nothing to do with each other. Bryan Bertino, the writer/director of "The Strangers", wrote this on spec (meaning it was an original idea of his) and wrote his first draft of it in the fall of 2004. That is around two years before "Them" was even filmed, let alone released anywhere! "Them" first opened in France on April 8, 2006. "The Strangers" started production on October 10, 2006. That means that Bryan would have had to have been overseas (which he wasn't) to have even seen the movie or was lent some sort of bootleg copy of it, get assigned the project, write the script, get it greenlit and cast it among many other things in only a time-span of around six months. That's virtually impossible.

I think Vacancy and Funny Games (the original and remake) can be lumped in there as well.

The idea isn't all that innovative/high concept to stress on it being a ripoff.

I know which THEM your talking about. I've done a little research after I posted that comment, both trailers have the inspired by true events thing, the you see things that you sometimes imagine (or hear things), and the pretty much have a similar plot. So I could see where your going with this. But I think both films will be good -- and hopefully different.

I agree with Mike, I think this shows that ideas can't be copyrighted.

Gabe

Having seen Them and the trailer for The Strangers, I would imagine that where they are likely to differ is in their revelation of who 'them'/'the strangers' are (if this film has such a revelation at the end). Can't really say anymore without spoiling Them for people who haven't seen it though.

^^I was thinking that too.

If the source on the IMDb board really did see the movie, and was correct in the HUGE spoiler they dropped about the ending, there is no revelation in The Strangers.