There are two genres of horror that really start me up: inbred hillbillies and home invasion. I don’t know what it is, but I can’t get enough of them.

Them (or Ils as it’s called in it’s native country) is a super tense, super scary French home invasion movie from 2006. The pacing is great, aided by the fact that the movie is a concise 74 minutes – trimming all the fat and getting to the action almost immediately and maintaining that agonizing momentum for the rest of the film.

A young teacher meets up with her boyfriend at a new summer home she’s renting in the country. That night, without warning, the couple start being antagonized by a group of outsiders. They struggle to keep the invaders at bay while trying to figure out a way to safety.

The movie, as I said, is a solid 74 minutes of thrilling horror with a great reveal at the end. What I really appreciate is that this film strayed from the New French Extremity movement which was super popular at the time. Not much violence or brutality, which I find refreshing. Some some good old fashioned razor-wire tension which can be far scarier than a bucket of blood.