Them (Ils) is a French horror thriller which follows a woman named Clementine, who finishes a week of teaching and heads home to the secluded house in the woods she shares with her novelist husband Lucas. That night the house seems to turn on them – doors slam, sharp objects materialize through keyholes and shadows are seen in the corridors. When the couple investigate, they find they are threatened by an outside force, but can’t be sure whether it is real or supernatural.
Classification Issues
- Threat and horror
- A strong sense of threat is sustained throughout the film, with a couple being stalked and attacked by unseen assailants in their isolated home.
- Violence
- Violent moments involve brief scuffles with attackers, including a character being hit over the head and another being dragged away while screaming.
- Additional issues
- Other issues include mild bad language (‘shit’) and brief breast nudity.
Cinema classification
The film was submitted to the BBFC for classification in December 2006, with no request for a specific category from the distributor.
The two Examiners who viewed the film identified the primary classification issues as sustained threat, frequent ‘jump scare’ moments, and brief bloody images.
At the time, the BBFC’s Guidelines for horror stated that “strong threat and menace are permitted” at 15, whereas at 12A only “moderate threat and menace” were allowed.
The examining team agreed that the level of threat in Them (Ils) was too strong to be contained at 12A. It is sustained throughout the film with little relief, as the audience are placed in the terrifying position of the main characters. However, Examiners noted that the film took a “less is more” approach, deploying economical filmmaking techniques including the use of lighting and sound effects to create an unnerving atmosphere, without a reliance on strong visual detail, in a manner that they compared favourably to The Blair Witch Project (1999).
Given the film’s lack of stronger violence and gore (The Guidelines at the time did not allow for “the strongest gory images” at 15) the Examiners did not consider that an 18 rating was required. Accordingly, the film was classified 15 for sustained horror.
