They Reach

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.

Don't take this too seriously and you will enjoy. I watched it blind and it held my attention from start to end. It is a bit of a mess at times but overall an enjoyable flick. Casting is good. Characters are likeable. Female lead is definitely the standout. FX are competent. Storyline is a bit silly almost to the point that it appears diliberate? Maybe a tongue'n'cheek tribute to Stranger Things/Goons genre? If you like those I am sure you will enjoy this.

I really enjoyed They Reach. There are definitely signs that this was an indie project. The acting wasn't always A-list level, etc. But it was still an enjoyable flick. There are genuinely captivating moments throughout. I also felt like the director did a great job of handling tension and scares. The VFX were above average for an indie/horror flick. And some of the performances were really compelling, especially the character of Cheddar. There are lots of touching moments as well that were well executed. I thought it was a very well balanced film.

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.

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.