Watch out for the spoilers...

This one was a nice surprise. It started out as a ghost movie with a strong paranormal feeling, chilly mood and great surroundings. Furthermore the movie managed to cloak the real identity of the home invaders for some time, and additionally add a cool twist in the end.

The movie (and particularly the ending) is quite disturbing so people with weak nerves should be warned.

I would actually like to summarize the atmosphere of this one as a mix of "The Descent" and "Blair Witch".

7 out of 10 Molotov cocktails

As some other comments have pointed out, "Ils" really doesn't have much of a story to it. A young couple are terrorized by a gang of mysterious, hooded assailants in a country house, that's about all there is to it. But this film takes suspense to whole new levels. It has possibly the scariest opening sequence I've seen in two decades of being a horror movie fan, and I barely breathed throughout the entire first hour. The third act lightens up on the tension a bit (and I mean only a bit), but that's actually a welcome relief... It's nice to feel your heart slow back down to normal levels after being taken on such a ride.

It isn't a horror film that relies on gore or shocks for its frights. Fans of movies like Hostel and Saw probably won't find much to entertain them here; but if you enjoy tight directing that builds layer upon layer of anxiety, then this is for you.

The teacher of the French School in Bucharest Clémentine (Olivia Bonamy) lives with her husband, the writer Lucas (Michaël Cohen), in a remote real estate in Snagow. Along the night, Clémentine is awakened by weird noises outside the old house and Lucas sees their car being stolen. Then the lights are turned off, phone line is dead and they see that their property gate has been trespassed and they are surrounded by weird persons with lights. They hide in the cellar and try to escape to ask for help in a dreadful night of pure terror.

The unknown "Ils" is one of the scariest movies I have ever seen, almost comparable to Michael Haneke´s "Funny Games". The story of this low-budget movie is very simple, does not have special effects and apparently is based on a true story, but the direction of David Moreau and Xavier Palud is stunning, supported by the awesome and credible performances of Olivia Bonamy and Michaël Cohen that make the difference with most of the American movies of this genre. I was tense and nervous with the frightening atmosphere of this film. The alienation of the youngsters "them" in the end is perhaps the scariest part of this gem of horror. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Eles" ("Them")