They Wait (2007) User Reviews

Perfect For Late Night Television

[Mr_Saxon · 5/10 · 28 March 2008]

After the release of Japan's "Ringu", Eastern horror became extremely popular in the west and lead to a series of remakes including "The Grudge" and "The Ring". "They Wait" isn't a remake of an existing Eastern horror but an original production in which an American mother (played by Jaime King) and her six year old son find themselves facing the ghosts of the Chinese community into which they have arrived from Shanghai. Although it may not be based on a Japanese or Chinese horror movie, "They Wait" unfortunately comes across like a compilation of greatest hits from such productions.

There's one very good scare quite early in the movie but, once this is over, everything else comes across as quite tame. "They Wait" also unfortunately employs some terrible CGI effects in places. Some of the ghosts (especially those seen before the titles roll) look like something from a Playstation game! This is quite surprising as the rest of the movie looks to have had quite a bit of money thrown at it and director Ernie Barbarash (who also directed "Cube: Zero") knows how to make his movie look extremely polished.

The lead performances are all very good (Ms King, in particular, proves to be a strong center for the story) but the plot is quite uninspired. You'll quickly guess what's going on and who is responsible, and the way in which things are resolved also leaves a lot to be desired. But is it a bad movie? No, not at all. If you catch it on television late at night, you'll probably be perfectly entertained throughout its running time and enjoy something that has many charms amongst its faults. If you pay money to rent it out, however, you might feel you've wasted money on something that seems incredibly similar to so many other movies.

At the time of writing, this movie has a 3.8 score on IMDb which is, in my opinion, completely unjustified. I've seen a few movies deserving of a score like that and this movie certainly isn't one of them! I can guess at the reason for this, and that reason would be the presence of a certain Uwe Boll who most movie fans will know as the director of a growing library of terrible movies (Alone In The Dark, In The Name Of The King, Bloodrayne etc). However, it's worth pointing out that Uwe Boll was simply the producer here. He didn't write this movie and he certainly didn't direct it!

In summary then, "They Wait" is an inoffensive horror movie which works nicely as a late night time-waster but not much more.

A boring Chinese Poltergeist story

[siderite · 5/10 · 26 July 2009]

Oh no, they didn't let them rest. And now they have awakened. Or something of the sort. They used all the clichés of the genre: Chinese obscure habits, disturbed bones, demons that take a child hostage while the mother must perform some sort of task while no one is helping except "the old sage". Also the usual scene that begins in a way and ends in blood or scary deformed faces or other things like that. Don't forget the sudden loud violin sounds and sudden movements.

Yes, you have seen it before. And as long as you will watch this kind of recycled junk, you will continue seeing it. My advice is to boycott such farces and make way for real movies.

A reasonably good movie ...

[amitindia2008 · 6/10 · 31 March 2008]

I read some mixed reviews before watching it..it takes a bit more to please me as an horror movie buff. I felt the story line was innovative, movie had good number of scares without much of blood around.

The main lead was good but probably some nudity would have added more flavour to the movie. Good effort overall. Probably there could have been more gore and blood in the movie to keep all the horror fans happy.

It was not as scary as Grudge or Ring but it was still reasonably good absolutely not a time waster. Its definitely worth a watch.

I would give it a 6.

Sleeper Hit of Toronto Festival

[metro-broadway · 2 October 2007]

I caught this at the Toronto Festival like the other reviewer and was very surprised by how entertaining it was. A terrific ghost story. Jaime King puts in a very strong performance and the whole cast is solid. It's been a while since I've witnessed entire audiences jumping in fright and screaming. There is incredible atmosphere in the film and the underlying story is actually quite brilliant in the way it combines multiple cultures, the immigrant experience, Chinese folklore and actual history and fuses it into a genuine crowd-pleasing genre film. Highly original on that front. I'm a pretty well-rounded J-horror freak-boy and I couldn't see any clichés here which was amazing. Great work from director Barbarash as well.

I'm giving it an 8 as it was certainly the cream of the Canadian film crop at the festival (not withstanding Eastern Promises, which is not a Canadian story with Canadian actors). There is an obvious very large audience for it and it's well made. Looking at the IMDb scores, while I write this, there's a couple dozen 1's dragging the score down. How could that be? This is a pretty good film! Is this because Uwe Boll has his name attached as an executive producer? People are rating it with 1's and trashing it on their blogs without even seeing it. Sad. What a shame for the sincere filmmakers behind this quality movie.

Average horror flick

[gee-60 · 5/10 · 29 May 2008]

I like horror, and horror in the true sense of being scared by a movie. This had a few jumps in it, but nothing terrifying.

The main problem with it was the story. It was very, very all over the place. You're not sure if it's a monster movie, a ghost story or a horror film. And it keeps you guessing right up till the end...and I'm still not sure.

If the story had been written well, the film would have been good. The acting was not bad, nothing outstanding. The direction was again, OK, a few good moments are spoilt by a few bad ones.

Watch it late at night, with the lights off, you'll most likely enjoy it. Just try not to follow the plot too closely, coz it's not a very good one.

Scary stuff

[ctomvelu1 · 7/10 · 12 March 2011]

I have reviewed this under another name. I saw it again today and am as impressed with it now as I was on first viewing. Jamie King and family return to North America after living in China. Her young son falls ill and apparently is possessed by a vengeful spirit. As she seeks to find a way to save him, King begins to unravel an unspeakable mystery involving Asians working in a nearby sweatshop. To say more would be to give it away. This is a terrific little ghost movie/crime flick with plenty of scary images and some moments that will make you jump right out of your seat. Some Chinese folklore is woven into the plot, although I do not know if is the real thing or not. Highly recommended. It pops up on cable once in awhile.

Meh

[rlange-3 · 5/10 · 21 December 2008]

I'm having a hard time actually figuring out why this just wasn't a very good movie, because the component parts were not that bad individually. Acting was OK, but not great. The plot was reasonable although nothing special. The Asian elements to the story were interesting but hardly compelling. Special effects average. Cinematography a bit weak but not horrible.

Hmmm. I'm beginning to see a pattern here. Everything is just... average at best. There's no spark, no pizazz, nothing to make you really get scared, excited, thrilled, grab the edge of your seat. It's just -- meh.

Excellent & fresh ghost story, terribly under-rated!

[daggersineyes · 7/10 · 19 October 2013]

I'm not sure how I discovered this little gem but I'm very glad I did. This is a fantastic original story with a creepy moody atmosphere, fair to middling(tho not brilliant) acting and nice cinematography. The kid portraying the youngster is particularly good as well as being cute as a button, which makes things all the more creepy in certain parts of the movie. Unfortunately the actor playing his mother is very wooden which is a shame as she is central to the movie. There is definitely a lack of chemistry between her and the other characters which again undermines the quality of the movie.

On the plus side it has a great original story - this is so important and a bit of a rarity these days. The editing, direction and camera work is top notch and they don't resort to any fancy or pretentious camera tricks. This has it's down side as it could have benefited from at least a little more creativity in the camera work but on balance I'd rather have straight forward visuals than obvious cliché camera tricks. Also worth noting is the special effects which are done extremely well and the, at times, brilliant set pieces. One scene involving a lady vomiting stands out and my favourite was the awesome but all-too-brief appearance of the "guardian". If I have one real criticism of the movie it would be that it needed more scenes like that. I also appreciated the unique revenge sequences.

This is hugely under-rated and unfairly slammed in these reviews. Yes there are better horror &/or ghost stories in existence but this one is definitely one of the better produced and more original of the also- rans. It's also clearly aimed at a family audience as opposed to "adult" so it has dialogue that seems a little unrealistic at times & suffers because of it. But that can easily be over-looked.

Steering well clear of typical clichés and delivering enough shivers & scares to satisfy, this movie is perfect for anyone who enjoys creepy spook flicks. If you're looking for slasher/torture porn and the like you won't find it here. But if you're looking for an atmospheric and entertaining movie for the family to watch this is one of the better ones.

I was also interested in the back story (relating to an animal welfare issue I wont disclose so as not to spoil the story) and impressed that it incorporated an issue that I have a personal interest in. I wish they'd made a little more of that sub-plot but that's just my own interests. Mostly I was pleased to see it being raised in the movie - even as a bit of an aside.

Grab this one and some popcorn & beverages and gather the family round this Halloween.

PS This movie is guaranteed 100% Shaky-cam Free!

Decent scares but terrible acting & not a lot of entertainment value

[scarletheels · 5/10 · 7 March 2012]

Sarah (Jaime King), her husband, Jason, and their six year old son, Sammy, go to Vancouver for Jason's Uncle Raymond's funeral. During their stay at Aunt Mei's house, Sammy starts seeing ghosts. He ends up in a coma at the hospital after nosing around the basement of Uncle Raymond's warehouse. Soon, Sarah sees them, too.

Desperate for answers, she visits a local pharmacist who shows her a sketch of the spirit with Sammy - her skeletal hand reaching for his exposed heart - that he drew a year ago. He tells her the spirit has imprisoned her son's soul and Sarah has until dawn on the last day of Ghost Month to find out what the spirit's motives are or Sammy will be lost forever.

The R rating has me baffled. There are some disturbing images but not near as gory as The Grudge and that's rated PG-13. There is no sex or nudity, not even a side boob. I don't even recall a single swear word. This is more mystery & suspense than it is horror, in my opinion. The scares are good but the acting is terrible. Pei-pei Cheng as Aunt Mei and the adorable Henry O as Sammy are very believable but King is a whiny mess and Chen doesn't understand the use of facial expressions.

I'm Asian, my husband is Caucasian, and we have two Amerasian daughters. I'm rating this on the low side because the movie was a letdown and only partially entertaining, not because I have an issue with inter-racial couples.

An Asian style ghost story without all the clichés

[Sabalon · 7/10 · 27 May 2008]

Don't get me wrong, I love The Ring, The Grudge, and most J-Horror movies with the jerky movement ghosts and tales of revenge.

However this movie seemed to be able to communicate the same concepts that make the Asian ghost stories so intriguing without resorting to all the same clichés. And when they do decide to throw in a jump scene, it is usually not where you expect it or completely out of nowhere.

It is a simple story that has been told over and over, but this adds and Asian twist with concepts such as Hungry Ghost Month and Spirit Money without alienating a western audience.

Overall the story is pretty predictable and that is the only downside to this movie. Once you figure out what is going on, it's pretty much a "which road will they take to the end" as opposed to a surprise around each corner. The acting is pretty decent for this type of flick. The kid actually does a good job - never know how they will do in these.

I would recommend this if you want to introduce some of the elements of a good Asian horror story without all the oddness that is directly copied in some of the other remakes. Many of the concepts of the genre are there without the kabuki inspired movements.

A good horror film...

[MovieGuy01 · 5/10 · 15 October 2009]

I thought that They Wait was a very good horror film. Despite It is about a couple that returns to North America for a family funeral, having lived in Shanghai, China for the previous three years. Not long after they arrive, their son Jamie begins to see ghosts and suffers possession by one of the living dead, and it all ties in with the Chinese festival of Ghost Month, when the doors of hell supposedly open and angry spirits are given the chance to terrorise the living. This ended up being a very good film like most Asian horrors seem to be like. And i though that it had a good supernatural feel to it, which made it such a good film.

Very Scary and Underrated Ghost Story

[claudio_carvalho · 8/10 · 21 December 2011]

Jason Tsai (Terry Chen), his wife Sarah (Jaime King) and their six year- old son Sam (Regan Oey) live in Shanghai and they need to travel to the Pacific Northwest in North America in the Hungry Ghost Month for the funeral of Jason's Uncle Raymond (Colin Foo). Raymond and Aunt Mei (Cheng Pei Pei) owned a family factory in the basement of their house, and Jason was raised by them. Further, Raymond founded a Benevolent Society fifty years ago and he was also known as The Bone Collector since he exhumed the bones of the immigrants and shipped them back to China.

Sam begins to see spirits everywhere and a pharmacist (Henry O) feels that the boy and Sarah have sensitive souls and he advises that the Hungry Ghost Month is a dangerous period for people that can see spirits. He explains that angry ghosts can become demons and the realms of the living and the dead intercept and the dead can walk in the world of the living.

Sarah and Aunt Mei do not like each other but they stay in her house. Sooner Sam mysteriously falls into a coma and the doctors can not find an answer for his problem. Sarah sees the ghost of a woman and finds a grave box in the former factory. She returns to see the pharmacist and he tells that the box belonged to a woman named Shen-Lu. Further, he tells that Sarah needs to go to the world of the dead to retrieve the soul of her beloved son.

"They Wait" is a very scary and underrated ghost story, and one of the best I have seen this year. This DVD has been just released in Brazil and I had lower expectations based on the unfair IMDb User rating of 5.1.

The screenplay is very well written with a complex ghost story. The special effects are excellent and in right doses. The scene when the stranger asks Sam if he likes ghost is one of the best I have ever seen in horror films.

The beautiful Jaime King has great performance and I admire this actress very much since she is a survivor from heroin addiction. There are some minor mistakes in the edition that do not affect the final result. "They Wait", together with "Insidious" (2010), are the best horror films that I have seen this year. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Espíritos Famintos" ("Hungry Spirits")

Atmospheric thriller

[ctomvelu-1 · 7/10 · 4 April 2009]

Jaime Kinmg stars as a young mom in THEY WAIT, a murder mystery and ghost story rolled into one. She travels to the state from her home in Shaghai to attend a funeral. Weird things begin to happen almost immediately, including the son sliding into a trance-lie state and a mute young Chinese woman popping up and then disappearing again. Lovers of ghost movies, especially ones with a revenge plot, will figure out the plot early on, but they are likely to be surprised by the ultimate solution. We get a little Chinese folklore mixed in to spice things up. King is the only recognizable name in the cast, and appears in virtually every scene. She does a fine job as a harried mother trying to make sense of the many odd things that happen to her. The movie is atmospheric and occasionally scary. It is in the vein of THE OTHERS and SIXTH SENSE.

Terrible

[natierice · 2/10 · 8 January 2020]

I couldn't believe how terrible this movie was. I mean there was no plot. It's worth only two stars because how stupid funny it was.

Vancouver ghost story is a real gem!

[michael.will · 31 January 2008]

A young Canadian, mixed-race family (he's Asian, she's Euro, and they have a westernized 11-year-old) have their prosperous life in go-go modernday Shanghai interrupted by a mysterious family death back home. This takes them back to Vancouver's Chinatown, where they experience culture shock in reverse. The couple find themselves at odds over the very cultural pressures they once fled, while their little boy, a born psychic like his denying mother, finds himself the innocent target of malevolent spirits. From there the terror mounts.

An extremely well mounted and well written supernatural thriller, both quietly eerie and scream-inducing horrific. Believable characters (nothing "Cleavers" about this troubled but loving couple) and no cheap thrills -- any horror moments are clearly explained in this one, as part of its intricate plot. Sometimes to a fault -- the odd snatch of dialogue is a bit too explanatory -- but it feels like a great horror director hit-and-missing at a great skill, in his movies to come.

Another great treat of this film is spotting those wonderful older Chinese character actors, whom I've seen around for years, doing their "Rosemary's Baby" turn as fabulously diabolical oldtimers.

Meh

[laurenldavies · 3/10 · 5 February 2024]

Not sure why this movie got so many positive reviews. It really wasn't scary, even the cheap jump scares were predictable. The concept feels a bit tired and worn out; it's been done before. I was tempted to turn it off halfway through but stuck it out, hoping for a payoff but sadly there was none. The only thing that I enjoyed about this movie was that it was filmed in my hometown, and it was cool to see familiar places. The acting was okay but I feel that the overall plot was weak and the characters were one dimensional. All in all, while it wasn't horrible, it certainly was not memorable in any way.

This is a Canadian movie about the Hungry Ghosts Month and set in Shanghai (supposedly) so it's unique, if anything.

[eddax · 6/10 · 27 May 2009]

I love it when East meets West and I find it cooler still when it's a white girl and an Asian guy pairing. This is a Canadian movie about the Hungry Ghosts Month and set in Shanghai (supposedly) so it's unique, if anything.

Jaime King is a mom whose son has been taken by a vengeful spirit who seeks justice for what happened to her in some sweat shop owned by King's Chinese in-laws. Hence, she seeks spiritual help to enter the ghost realm to discover the truth and find her son. It's actually a story not unlike what would've come out of Hong Kong during its horror movie heyday, so They Wait has the feeling of being yet another Hollywood remake (but it isn't).

The mystery wasn't very deep, but there were a couple of cool scary/creepy scenes, and the actors were good, though I wish Cheng Pei Pei wasn't so understated.

I should have waited as well

[baunacholi-86159 · 3/10 · 19 January 2024]

To watch this run-of-the mill mystery movie. Yes there're some scenes and situations which suggest something eerie is supposed to go on but ultimately it's not working really. Even the aspect of Chinese lore and mythology (which is actually the best part of the whole movie) doesn't help to separate this experience from other flicks. I really struggle to find redeeming qualities - most feels just plain and unfortunately underdeveloped in my pov despite the ambition to come up with something original and different ... only the back story (poor bears !) is somewhat interesting but more truly despicable.

Unique spin of the child possession theme

[jordondave-28085 · 6/10 · 5 April 2023]

(2007) They Wait HORROR

Sarah (Jaime King) a stepmother of a young Chinese boy Sam, living in China, when her Chinese husband, Jason (Terry Chen) receives a call that his father had passed away, he decides to take his family back to Vancouver, Canada for the intention of helping his mother in terms of funeral and business, and so forth. Once there, he finds out more revelations regarding his dad's troubled past, and that in turn exposes his only son to the supernatural who would be very slowly become possessed.

It has rings of Japanese influence from popular movies of "Ju-On" or " "Ringu" that inspired Hollywood remakes using American actors. Except that the set up in this one is original with a different spin, even though the overall experience is not scary at all. The thumbs up rating is strictly for it's originality.

Mixture of creepy and fun

[begob · 7/10 · 3 March 2015]

Agree with everyone else on this page - good horror.

It combines American values with Asian ghosts: a prosperous family has its world turned upside down as a dark secret crawls toward the light.

The acting, music, camera work are solid, and there are some nice Asian touches, particularly when the ghost girl appears with her bells tinkling playfully. The pace is good too as the mystery is gradually revealed.

I prefer more creep and menace, but it's not for that kind of audience and the final conflict goes back to American values in a Spielberg style righting of the wrongs.

Produced by ... Uwe Boll.

amazingly good

[parkville · 8/10 · 30 June 2010]

I am so accustomed to silly, poorly written and acted films on the SciFi channel it was an enormous surprise when this film aired last night. A bit too good of a surprise as I was so disturbed by a scare early in the film I ended up staying up entirely too late - too unhinged to go to bed and turn off the lights.

I now know this wasn't made by the SciFi channel although I don't recall ever hearing of it before or seeing a theatrical release.

Above average acting (the little boy and female lead are more than competent), an original plot and that scare toward the beginning of the film still gives me goosebumps just thinking about it. Really didn't see it coming - sounds as if it may be revealed in some trailer - DON'T WATCH THE TRAILER! Oh, and best of all, a real horror film, not that nauseating torture porn that passes as horror these days.

Also - good cinematography and adequate special effects. There is so little decent horror made these days that isn't just played for laughs or the gross-out factor. Worth staying up to watch - I promise you won't desperately wish to get that 2 hours of your life back!

Underrated Ghost Story

[dlmyst-29813 · 7/10 · 8 July 2020]

This movie was a fun watch from the beginning to the end. At first I thought, it was going to be boring old ghost story that been retold many times already. However, I'm glad I was wrong and this story kept you guessing until the end of the movie. The actors were great though the mom (forgot her name) was a little stiff at certain parts of the movie. Other than that, there wasn't many special affects but what they did have in the movie was enough to convey the story. Must watch.

A Shockingly Good Ghost Movie

[Paul_Kael · 17 October 2007]

Seeing THEY WAIT at the Vancouver Festival, people were screaming at the scares, and the audience broke out into applause after a tense, white-knuckle 89 minutes. THEY WAIT leaps into action with a highly engaging first half, and then escalates quickly into a harrowing and riveting second part. Surprisingly strong performance from Jaime King and excellent turns by the rest of the cast. THEY WAIT - quite frankly - really does have blockbuster theatrical hit written all over it as another commentator has said, and has remarked the only legitimate print journalist to review it so far; everything, from the visuals to the performances, seems to be operating at a Hollywood movie level, far beyond its budget and seemingly nothing like the usual unpopular and noncommercial Canadian film disasters. Does this film mark the return to the days when Canadian films like SCANNERS or PORKY'S could take the box office crown away from the Hollywood studios? People applauding at the end, swarming around the lobby talking about how good it was -- that tells you everything you need to know about the reception to the film by an audience. With a decent release and a good ad campaign, this will be a hit. Though not perfect -- there is a certain clunkiness to a flashback sequence, for example -- the film is a revelation in doing what it sets out to do. It bangs virtually every mark. Director Ernie Barbarash has grown leaps and bounds from his previous efforts with the mediocre to dull low-rent CUBE ZERO and has hit the Hollywood Standard here. This film shines and looks and sounds terrific.

Paul Kael @ rotten tomatoes

The best movies are not so popular

[JobsBronson · 6/10 · 7 March 2021]

Another thriller that confirms my saying that the best movies are not so popular.

The performance of the Chinese little boy is very good. He reminded me of the performance of Haley Joel Osment in The Sixth Sense (1999). The script is not perfect, but it is an interesting story enough to keep most fans of the genre involved.

Predictable ghost fare with a decent back story

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 28 September 2015]

THEY WAIT is an entirely routine ghost film in which a couple discover that their young son is being haunted by a vengeful female ghost. We've seen this sort of stuff a zillion times before, and on the face of it this is no different to the normal sort of fare; some below par CGI effects are hardly the thing to instill confidence in the viewer.

And yet, and yet...THEY WAIT is a surprising film. Surprising because the writing surrounding the reason for the ghost's presence is actually decent for once. It's clearly been well thought out, and it's a story that mixes together forced labour, murder, and the hungry ghost festival. Despite the proliferation of Asian ghost films over the last couple of decades, I actually found the back story to be fresh and engaging. It doesn't make THEY WAIT a perfect film, but it is worth a look for fans of the genre on that basis alone.