Forget any other scary movies

Forget any of the other scary movies of the year -- grotesque Internet sites, dastardly murderers, ghosts on boats and wicked videotapes aren't half as scary as a good old horror film about monsters that live under the bed -- or in the closet -- and terrorize children at night. Some of the children in "They" get taken away when they're young, but some aren't taken until they're older and more ripe for the plucking. \nThe opening scene sets the mood for the entire film, when a little boy screams to his mom during a thunderstorm. His mom calmly reassures him that there's nothing to be afraid of and the monsters are all in his head, then leaves him and walks downstairs. But they're not in his head, they're under his bed.\nNineteen years after the chilling opening scene, the audience follows Julia (Laura Regan), a graduate student with a promising career and a devoted boyfriend. Julia transforms from a distant and unemotional student to a raging lunatic suffering from "night terrors." Of course, no one believes they're real, not her idiot boyfriend, her less-than-apathetic psychologist, and, eventually, not even herself. The death/suicide of her childhood friend introduces her to the only two people who believe her because they have the terrors too. Well, let's just say they aren't friends for long.\nThis movie's fine points are its dark, daunting, terrifying, never-quite-see-the-monster scenes. It's a quickly paced, classic cult thriller, and in the end, every one gets it. The movie does fall short in the acting department, where, apparently, true ability and depth of character portrayal weren't in the job description. But, after seeing "They," if you have a closet in your room, you'll be shutting it from now on.