They Wait | 
| Director: Ernie Barbarash
Actors: Jaime King, Michael Biehn, Cheng Pei-pei, Henry O, Terry Chen
Studio: Uwe Boll Productions
Category: DVD
List Price: $19.99
Buy New: $11.16
You Save: $8.83 (44%)
New (34) Used (17) from $8.41
Rating:  7 reviews
Sales Rank: 22881
Format: Color, Dvd-video, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: Cantonese (Original Language), English (Original Language)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 99 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: MCMDUB0472D
UPC: 883476004723
EAN: 0883476004723
ASIN: B001B187D4
Theatrical Release Date: 2008
Release Date: September 16, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: BRAND NEW AND FACTORY SEALED!
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Product Description
During the chinese festival of ghost month sarah discovers that her son sammy has fallen gravely ill. She desperately turns to a mysterious pharmacist only to learn that sonny is in the grip of a living corpse. Now sarah must appease the spirits before ghost month ends or her boy will be lost forever. Studio: Uni Dist Corp (music) Release Date: 09/16/2008 Starring: Jaime King Run time: 85 minutes Rating: R
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| Customer Reviews: Read 2 more reviews...
 Great horror film! December 4, 2008
Book & movie lover
I agree with "Cruzier" (1st review on page) that this is the best horror flick in awhile. This movie will literally have you sitting on the edge of your seat, scared silly, but unable to take your eyes off the screen. Not only is the acting by the cast incredible, but the original plot, sequences of events, and special effects are astounding as well. Because the plot behind this movie is so unique of its kind, the movie will leave you wondering constantly what will happen next which is good because it doesn't fall behind other horror flicks that usually have the same theme like haunted houses and such. Buy one today and it won't disappoint!
 Good, Straight Forward Ghost Story October 30, 2008
Pat Shand (Freeport, NY USA)
In a society that considers gore and torture porn to be horror, it is really refreshing to see a modern movie featuring a well done ghost story. It's horror with a heart that doesn't get too sweet, never gets too gory, and it's overall a decent movie.
The story is innovative and definitely keeps you on the edge of your seat. I thought I had the twist figured out a quarter into the movie... but that wasn't the case. It's a straight forward but well plotted tale about a mother racing against the clock to save her son from vengeful ghosts, which leads to revelations about her family's past that might be the key to her son's dire situation. It's definitely not a horror masterpiece--I mean, the final shot of the movie was totally unnecessary--but it's a good story with characters that you can easily get invested in and care about.
7/10
Well-made horror movie based on Asian folklore September 23, 2008
z hayes (plano,texas)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
I am a fan of supernatural movies and had begun to despair of watching well-made ones. Even the J-horror movies have become too formulaic of date. Yet "They Wait" was a refreshing change and a well-made horror movie. Though it is a Canadian made movie, the premise is based on Chinese folklore, that of the Seventh Month of the Lunar Calendar, i.e. the Hungry Ghost Festival. It is believed in Chinese tradition that during this month, the veil between the living and the dead ceases to exist, and hence offerings are placed by descendants of the dead to honor their ancestors, and appease the spirits.
It is during this month that a certain Raymond Tsai dies during a hunting expedition. His nephew Jason [Terry Chen] and his American wife Sarah [Jaime King] fly back to the States from Shanghai for the funeral, accompanied by their six-year-old son, Sam [Regan Oey]. Soon after the funeral, Sam begins to see disturbing apparations and believes they are spirits. He falls very ill, and his mother Sarah begins to have similar visions. She decides to ask the help of a traditional Chinese herbalist, [Henry O] who had volunteered his help. Turns out that Sam is in the grip of a restless spirit that is devouring his very soul and if Sarah doesn't find out what the spirit is seeking before sunrise [when the Hungry Ghost month ends], her son's soul may be lost forever. Thus begins a desperate race-against-time on Sarah's part [her husband is away on business] to solve the mystery, and she literally unearths some very disturbing 'skeletons in the family clost'.
The acting is excellent all-around - the little boy Sam [Regan Oey] convincingly carries off the role of a little kid who also happens to be able to see ghosts [ala Haley Joel Osment's character in the Sixth Sense]. Jaime King is great as the distraught mom who will do anything to save her son. The other notable performances are Jason's sinister Aunt[Pei-pei Cheng], the herbalist [Henry O], and yes, the ghost Shen [Vicky Huang].
The effects are well-done - not over-the-top but very subtle with a few scenes that truly did have the jump-out-of-your-seat effects. The score is effectively creepy and kind of played on in my mind long after the credits rolled! The sets are simple yet credible and on the whole, this was just a really well-made horror flick.
The story here is supposed to be based on true events and I'm glad someone thought to bring it to the big screen. Also, there is a story in the series, Poltergeist: The Legacy [a Showtime offering many years ago] titled "Fox Spirit" that also has a vengeful Chinese spirit seeking revenge, and another movie that is based on the Chinese Hungry Ghost month is "The Maid", an Asian horror movie set in Singapore, where I'm originally from.
It's high time makers of horror movie started mining their stories from other sources rather than the same old haunted house, slasher killers premise, and Eastern folklore has much to offer in terms of that. Final verdict: "They Wait" is a highly watchable supernatural movie!
Well done ghost story September 20, 2008
LFrog1386 (Canterbury, CT)
I agree that this film was very well done and a lot of fun to watch. It's not overly scary but does have a few scenes that will make you jump. The special effects are pretty good, too. Jaime King does a great job as a distraught mother trying to save her child from becoming permanently possessed by a vindictive ghost. And I agree with the other reviewer that the actress playing Aunt Mei was excellent, too.
I especially love the idea of using legends and folklore from foreign countries to tell some fresh new stories here in the U.S. I think we can all say we've seen enough of the "urban legend" type films to last a lifetime. The Chinese beliefs and superstitions about the dead make up the backdrop of this film and give it an eerie feel right from the start. The idea that there is an entire month where "hungry ghosts" can bridge the gap between living and dead is enough to make me want to burn money to appease them, too! I also learned that the Chinese believe that demons are actually angry spirits that turn into demons-a different view from the Christian belief that demons are all from hell. So not only was this film entertaining and a new favorite, but I even learned something new about a different culture!
STILL A FEW GOOD GHOST STORIES OUT THERE! September 18, 2008
P. A Clark (San Jose, CA USA)
They Wait was a cross between the Sixth Sense and J-Horror. And as a result, it worked extremely well.
The story centers around Sarah and her son Sammy. Sarah's family must leave Shanghai for a funeral in the US. One of her husbands uncles recently died (or is killed) in a hunting accident. It also happens to be the time of the year where, according to asain traditions, the dead can come back as demons and attack the living. In this case, Sammy is targeted by a young Chinese female spirit who begins to take control of him.
Sarah realizes that her son is not well. She also catches glimpses of the spirit girl as she stalks the family, in particular Sammy. When Sammy becomes extremely ill and is in danger of dying, Sarah has no choice but to enter the spirit world to save him. She brings herself to a near death state,then discovers that the spirit is angry over being murdered years earlier. Sarah also finds out that her husbands family had a shady past which is why Sammy has been targeted. Apparently the old business of returning bones of dead Chinese immigrants to China was not what it seemed.
Finally Sarah returns to the real world and must confront her husbands aunt and uncles to force them to tell the truth. The angry spirit and her fellow ghosts make their reckoning on the aunt and uncles as well. I don't want to spoil the film for you so I'll leave the rest for you to see for yourself.
They Wait was a well crafted story, and has enough twists and turns in it to keep the viewer interested. The film did jump me a few times and the ghost scenes were errie. The film never really explains why an asian husband and an american wife have an all asian boy, but it dos'nt affect the story. The use of background music is done extremely well and helps build up anxiety.
The acting was pretty good by most of the cast. Jamie King does a good job as the frantic mother. I also liked Cheng Pei Pei as the cold hearted aunt. Overall a good ghost tale with new ideas. A great rental or purchase if you like ghost stories.
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