They Reach released to DVD and Blu-ray in Germany in May 2020. The retro-themed adventure and horror movie set in 1979 screened at the Grimmfest circuit on the 8th of October 2020. I do like a possession story, there are plenty of them around. To be fair, amazing demonic-laced horror movies exist that premise slightly ludicrous ideas. For example, Possessor is doing quite well amongst audiences as is In Fabric. This film doesn’t involve brain implant technology or dresses that kill you like the aforementioned horror movies. This story is about a possessed tape recorder and begins with father-son researchers. Together they are looking to cure a young boy. The exorcism goes horribly wrong and the demon ends up inside a tape recorder which in turn ends up in a hock shop gathering dust for 10 years.

First of all, I couldn’t decide whether the awkwardness of the storyline was on purpose or whether I simply didn’t connect with the style of humor. ‘They Reach’ doesn’t mention being a horror-comedy. Mother of Movies is not a genre label-ist to any degree, there is nothing wrong with throwing in a few gags. However, I’ve said before that inserting silliness into a film doesn’t automatically raise its level of entertainment. There are a few running jokes between the almost all-kid cast. One holds onto the idea that carrying around a Corn Dog is funny. In the final act, there was a bit about potatoes that made me think I had fallen asleep and missed something that led to the requirement of said potatoes.

Eden Campbell, Mary Madaline Roe, and Morgan Chandler in They Reach (2020) adventure movie

Writer-Director Sylas Dall & Co-Writer Bry Troyer

Sylas Dall is the writer-director for this independent and low-budget debut. Alongside co-writer Bry Troyer, the two took a bunch of inspiration from their favorite horror filmmakers and successfully concluded an Indiegogo campaign. ‘They Reach’ movie is the first full-length feature from Rocket Rat Pictures & Single Schred Films. The adventure and horror movie will be distributed by Uncork’d Entertainment at some stage.

Of course, it’s not all doom and gloom. The cinematography is executed well. There are a few really good mirrored world-type scenarios with characters I really liked. The attention to detail with regard to the 1979 time period is totally on the money. Performances are solid considering the experience of the cast. I did have a moment where I burst into a fit of giggles, however. For much of the They Reach narrative, I thought one of the characters, Sam was using the word “cheddar” to be cool. Overwhelmed by much of the dorkiness of the scripting, I did laugh when I realized Cheddar was the girl with the Corn Dog. Shortly after, I felt like perhaps I was simply too old for these types of movies.

Quirky Coming of Age Adventure Movies

More to the point, They Reach will be more memorable for some as a quirky coming-of-age story. There is a low-key romance between Sam and Jessica which is cute. Despite Cheddar and her Corn Dog, I enjoyed the quirky nature of Eden Campbell’s performance. Whether the thought of using her bike as if it were a car was improvised or scripted, it worked.

You could watch this with your tweens and they will probably get a kick out of it. They Reach is certainly not a bad movie overall.

I give They Reach

2.5 sets complete with banana seated bikes out of 5

Mother of Movies score

Best movies from 2020 film festivals to watch: An Ideal Host / Ten Minutes to Midnight / Alone