In 1979 Jessica (Mary Madaline Roe ) obtains a box of trashed items which includes an old tape recorder. Not having the right tool for the right job, she cuts herself an bleeds on the recorded which was used in an exorcism 10 years ago which we witnessed in the opening scene. This sets off a series of weird events culminating in deaths. The film boils down to (plot spoiler) a demon vs the science project of a 13 year old girl.

I loved the teens in the film. They made an otherwise boring cliche plot fun.

Guide: F-word. No sex or nudity.

I must admit that I was lured in by this 2020 horror movie's cover/poster and also the synopsis. Sure, I hadn't heard about the movie, but its cover looked rather interesting, and the synopsis held a promise of a movie that potentially could be enjoyable to watch. The key word here was 'could be', because "They Reach" wasn't a particularly enjoyable movie.

The fault with "They Reach" is the storyline, as it just felt like writers Sylas Dall and Bry Troyer were just stumbling about in the dark, trying things as they went along. And it didn't make for a wholesome movie. The script and plot was just subpar, and there was little of any enjoyment throughout the course of the movie. I managed to endure the movie to the end, because I wanted to give the movie a chance in the hope of it improving as director Sylas Dall steered the movie about.

For a horror movie, then "They Reach" was just not delivering anything worthwhile. Nothing in the movie was scary, and whenever something with the potential to be good or scary was being brought to the screen, it just culminated in something unfulfilling.

And the characters in the movie were bland. In all honesty, I can't say that I cared much of anything for any of the characters in the movie. The script just didn't present fleshed out characters that I could relate to, nor form any form of bond to. So whether people lived or died, it was all the same. I will say, though, that the acting in the movie was adequate, but the actors and actresses virtually had nothing to work with.

If you enjoy a proper horror movie, do yourself a favor and skip on the 2020 movie "They Reach", because the movies cover/poster was actually the best thing about the entire movie, though it oversold the movie by a long shot. My rating of "They Reach" settles on a mere three out of ten stars.

In 1979, a science nerd named Jessica (Mary Madaline Roe) stumbles upon a possessed tape player, which has kept a demon inside a reel to reel tape. After she lets that demon loose on her hometown of Clarkston, she must ask her friends Sam (Morgan Chandler) and Cheddar (Eden Campbell),who is always eating a corndog, to help save the day.



While They Reach aspires to be a kid-friendly comedy ala The Monster Squad - or more to the point Stranger Things - it has more scares and gore than the former and feels much more like the latter.

Written by Bry Troyer and Sylas Dall, who also directed, this definitely has a nostalgia feel for the 80's. The idea of a haunted tape containing an attempt at an exorcism is pretty cool and if you have some room in your heart for another attempt to mine the past with precocious kids battling supernatural evil while riding their bikes around a small town, then this movie is ready to serve it up for you. Just be warned - again - if you bring the kids, this has some face peeling and blood spewing special effects in store.

It also has a pair of cops named Jay and Bob that seem like they belong to a decade ahead of this, but why quibble?