Is Them Based on a True Story: Real Events Behind the Series?

Is Them Based on a True Story

When Amazon Prime Video launched the horror anthology sequence “Them” in April 2021, it instantly captured the eye of viewers with its chilling narrative and unsettling environment. The present, created by Little Marvin and government produced by Lena Waithe, is about within the Fifties and follows a Black household’s harrowing experiences as they transfer into an all-white neighborhood in Los Angeles. However because the sequence unfolds, many viewers discover themselves questioning: Is “Them” primarily based on a real story? What actual occasions impressed the present’s haunting portrayal of racism and horror?

What “Them” Portrays

The primary season of “Them,” subtitled “Covenant,” facilities across the Emory household—Henry, Fortunate, and their two daughters—as they confront not solely the prejudiced hostility of their white neighbors but in addition supernatural components that appear to embody the fear of their actuality. The sequence is a mirrored image of systemic racism, trauma, and the historic oppression confronted by Black households in America, and it intertwines actual societal concern with components of horror fiction.

The Historic Context

Whereas “Them” just isn’t primarily based on a single true story, it’s steeped in historic realities. The Fifties are a pivotal decade in American historical past, marked by the civil rights motion and vital social upheaval. The present attracts inspiration from a number of sources, reflecting the pervasive racism and violence in opposition to Black people who has endured all through American historical past.

The backdrop of the present is impressed by the Nice Migration, throughout which thousands and thousands of African People moved from the agricultural South to city facilities within the North and West searching for higher alternatives and to flee Jim Crow legal guidelines. Sadly, they typically discovered themselves dealing with racial hostility of their new properties. The setting by which the Emory household finds themselves resonates with historic accounts of denial and violence confronted by Black households in search of to ascertain themselves in predominantly white neighborhoods.

Influences of Actual Occasions

A outstanding real-world occasion that resonates with the themes of “Them” is the housing discrimination and violence parallel to the historic occasions surrounding the 1919 Chicago race riots or the 1921 Tulsa Race Bloodbath. Whereas the sequence operates as a piece of fiction, the anxieties and the supernatural horrors might be learn as metaphors for the haunting legacy of racism, trauma, and violence inflicted upon Black lives. Little Marvin himself has acknowledged that the sequence is a mirrored image of the “American horror story” that Black individuals have lived by.

The Idea of Supernatural Horror

In “Them,” the supernatural components usually are not solely about conventional horror tropes but in addition embody the psychological fears and societal traumas of the characters. The sequence makes use of horror as a tool to disclose the deep-seated fears that stem from real-life oppression. The spirit world turns into a manifestation of the horror that exists within the hearts of the characters, representing generational trauma that transcends time.

Conclusion

In abstract, whereas “Them” just isn’t primarily based on a real story within the literal sense, it’s deeply rooted within the historical past of racism and oppression in America. The present’s narrative is impressed by actual occasions and systemic injustices that resonate with the lived experiences of many Black households all through historical past. As a horror anthology, “Them” attracts on these components to inform a narrative that’s each terrifying and painfully relatable, making a thought-provoking commentary on the character of concern, each supernatural and societal.

By means of its chilling storytelling and poignant themes, “Them” offers a platform for dialogue about race, trauma, and the lingering ghosts of the previous that proceed to hang-out American society.