The Gallows

Starring: Reese Mishler, Pfeifer Brown, Ryan Shoos, Cassidy Gifford
Directed by: Travis Cluff, Chris Lofing
Rating: R
Genre: Horror, Thriller
2015

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: 20 years after a horrific accidental hanging during a school play, the theater group attempts to revive the play. Unfortunately, a supernatural force threatens them.

Review:

Tim: It's really feeling like the "found footage" gimmick is way past its prime. It just doesn't make sense that anyone would film everything you need to film to tell a story like this. From the very outset, this film felt a decade too late. Nothing we see on screen helps that in the least- this is another poor horror movie- the kind that give this genre a bad name. I didn't care for The Gallows in the least.

Among the myriad of issues is that none of the characters are likable or memorable. They're cliches. You have the cameraman, who's a cool, arrogant prankster. Obviously he's going to die. You have his girlfriend, who is pretty... and that's about it. Obviously, she'll die. You have the main character, a cool kid slumming it in the school play. We never learn all that much about him. He has a crush on the play's lead, but other than that, I couldn't tell you anything about his paper-thin character. I cared zero for him. You finally have the annoying, spunky theater-loving girl who again doesn't get any backstory until the end. These four characters did nothing for me. They felt like one-dimensional, cardboard characters. It was pretty bad.

The movie itself isn't very scary. There are a few unsettling moments, but those were cheap tricks. You see the first-person camerawork of someone who hears something and spins to the left- nothing. They spin back to the right- nothing. Those moments were a little nerve-racking, simply because I knew a cheap jump scare was coming. The anticipation made you feel uncomfortable, but that's the pinnacle of this movie's scares. You will never, ever create a worthwhile horror movie while relying on those tactics. This film took the cheap, easy way out instead of crafting truly memorable scares. That alone is enough to doom this crappy film.

It felt like the script threw a lot at us, and the explanation was always, "Charlie the Hangman did it!" For some reason, the kids get trapped inside a school with no way out (which seems absurd to me). Why are all the doors locked? Charlie the Hangman did it! Who moved that table? Charlie the Hangman! Who hung that noose back up and nailed those boards back into place? Charlie the Hangman, using a very quiet hammer, apparently! Why don't the cell phones get any reception? Must be Charlie the Hangman's magical powers! (which conveniently also on occasion cause static interference in the various cameras behind used at the most frightening possible moments! The story was able to do anything, no matter how absurd, and chalk it all up to the supernatural entity. I just want a little realism and consistent logic in my movies. I'll believe a ghost can do a lot of things, but this movie asked way too much.

Now, to give The Gallows some credit, I thought the twist at the end was at least decent. I didn't see it coming, but I suppose it kind of made sense. It wasn't truly shocking, but it was unexpected and kind of cool. It certainly scores points for that. Unfortunately, it dug such a hole for itself in all other areas that it was too little, too late.

The Gallows is a failed attempt at a horror movie. I read somewhere that the producers hoped Charlie the Hangman would be the next Michael Myers, Freddy Kruger, or Jason Voorhees. The problem with that is those horror movie icons all showed up in an original film that was actually good. This flick was a waste of everyone's time. I sincerely hope no one tries to do a sequel- there's not a lot lower for it to go.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 4.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Halloween