The Gallows

I love found footage horror when it's done well, and there's a lot to choose from, and a lot of it sucks. So when I see one that doesn't have me cringing and eye-rolling from start to finish, I give it a break.

The Gallows moves along quickly, the storyline mostly makes sense and is engaging enough, the characters are identifiable, typical and even likable, and the ending was somewhat original and unexpected, so to me, this is worth a viewing.

The majority of bad reviews seem to be from people who already hate found footage, so it's hard to give those reviews any credence. But if you are like me and enjoy found footage horror, and understand going in that most of those films are pretty bad, then this film is for you.

The Gallows (2015)

*** (out of 4)

During a school production of The Gallows, a prop goes horribly wrong and an actor is killed. Flash forward twenty years and the school is putting the play on again. The night before the show the lead actor and his two friends break into the school to damage the property when they bump into the lead actress. Soon the four are trying to find a way out but realize that they're not alone.

THE GALLOWS is a rather strange movie because I started off hating the picture with a passion. I really do mean that I hated this film because I thought the first twenty or so minutes were incredibly annoying. I thought everything about the "found footage" film was annoying and especially the character holding the camera most of the time. For the life of me I couldn't help but wish something would happen to him because he annoyed me to the point where I wasn't enjoying the movie.

As I said, the first twenty minutes are pretty bad but once the horror elements start and once the characters get locked into the school things really pick up. I really love found footage movies when they're done right and I think THE GALLOWS is extremely well-made and well-acted. As with the best films in the genre, what makes them work is how the camera just floats around and you're mind prepares you for something scary to happen but you just never know when it's going to happen and this just builds up more suspense.

For my money there were plenty of very creepy scenes throughout the picture. This here is certainly the most important part but I'm not going to provide any spoilers so I won't go into any details about what exactly happens. I will say that the look of the killer was very creepy and it certainly helped keep you on guard throughout the ending. I also thought the four actors were extremely believable and good in their roles.

As I said, I really hated the first portion of this film but a film like THE GALLOWS is made to scare you and I must admit that the film got the best of me and in the end I had fun with it.

Twenty years ago, a student died in a high school play called The Gallows. Now the school is putting on the play again, with a jock who can't act as the male lead. The jock's irritating friend convinces him the play will stink and he will be embarrassed. So, along with another friend, they sneak into the school at night to trash the set so it will be cancelled. But they are discovered in the act by the play's lead actress and then everything goes to hell as the four find themselves trapped in the building with the vengeful ghost of the boy who died in The Gallows.

Another found footage movie trying to find a hook in a played out horror subgenre. It has most of the usual found footage problems, including my favorite: characters continuing to film the terrifying goings-on in the movie even when all logic would dictate they should drop the camera. One particularly galling scene is when one character is running for his life and has to climb a ladder to escape the hangman ghost thing (don't ask). The guy holds onto the camera with one hand the entire time he climbs the ladder. I mean, come on, that's beyond stupid and unrealistic. The characters are very annoying in this. The guys are the worst, with Ryan Shoos giving new meaning to the word obnoxious and Reese Mishler having a slack-jawed wide-eyed expression on his face the entire movie. I can only assume he calls that acting. The highlight of the film is when Ryan's character calls Reese's character a bad actor. That the characters also share the names of the actors just made the scene all the more enjoyable. I'm sure Ryan loved getting to say what he was thinking about his fellow actor without breaking character. The two girls, Cassidy Gifford and Pfeifer Brown, are fine but ultimately forgettable. It's not a scary movie in any way. The beginning is very boring but, once it gets going, it at least manages to keep your attention. You probably won't like it much but try to stick with it for the unbelievably corny ending.

Remember back when the found footage style was a unique style of filmmaking and only a handful of films used it? (I.E. The Blair Witch Project, Paranormal Activity, Rec.) But it's common knowledge nowadays that it's become a cliché and a cheap gimmick for studios to save on production costs. Most of the time, there is almost no effort put into the film's storyline, characters, or scares. The Gallows certainly doesn't help its case.

Pros:

-A few decent performances

-Good production design

-Has the potential to be scary

Cons:

-Insufferable main character

-Bullshit plot twist that makes no sense

-Plot itself is nonsensical

-Relies on cheap jump scares

-Has a few good ideas, but they're usually screwed up somehow.

-Found footage style is given no explanation

3/10 (Horrible)

Do not, I repeat, Do not fall for the made up 10 star reviews...( It's obvious those affiliated with producing this garbage want to pique the interest of others so they give fake ratings & reviews, hoping others will be interested enough to see it- & they make more $$) Take it from me, Wasting my $ & time on this terrible so-called "movie" left me leaving the theater very upset I wasted $ on this trash & annoyed. All found myself wanting to do, was to drop-kick the blonde, camera-holding, guy. (.Whoever decided THAT guy has any talent in acting, needs to have their heads examined.,I can only surmise he has a family connection or paid to be in the film) The story/ acting was way too cheesy to be scary. I have nothing positive to say about this film. It was just plain junk. When I went to see it, it was opening weekend, therefore, there weren't many reviews or ratings accumulated to get a real idea of whether or not it was going to be any good. I believe this crap actually had a 6.1 rating...Now, for horror movies- I considered that to be relatively high ( even from just a couple hundred ratings) Wow, was I duped!! Now,after seeing ( most of ) the movie ( ended up walking out, it was THAT BAD) and then seeing the 10 star reviews, I KNOW the ratings on here can't be trusted...( until you see at least 5,000 - 10,000 people rated it) SO- save your $ , time & irritation -skip this boring, sad excuse & find something better...