Monday, August 21, 2017

Horror Film Review

The Gallows (2015):  Another found-footage horror flick in the same vein as Paranormal Activity or The Blair Witch Project.  I wish someone would shout from the rooftops that the novelty of this style of movie-making has worn off.  It was scary and groovy for a while but is now time for it to go away.

In this case, the camera is run by high school football player and all-around douchebag Ryan (Ryan Shoos) who badgers his friend and fellow jock Reese (Reese Mishler) incessantly for joining the school play.  The play was last put on 30 years previously when a student was accidentally hanged on stage during the performance.  Turns out Reese has the hots for the play's leading lady, Pfeifer (Pfiefer Brown) but after more grief dished out by Ryan, Reese decides to go along his friend's plan to get himself out of it.  The plan?  Sneak into the school at night and destroy the set.  Not exactly Operation Overlord, I know.  So Reese, Ryan, and Ryan's girlfriend Cassidy (Cassidy Gifford) sneak in...and run into Pfeifer.  Oops.  Plan aborted, they decide to leave only to discover no door leading outside will open.  Even the broken door that cannot lock.  At this point, as you may imagine, the ghost of the hanged student starts picking them off.  Eventually, Reese discovers that his father was supposed to play the lead 30 years ago and therefore should have been the one to die.  We also discover Pfeifer has a rather diabolical secret and isn't exactly sane.  I must be slipping because I didn't see the secret coming.  Don't worry.  This isn't The Sixth Sense so it's neither terribly clever nor very well implemented.

The Gallows spends entirely too much time with set up and not enough with delivery of the horror.  It relies on the found footage device to its overall detriment.  So there's a shadowy dude with a noose chasing them around the theater and school.  Yeah...and?  For me, all that means is that the deaths won't be bloody or original.

The Skinny

Acting:  I don't know if it was by design, but every character was annoying to varying degrees.  If by design, the performances were good.  If not (as I suspect), then the acting was unbelievably poopy.
Story:  Vengeful spirit in a high school.  Not the most unique idea, and not the best executed.
Direction:  Literally all over the place.  Some of the time you don't know who has the camera or if it's even footage from the camera or a smartphone.  Hard to build tension this way.
Production Values:  As usual, the found footage is amazingly clear with excellent sound and lighting.  Funny how that works.  I'm told the budget was just $100,000.  If true, I'm impressed.
Gore/FX:  No blood, no gore.  No bueno.
Scares:  Sort of.  In a couple of spots.  Nothing that will worry your dry cleaner.
Ending:  Ill conceived and unnecessary.  I just shook my head at the stupidity.
Verdict:  Should you see The Gallows?  Barring masochism and torture, I can't think of a reason why you'd want to.

Rating:  1 out of 5

No comments:

Post a Comment