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[tab title="Movie Review"]

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The scariest thing about The Gallows isn’t exactly because of what happens in it. It’s the realization (occurring afterwards) that, had a producer truly given two shits about the film and not just the money-grubbing hustle from the 23-and-under crowd this weekend, there once upon a time might have been a decent summer horror flick found somewhere inside it. As it is, the “suits” over at New Line Cinema won and The Gallows, another found footage narrative without much rhyme or reason, suffers as a result.

According to the movie, twenty years ago, a high school stage production left one student dead. It was an accidental death and gruesomely tragic.  It is an event that finds itself creeping back into a new generation of teenagers in surprising ways. A group of misguided students in that same high school, in an attempt to honor the dead student, decide to dust off the pages of the play and perform it once again. Tempt fate much?

When a group of popular (and mostly unsympathetic) students break into the school, they discover the real reason this play is better left alone. A hooded hangman, operating behind the scenes, is all about revenge. Is he the Grim Reaper himself? Filled with too many horror clichés to count, The Gallows swallows its pride and its promise as it unfolds in a typical and unchallenging manner that culminates into scared teens filming themselves running up and down the halls of a school with their smartphones.

Starring Reese Mishler, Cassidy Gifford, Ryan Shoos, Pfeifer Brown, and Alexis Schneider as Mary, The Gallows – made to look as if it was filmed by their own phones with the shakiest (as in terrified) of hands – has a couple of strong visual scares coming from out of its dark corners as ropes and a hooded figure appear quickly dragging the students away. Unfortunately, the film has a very limited range for audience engagement. That’s only one of the problems with the head-scratching events that plague this 80-minute feature.

One can’t help but become frustrated with the very idea of these dumbass teens being glued to their phones. Okay, okay, so I’m not an idiot; I know this happens quite a bit but, seriously, the film never has an answer for why the one-dimensional characters don’t just PUT THE PHONES DOWN and run out of the school. Oh, wait.  They are one-dimensional.  Things only spiral out of control from there.

The acting is decent in this body count movie because, all joking aside, the kids are probably playing roles they know all too well. Hell, the script doesn’t even bother to change the majority of their names. Is this in an attempt to make it more realistic? I really hope not because gimmicks don’t usually come this easy in real life.

Curiously enough, it is the absolutely essemtial sound design from Brandon Jones that wins in the end as it works twice as hard to scare up the thrills when the direction from first-time filmmakers Chris Lofing and Travis Cluff lets the audience down. Having mentioned one positive, I’ll mention the other that I can’t shake. There is some value to the hooded hangman premise. We all want new boogeymen to haunt the cinema with and not just recycled maniacs in love with their Halloween masks. That's simply never going to go out of style.  The Gallows gives us that.  Bravo, team. 

Let’s be serious, though. The movie probably cost next to nothing for the studio to make. Warner Bros and New Line are sure to get their coinage back in some way. You know what this means. Somebody will continue to crank these puppies out. Maybe, next time, they will get the formula right because the set-up is firmly in place.  

Speaking as a fan of this particular sub-genre, sit this one out as you aren’t missing much. The Gallows doesn't need your help to hang itself.

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[tab title="Film Details"]

MPAA Rating: R for some disturbing violent content and terror.
Runtime: 81 mins
Director: Travis Cluff, Chris Lofing
Writer: Travis Cluff, Chris Lofing
Cast: Reese Mishler, Pfeifer Brown, Ryan Shoos
Genre: Horror
Tagline: Every School Has Its Spirit.
Memorable Movie Quote: "This place is super creep at night"
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Official Site: http://thegallowsmovie.com/
Release Date: July 10, 2015
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: October 13, 2015
Synopsis: 20 years after a horrific accident during a small town school play, students at the school resurrect the failed show in a misguided attempt to honor the anniversary of the tragedy - but soon discover that some things are better left alone..

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[tab title="Blu-ray Review"]

Blu-ray Details:

Available on Blu-ray - October 13, 2015
Screen Formats: 1.85:1
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1; English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD); UV digital copy; Digital copy; DVD copy
Region Encoding: A

Warner Bros releases a beautiful looking 1080 transfer of The Gallows on blu-ray. I say beautiful only because of the textures that are present and crisp throughout. Because the film is meant to be captured in the moment, most of it appears shot with cell phones and go-pro cameras and the like. Black levels are solid and lines are strong. The Dolby Atmos/TrueHD 7.1 channel sound – remixed specifically for home theater systems with Dolby Atmos – is very intense. Overall, a quality release for a subpar flick.

Supplements:

Commentary:

• None

Special Features:

Truly, the only item worth seeing here is the original concept version of The Gallows. The rest of the supplemental items offers a chance for the cast and crew to reflect upon the making of the movie. A bonus DVD and Digital HD copy of the movie are included.

• The Gallows: The Original Version (80 min)
• The Gallows: Surviving the Noose (17 min)
• Charlie: Every school has its Spirit (9 min)
• Deleted Scenes (10 min)
• Gag Reel (7 min)

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