The Gallows (2015)
Certified: 12
Duration: 81 minutes
Directed by: Travis Cluff, Chris Lofing
Starring: Reese Mishler, Pfeifer Brown, Ryan Shoos, Cassidy Gifford, Price T. Morgan, Jesse Cross, John Tanskly, Emily Jones, Travis Cluff, Mackie Burt
KRS Releasing Ltd
Back in the early 1990s, the drama The Gallows, based on the style and content of the classic The Crucible, was to be set up at a high school in Nebraska. On the night of the first performance, in a scene where the lead actor is sentenced to death by hanging, the incident happened for real. The shock and horror at what happened left far-reaching effects.
On the 20th anniversary of that event, Pfeifer Ross (Pfeifer Brown), who is the best actress on campus, tries to get the school to do a repeat of The Gallows as a tribute to the cast of the original production.
Reese Houser (Reese Mishler) is given the male leading role. He is a jock who has taken theatre credits in order to get points to continue with his sports curriculum. He is not a natural actor but he is very attracted to Pfeifer and plays along to her whims. Meanwhile, his best friend Ryan (Ryan Shoos) and girlfriend (Cassidy Gifford) concoct a plan to destroy the play’s sets and stages. Reese tags along when they decide to enact the plot and when Pfeifer sees Reese’s car, she enters the deserted school to see what is happening.
The Gallows has plot strands that horror veterans will soon tie together, while those new to the genre will get quite a few surprises
That is when the four end up trapped, with their only solace coming from the flashlight of one of their mobile phones. As time progresses they start to realise that they are not alone.
Made on a budget of $100,000 and cashing in over $35 million so far, The Gallows has become another ‘found-footage’ success. It seems that despite all the naysayers the found-footage genre is here to stay and it has found a permanent home in the horror genre.
The film sports an interesting idea and what is happening seems to be actually real. It is told mostly through the eyes of Ryan who carries many of the usual traits of horror movie characters. Like other slasher movies, one will end up waiting to see who will be killed next and how.
With a compact running time, The Gallows has plot strands that horror veterans will soon tie together while those new to the genre, for whom this film will best appeal to, will get quite a few surprises.
Fans of the Paranormal Activity and Blair Witch-style of film-making will find the same kind of camerawork, as the production builds its case as a faux documentary and tries to be as realistic as possible.
The final moments deliver twists that upturn the plot lines but it’s in these moments that it becomes more evident that this movie is aimed at those venturing into the realms of the found-footage genre for the first time.