The Gallows
1/4
Starring: Reese Mishler, Pfeifer Brown, Ryan Shoos, Cassidy Gifford
Rated R for Some Disturbing Violent Content and Terror
For the past 20 years, the "found footage" genre has been a horror movie staple. While it has been used in other genres, such as the superhero movie ("Chronicle") and sex comedy ("The Virginity Hit"), it's mostly used in an attempt to scare the living hell out of the audience. "The Blair Witch Project" wasn't the first film to use this form of filmmaking, but it's the film that brought it into the mainstream. Without it, movies like "Cloverfield" and "Paranormal Activity" wouldn't exist.
If only the same thing could be said about "The Gallows," which is how not to make a "found footage" movie. It's dumb, it's badly made, and it's almost never scary. Why doesn't it work? I could suggest that the genre has simply gotten tired with overexposure, and while that's certainly true to an extent, movies like the aforementioned "Cloverfield" hold up remarkedly well. The truth is that the film is badly staged and organized, and is populated by characters we don't care about.
In 1993 a high school production of "The Gallows" ended in tragedy. A stunt went wrong during the climax of the play, and the lead actor Charlie Grimmel died for real in the noose. Twenty years later, the school has decided to put on the play again. Football star Reese Houser (Mischler) is trying his hand at drama and, despite his utter lack of talent, has been given the lead role. Capturing every moment of his failure is his friend Ryan (Shoos). Both of them realize on the night before the opening that Reese is doomed for humiliation, so Ryan convinces him to break into the school and sabotage the sets. Together with Ryan's girlfriend Cassidy (Gifford), the three use a broken door to accomplish their task. It's a spooky place, and just when they get under way, they run into Pfeifer (Brown), Reese's co-star (and secret crush). Things go from bad to worse when it becomes apparent that Charlie's ghost is haunting the school and intends to get even.
I like the "found footage" genre. The "improvised" nature of the dialogue and the lack of any movie stars makes it easier to buy into the story. The characters feel more real than in, say, "The Drownsman." Okay, bad example, but you get my point. Plus with a lack of a complete vision of what is going on and deceptive editing, it makes the experience all the more scary. Of course, that implies that it's done well. That's not the case here. The film is so unorganized that we don't know where the characters are or, on occasion, what they're doing. They frequently see things that we don't, so when they're shocked or scared, it doesn't translate. The characters are also stupid. They are constantly splitting up, getting lost, and making all the other stupid mistakes that horror movie characters make. Such weaknesses are easy to overlook if the tension is high, but this movie is so dull that there's nothing else to do but point out the lack of thought that went into the making of this movie.
A poor choice in lead character does not do the film any favors. Ryan is such a jerk that within a few seconds I already hated him. He's your classic arrogant jock with more testosterone than heart and gleefully picks on anyone in his range of fire. When one of his victims humiliates him in an act of revenge, I found myself savoring the fact that he got what he deserved. While the film does successfully change protagonists, could they have at least picked someone who wasn't so annoying? His girlfriend Cassidy is equally detestable. She's the prototypical queen bee. Physically attractive but leaves a lot to be desired in the personality department. These two deserve each other. Reese and Pfeifer are more successful. He's believable as the jock who gets in touch with his sensitive side and she's quite endearing as the drama nerd who is less conceited than she appears to be. Had the film jettisoned the silly horror stuff and concentrated on them and their tentative romance, the film might have had something worthwhile. Provided they jettisoned the other two idiots.
Execution is so important in a movie like this, and that's where it comes up short. The film mistakes darkness and obscured vision for atmosphere and menace. Jump scares are don't generate the desired effect (with one or two exceptions). As boring as the majority of the film is, it goes into free fall in the final five minutes. Not only is it predictable, it's too cute and generally absurd. It's just awful, and if it wasn't so boring, it could be considered camp.
If you're looking for a "found footage" horror movie, you have plenty of options. This one fell by the wayside. And it should stay there.
Starring: Reese Mishler, Pfeifer Brown, Ryan Shoos, Cassidy Gifford
Rated R for Some Disturbing Violent Content and Terror
For the past 20 years, the "found footage" genre has been a horror movie staple. While it has been used in other genres, such as the superhero movie ("Chronicle") and sex comedy ("The Virginity Hit"), it's mostly used in an attempt to scare the living hell out of the audience. "The Blair Witch Project" wasn't the first film to use this form of filmmaking, but it's the film that brought it into the mainstream. Without it, movies like "Cloverfield" and "Paranormal Activity" wouldn't exist.
If only the same thing could be said about "The Gallows," which is how not to make a "found footage" movie. It's dumb, it's badly made, and it's almost never scary. Why doesn't it work? I could suggest that the genre has simply gotten tired with overexposure, and while that's certainly true to an extent, movies like the aforementioned "Cloverfield" hold up remarkedly well. The truth is that the film is badly staged and organized, and is populated by characters we don't care about.
In 1993 a high school production of "The Gallows" ended in tragedy. A stunt went wrong during the climax of the play, and the lead actor Charlie Grimmel died for real in the noose. Twenty years later, the school has decided to put on the play again. Football star Reese Houser (Mischler) is trying his hand at drama and, despite his utter lack of talent, has been given the lead role. Capturing every moment of his failure is his friend Ryan (Shoos). Both of them realize on the night before the opening that Reese is doomed for humiliation, so Ryan convinces him to break into the school and sabotage the sets. Together with Ryan's girlfriend Cassidy (Gifford), the three use a broken door to accomplish their task. It's a spooky place, and just when they get under way, they run into Pfeifer (Brown), Reese's co-star (and secret crush). Things go from bad to worse when it becomes apparent that Charlie's ghost is haunting the school and intends to get even.
I like the "found footage" genre. The "improvised" nature of the dialogue and the lack of any movie stars makes it easier to buy into the story. The characters feel more real than in, say, "The Drownsman." Okay, bad example, but you get my point. Plus with a lack of a complete vision of what is going on and deceptive editing, it makes the experience all the more scary. Of course, that implies that it's done well. That's not the case here. The film is so unorganized that we don't know where the characters are or, on occasion, what they're doing. They frequently see things that we don't, so when they're shocked or scared, it doesn't translate. The characters are also stupid. They are constantly splitting up, getting lost, and making all the other stupid mistakes that horror movie characters make. Such weaknesses are easy to overlook if the tension is high, but this movie is so dull that there's nothing else to do but point out the lack of thought that went into the making of this movie.
A poor choice in lead character does not do the film any favors. Ryan is such a jerk that within a few seconds I already hated him. He's your classic arrogant jock with more testosterone than heart and gleefully picks on anyone in his range of fire. When one of his victims humiliates him in an act of revenge, I found myself savoring the fact that he got what he deserved. While the film does successfully change protagonists, could they have at least picked someone who wasn't so annoying? His girlfriend Cassidy is equally detestable. She's the prototypical queen bee. Physically attractive but leaves a lot to be desired in the personality department. These two deserve each other. Reese and Pfeifer are more successful. He's believable as the jock who gets in touch with his sensitive side and she's quite endearing as the drama nerd who is less conceited than she appears to be. Had the film jettisoned the silly horror stuff and concentrated on them and their tentative romance, the film might have had something worthwhile. Provided they jettisoned the other two idiots.
Execution is so important in a movie like this, and that's where it comes up short. The film mistakes darkness and obscured vision for atmosphere and menace. Jump scares are don't generate the desired effect (with one or two exceptions). As boring as the majority of the film is, it goes into free fall in the final five minutes. Not only is it predictable, it's too cute and generally absurd. It's just awful, and if it wasn't so boring, it could be considered camp.
If you're looking for a "found footage" horror movie, you have plenty of options. This one fell by the wayside. And it should stay there.
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