my thoughts on.... 'The Gallows' (an original Creepercast site review)

Here we are again, another found footage horror movie and another review trying to determine if it's worth your time to watch.
It seems like these days, independent film makers and Hollywood would rather invest their time and money into a genre that's already bloated in the marketplace, then to work on creating a new long term franchise with a traditionally made film. It's not that there's a lack of new ideas or that reboots and remakes are killing the genre, it's simply that it's cheaper, easier and makes more money to create a movie like 'The Gallows'. You can use no name actors and nobody thinks twice. You can skimp on your production crew, because it's supposed to look amateurish. You can even short the audience on costuming and the fine details, because the camera is not as high quality and everything is so jumpy. Nobody will ever notice. By saying all that, I'm not concluding that the found footage genre is a bad thing. As a matter of fact, I'm a huge supporter. If you can take something that's so over blown and put something out there that's fun, clever and damn scary, then you've got my attention and my admiration. Not unlike the zombie films of the last decade, the 'self aware' horror of the 90's and the slasher films of the 80's, found footage is the “it” genre to work in right now. Therefore, you better come at me with both guns blazing and be prepared to put your heart and soul into the project.... because I'm not going to give you a pass just because you half assed it.

'The Gallows' falls somewhere in the middle of all of that. I don't think the film makers phoned it in and I truly believe that they were putting their best foot forward. Especially since this was originally funded independently by people who'd never invested in a film before. They wanted to make the film their way and took the time and faith of others to do it. However, I think that Hollywood took advantage of the situation and stuck both their hands into the pot and stirred it up. Just like the old saying goes, “Too many cooks, spoil the broth.” The end result was a movie that started off strong, but ended with a giant collective groan and a whine.
The plot centers around Reese, a high school football player who's taken on a leading role in the theater department's upcoming production of a play called 'The Gallows'. It's the same show that the school put on over a decade ago, that resulted in the death of one of the students. His best friend Ryan and Cassidy continually question his motives, until they learn that he's got a crush on his leading lady, Pfeifer. During the course of the day, Reese, Ryan and Cassidy decide to sneak into the school, after hours, to investigate things and sabotage some of the production. Once inside, they quickly realize that they may get more than they planned on. They're also joined by Pfeifer, who saw Reese's car in the parking lot and came inside to find out why he was there. Over the course of the night, things go from bad to worse, as they begin to be terrorized by an unseen force. Locked inside the school and with no way to stop the entity within, the 4 of them must find a way to escape before they all end up dead.

Filmed inside one of the most haunted buildings in California, the cast was not aware of the scares that the directors had prepared for them. Therefore, all of the reactions are real. It was also always the intention of the film makers to create a new horror icon in their main character, Charlie Grimille. The film has already sparked a resurgance of the game 'Charlie Charlie' and created an interest in the Charlie Grimille Halloween costume. This was intended to be a franchise from day 1 and to be something more than a throw away horror film that no one would remember in 10 years from now. Sadly, I don't think it worked. Personally, as a film lover, horror buff and a guy who doesn't always follow the rest of the crowd.... I think that if this was done in a more traditional style, they could have had the icon they intended. Instead, I believe that this genre is too unforgiving to allow for this to happen. The 'Paranormal Activity' juggernaut is a rarity. It's the exception, not the rule. It's just too hard to build something long lasting, with a format that's so spur of the moment. You can only take it so far, before the audience loses interest in the gag and wants actual substance instead of a gimmick. Even 'Paranormal Activity' is starting to suffer from this syndrome and has slowly been on the decline since part 3. The other issues I have with this movie is the lack of logic. Yeah, I know, horror isn't about logic all the time. However, what school would have a door that's perpetually unlocked in this day and age? With all of the school shootings going on since 1999, school security is a #1 priority for any place of learning. Also, what school would allow the theater department to put on a new production of a play that killed one of the former students? How incredibly distasteful and cold hearted would you have to be to let it happen? I can only imagine that the parental uproar over the mere mention of it, would more than convince the school board to never allow it to happen. Finally, let's talk about the killer himself. Charlie is far from scary, intimidating or even interesting to watch. He's basically a Halloween costume with a puffy shirt on. (Meaning he looks kind of like a pirate.) And the noose? While the idea of choking to death is frightening, the idea of dying by the hands of a low rent pirate, with a hood on, is not. Perhaps if they'd cheated things a little more and not made him so front and center? Maybe it could have worked? And the ending? Don't get me started on that one. Not too mention, I don't want to spoil the surprise, twist ending.
All in all, I still think you should watch it for yourself and then decide what you think. Maybe you'll like it? I, personally, don't ever need to see it again and unless the reviews are beyond stellar for the next one, I won't be watching any more in this potential franchise. 'The Gallows' has moments of brilliance, but they're so few and far between that I can't give it a pass on those moments alone. I will be curious to see what the writer/directors Travis Cluff and Chris Lofing will do in the future. They obviously have skill, creativity and desire. I just think they need a better vehicle to show it off. All in all, 2 out of 5 stars. Not the worst of the genre, but certainly not the best.

If you like found footage, check out: 'As Above, So Below', 'Paranormal Entity' or 'Atrocious'