Runtime:
81 minutes
Release
Date: July 10, 2015
Rating:
R
Director:
Travis Cluff & Chris Lofing
In 1993,
the students of Beatrice High School presented a play called The
Gallows. When the film of the same name opens, we see a crucial
moment in the play where one young man gets hanged. Something goes
wrong, and he actually hangs and dies for real.
Twenty
years after the events of that night, the same high school decides to
stage the production once again. Only this time, popular guy Reese is
one of the main actors. Reese is a pretty boy and a jock, which leads
to his friends picking on him and teasing him for hanging out with
the unpopular kids. One of those boys, Ryan, convinces him that they
should sneak into the school and vandalize the set.
When
they visit the school later that night, they bring along Ryan's
equally popular girlfriend Cassie. They then run into Pfeifer, one of
the actresses in the play and a girl who Reese actually likes. Though
they initially have fun together. Pfeifer gets upset when she finds
out why they actually came to the school. After calming down, the
group discovers that they are trapped inside the school, that their
phones don't work, and that there is someone with them who is unhappy
with their presence.
The
first time I saw a trailer for The Gallows, I though it looked like a
great movie. I can't say the same thing after actually watching the
movie. It has a lack of scary moments and comes across as just
another horror film meant to capitalize on teens who will watch
anything. It's probably the most disappointing movie that I watched
this Halloween season, mainly because I really wanted to see it and
thought it looked so great.
Probably
the best scene in the movie is the same one that was in the trailer.
It involves Cassidy sitting alone in a dark hallway crying and
freaking out. As she keeps looking down and staring at the floor, she
doesn't see the man approaching her from the back with a noose in his
hand. Even though I saw it a few dozen times when it appeared in the
trailer, it actually did have a creepy feel that I liked.
The rest
of the movie was just kind of meh. What else can you say about a
movie that features all the same teen stereotype characters? We have
the jock who likes a girl from the less popular side of the school, a
jock rich kid, his cheerleader girlfriend, and of course the drama
girl who has a secret. The best thing about those characters is that
we can at least look forward to seeing a few of them die.
The end
of The Gallows was something I found confusing. Stop reading for
spoilers. It turns out that Pfeifer is actually the daughter of
Charlie and his high school girlfriend. The cops go to her house and
find her with her mom before Charlie attacks. Was Charlie really did
or did he fake his death? While it seems like he did, the guy in the
later years is clearly larger and taller than the high school boy.
I'm not sure what we're supposed to believe. All I know is that The
Gallows was extremely disappointing.
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