Warner Bros. Pictures
Found footage films are a dime a dozen these days mainly because they’re cheap to make and almost always turn a profit for the studio. The problem is the genre has been done to death since The Blair Witch Project (1999) set the world on fire, although by no means the first film to be allegedly put together from newly resurfaced film footage (that “honor” goes to 1980’s Cannibal Holocaust).
So when a new “found footage” horror film comes along, it is always met with some trepidation. Earlier this year we had a new spin on the genre with the very entertaining Unfriended, but now we’re getting back to the roots with the new thriller The Gallows, which actually incorporates several different segments with “found footage.”
As the movie opens, we’re treated to an old VHS recording of a high school play, “The Gallows,” from the vantage point of some parents in the audience (who are rudely talking during the performance). The lead actor, Charlie, is apparently the understudy for the real lead, and when it comes time for him to take his place on the titular gallows, the trap door accidentally releases, killing Charlie instantly.
In the present, the same high school is preparing to do a new production of “The Gallows,” and we get a lot of behind-the-scenes footage from student Ryan (Ryan Shoos) as he harasses the nerdy stage crew and his friend on the football team Reese (Reese Mishler), who has taken the lead in the show. Ryan hates the show, hates his friend for doing it, and hates the lead actress Pfiefer (Pfiefer Brown), and gets even more mean-spirited about things when he learns Reese has a crush on theatre nerd Pfiefer.
Ryan hatches a plan to both ruin the play and help Reese score with Pfiefer — sneak into the school through a door that has no lock (!) and destroy the set. The show gets cancelled but Reese can console Pfeifer who has been the driving force behind getting the show produced. Ryan’s girlfriend Cassidy (Cassidy Gifford) wants in, so she, Ryan and Reese go to the school and start dismantling the set. Ryan playfully calls Charlie’s name — a no-no in the theatre (akin to saying MacBeth) — to see if he can conjure the spirit. And, for some reason, Pfiefer also shows up to see why Reese’s car is in the parking lot. The all hell breaks loose as the four students are trapped, trying to find a way out before Charlie and his noose do them all in (yes, even the broken door is now firmly locked).
As far as this kind of film goes, it’s pretty entertaining and the use of the different footage works well as a camera is handed back and forth between the four kids and a cell phone camera is also employed. The filmmakers also resist the temptation to jolt viewers with unnecessarily loud sound effects and music cues (although there are a couple), allowing some of the visuals to do the work. The editing nicely ratchets up the tension as the kids are making their way through dark corridors, never knowing what or who may be around the next corner, and also just giving us fleeting glimpses of Charlie.
The young cast, who all appear young enough to be actual high school students even if they’re actually college age, do a great job of being “real” kids. You probably knew or were one of them when you were in high school. Directors Travis Cluff and Chris Lofing (who also wrote the screenplay), keep the film to a tight 81 minutes of heart-pounding tension. The final reveal that tries to explain the whys and whos of the main part of the story is a bit on the weak side because it seems to come out of nowhere but if you’re in the mood for something to give you a few chills down your spine on a hot summer day, The Gallows fills the bill.
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