The Gallows

"So we all agree on Our Town next year" The movie almost ends on a mild high note but then strangles itself (har-har). Seven times in the movie the camera pans around a room then pans back on a jump scare. Pan the camera into a god damn pile of garbage you assholes. Alternate title: Ghost Rope. WARNING: They set up this big firework display by mentioning a set up in the rafters. They never get to the firework factory :'(

This was not even anywhere on my radar to watch but AMC is having their October horror movie line-up & it happened to be on while I was visiting one of my patients, where I really just check to make sure he's taking his meds & eating properly & showering regularly & not hoarding etc., then we just hang & shoot the shit for 3 hrs while watching tv. So now I'm getting paid to watch crappy edited-for-tv horror movies, woo! This was very dumb & every character was obnoxious as hell.

I like found footage movies but this is a really poorly done one. Bad acting, a reliance on jump scares that don't work (quit panning the camera back and forth to make us anticipate a scare, you're doing it to death), and off-putting visuals. It has a few good moments and I'm torn on the ending because it's a little too convenient, but it also has the scariest part (outside of the one scene that's in the trailer). Meh.

With annoying hateable characters, poorly shot footage, bad jump scares, and a nonsensical plot, The Gallows represents the worst that found footage films have to offer. Plot holes include but are not limited to: Does Charlie live with his shitty family or in the school? Why's he wearing the hangman costume if that's not how he died? How did that nerd knock someone up when he was about 15? What about his insignificant, accidental death merits him gaining nearly omnipotent power in the afterlife?

The Gallows is more or less, just another moneymaker for Jason Blum and his company. There just isn't really a sense of originality to it. A lot of it just rehashes a lot of dumb horror movies. It has the dumb characters, horrible writing, and the predictable jump scares that parade every typical low budget horror flick. Still, it actually has a semi-decent concept and some nice imagery for a "found footage" art style. It's far from the worst horror movie I've seen, so there's that.

bad movie

Found footage movies often make little logistically sense. How have they been edited this way, especially when multiple cameras are used? In this case, one's a phone and one uses tapes. Why do they continue filming everything? It creates a disconnect with the audience and takes us out of the experience. Few found footage movies truly "work," and more often than not the style is used to keep the budget down and hide incompetence on the part of the filmmakers. Both of these are true here.

A by-the-numbers but competent found footage movie.

42.2.

The Gallows is horrible, and that's all there is to it. Besides one or two non-contextual shots that were nice, the film has little sense, fun, or prowess. It's cast is awful, it's plot is filled with holes, it's found footage direction is awful and calls for weird plot devices, and it honestly just makes so little sense. Would have been better if this was thought about first, instead of just being a bunch of "spooky" ideas put together.

While this is definitely not a good movie it's certainly not as bad as most people seem to say it is. It's never scary and the set up was kind of lame but the whole thing worked decently enough once it got going.

I hated everyone in this movie. I admit I had a few jumps, but they weren't necessarily scary...it was more like "When is it coming...when is it coming..OH There it is"

There's some stuff in here that definitely works and is at least a good IDEA, even if in execution it leaves quite a bit to be desired. But if there ever was a well that had been bled dry, it's the found-footage horror movie. I just think that a movie like this is too derivative of its predecessors to be anything more than inoffensive. There are some cool scenes bogged down by all-world terrible dialogue and a male co-lead who is an asshole for NO reason. I'll play nice with the ending. Skip.

The only part i liked was the ending which everyone else seemed to hate. Thought it actually worked with the movie. Worst found footage yet?

Blairanormal Activity. Reccomended for true connoisseurs. Only high IQs will understand the brilliant subtextual commentary on the modern highschool student. Also this is an adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera.

In Beatrice's fictional play The Gallows, there's a seemingly sober point being made by the play's execution of a young victim. The audience is supposed to be moved or inspired or struck by the unfairness of it all. Alas, the movie itself has no such aspirations. The cinematic version of The Gallows wants us to cringe and squeal and laugh at the lethal misfortunes of others, to count the bodies that pile up on screen and leave the theater smiling. (pluggedin.com)

Ryan is basically the most unlikable person ever, though. And Cassidy is Kathy Lee's daughter so that explains why they both HAVE to die. Not really sure why this is hated as much as it is. The acting is probably the worst I've seen in a feature film maybe ever. But the concept and the camera tension are actually pretty tangible. The ending actually makes it pretty good, up until the second ending that makes the regular ending dogshit.

Maybe it's because I had 0 expectations coming into this but it wasn't bad. The 1st act, actually focuses on establishing the characters instead of being a 20 minute exposition dump on the monster like most found footage films. The characters, while not likable, feel very real. I knew these jocks and assholes from real life. Sadly once the scares start the movie is average jump scares and had a been there done that feel to it. But honestly, this would be a solid choice for a Netflix movie night.

Typical found footage horror movie with all of the dumb character decisions and jump scares you are used to. However, I won't completely dismiss this one since it does have an interesting background on why the events are happening. If this was a regular movie and not found footage I think it could have been way better.

It has an intriguing premise, solid setting, several clever ideas & decent performances. Unfortunately, none of those things are enough to save it. Hampered by poor & lazy writing, it's full of plot issues & plays out like a string of loose ideas clumsily tied together without enough thought or effort being put into connecting the dots. What kills it, though- besides the awful characters- is the final twist. In better hands, it could have been pretty good, but overall it's just underwhelming.

The Gallows (2015) doesn't score high on originality, but in a so far weak year for horror flicks even a standard found footage creeper like this becomes somewhat a welcome release. Got a few scares if you're in the mood for it with the volume up, and keeps the pace up alright. But as indicated, the lack of originality kills a lot of the experience.

The Good: From a found footage perspective, the use of camerawork is actually pretty good. Also, the concept of this ghostly hangman is pretty great. The Bad: Pretty much everything else. Not scary, annoying characters, confusing ending, dumb camera glitches, etc. Not worth a watch

Just like most other found footage films, this is awful.