Hand held cameras, night vision and a group of rowdy teenagers don’t often inspire confidence when watching horror films, but The Gallows (directed by Travis Cluff and Chris Lofing) seems to have bucked recent trends. Twenty years after a freak accident during a high school play, a new cast is attempting to resurrect the production whilst becoming the puppets of Charlie, the unfortunate victim from the original cast. With plenty of scares and an almost unbearable game of cat and mouse, The Gallows creates an enjoyable discomfort that leaves a chilling impression long after leaving the theatre.
Although the acting skills were questionable – sometimes laughable – the narrative and intensity more than made up for this. Conventional shots were used throughout making certain events predictable, such as when a scare was about to occur, however this surprisingly added to the experience -particularly when the audience grew accustomed to Charlie’s favoured method of killing.
The directors cleverly focused on characters’ emotions rather than the events occurring in the scene, meaning a character’s fear was often shared with us, ultimately leaving us squirming in our seats. The mask of Charlie cleverly contrasted with this. Masks are frightening simply because they are devoid of emotion; when they are grotesque and horrifying, this only amplifies the affect. A particularly disturbing scene is our first close-up glimpse of Charlie, and the introduction to the mask which left us cowering in our seats. An illusion was created meaning the masked monster seemed to be approaching us, rather than the characters – lengthening this shot only prolonged the discomfort, almost forcing us to look away. A horror’s job is to create a feeling of unease when leaving the cinema, and The Gallows more than delivered.
Low lighting and cramped settings created a claustrophobic atmosphere. Limited vision was far more frightening than the easy techniques used to show a ‘presence’ (ie moving doors) as these were spooky as opposed to frightening. Loud unexpected noises meant a great deal of small scares and jumps, but these almost lulled us into a false sense of security – too often horrors of recent years are relying on the quick and easy ‘shock factor’ to allow audiences to get their thrills, and it is refreshing to see The Gallows develop its scare tactics, making for a much more disturbing experience.
A simplistic narrative complimented by the film’s short duration works to The Gallows‘ advantage. The downfall of many horrors is the complexity they try to infuse over a two hour period, often causing audiences to lose interest due to their slow pace; however The Gallows leans towards a much more traditional approach, making it much more enjoyable. It won’t be winning any awards, and it certainly isn’t innovative, but the beauty is it doesn’t try to be. Less is most certainly more and to their credit, Cluff and Lofing have really grasped this concept and moulded it to their own needs.
The Gallows is a chilling experience that will make you reconsider your next outing to the theatre, and we recommend not travelling home alone after this chilling feature. Besides the final twist at the end the film is pretty predictable, but that by no means stops it from being entertaining, a rare quality within the horror genre. It’s refreshing to watch a simple horror, but particularly one executed so well. If your looking for a thrill ride, The Gallows is definitely one to watch.
Rating: 7/10
Words by Melissa Churchill