The Gallows

Last updated
The Gallows
The Gallows Poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by
  • Chris Lofing
  • Travis Cluff
Written by
  • Chris Lofing
  • Travis Cluff
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyEdd Lukas
Edited byChris Lofing
Music byZach Lemmon
Production
companies
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Release dates
  • June 30, 2015 (2015-06-30)(Fresno)
  • July 10, 2015 (2015-07-10)(United States)
Running time
81 minutes [1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$100,000 [2]
Box office$43 million [2]

The Gallows is a 2015 American found footage supernatural horror film written and directed by Chris Lofing and Travis Cluff. The film stars Reese Mishler, Pfeifer Brown, Ryan Shoos and Cassidy Gifford.

Contents

Development of The Gallows began in 2011 when Chris Lofing and Travis Cluff uploaded a new trailer for the film, The trailer went viral and was seen by producer Dean Schneider of the company Management 360 who invited them to his office in Los Angeles, signed a representation and financing contract through the production division of his company Entertainment 360 and referred them to Jason Blum, owner of the company Blumhouse Productions which specialized in the production On Blum's advice, Lofing and Cluff invested additional work and in fact, over the next two years, the vast majority of the film (about 80%) was shot in Fresno. Carolyn D'Vere, and three actors were chosen: Shoos, Brown, and Mishler. Gifford joined in at the last minute, after it emerged that an actress who participated in the original version had lost a lot of weight. Gifford was recommended by her famous parents, but Cluff emphasized that she won the role on her own merits, and he himself initially did not think she would agree to participate in the film.

The Gallows was released in the United States by Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema on July 10, 2015. It was largely disliked by critics and audiences but grossed $43 million worldwide against a $100,000 budget. A sequel, The Gallows Act II , was released in October 2019.

Plot

On October 29, 1993, Beatrice High School student Charlie Grimille is accidentally hanged and killed after a prop malfunction during a presentation of the play The Gallows. His parents, along with the whole audience, witness the tragic event.

Twenty years later, on October 28, 2013, the school attempts to put on a new performance of The Gallows. Football jock Reese Houser auditions for the play, only because this will give him a chance to grow closer to his crush Pfeifer Ross, who will be in the play. Surprisingly, he gets the lead role, which is much more than he bargained for. He needs a way out of the play, so his friend Ryan Shoos comes up with the idea to vandalize the set and sabotage the whole play. That night, Reese, Ryan, and Ryan's girlfriend, Cassidy Spilker, sneak into the school and begin to dismantle the set, only to hear Pfeifer in the hallway. They try to leave but find that they have been locked inside, and there is no cell phone reception. Disturbed, Cassidy admits the trio's real reason for being in the school at this time, which angers Pfeifer.

When they get back to the stage, the group sees that the set has suddenly reassembled. An old television switches on by itself, playing back a tape with the news coverage of Charlie's death, which includes an interview with his girlfriend Alexis. They discover that Charlie was not supposed to have performed that day, and was on stage only because he was the understudy for the main actor, who turns out to have been Reese's father, Rick. The group becomes separated. Alone, Ryan sees various things, such as a hidden room with a mattress and bed frame, and a body hanging. When the group is reunited, Cassidy is yanked into the air by seemingly nothing, leaving her with burns on her neck that look like rope burns.

They return to the stage, where Pfeifer points out an air conditioning duct they can escape through. Ryan is thrown off the ladder by an unseen force, and his leg is broken. The group becomes locked out of the stage where Ryan lies helpless. They eventually get back, finding only Ryan's phone. The audience then sees footage from the phone.

Ryan sees a figure holding a noose. He is then pulled away by the neck by a fly rig. As the night progresses, Cassidy is killed by Charlie dressed as the Hangman, a character from The Gallows. Reese and Pfeifer end up on the stage, where the spirit begins to choke her. Realizing Charlie wants them to act out the final scene (in which Reese and Charlie's characters are hanged), Reese and Pfeifer reenact the scene. However, when Reese puts the noose around his neck, he is hanged and killed by Charlie. Once he is dead, Pfeifer and Charlie, now appearing as an adult, both bow, and Alexis, who was watching the performance, gives a standing ovation.

The police enter the house where Pfeifer and Alexis are living and watching footage of Charlie's death, showing that Pfeifer is the daughter of Charlie and Alexis. When they attempt to question them about Charlie, Pfeifer warns, "You shouldn’t say that name". The officer witnesses his partner being dragged by a noose, killing him. Charlie then attacks and kills the policeman, as the screen cuts to black.

Cast

Production

On January 24, 2014, New Line Cinema acquired distribution rights to the film. [3] On December 10, 2014, it was announced the film would be released on July 10, 2015, in the United States. [4] Though the film is set in Lofing's hometown of Beatrice, Nebraska, all of the scenes in the theatrical version of the film were shot in Fresno, California. [5] Several scenes in the first cut of the film were shot in Beatrice, but those scenes were dropped when Blumhouse Productions picked up the film. Those scenes were featured in the DVD and Blu-ray releases of The Gallows. [5] The actors performed their own stunts, and no major CGI was used in the film, Lofing said. [5]

Filming

Principal photography began on March 28, 2014, and wrapped up on May 7, 2014.

Release

Box office

The Gallows grossed $22.7 million in North America and $20.2 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $43 million, against a budget of $100,000. [2]

The Gallows opened on July 10, 2015, simultaneously with the sci-fi drama Self/less . The film grossed $900,000 during its Thursday night showings, and $4.5 million on its opening day. [6] The film opened at number five at the box office in its opening weekend, with $9.8 million. [7]

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, 14% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 119 reviews, with an average rating of 3.40/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "Narratively contrived and visually a mess, The Gallows sends viewers on a shaky tumble to the bottom of the found-footage horror barrel." [8] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 30 out of 100 based on reviews from 22 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". [9] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film a grade of "C" on an A+ to F scale. [10]

Geoff Berkshire of Variety gave the film a negative review, saying "The Gallows isn't without a certain amount of atmosphere, [but] simply feels borrowed wholesale. That would matter less with a better script, but the four main characters are paper-thin even by genre norms." [11] Stephen Whitty of the Newark Star-Ledger gave the film one out of four stars, saying "The plot is a collection of contrivances (Oh no, the lights all went out! My cell phone won't work! I'm running for my life, I'd better keep filming!) and the scares are simple, sudden, stupid shocks." [12] Kyle Anderson of Entertainment Weekly gave the film a C, saying "This is another found-footage movie that, with a little art direction and some actual cinematography, could easily have been a decent little terrorizer. Instead, it comes mostly unglued thanks to its hacky gimmick." [13] Bruce Demara of the Toronto Star gave the film two out of four stars, saying "Despite its initial promise and some decent scares - you're in for a sharp and sudden drop in satisfaction in the final throes." [14] Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle gave the film two out of four stars, saying "The filmmakers needed to set themselves free even more than the characters, but they never find the path out. They probably never realized they were trapped." [15]

Simon Abrams of The Village Voice gave the film a negative review, saying "The Gallows is only good enough to make you wish its creators did something novel with its formulaic style, plot, and characterizations." [16] Neil Genzlinger of The New York Times said, "The Gallows starts with a decent if improbable premise, and it ends with a pretty good jolt. But in between, the film sure wears out the already tired found-footage device." [17] Tirdad Derakhshani of The Philadelphia Inquirer gave the film a negative review, saying "The Gallows is one lazy film. There's no real effort or inventiveness here, whether we're talking about the character names, the jokes, the set pieces, or the predictable plot twist." [18] Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film three out of four stars, saying "In a quick 80 minutes, we get the back story, we meet the four core characters (all of the young actors do fine work), get the wits scared out of us about a half-dozen times and wind up with a VERY creepy ending." [19] Barry Hertz of The Globe and Mail gave the film one out of four stars, saying "As the latest entry in the tired "found footage" horror subgenre, this on-the-cheap film has never met a cliché it didn't embrace like sweet death itself." [20] A.A. Dowd of The A.V. Club gave the film a D+, saying "Making audiences care about the characters is always a more effective fear-generating strategy than just knocking off a bunch of dimwits in the dark." [21]

Sequel

In August 2017, it was announced that The Gallows Act II was filmed secretly. [22] The film was released on October 25, 2019, in theaters, on demand and digital by Lionsgate. [23]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dark Castle Entertainment</span> American film production label

Dark Castle Entertainment is an American film production label and a division of Silver Pictures, It was formed in 1998 by Joel Silver, Robert Zemeckis, and Gilbert Adler. Susan Downey was the Vice President of Development until February 2009, a term running congruent to her tenure as a VP of Production at parent company Silver Pictures.

<i>Firestarter</i> (1984 film) 1984 film by Mark L. Lester

Firestarter is a 1984 American science fiction thriller horror film based on Stephen King's 1980 novel of the same name. The plot concerns a girl who develops pyrokinesis and the secret government agency known as The Shop which seeks to control her. The film was directed by Mark L. Lester, and stars David Keith, Drew Barrymore, Martin Sheen and George C. Scott. Firestarter was shot in and around Wilmington, Chimney Rock, and Lake Lure, North Carolina.

Found footage is a cinematic technique in which all or a substantial part of the work is presented as if it were film or video recordings recorded by characters in the story, and later "found" and presented to the audience. The events on screen are typically seen through the camera of one or more of the characters involved, often accompanied by their real-time, off-camera commentary. For added realism, the cinematography may be done by the actors themselves as they perform, and shaky camera work and naturalistic acting are routinely employed. The footage may be presented as if it were "raw" and complete or as if it had been edited into a narrative by those who "found" it.

Blumhouse Productions, LLC, doing business as Blumhouse, is an American film and television production company founded in 2000 by Jason Blum and Amy Israel.

<i>Battle of the Damned</i> 2013 American film

Battle of the Damned is a 2013 American science fiction action horror film written, produced and directed by Christopher Hatton. The film stars Dolph Lundgren, Melanie Zanetti, Matt Doran and David Field. Following a deadly viral outbreak, private soldier Max Gatling (Lundgren) leads a handful of survivors and a team of robots in a fight against an army of the dead.

<i>Deadpool</i> (film) 2016 film by Tim Miller

Deadpool is a 2016 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. Distributed by 20th Century Fox, it is a spin-off of the X-Men film series and its eighth installment overall. Directed by Tim Miller and written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, it stars Ryan Reynolds in the title role alongside Morena Baccarin, Ed Skrein, T. J. Miller, Gina Carano, and Brianna Hildebrand. In the film, Wade Wilson hunts the man who gave him mutant abilities and a scarred physical appearance, becoming the antihero Deadpool.

Cassidy Erin Gifford is an American actress. She co-starred with Wyatt Nash in the 2017 film Like Cats and Dogs, and appears as Reagan Decker in the drama series The Baxters, which premiered on Prime Video in March 2024.

<i>Life</i> (2017 film) 2017 US science fiction horror film by Daniel Espinosa

Life is a 2017 American science fiction horror film directed by Daniel Espinosa, written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick and starring an ensemble cast consisting of Jake Gyllenhaal, Ryan Reynolds, Rebecca Ferguson, Hiroyuki Sanada, Ariyon Bakare, and Olga Dihovichnaya. In the film, a six-member crew of the International Space Station uncovers the first evidence of extraterrestrial life on Mars. When members of the crew conduct their research, the rapidly evolving life-form proves to be far more intelligent and dangerous than expected.

<i>Be My Cat: A Film for Anne</i> 2015 English-language Romanian found footage horror feature film directed by Adrian Țofei

Be My Cat: A Film for Anne is a 2015 Romanian found footage psychological horror feature film directed, produced, written by, and starring Adrian Țofei, about an aspiring filmmaker who goes to extremes to convince actress Anne Hathaway to star in his film. It is the first entry in Adrian Țofei's planned indie trilogy which includes We Put the World to Sleep and Pure. It is also Adrian Țofei's first film and Romania's first found footage horror movie.

<i>Halloween</i> (2018 film) American slasher film

Halloween is a 2018 American slasher film directed by David Gordon Green and co-written by Green, Jeff Fradley and Danny McBride. It is the eleventh installment in the Halloween film series and a sequel to the 1978 film of the same name, while disregarding all previous sequels. The film stars Jamie Lee Curtis who reprises her role as Laurie Strode. James Jude Courtney portrays Michael Myers, with Nick Castle returning to the role for a cameo. Halloween also stars Judy Greer, Andi Matichak, Will Patton, Haluk Bilginer, and Virginia Gardner. Its plot follows a post-traumatic Laurie Strode who prepares to face Michael Myers in a final showdown on Halloween night, forty years after she survived his killing spree.

<i>Truth or Dare</i> (2018 film) 2018 American film

Truth or Dare, also known as Blumhouse's Truth or Dare, is a 2018 American supernatural horror film directed and co-written by Jeff Wadlow. The film stars Lucy Hale, Tyler Posey, Violett Beane, Hayden Szeto, Sophia Taylor Ali, and Landon Liboiron as a group of college students who play a game of truth or dare while on vacation in Mexico, only to realize it has deadly consequences if they do not follow through on their obligations. Jason Blum produced through his Blumhouse Productions banner, and Universal Pictures distributed the film.

<i>The Gallows Act II</i> 2019 American supernatural horror film

The Gallows Act II is a 2019 American supernatural horror film written and directed by Chris Lofing and Travis Cluff. It stars Ema Horvath, Chris Milligan and Brittany Falardeau. It is the sequel to the 2015 found footage film The Gallows. However, unlike its predecessor, this film does not utilize the found footage filming technique.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Year, New You</span> 4th episode of the 1st season of Into the Dark

"New Year, New You" is an episode of American horror anthology web television series Into the Dark that aired as the fourth episode of the show's first season. It originally premiered in the United States on December 28, 2018, on Hulu. The episode was directed by Sophia Takal from a script she co-wrote with Adam Gaines and it stars Suki Waterhouse, Carly Chaikin, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, and Melissa Bergland.

<i>Freaky</i> (film) 2020 American slasher comedy film

Freaky is a 2020 American comedy slasher film directed by Christopher Landon, from a screenplay by Michael Kennedy and Landon, and starring Vince Vaughn, Kathryn Newton, Katie Finneran, Celeste O'Connor, and Alan Ruck. A twist on Freaky Friday, the film centers on a teenage girl who unintentionally switches bodies with a middle-aged male serial killer. Jason Blum serves as a producer under his Blumhouse Productions banner.

<i>Firestarter</i> (2022 film) 2022 film by Keith Thomas

Firestarter is a 2022 American science fiction horror film directed by Keith Thomas, from a screenplay by Scott Teems, based on Stephen King's novel of the same name, and a remake of the 1984 film of the same name. The film stars Zac Efron, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Sydney Lemmon, Kurtwood Smith, John Beasley, Michael Greyeyes, and Gloria Reuben. It is produced by Jason Blum and Akiva Goldsman under their Blumhouse Productions and Weed Road Pictures banners, respectively, alongside BoulderLight Pictures and Night Platform.

<i>Mr. Harrigans Phone</i> 2022 horror film

Mr. Harrigan's Phone is a 2022 American horror drama film written and directed by John Lee Hancock. It is based on the novella of the same name by Stephen King from the collection If It Bleeds. The film stars Donald Sutherland, Jaeden Martell, Joe Tippett, and Kirby Howell-Baptiste. It follows Craig who has a strong friendship with retired businessman John Harrigan; both get their first iPhones after the former wins a lottery. Despite the latter's death, a supernatural connection persists between them through their phones, one of which is buried alongside Harrigan.

<i>They/Them</i> (film) 2022 American film by John Logan

They/Them is a 2022 American slasher film written and directed by John Logan, in his feature directorial debut, and produced by Jason Blum through his Blumhouse Productions banner. It stars Theo Germaine, Carrie Preston, Anna Chlumsky, Austin Crute, Quei Tann, Anna Lore, Cooper Koch, Monique Kim, Darwin del Fabro, Hayley Griffith, Boone Platt, Mark Ashworth, and Kevin Bacon, and follows a group of LGBTQ teens and a masked killer at a conversion camp.

Ryan Kiera Armstrong is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Charlie McGee in the 2022 film Firestarter and Alma Gardner in the television mini-series American Horror Story: Red Tide. She also portrayed Brooke in the Western The Old Way (2023).

<i>Night Swim</i> 2024 film by Bryce McGuire

Night Swim is a 2024 American supernatural horror film written and directed by Bryce McGuire, and based on the 2014 short film of the same name by McGuire and Rod Blackhurst. Starring Wyatt Russell and Kerry Condon, it follows a suburban family who discover that their backyard swimming pool is haunted.

<i>Imaginary</i> (film) 2024 film by Jeff Wadlow

Imaginary is a 2024 American supernatural horror film directed and produced by Jeff Wadlow and written by Wadlow and the writing team of Greg Erb and Jason Oremland. It is co-produced by Jason Blum through his Blumhouse Productions banner and Tower of Babble. The film stars DeWanda Wise, Tom Payne, Taegen Burns, Pyper Braun, Matthew Sato, Veronica Falcon, and Betty Buckley. In the film, a woman returns to her childhood home and discovers her stepdaughter's imaginary friend is more than imaginary.

References

  1. ↑ "THE GALLOWS (15)". British Board of Film Classification . June 30, 2015. Retrieved June 30, 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 "The Gallows". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved October 25, 2015.
  3. ↑ "New Line acquires the rights to Blumhouse's found footage horror Superstition". Flickeringmyth.com. 2014-06-24. Retrieved 2015-04-09.
  4. ↑ "Sundance Selects Nabs 'General Tso'; Warner Bros Shifts 'Pan' Release, Titles Horror Pic, More". Deadline. 2014-12-10. Retrieved 2015-04-09.
  5. 1 2 3 Wolgamott, L. Kent (2015-07-09). "Beatrice native's debut film 'The Gallows' to hit theaters". Lincoln Journal Star. Retrieved 2015-07-13.
  6. ↑ McClintock, Pamela (1999-02-22). "'Minions' Land Record $46.2M Friday: Box Office". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2015-07-12.
  7. ↑ "Weekend Box Office Results for July 10-12, 2015". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2015-07-13.
  8. ↑ "The Gallows (2015)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango . Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  9. ↑ "The Gallows Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved July 10, 2015.
  10. ↑ McClintock, Pamela (1999-02-22). "'Minions' Boasts Record $115.2M Box-Office Debut". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 2015-07-14. Retrieved 2022-02-02. has been skewered by critics and earned a C CinemaScore (not unusual for a horror offering).
  11. ↑ Geoff Berkshire (2015-07-09). "'The Gallows' Review: Another Derivative Found-Footage Horror Movie". Variety. Retrieved 2015-08-16.
  12. ↑ Whitty, Stephen (2015-07-09). "'The Gallows' review: Horrifying? No, just horrible". NJ.com. Retrieved 2015-08-16.
  13. ↑ Anderson, Kyle (2015-07-09). "'The Gallows': EW review". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved 2015-08-16.
  14. ↑ "The Gallows snaps under weight of silly ending". Toronto Star. 2015-07-09. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
  15. ↑ Mick LaSalle (2015-07-09). "'The Gallows': two good ideas in search of a third". SFGate. Retrieved 2015-08-16.
  16. ↑ Abrams, Simon (2015-07-09). "It Wouldn't Be a Tragedy If Found-Footage Horror 'The Gallows' Hadn't Been Found". Village Voice. Retrieved 2015-08-16.
  17. ↑ Neil Genzlinger (2015-07-10). "Review: 'The Gallows' Somehow Finds More Horror Footage". The New York Times. Retrieved 2015-08-16.
  18. ↑ Tirdad Derakhshani. "'The Gallows': Herky-jerky, lazy, loud horror". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 2021-11-28.
  19. ↑ Richard Roeper (2015-07-09). "'The Gallows': You'll hang on every eerie, twisty scare". Chicago Sun-Times . Retrieved 2021-11-28.
  20. ↑ Barry Hertz (2015-07-10). "The Gallows: Another 'found footage' horror film fails in its originality". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2015-08-16.
  21. ↑ A.A. Dowd (2015-07-09). "The Gallows". The A.V. Club . Retrieved 2021-11-28.
  22. ↑ Squires, John (August 29, 2017). "Looks Like 'The Gallows 2' Was Filmed in Secret". Bloody Disgusting . Retrieved February 3, 2018.
  23. ↑ Squires, John (September 11, 2019). "[Trailer] Sequel 'The Gallows: Act II' Brings the Hangman Back to Life in October". Bloody Disgusting . Retrieved September 11, 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.