Years after a kid’s accidental death, four kids get trapped in a school and tortured by a sinister supernatural force.
I would like to be clear once more and I will be every time I am forced to make a review such as this. I never judge a film itself. I judge the intentions behind it. As with The Nun (2018), the ghost in The Gallows is nothing but a clichéd plot device that does whatever is convenient and wannabe impressive to just… I don’t know… take them out? Story and dialogues are horribly written and the camera work is plainly bad! The acting is mediocre (with Cassidy Gifford being the exception) and the VFX… plainly bad again.
I try to be lenient and I’m definitely holding my punches here but it is really difficult as there is nothing positive I can say about the film other than the semi-decent opening scene followed by a freefall to the rock bottom. The scariest thing is that Jason Blum jumped on board. What is even scarier is that there is a sequel out there and Blum is behind that too – The Gallows Act II (2019).
I’m an avid supporter of indie, low budget films and praise them every time they achieve what Hollywood blockbusters can’t. It’s admirable that two directors did everything they could to make this film but please, do not undermine your audience’s intelligence. And this is why the intentions behind The Gallows are not noble. And this is why my review is bitter.
P.S. The poster’s tagline: “Every school has its spirit”. No comment…
If you still fancy watching it, you can find it here: https://amzn.to/2tceEwg
I’m so glad I missed this one. At least my watch list will not get any longer.
You know what Karan, I hardly ever characterise a film so harshly. I’ll be polite and I’ll just say that I do not recommend it.