The Gallows

22nd July 2015: 21:30 - Bolton

Freddy has his glove, Jason has his machete, Charlie has his noose.  If you are going to reference classic, nostalgic, horror films in your trailer, then you have big boots to fill.

20 years after a horrific accident during a school play, students at the same high school resurrect the failed show in a misguided attempt to honour the anniversary of the tragedy, but is there a presence lurking in the background with ulterior motives?

I saw the trailer below whilst watching Knock Knock and I will be honest to say, it freaked me out a little, it look very spooky.  The lighting was great, the heavy breathing and tone reminded me of The Blair Witch Project (for me, the film that started all this found footage horror - I know it was Cannibal Holocaust, but BWP put the genre mainstream).  I was excited to go see the film, but then there is the trailer quotes, "Scared the living hell outta me" and "So Scary....it's hard to watch" which always fill me with trepidation that the quote is taken out of context or "one person said it so we can use it".

The first character we meet, Ryan, who is the camera man, is one of the most unlikable characters ever.  He is a bully to everyone and I was hoping for him to meet his maker within minutes of the film starting.   I am unsure if this is the intention as it was played for laughs to start with, but his girlfriend is very similar and the main character who is playing the unfortunate role in the play is again, dull. boring and pointless.  In fact, I was hoping for them all not to make it to the first act!

As for "Charlie", when you relate him to classics such as Jason, Freddy and Micheal I expect something, I want something memorable.  These three have been around for nearly 40 years and their names are iconic and rarely matched, and Charlie does not come close.

The Blumhouse trademark jump scare was evident throughout and had very little impact, and the infamous Paranormal Activity bass line before every attempt made it even more comical.

8 out of the 12 people in the cinema walked out of the showing and I endured it to the end only because I am a fan of film and horror, but there were a few moment I considered following them