Hanging out for the horror, but only laughs to be had in The Gallows

High school theatrical productions can be groan inducing: this movie is as embarrassing as any of them.

OH DEAR. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. Where to begin? Maybe with the premise.

The Gallows starts with a horrific accident on the set of a high school play in 1993. A student called Charlie in small-town Nebraska, playing the role of a condemned man, climbs the scaffold, has a noose put around his neck and ... well, let’s just say that the head of drama would have some serious explaining to do at the next PTA meeting.

Twenty years later the same school is remounting the same play “in tribute” to the tragic production. Say what? In what universe would that ever happen?

DIRECTOR SAYS HE DIDN’T WANT DANIEL CRAIG AS BOND

THE FIGHTER ACTOR IN CRITICAL CONDITION AFTER NEARLY DROWNING

But that’s not the half of the film’s problems. Horror movies shot in the “found footage” style have to put forward a convincing reason for that footage to exist. A baby-monitoring camera in Paranormal Activity? Sure. Cyclone chasers in pursuit of YouTube glory in Into The Storm? It could happen.

But in The Gallows, obnoxious high school senior Ryan (Ryan Shoos) keeps on filming long after his plan to break into the school theatre after dark and wreak havoc turns into a screamfest as some unseen force starts to terrorise him and his buddies. Worse, all that shaky camera work could make you carsick.

To be fair, darkened theatres can be scary places. You can understand why writer-directors Travis Cluff and Chris Lofting thought the idea of teens locked in and stalked by a rope-wielding phantom might yield some low-budget scares. But the film is far from scary and, in fact, is often unintentionally funny.

High school theatrical productions can be groan inducing: this movie is as embarrassing as any of them.

Now showing

THE GALLOWS

Released by Roadshow

Star rating 1/5

Director Travis Cluff and Chris Lofting

Starring Reese Mishler, Pfeifer Brown, Ryan Shoos

Rating M

Running time 81 minutes

Verdict Should movies this bad be a hanging offence?

Originally published as Hanging out for the horror, but only laughs to be had in The Gallows