The Gallows

Movie review by Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media
The Gallows Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 16+

Dumb found-footage chiller has noisy jump scares, some gore.

R 2015 81 minutes
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Parents say

age 13+

Based on 7 reviews

Kids say

age 13+

Based on 12 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that The Gallows is a found-footage horror movie about a cursed high school play. There are noisy, shocking jump-scares, plus images of teens killed by hanging, some drops of blood, and a few graphic, gory images. There's also some bullying, arguing, cruel practical jokes, and vandalizing. A teen makes lewd gestures, and there's a bit of innuendo and some tight/revealing clothes. Language includes one "f--k," plus "s--t," "bitch," "damn," "hell," and more. This is the kind of movie that teen horror hounds will flock to on its opening weekend, though it may quickly be forgotten after that.

Community Reviews

meydiana.rizki
meydiana.rizki Adult
October 30, 2020
age 11+

Tedious and poorly made found footage movie

The teaser trailer for this film was great and I was looking forward to what looked like a savage and rather nasty horror film. Sadly I found The Gallows to be utterly tragic in every way. The film is another entry in the overcrowded found footage genre and the story's cameraman was obnoxious and idiotic right from the start. All the characters here are paper-thin and clichéd, they make stupid decisions to put themselves needlessly in peril. But generally there isn't much peril, or danger, or scares. Distractingly amateurish, The Gallows looked as if it was shot for fifty quid in a spare weekend. It's very annoying to pay a lot of money to see a film as awful as this in the cinema, because it's not even worth a rental. Avoid paying to see the full film and just watch the trailer for free, that way you won't feel robbed. Nudity 0/5 Horror 4/0 Jump Scares 5/5

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
oliviaffy
oliviaffy Adult
October 7, 2017
age 13+

Jumpscares!!

The Gallows is a movie based on found footage, where 4 students are trapped in a school, along with some evil spirit that died during a school play. The movie has many jumpscares, so therefore it isn't for the faint hearted. There are some gory scenes: a badly broken leg (but is covered by jeans), a nasty neck wound. There is also swearing: 'sh-t', 'f-ck'. I enjoyed the movie a lot though! If you are looking for a movie with a load of jumpscares and tense scenes, then this is perfect!

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much swearing
See all 7 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In 1993, a Nebraska high school play called The Gallows went terribly wrong when an actor was unexpectedly hanged and killed. Two decades later, the drama class prepares to stage the play again. Wisecracking football player Ryan (Ryan Shoos) is in charge of capturing everything on video. His pal, Reese (Reese Mishler), has the lead role and is struggling with his performance while nursing a crush on his leading lady, Pfeifer (Pfeifer Brown). Ryan convinces Reese that if they break into the school and destroy the sets, Reese won't have to go on. Unfortunately, they, along with Ryan's girlfriend, Cassidy (Cassidy Gifford), find themselves trapped inside ... and a malevolent spirit seems to be in there with them.

Is It Any Good?

Yet another in the seemingly endless parade of low-budget, "found footage" horror movies, this one feels like it was rushed into production without a chance to develop a strong story or characters. As THE GALLOWS begins, it places all of its chips on Ryan, the thoroughly obnoxious, disrespectful bully who's behind the camera. Cassidy loses points simply by being his girlfriend, while the others are fairly muted, never letting us in on who they really are.

The story never establishes any kind of reason for re-staging the deadly play -- or what the motivation of the evil spirit is (or even who it is). And the characters are never smart enough to recognize the obvious (don't climb that ladder!) or avoid horror movie cliches. Additionally, it's not much of a horror movie; the two writer/directors rely entirely on loud noises and jump-scares, without any building of suspense or dread. All in all, The Gallows has a few too many hang-ups.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about The Gallows' violence. How much is shown and not shown? Which is more frightening? How do the filmmakers achieve the movie's biggest scares? What's the impact of media violence on kids?

  • What is a "jump scare" in horror movies? Why do we react so strongly to sudden movements and noises?

  • Are any of these teens stereotypes? If so, how? Would you consider any of them role models?

  • Are any of the characters bullies? How are they dealt with, if at all?

Movie Details

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