I have given Blumhouse their fair share of crap for making variations of the same movie over and over again. I will admit that they have surprised me with INSIDIOUS and WHIPLASH, but I am not convinced just yet that they are not pulling a fast one on audiences and just making the same movie with slightly different twists. I will also admit that the teaser for their latest film, THE GALLOWS, has pulled me in hook, line, and sinker.
In the grand tradition of great movie teasers, THE GALLOWS delivers virtually nothing about the movie aside from some quotes from critics splashed on screen in between shots. All we see is a young woman crying, sitting in front of some stairs, bathed in red light. Her sobbing intensifies while we see something in the background. I strained my eyes to make sure they weren’t playing tricks on me and I prepared for something to jump out at me. Something does, but it is executed and edited in such a way that I genuinely felt that ball of fear in the pit of my stomach.
So, what is THE GALLOWS? Here’s the synopsis.
Twenty years after an accident caused the death of the lead actor during a high school play, students at the same small town school resurrect the failed stage production in a misguided attempt to honor the anniversary of the tragedy—but ultimately find out that some things are better left alone.
While that sounds like standard horror boilerplate, we cannot tell from the teaser whether writer/directors Chris Lofing and Travis Cluff have made a found footage movie, a slasher flick, a supernatural horror tale, or something more. All together, this teaser is an absolute success because we don’t know what is going on and now we need to find out. Instead of needing to know who the killer is, I just want to understand what the hell my eyes just saw. For that, I will give you this win, Blumhouse. Well done.
THE GALLOWS opens in theaters on July 10th.