October 21st: The Gallows (2015, Blu-Ray purchased at Best Buy)

The Gallows has a great set up.  The idea is that a school is putting on a play that in 1993 an actor was accidentally killed it.  It's an anniversary show, the type that tends to strike huge in horror movies.

The film is actually done via "found footage" from a handicam in front of a jock.  A fellow football player of his is lead actor in the play and he antagonizes him into tearing down the set.  This jock behind the camera also repeatedly berates and belittles the drama chicks and kids.  I know for a fact that drama chicks rock.

When they attempt to destroy the stage of the anniversary all the imaginable things go awry.  They start hearing things and run into another actress from the play and promptly get caught inside the school's studio.  The whole "jock verses nerd" thing isn't too knew to horror movies, but it's an odd play in this one, since they are now forced to work together.

The group finds themselves trapped by dead phone lines and cell phones with no reception, so I guess in this case: ghosts can make your AT&T signal go down, but let your Sony Handicam keep working.  

Checkov's gun goes off a couple of times during the film.  A little more than you see in many horror movies.  Except, instead of Checkov's gun, it's more like Checkov's slow burn.  It's a really interesting way for the film to push itself forward.  

Thinking about being trapped in my old highschool's stage makes me a little uneasy, beacuse there's a lot in there that I didn't know.  

This movie isn't the best found footage film I've seen by a long degree or the scariest horror film, either.  But it's not a bad effort.  I enjoyed it, and was honestly never bored.  I would recommend this movie to most horror fans.  It's not going to make any "best lists" or anything, but it is worth the time it takes to watch.

As with any recent horror movie, there's a twist.  The twist is actually pretty cool in this one.  You really don't see if coming.  I alwys ebrace those types of things.  This is one that looks like a pass to most, but I would say: go