THE FILM:

The only moderately spooky thing about The Gallows is the grainy, recorded-VHS opening sequence shot during a school play in which the male lead is accidentally hanged during the performance. Everything else is amateurish and uncompelling. No surprise, since the movie was originally shot and posted on YouTube by its directors, Travis Cluff and Chris Lofing. That attracted the attention of Jason Blum, of horror production studio Blumhouse Productions, and the rest is history. The version of The Gallows that reached theaters was reshot with different actors, but is mostly identical to the original cut, which is included as a bonus feature on the Blu-ray. As a student film or homegrown thriller, The Gallows may deserve a pass. As a theatrical release, there is very little to justify the price of admission.

A prop malfunction causes the aforementioned hanging during a high school performance of "The Gallows." Two decades later, someone has the bright idea to stage another production of the (really damn boring) play. Gee, what a great idea! Things immediately get muddy with the plot. The film never makes clear what, if any, urban legend exists surrounding the hanging. Do the townsfolk think the deceased's spirit haunts the auditorium? Is it a fear that lightning will strike twice? None of this is ever explored, save a few off-the-cuff comments about strange noises at the school. I did not know whether to look out for Casper or a real-life hangman.

Shot in handheld/found footage style, The Gallows features a lot of unnecessary buildup with the primary characters, who seem like a bunch of assholes. Reese Houser (Reese Mishler) is a jock moonlighting as a theater geek, and he, along with friends Ryan Shoos (also the actor's name) and Cassidy Spilker (Cassidy Gifford), break into the school on the eve of the play's debut to trash the sets so Reese can get back to the field. They are caught by the play's irritating female lead, Pfeifer Ross (Pfeifer Brown), and do some serious backpedaling to avoid suspension. The movie might have ended there, but the school's doors lock and everyone is trapped inside as some malevolent presence begins lassoing necks with his hangman's noose.

Poorly developed mythology, bad acting and nauseating camera work do not a good movie make. The Gallows is 81 minutes of unconvincing actors running around and crying in dark hallways. There is one cool shot where something is revealed over a protagonist's shoulder, but most of the kills are blurry and off-camera. The Gallows spoils its reveals with ham-fisted foreshadowing, and the ending suggests a break from the reality the film creates. I support Blumhouse seeking out independent talent, but this is not a good start.

THE BLU-RAY:

PICTURE:

The 1.85:1/1080p/AVC-encoded image is fine but limited by source constraints. There is plenty of black crush throughout, and it is often difficult to see what is happening on screen. Some of this is intentional. Fine-object detail is good, and the film maintains a sharp, clear (but obviously digital) appearance throughout. Skin tones are accurate and colors appropriately saturated.

SOUND:

The disc includes a Dolby Atmos track, which I sampled as a 7.1 Dolby TrueHD mix because I do not have an Atmos-ready home theater. This mix is quite impressive, and obviously violates the found-footage atmosphere of the film to provide immersive, seven-channel action. Dialogue is crisp and clear throughout, and the effects make great use of the surrounds. The ambient creaks and groans in the auditorium waft through the rear channels, and there are frequent dialogue and scream pans. The mix does a nice job with echoes and spatial reverberation, which creates the illusion that you are inside the school auditorium. More action-oriented effects rumble the subwoofer, and a swinging/snapping noose wraps itself around viewers' necks. French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital dubs are included, as are English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.

PACKAGING AND EXTRAS:

This two-disc set arrives in typical Warner Brothers "combo pack" fashion: You get the Blu-ray, a DVD copy and an UltraViolet HD digital copy. The discs are packed into an eco-case, which is wrapped in a slipcover. The best extra is The Gallows: The Original Version (79:54/HD). Damn if this isn't the better version of this project. I can forgive the narrative flaws in this rough format, and the story is actually much clearer and better developed. The subtler ending is an improvement over the Hollywood coda, and I'd recommend this version if you decide to give this film a try. Surviving the Noose (17:20/HD) is a surprisingly excellent conversation with Cluff, Lofing and Blum, in which they discuss this project's origins, shooting for the big screen and horror films in general. After watching this piece I wish I liked The Gallows more; these seem like genuinely nice, talented guys. Charlie: Every School Has Its Sprit (9:44/HD) features remarks from the cast and crew about the story. Things wrap up with some Deleted Scenes (18:17 total/HD), a Gag Reel (7:45/HD), and three Trailers (7:08 total/HD).

FINAL THOUGHTS:

I did not enjoy the theatrical version of The Gallows, which is full of nauseating camerawork and bad acting but very short on cohesive mythology and scares. On that alone I have to say Skip It. The Blu-ray does include a number of interesting supplements, including the original version of The Gallows that caught the attention of Jason Blum and earned this movie a theatrical release. That version is superior and may be worth a spin if you're so inclined.

William lives in Burlington, North Carolina, and looks forward to a Friday-afternoon matinee.