Cassidy Gifford The Gallows

Cassidy Gifford The Gallows

Cast: Cassidy Gifford, Reese Mishler, Pfeifer Brown
Directors: Travis Cluff, Chris Lofing
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Rated: M
Running Time: 81 minutes

Synopsis: Twenty years after a deadly freak accident at a high school play, a misguided attempt to re-stage the play and honor the student proves that some things are better left in the past.

The Gallows
Release Date: July 23rd, 2015

About The Production

Every school has its spirit

In 1993, high school student Charlie Grimille died by the noose in a freak accident during Beatrice High's production of the play 'The Gallows." Twenty years later, it seems Charlie will finally have his curtain call.

And his revenge.

On the eve of the play's revival, students Cassidy Gifford, Reese Mishler, Pfeifer Brown and Ryan Shoos spend the night trapped in the school's auditorium, with no way to call for help. If Charlie Grimille has his way, it may be the last night they spend alive.

Written, directed and produced by Chris Lofing and Travis Cluff and shot entirely outside of the Hollywood system, the horror film 'The Gallows" found its way to the big screen thanks to the filmmakers' use of a much smaller one"the computer"and their own ingenuity.

Chris Lofing states, 'Travis Cluff came up with the initial concept, and we developed it from there until we had a rough script. Then we shot a promo trailer, mainly just so we could see how it worked, if it looked scary to us."

'We also used it in order to raise funds, so we could shoot the rest of the movie," Travis Cluff quips.

While the filmmakers continued into production, they put the trailer online. It was spotted by producer Dean Schnider of Film 360, the production arm of Management 360. 360 shared it with well-known genre production company Blumhouse, founded by veteran producer Jason Blum. Jason Blum offers, '-The Gallows' is really the first movie we've done since -Paranormal Activity' that has the same DNA"that homemade -I can do that' look, which, to be honest, few people really can do. We must see about a thousand attempts a year, but -The Gallows,' was unique in that not only did they do it themselves, but it worked."

Dean Schnider says, 'I'm always consuming media, going through blogs and video sites, whether due to my own curious nature or trying to find the next big talent.

I saw this two-minute clip that was just strange and scary and creepy. It felt truly unique and my gut instinct led me to reach out to Travis Cluff, Chris Lofing."

Of the two, Chris Lofing confesses to being the true horror fan. 'I've always used those movies as creative inspiration. Travis Cluff came at it from a more business-minded perspective. He immediately saw the advantages of doing something with a small budget, and horror is fairly easy to do that way."

Travis Cluff confirms, 'We were operating with no budget, basically, so we had to find a way to do it. That's when Chris Lofing came up with the idea to make it in the found-footage style, which allowed us to do what we wanted in terms of story and production."

Travis Cluff, Chris Lofing met when Chris Lofing, then just 19, went to Fresno, California, to shoot a short film"his school thesis, actually"and Travis Cluff joined the production as a stunt performer. When Travis Cluff later attended the short's premiere in L.A., he was impressed with the final result and approached Chris Lofing about working together again. The pair formed their own company, Tremendum Pictures, and 'The Gallows" is their first professional collaboration.

Producer Benjamin Forkner of Entertainment 360 comments, 'Travis Cluff, Chris Lofing really complement each other in terms of what each of them brings to the table, and together they are a great team. We were very excited to be involved in bringing their vision to the big screen."

With Blumhouse and Entertainment 360 on board to co-produce and co-finance, the directors"who also served as editors as well as handling the visual effects"were able to finalize the film.

Executive producer Couper Samuelson of Blumhouse says, 'It seems as though once every ten years or so a movie like this breaks through because it's really good. We know from experience that it's hard to get one great scare in a movie, let alone the multiple scares -The Gallows' has. It's also challenging to get naturalistic performances with the type of dramatic work the actors have to do in horror, especially in found-footage films. Travis Cluff, Chris Lofing did a terrific job and we were thrilled to be a part of it."

He's coming for me…"

In 'The Gallows," four high school students find themselves in grave danger after getting locked in the auditorium overnight. Three of them"Reese Mishler, Ryan Shoos and Cassidy Gifford"are there to sabotage the sets for the upcoming school play; the fourth, Pfeifer Brown, the play's female lead, has followed them in, correctly suspecting they're up to no good.

Regardless of their individual motives, it seems as though Charlie has been waiting a long time for this night.

To help induce a real sense of fear in their cast members that would translate into their performances, Travis Cluff, Chris Lofing cast actors out of Los Angeles who knew nothing of the Fresno, California, locations where they'd be shooting, many of which are said to be haunted. Additionally, the directors only revealed the script to the talent little by little over the course of production, and also shared photos, newspaper articles and websites with them that referenced the story of Charlie Grimille and related incidents that had happened subsequent to his death.
To keep things feeling even more genuine for the cast, the filmmakers used the lead actors' first names as character names. Thus, Reese Mishler plays Reese Houser, Pfeifer Brown plays Pfeifer Ross, Cassidy Gifford plays Cassidy Spilker and, retaining both his first and last names, Ryan Shoos plays Ryan Shoos.

Dean Schnider offers, 'The fact that Travis Cluff, Chris Lofing decided to use the actors' names as their character names was a very smart, simple idea that spoke to how they approached the entire movie, which is grounded and as raw and authentic as possible."

The performers were also allowed a good deal of room to improvise. 'We kept the script really lean, and found actors that could roll with it," Chris Lofing says. 'Our cast had great improv skills and really made things come to life."

Because the character of Ryan Shoos also serves in large part as the film's storyteller-cum-cameraman, the directors knew that the actor cast in the role would have to at least appear to be a skilled amateur videographer as well. Chris Lofing explains, 'We were looking for someone who could operate a camera, but who was also an energetic person who audiences would connect with. Like that slightly obnoxious friend who's in your face, but he's funny and you love him. Plus in the film he's a jock, so in typical high school fashion, he's popular. Ryan Shoos came in and just did a great job off the bat. Travis Cluff and I immediately knew he was the guy."

Ryan Shoos describes his character as 'one of the coolest guys around, in his own humble opinion. He's on the varsity football team, he's got a hot girlfriend, and he's funny."

Of the character's ever-present video camera, Ryan Shoos says, 'He thinks people love being filmed, so he likes turning the camera on them. But really he just can't resist embarrassing them or pranking them and getting into a little mischief with his friends."

That mischief is what gets them all into serious trouble and puts them in the path of real mayhem…and severe danger. Ryan Shoos details, 'Ryan Shoos convinces Reese Mishler and Cassidy Gifford to destroy the sets the night before the play. So they break into the school in order to take down the gallows, and Ryan Shoos' got his camera on them the whole time; he's not missing this kind of footage. But then things start happening"creepy, paranormal things they can't explain. Their cell phones stop working, the sets they take down get put back together, doors are suddenly locked. It starts small and then it just gets worse."

Along for what is ultimately the worse night of his life is Ryan Shoos' best friend, Reese Mishler. A fellow football player, Reese Mishler is also the male lead in the play, though he has no real artistic leanings"just a crush on his co-star, Pfeifer Brown.

Lofing offers, 'Reese Mishler is a jock, but he's an unassuming guy, very different from his friend. He is in the play but he really doesn't want to be. At least that's what he tells Ryan Shoos, who easily figures out that Reese just did it to be around Pfeifer brown. Of course, he taunts Reese mercilessly about it, as guys will do. And when he concocts a plan to break apart the sets, it isn't hard to get Reese to go along with it."

'Reese is our humble hero," Travis Cluff adds, 'an athlete who's not at all cocky. Everyone likes him; he's the kind of guy that would stick up for a nerd who was being bullied."

His role in the play has afforded Reese a chance to learn something of its ill-fated history. Reese Mishler recounts, 'In the 1993 production, which we see a little bit of early on in the film, Charlie was supposed to play the executioner, but the lead called in sick that night, so he took over the role at the last minute. There was a malfunction with the gallows, the trap doors broke, and he literally fell through with the noose around his neck. He died in front of a live audience of parents and teachers and kids. That's why there's been some animosity towards doing the show now."

Animosity…and rumours. 'A lot of people think his spirit is haunting the school," Reese Mishler confirms. 'They've seen things, they've heard things. And my character is the guy taking over the part of the person who died in a horrific accident on stage, so it's especially weird for him."

Supernatural happenings and jitters aside, Reese Mishler feels that fans of horror will not only appreciate the disturbing qualities of the story, but will also be able to put themselves in the characters' place. 'We've all been to high school, we've all been part of this clique or that one or into sports or drama. So, you're already empathizing with a lot of what these kids go through and their emotions at that age. Then when things start to get really awful, you'll feel like you're right there with them, which makes the scary stuff even more terrifying."

'Reese Mishler is a very talented guy," Chris Lofing states. 'He fit perfectly into the -nice guy' role; he's really able to convey that sincerity. He had a lot of emotional scenes in the movie and he excelled at them. It was great to be able to give him the smallest piece of direction and watch him bring the feelings out so well."

One of Reese Mishler's good friends is Cassidy Gifford, head cheerleader and girlfriend of jokester Ryan. When casting the character, Travis Cluff recalls, 'We met with Cassidy Gifford and both Chris Lofing and I thought, -Well, she is too perfect, she fits the part too well. It can't be this easy.' So we saw 20, 30 other girls before we realized we could have saved a lot of time if we'd just gone with her first. And she really did bring it."

Chris Lofing agrees. 'She brought some great stuff to the character. Like Ryan Shoos, she was really funny in moments, but when it got serious, she was in the moment, really intense, for every take. I didn't have to say much, she was just in the zone. She did a phenomenal job."
Cassidy Gifford says, 'I grew up loving horror films, so doing one was never something I would have counted out of the realm of possibility. But coming in and actually doing it was more challenging than I could have imagined. People probably always say this about working in the horror genre, but being on set, doing night shoots, surrounded by a very small cast and crew, was actually pretty scary at times! Because the production was kept so small, a lot of the time we were alone in a random, dark hallway with nothing going on. We would hear things, we would see things, and it all made it seem very real; I won't lie, I was definitely freaked out more than once."

While the character sort of goes along for the ride, she's the first to suffer the consequences when strange markings begin to appear on her neck, though nothing"nothing human, that is"has touched her. 'The phones aren't working, the doors are locked; Ryan Shoos' trying to calm her down, but she knows something is off," Cassidy Gifford supplies. 'And then this bruising starts to appear on Cassidy Gifford's neck and she feels like she's being pulled by something, but nothing is there. At that point, she just wants to get out of that place. It's not a funny prank anymore."

Just as Cassidy and Ryan Shoos make up a classic cheerleader-jock pairing, also typical of many high school students is Reese, who has a secret crush on a classmate that he's trying to hide, if not all that well. When asked to join the cast of the play -The Gallows'"by the very object of his affection, Pfeifer"the opportunity to spend time with her in rehearsals, eventually culminating in an on-stage kiss, is too tempting to turn down for the admittedly shy football star.

'Pfeifer is a drama queen, literally," Chris Lofing smiles. 'She's obsessed with theater, it's in her blood. She led the charge to honor the anniversary of the ill-fated school play by reviving it and, of course, she's the star, she's in charge of printing the programs, and she invited the handsome football star to join the cast."

The character, according to Chris Lofing, 'is based on a couple of friends of mine from high school. I did a few plays, was in a few drama classes, and there's always that one kid who makes it their entire life," he comments. 'The girl who's the complete control freak, who if you miss a cue or misplace a prop, well, it's the end of the world. That's who came to mind when we were writing Pfeifer."

Pfeifer Brown, who plays the young thespian, affirms, 'My character just loves performing, both acting and singing. Her mom was involved in it when she went to school, and she got her daughter into it. Pfeifer has gotten the lead in everything she's ever auditioned for and has taken it upon herself to be in charge of pretty much every aspect of the production. She's definitely the type that sees theater as a dying art, and she's singlehandedly going to bring it back. And because this particular play was never finished, she feels like it's her duty to the boy's family, to the cast and crew back then, to see it through, to finally put it to rest."

Though the character of Pfeifer is generally annoyed with Ryan Shoos' habit of filming everyone and everything that goes on, Pfeifer Brown says, 'I thought the found-footage idea was brilliant. I read the script and I loved it. There were so many twists and turns, I just couldn't put it down."

In the script, the primary set is a darkened auditorium, and Pfeifer Brown allows that the site itself was fear-inducing. 'Like our characters, we were locked in a dark school in the middle of the night. It felt like we weren't supposed to be there!"

In addition to handling several of the behind-the-scenes jobs themselves, both Travis Cluff and Chris Lofing appear briefly on screen. 'I am the drama teacher and Chris Lofing is a student who I yell at because he doesn't turn his cell phone off in the classroom," Travis Cluff grins. 'That's it for cameos."

Jason Blum says of the cast, 'Naturalistic performances are especially crucial in this style of film, and Travis Cluff, Chris Lofing found terrific actors."

'This place is super creepy at night…"

Perhaps nothing plays on an audience's own phobias better than making them feel trapped in the kind of place they might frequent every day, all the while hunted by some unknown, unseen force. 'It could happen to you, too," or so the filmmakers seem to be saying while, one by one, the characters on screen face an untimely demise in a variety of horrific manners.

In the film 'The Gallows," that everyday locale is a high school auditorium. Moviegoers have all been there, no matter their hometown, and therefore can all put themselves in the characters' place.

'Even the most familiar place is different at night," Chris Lofing says. 'Few of us would choose to experience an empty school in the middle of the night. Empty hallways, all the doors closed. Right away, most of us would be a little freaked out."

Adding to that, Chris Lofing continues, 'Supernatural things start happening, and then become more and more intense. But no one knows these guys are there, no help is coming for them. It becomes a very desperate situation."

Certain exteriors were accomplished in Chris Lofing's hometown of Beatrice, Nebraska, the setting for the film. However, 'The Gallows" was shot primarily in and around Fresno, California. Utilizing Veteran's Memorial Auditorium as the main setting for the story, the filmmakers shot night-for-night, adding to the realism for both the cast and, ultimately, moviegoers.

'Night-for-night interiors are rare," Jason Blum observes, 'but it was done to give the actors the true feeling of, well, being out in the middle of the night, just like their characters."

One of Travis Cluff's favourite scenes"coincidentally shot on a Friday the 13th, on the thirteenth day of principal photography"also maintained an air of realism for most of those involved. 'No kidding, it was the thirteenth day, on a Friday the 13th, and we were hanging someone."

Travis Cluff, Chris Lofing had discussed at length how to make the sequence as legitimate as possible in order to get the best 'audience" reaction. 'We brought in a bunch of extras to be our theater audience, watching the original version of the play in 1993, and we rehearsed it earlier that day," Travis Cluff goes on to say. 'We explained to our main actors, who knew the story, what we were doing, but we never told our audience that Charlie was going to hang. Instead, we practiced it in a fake way, with him taking off the noose and getting away. Now they think that's how it's supposed to go. And the actors on the stage are supposed to react like it wasn't supposed to happen.

'However, when we shot the scene, Chris Lofing and I wanted to make sure the actors who were in on it would also be surprised, including the kid playing Charlie. So we did it sooner in the dialogue than he, or they, expected it."

Naturally, the on-set prank was accomplished with complete safety, thanks to the presence of a stuntman/safety coordinator dressed as though he were part of the cast. 'He came running out"looking like he's the drama teacher of the time"screaming, -Charlie! Charlie! Somebody call a doctor!' Our actors were stunned, but our audience was totally shocked"the look on some of their faces was priceless."

The young actor playing Charlie got his own revenge on his directors. 'It took what seemed like forever for him to give us a thumbs up," Travis Cluff admits. 'But it was great."

That scene, which actually opens the film, has the look of having been shot on a home video camera. The bulk of the movie, however, takes place 20 years later and is meant to be seen mainly through the lens of today's ever-present video camera: the cell phone.

The filmmakers employed a variety of cameras at various grades, including a Canon C300, the Panasonic Lumix GH2, RED and Sony. 'I think we used just about every camera in the book," Travis Cluff jokes.

Jason Blum admires their resourcefulness. 'What makes a scary movie scary is when the characters' lives are threatened. But when your life is threatened, the last thing you do is hold onto a camera. Travis Cluff, Chris Lofing were able to make it feel organic. The camera is justified all the way through the movie, which makes it resonate in a cool way."

While they managed most of the filming themselves, as well as the editing and visual effects, the directors turned to Zach Lemmon and 10K Islands to compose the score and sound designer Brandon Jones of Sound Method Post to design the sound for the film. 'When they showed the film in a really rough state, there was no sound design, nothing but the dialogue track," Brandon Jones remembers. 'In fact, there were big portions of the movie that were just silent. Still, it was so terrifying, just by itself."

Responsible for the entire soundscape of the film, Brandon Jones says he was 'thrilled by all the possibilities, but at the same time, it was daunting; I knew I'd be creating atmosphere, tone, tension, paranormal elements and so on. It was a blank slate for me to go crazy and have fun. I'm really happy that Chris and Travis entrusted me with the job."

'When we first started this movie," Chris Lofing says, 'Travis Cluff and I weren't sure how we were going to divide up our responsibilities"maybe I'd direct more, and he'd produce more. But we really collaborated equally on everything. The turning point, I think, was when we went to Jason Blum's office and on his wall, right when you walk in, is a sign that reads The Directors. There are pictures of James Wan, who did -Insidious' and -The Conjuring,' and Damien Chazelle who did -Whiplash,' along with several other directors. And we just looked at the wall and looked at each other and we knew we both had to be up there."

'Together, Travis Cluff and Chris Lofing have created an authentic scary movie experience that audiences will love," JasonBlum states. 'I know from experience that people love being scared, in all different ways"riding a rollercoaster, sitting in a dark movie theater"whatever gets your adrenalin going and makes you feel alive. I think that -The Gallows' is that exceptional movie that doesn't feel like anything else…and is really terrifying."

The Gallows
Release Date: July 23rd, 2015