The Gallows
The Hangman come back inThe Gallows : Act II , the up-to-the-minute cinema from writers / directors Chris Lofing and Travis Cluff . The originalThe Gallowswas a surprisal hit when it launched in 2015 , gross $ 43 million worldwide off a budget of only $ 100,000 . While mostly dismissed by critic , the plastic film has make a cult following for its earnest approach to the music genre and the manytwists and turns in its stiff handwriting .
For the continuation , Lofing and Cluff are n’t resting on their laurels and rehash the archetype . Instead , they ’re jettisoningthe ground footage gimmick of the originalfor a more cinematic horror experience . They ’re expound the mythology of the Hangman while craft a new story that can be enjoy by bothfans of the original and newcomersto the bud franchise .
Related:10 Best Found - Footage Horror Movies Of All Time , Ranked
While promoting the button ofThe Gallows : Act II , Lofing and Cluff spoke to Screen Rant about returning to the land of The Gallows while take an entirely unlike cinematic approach . They discussworking with Blumhouse Productionswhile maintain originative control of the film , and talk about their aspiration for the future of the series ( Will we seeThe Gallows in Space ? Probably not . ) The filmmakers also apportion how they get their starting time in the industry , from Lofing ’s time at film school to Cluff ’s unorthodox entryway into show - biz : as a contestant on the pop ABC game show , Wipeout .
The Gallows : Act IIis out now in theaters , on VOD , and On Digital .
Let ’s talk aboutThe Gallows : Act II , shall we ? I think the first affair people will remark about this flick is that it middling much completely drops the found footage angle of the original . Was that the first choice you made when you were throw the motion-picture show ?
Chris Lofing : It was unquestionably one of the early decisions . Making found footage in effect and sufferable and believable is very difficult , more than a mass of people think . It ’s not as well-to-do as just getting the camera and paying no money . It ’s really tough to wander a story that ’s believable and that people can clothe in for 90 minutes and still kind of debar the disbelief that it might be real . It ’s very challenging
Travis Cluff : It ’s a fading sub - genre . Enough attack have been made that it ’s punishing for people to watch or swallow . It ’s a little bit more of a fading bomber - literary genre .
The original movie , a big part of the caption of its succeeder story is that it was made on a budget of $ 100,000 . I , stand for that ’s probably Robert Downey Jr ’s pedicure budget onThe Avengers . I suppose you had a little more to figure out with on the subsequence .. Can you peach a little scrap about that at all , or is it a secret ?
Chris Lofing : We did have a little piece more , but I will say , it was not much more .
Travis Cluff : It was honestly not much more .
Chris Lofing : It was still very much an independent celluloid , made off the grid , outside the scheme . Really , very similar to the first picture show . We were just a couple of guys do a flick in our back M with our friends , with our citizenry here in Fresno , California , where we are . It was in reality very similar . A little bit more , but not much more . It was not too big of a disruption from the first picture .
Travis Cluff : We ’re just very scotch guy cable . We want to go out and make cool stuff , but we do n’t want to waste money . There ’s so much wastefulness in the industry . We do n’t want to liquidate money . Now , that said , if someone ’s willing to hire us to direct a $ 100 million movie and they ’re gon na waste a bunch of money , but on us , we ’re happy to oblige ! ( Laughs ) You know ? We ’re happy to hold . But there ’s something to , for us , anyway , creating your own world , and create your own IP and your own material . And doing it in a way that it can be a success . And when it put to work , it works . And we ’ve been referred to , sometimes , as the Tyler Perrys of Fresno , or like The Strauss Brothers , that variety of thing . And we consider than an honor ! We require to keep build our brand , our caller , our films , in that way . We ’re frantic about still doing things very , I would say , intelligently , and frugally , and in a elbow room that everyone can go through success on the back end , you know ?
I mean that fits very well with what I understand of the Blumhouse style . They ’re like , " Here ’s enough money to make a motion picture , come back with a picture . " Is it really that hands - off when it comes to Jason Blum and his team ? Do they really just say , " Here ’s some money , come back with a movie ? "
Chris Lofing : In our experience , yes . It ’s been pretty skinny to that . That ’s kinda how it ’s been . We really are left to our own twist , allowed to be creatively self-governing , and to make our own decisions .
Travis Cluff : Every yield is not that way . I will say that we have to prove that we ’re competent enough to be able to do it . I reckon , with the other people we ’ve worked with , if there ’s a project to be done , and producers do n’t have the ability to be there every waking bit . But some producer to feel they need to be there every waking second to make certain there ’s no fires to put out . But if you ’re able to deliver stuff and nonsense like that , you get that kind of repute , and that ’s the reputation we have .
Do you have a growth pile at Blumhouse , or are you doing it one pic at a time ?
Travis Cluff : We do n’t . To be honest , we do a muckle of things independent , with our own company , Tremendum Pictures . I mean , there ’s a lot of things , you screw Blumhouse , they ’re make movies that are in the $ 15 million , $ 25 million range now , so there ’s kind of maybe , I sense like they ’ve outgrown themselves a little number , so there ’s an chance for companies like ours , Tremendum Pictures , or some of the other one they ’ve worked with in the past , to fill that void of the micro - budget horror picture show . It ’s kind of an exciting prospect to us . That being said , we have a cracking kinship with those guys ! We get it on those guys . We ’re go to the Blumhouse Halloween party again . They ’re really beneficial friend of ours . We love work with them and making clobber in that music genre and in that place . But we ’re unrestrained about working with Lionsgate and New Line . We ’re grateful to know and be lick with these incredibly talented people and studio and caller . It ’s frankly an indie filmmaker ’s dream , and we ’re glad it ’s where we are . We ’re really thankful for it .
Horror is one of the only genres where indie filmmakers can actually build up a dealership . You know , there ’s no My Own Private Idaho 2 , but you do get to makeThe Gallows : Act II . Was that always an ambition you had ? Did you always want to build outThe Gallowsinto a broader franchise , or did that not come to mind until after you ’d made the first film ?
Chris Lofing : That ’s a adept interrogation . Definitely , when we fix out to make the first film , we seek to craft a villain and a mythology that feel like it could flesh out . We want to make something that finger like it could be a dealership that could become like one of those iconic slasher franchises that you watch every year on AMC Fear Fest or whatever . But we never planned a subsequence , per se . We just strain to make something that we felt was unequalled and could take hold of on . But when it come time to do a continuation , we were , of course , exalt . We had a lot of ideas and were excited about the prospect of bring the Hangman back , depict him in more of a cinematic style and building upon the mythology we had make for the first pic . It ’s really awesome . Not of necessity contrive , but kind of ! We had go for it would become a franchise , that it would be more than just one movie , and we ’re thankful that it has . And the first one is on AMC Fear Fest this year ! That ’s pretty awful , being a rooter , getting to see our movie in the batting order this yr .
With that in idea , not to put the handcart before the horse , or count the chickens before they scotch the route , but do you have ambitions forThe Gallows : Act III ?
Travis Cluff : That ’s an interesting enquiry . There ’s for certain room to have one . And we never really talked about it more than we have today . earlier , we were blab about maybe doing a prequel , and there ’s certainly infinite in there to explore , which would be fun , and I was like , that would n’t beAct III , that would beThe Gallows : The Prologue . We might need to do that after we doThe Gallows : Act III . I do n’t know ! We ’re onto four and five already . We ’re gon na doThe Gallows : In Outer Space . ( Laughs ) Look , we ’ll see . There ’s certainly elbow room in our minds for it and in our hearts for it , but we do have a lot going on ! We have several movies we ’re work on and modernize . And we just shot another movie , we receive the first edit back from that just a couple of daytime ago . There ’s a lot go on , and we ’re planning on just hustling and hustling , keep make movies that are commercial and fun and that people are going to have a right clock time watching . And constitute that indie feeling , too . We care that .
Is your next movie something that ’s been announced yet ? Can we blab out about that for a minute ?
Travis Cluff : There ’s not much to say yet , but we blast it this retiring summer . It ’s a thriller , more of a suspense thriller . It ’s calledHeld . We ’re in former post - production on it . It ’s about a dyad that get immobilize in , like , an AirBnB vacation renting . They have kind of an ailing spousal relationship , things are n’t going so well in their kinship . And then they get trapped in this home , and this voice that talks to them starts telling them what to do so as to fix their marriage . It start assigning them roles , if you will . It ’s forcing them into really tense and suspenseful situations . That was fun . Again , very low budget , very small . We get our friend together , we found a distaff author / director ( Jill Awbrey ) , who ’s been Quaker forever , and we want to pass it on , if you will . We were given a shot , and we want to give shots to other up - and - come in movie maker and writers . She had this idea , and we wanted to help train it . And we did , and we made a movie that we call back is very fun , very suspenseful , very uncomfortably suspenseful , in a good way ! That ’s one that ’s coming up . But we have other photographic film that we ’re exceedingly excited about that we intend will be serious contenders .
You bring up you ’re paying it forward , giving the opportunity to a new author . speak just for myself , I know I would n’t be where I am without the great unwashed taking opportunity on me , so I ’d wish to postulate if you could deal a story about how someone take a chance on you back in the day that go to your being here .
Chris Lofing : Absolutely . The firstGallowswas definitely one of those thing . We had no contacts in the manufacture , really , and we had not spud a feature - duration film together as a society yet . All we had was this sales pitch laggard . We had a pitch lagger and a business plan , which was to make a movie that would go worldwide , not know how impossible or how unlikely that really was … We were going to do it anyway . That was our mind-set . We usher our $ 250 pitch trailer to a guy who had helped us in a film in the past , and he was concerned as an investor . We establish it to him , and – by gosh – he loved it . And he believed in our pitching . And this one guy ended up gathering all these investor in Fresno , where we are , and put together that $ 100,000 to makeThe Gallows . It was totally a risk on their part , betting on these cat who had no real believability . We just had a dream and a plan .
Travis Cluff : They could feel that we were going to do whatever it take to get it where it needed to go , and that we believe in the film . It ’s kinda eldritch . It ’s certainly not Microsoft or Apple , but when you ’re in the room with someone who tell they ’re gon na do something , you get that feeling that they ’re just not gon na sleep until it gets done . There ’s something palpable to that , there ’s some energy about it that . So they took a prospect on us , and we ’re grateful that they did . That led us to meeting with our managing director at Management 360 to our friends at CAA , and Blumhouse , and New Line , and Warner Brothers , and now Lionsgate . It ’s incredible . We ’re very golden and glad about that . That ’s why we want to return that favor . Love is what makes the world go ' round !
So , how did you two come out working together ? Do you reckon you ’ll always be a team ? Or do you reckon you ’ll develop ideas you want to bring on independently ?
Travis Cluff : That ’s a respectable dubiousness . Well , Chris , you start the account .
Chris Lofing : I go to take school in L.A. I ’m from Nebraska , originally . But I went to film school day for a class in L.A. , and I went to Fresno to film . I got really great lure - ups in Fresno . It was all very stinting , and I ended up meeting Travis is Fresno . He audition for my student moving-picture show as a stunt guy !
Travis Cluff : That ’s correct . I had some unbalanced life situations that had me looking around for what I want to do with my life history , and I had been on this TV show calledWipeouton ABC . Season 2 , Episode 14 ! I did my ripe to be a memorable character . That ’s what they want , so I gave the world what it needed . ( Laughs )
Oh yeah , I love that show !
Travis Cluff : I was on that show , and I was called " Super Shorts " Travis Cluff . I needed to gain that show so sorry . I needed the money . I was in between jobs and I did n’t have a go at it what I wanted to do with my life . But I went on that show , and I won ! I make headway my episode . I did n’t just win money , which was great , but I also acquire a confidence in have intercourse what I desire to do from that point forrad . I wanted to get involved in entertainment and yield in some style . And that ’s when I heard about this kid who was coming up to take his thesis , and I offered to do stunt , because I was a pro at this tip . ( Laughs ) Having done Wipeout , I was a professional now . But Chris and I became friends . And we decided , " Let ’s make this happen together . " And our first movie all the elbow room through out the logic gate wasThe Gallows .
Chris Lofing : In terminal figure of knead together , we support each other so well , I ca n’t see us splitting up and doing unlike projects , but I could definitely see us honing in on a specific undertaking and giving it more of an individual focus . But I palpate like we ’ll always have that financial backing system of each other , stand by your side and being able to tell you , " Yes , that ’s a in force theme , " or " No , I reckon you should try it this way . " I think it ’s really cool to have that living at all times .
Travis Cluff : It ’s a large coaction that likely should n’t go too far apart from each other . But I can see Chris directing one thing that I would acquire , or I ’d engineer something he would acquire , rather than just co - doing everything . At some point . But it would still be with the support of each other .
What were some of your best-loved movies coming up ? When you were a Kyd , or whenever you settle to become a movie maker , was there a movie you look where you were just like , " I desire to do that ? "
Chris Lofing : In term of revulsion , I was very inspired by a passel of what John Carpenter was doing . The originalHalloweenmovies , I know those . And a sight of those classic slashers . Nightmare on Elm Street , Friday the 13th , I make love those . In terms of other moving picture , one of my favorites as a minor was Tim Burton ’s originalBatman . I lie with that loop of Batman , and Jack Nicholson . It ’s still popular today , with Joker , which we loved .
Travis Cluff : I did n’t uprise up being a horror guy . But I ’m a fan of picture show all around . I really delight moving picture . Especially ones that are impactful . Ones that have me feel emotions that do n’t really come out often . Braveheartis one of my dearie . Stranger than Fiction , I imagine is one of Will Ferrell ’s best motion picture . There are movie in action , drollery , and horror that have influenced me . Another shivery one we both saw recently that we really liked wasA Quiet Place . queerly enough , our sound clothes designer from the firstGallows , Brandon Jones , who total up with us in that movie , it was his first feature , I imagine . But he did profound design for A Quiet Place , and his squad was nominated for that movie at The Oscars . It was so cool to see that . He ’s an awing guy , very talented .
That ’s phenomenal . And I ’m so glad you mentionedHalloween , because just the other night , me and my 12 - yr - old cousin-german , Inari , watchedHalloween 1978andHalloween 2018back - t0 - back . It was quite an experience ! Anyway , when you ’re spell a pic sequel , do you draw on ideas scrapped from the archetype ? Like , was there anything you had to cut from the original movie that you were able to include inAct II ?
Chris Lofing : Let me consider about that … Interesting . You know , I ’d say , the first film was find out footage , and that has its limitation in terms of what can be seen on camera and how it ’s present . So we were limited in how we could show the Hangman . We were specify in the types of scares we could do . You ca n’t edit the same direction . You ca n’t have the same type of scares . It ’s just unlike . So I would say that was a big thing we were able to do on the sequel . Just coolheaded , interesting , different editorial things , different kindling , more originative lighting , work with light , trace , and colors . We had a lot more freedom to be creative than on the first film .
Travis Cluff : Especially with the Hangman . We were allow to do a lot more with his presence .
give thanks you so much , you ’ve been great .
Chris Lofing : Before we stop , I want to mention something pretty nerveless about Screen Rant . Someone at Screen Rant wrote an clause about come up footage horror moving-picture show , andThe Gallowswas listed as number three on the list . That was awing for us . We were so pumped to see that from an outlet we were fans of , and see it list alongside some great movies likeCloverfield , Blair Witch , Paranormal Activity , and so that was really cool .
Travis Cluff : It was really cool because I find like the author gave us deferred payment for affair that were overlooked by other people . Like , " Oh , he gets that . " He translate what we were doing here and there . I thought that was really cool . Screen Rant really has favor with us .
Shout out to Ben Sherlock , he compose that list .
Chris Lofing : It was fun to see that . I think we were in the middle of write the script when we meet that , and that clause really brightened our day . Made us feel confident in our committal to writing , which is trouble for all writers .
More:14 Found Footage Movies That Worked
