The hardships of starring in a found-footage horror film: young unknown actors tasked with screaming and crying and shouting all while running around before their inevitable demise at the hands of some unseen (always off-camera) malevolent ghost/alien/spirit/genie/demon; but more than likely a ghost… For the sake of ‘verisimilitude’, much of this action is done via shaky cam or extreme close-up – not the most generous of angles for the on-the-rise “star”. There’s something interchangeable about the casts in found footage films. For some odd reason, it’s hard to stand out amongst all the hard-to-see under lit footage. Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity may have started a genre but not many an acting career*.
The young and spry cast of The Gallows hopes to reverse this trend and emerge out from the blank terrified faces of found-footage-past. Yes – they run and scream and cry while being terrorized by a largely unseen presence (which yes – is also a ghost); but they do so with a surprising amount of verve and fun. This has to count for something. Pfeifer Brown plays Pfeifer, the good girl; Cassidy Brown is Cassidy, the not-so-good girl; Ryan Shoos is Ryan, the loudmouth; and Reese Mishler is, you guessed it, Reese – the nice guy protagonist. At the film’s press day, the foursome discussed these classic horror-movie archetypes, theatrical superstitions, high-school memories and camera classes. For the full interview, watch below.
*Yes – I’ve seen Joshua Leonard in a bunch of things too. But come on…
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Pfeifer Brown, Cassidy Brown, Ryan Shoos, Reese Mishler:
- Did shooting in a high-school drum up any old memories for good or ill?
- How much credence do you put in theatrical superstitions?
- How much do the archetypical characters reflect on themselves?
- Is there a class for how to handle a camera in a found footage film?
The Gallows opens in theaters July 10th.
