User Reviews

This goes by two different titles the very first title is Gallows Hill, it was changed to the name The Damned, for its distribution. This plays on the idea of possession. These movies seem to be running rampant this day and age. This one has a family who ends up in a storm. Their car is turned over because of a flash flood, they end up going to little Motel, where an old man lives. The old man almost refuses to let them in but then he realizes they are a family. He lets them in. What they discover is a little girl locked up in a basement, chained and bolted inside a room. They take it upon themselves to free the little girl unbeknownst to them the little girl has a secret. The old man has a secret and the place has a secret.

This is an interesting possession horror film with great little spooked moments, that play with the viewer's mind. This is a good film to watch in the dark with no lights and the television volume way up so that you can experience all the ultimate spooky reality. Now with that said it's not meant to mean a fantastic film because it's not. This plays out like a direct to video b-grade horror film.

The movie takes place in Columbia. Your main character is David. He is a widow and about to remarry. He comes to Columbia to collect his daughter who is staying with her aunt. David wants his daughter at his marriage. David's daughter does not like his new main squeeze basically stating all she is, is a money hungry whore.

The character of David is played by who I have always thought was an underrated actor and often overlooked and always seems to capture his characters in vivid ways and displays them emotionally accurate, Peter Facinelli. I first got wind of his amazing acting talent in the wonderful TV film The Price of Love (1995). He is most famous for the character of Dr. Cullen in the Twilight film series.

After a car crash a group of people take sanctuary in an old hotel, only to find a girl in a basement that is not all she seems.

Gallows Hill A.K.A The Damned is packed with atmosphere and wonderfully shot by Richard D'Ovidio. As a creepy tale in a large decrypted hotel it works well but as horror piece it falls short. Sophia Myles (when not possessed) is on fine form and Carolina Guerra is simply outstanding as Gina leaving her co-stars in her wake.

There's blood, shootings, twisted heads and fantastic settings but unfortunately the well trodden Exorcist and Evil Dead style demonic voices fail to give big scares. This offering is debatably not as strong as some atmospheric horrors Livid, REC, The Beckoning (2009), or The Orphanage to name a few.

That said, The Damned is still worth watching for its eerie ambiance created in the first half and Carolina Guerra performance.

I didn't know what to think about this before I threw it on. Directed by Victori Garcia (the man who helmed my hands-down least favourite horror film of all time Hellraiser : Revalations), this appears to be the first film that allowed him full creative control. Prior to this movie, he was the director of Mirrors 2, Return To House On Haunted Hill, 30 Days Of Night : Blood Trails, and of course the worst movie ever… however, based on the jump in quality with this one, I have a feeling he felt considerably more free, and wasn't just after the work. Another surprise was the writer, Richard D'Ovidio, who previously penned Thir13en Ghosts, and The Call. All around, based on the previous work of both of these guys, this might have been one I avoided. I can honestly say, I'm glad that I didn't.

The movie begins with some pretty flat seeming characters, and felt quite generic. That being said, the style actually seemed to change pretty drastically and became quite cool and atmospheric. The effects are minimal, and effective, and the actors seemed to get their sh*t together part way through the movie. The young girl who plays the 'ancient evil' is pretty effective and creepy, though her performance is pretty short lived once the the demon starts to switch bodies. The story moves along at a pretty good clip, and delivers on some pretty good tension all the way through, it does have fall a little bit flat from time to time, but not enough to kill the movie or stop it dead.

I will say this, the story comes off a little bit heavy handed with the occasional voice over about secrets, and the fact that all of these characters are also tortured souls with deep dark secrets to be exploited. As a result, there are some moments that get a little bit eye-rolly, but overall it's actually pretty effective and does make a reasonable (albeit heavy handed) point about people's secrets coming back to haunt you.

All that said, the movie is occasionally frightening, grim, and even becomes quite bleak and heavy near the end. It's also not a movie that forces a happy ending, and the ending feels natural without sequel baiting. That really was a breath of fresh air to have a movie end in a bit of a non-traditional, and down-note like this one did.

So, all in all, this is a fun movie, that delivers a pretty satisfying level of scares throughout. It might not make anyone's top-10 of all time list, but it really is one of the better horror films I've seen this year. Go ahead and give it a watch, you could certainly do worse! Also, never, ever, ever watch Hellrasier: Revelations.

Final Grade : B-

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Starting a few millenniums back, science; i.e., facts, began a battle with religion; i.e., superstition. Those who believe in the supernatural, miracles, extra-terrestials, etc., are unaware science has won. As such horror and sci-fi movies, long ago limited to genre, are measurable by HOW it's done, with limitations on what CAN is done. This film (on Netflix as GALLOWS HILL) is creative on the CAN as it's stars are not lost or partying kids or paranormal sleuths. The creativity on character relations is done with useful effect. Its setting is not the USA and the film usefully employs the language barrier. Okay, it is stuck inside a house and borrows some gimmicks. The actors, photography, dialog and editing are professional. Restraint is employed regarding gratuitous nudity and special effects and the opening and closing "narrative" is minimal enough to avoid the preachy manure many films of this budget use. In sum, in relation to the tons of horror films out there, this one is pretty good. The makers might think what I'm going to say is faint praise: GALLOWS HILL, a/k/a THE DAMNED, didn't make me feel like an idiot for watching it until the end. For a grouch like me, that's praise indeed.

In hindsight maybe the rating is too high for this movie. But I am partial to movies which have a better second half.

The main problem is predictability. If you have seen similar movies, then it is pretty much the same template. Too many elements are derived from so many other movies. There is really no attempt to bring anything new to the table. Another thing was the dad character. He is a good actor and all but I just couldn't buy him as the father of that girl. When she called out "Daddy" in the first scene of their meeting, I was quite surprised. He looks way younger than that. I also disliked the nosy nature of the characters. They invited trouble by going down to investigate. I am not sure if it is manners to explore since they were just guests in that house. The frequent Spanish also doesn't help matters since I was puzzled at the long conversations.

But once the girl is out, then it is game on. It just pretty much piles on the action from that point. Well, whatever action is possible within that house for the most part. The frequent bursts of Spanish doesn't matter now since we are as puzzled as the dad character. It also works well for the devil voice as well. Then it becomes a Thing-like situation with pretty much anyone being a target for the possession. The ending is a nice touch. Here the negative ending actually works instead of being a lame shock ending out of nowhere which many movies do nowadays. It is actually believable and doesn't feel like a gimmick.

There is plenty of eye candy but unfortunately not much nudity. I guess there is not much time to do anything and the characters are not in the mood anyway with all the possessions and all.

I liked it. 7/10

I saw this on a rented DVD in 2014. I enjoyed this movie. Its a very good demonic horror flick. Víctor García (Return to house on haunted hill, mirrors 2) did a decent job. I really liked the new take on the possession. Some may compare it to Fallen or The shrine. It is a very atmospheric horror. The eerie hotel, the middle of nowhere, the rains, all added to the creepy feel. Best part is that it is not ur typical pg13 possession film. This movie has lots of brutal killings. The scariest part was that the demon is able to read people's secret past n spill out in front of others. There is plenty of eye candy faces. Decent acting. Good cinematography n screenplay. Horror fans will not b disappointed.

The movie was good, but the end was somewhat stupid. It could have been done better. Entertaining, but nothing innovative. The actors are good, and the story is good... Throughout the movie is a demon trying to get out of the house while trying to get the family members kill each other just because they are on its way of killing someone who killed it in the first place... Oh, and I LOVE the fact that the film is mostly bilingual. Another reason why I like it. One of the actress, Gina, reminds me of Nicole Scherzinger. And throughout the film there is a family solidarity, which is another plus. This can be interpreted as the fact that whatever happens in life, you can overcome everything with a concord.

The main problem with this movie is that before you start watching the movie you already know the whole story.

I'm going to click the spoilers button now. Though it is quite obvious.

1/ Family or group of people have an accident in a storm.

2/ Family or group seek refuge/help.

3/ Family or group discover girl captive in basement and free girl.

4/ Previously mentioned Girl is possessed and freeing her was a mistake.

Okay that's really about it. By looking at the synopsis of the movie you've basically gotten the whole thing. I really probably did not need to click the spoiler button because I only reiterated the storyline content in IMDb but in a way I did because there is nothing else.

This is the very definition of predictable. It follows all the latest horror clichés as well as offering nothing that isn't in the synopsis.

A new watch for me of GALLOWS HILL (2013, aka THE DAMNED, aka HOUSE ON GALLOWS HILL), a tale of demonic possession with the novelty of being filmed on location in Bogota, Colombia. The story sees an American and his fiancee travelling cross-country with some family members and friends only to get caught out by flooding and forced to take a rural route. After a car accident the group stay at a closed hotel inhabited by an old man who keeps a young girl chained up in his basement. Wrongly believing him to be a paedophile, they free the girl only to get a nasty surprise...

Despite the novelty of the South American filming location this is another stock and routine story with dark and dreary cinematography; most of it is filmed in the dark so the exoticism is wasted. It's one of those stories with paper-thin characters and familiar actors (Peter Facinelli, Sophia Myles) wasted in predictable 'demon' scenes of overacting and possession. Some gore and horror along the way, but I found it all very passe and unappealing, not helped by the tiny scale and low budget of the production.

It's hard to put into words how bad this film is. Yes, it has all of the clichés, old house, rain and thunder, creepy old guy. What really kills this film is how unlikable the characters are and how positively stupid as well. You could care less if they are killed off and when they are, you find yourself almost cheering. This, of course is when you aren't yelling at the screen. What is the first thing you should do when things get threatening? Have everyone separate! Absolutely! There is nothing redeeming about this film at all. I am a horror movie buff and this is just about the worst I have ever seen. This is so bad that I set up an account here so I could write my first review.

A pretty neat idea. Not outrageously scary but creepy enough! A little unbelievable that so many people in such a tight circle would all have such many skeletons in the closet. Using a little girl as the vessel definitely pumps up the creepy factor. Facinelli a good guy!

I liked this to start with. It's conventional, but I think they set it up well for a ride into the depths of horror.

So that should have picked up speed right after the witch was released. There was some spooky ghosting around the house, but ... the little girl was not scary. We even had the closing the fridge door jump - if they have to resort to that then something's gone wrong.

But don't worry - there were other versions of the beast to come. And I think that's the problem: they didn't have to focus on one character, so all characters became a bit bland when it was their turn, and you never got the essence of the original beast.

Then you've got the back story, which they returned to a few times with an unnecessary complication involving the relatives of the persecutors. Then they threw in a dose of guilt from each character's life. And it all got a bit cluttered, losing focus on the original elements.

Think of the Blair witch - you get some sketchy exposition at the start, the audience fills in the details, we go to a lonely place, all the elements are in place, and bit by bit the witch simply shows what she can do, raising the stakes steadily without once appearing on screen.

The final insult was some dreadful dialogue between father and daughter as they cowered in the basement. And oh - there was another bloody twist after that too.

Keep it simple!