VOD Review: Hangman (2016)

"This movie didn't make us want to hang ourselves. I think that's a compliment."

Back in 2008, director Adam Mason gave us another solid Thriller with The Devil's Chair (review HERE), and after seeing his latest effort, Hangman, it's clear that the guy has knack for knowing what scares us.

At first glance, we assumed that Hangman was just another in a long line of Direct-To-DVD Found Footage flicks that had a cool poster, but would ultimately end up underwhelming us.

While it did have its issues, Hangman ended up getting under our skin and sticking with us way more than we expected it to.

When the Miller family arrives at the airport to head off on vacation, some creeper (the Hangman) films them and breaks into their car, where he retrieves their home address from the OnStar computer, and heads over to their home. Then he breaks in, sets up cameras in every room, and makes a little hidden room for himself in the attic.

YEAH, UP THERE. WHERE YOU SHOULD NEVER GO.

When the family arrives back home, they're alarmed to find their house trashed, so they call the Cops who tell them that it was probably a bunch of kids looking to party or something, and not to worry because it happens all the time. Right. After cleaning up the house, the family settles back into their routines, and the Hangman starts coming out of the attic at night, watching them sleep, drinking their orange juice, and rubbing his junk on things around the house.

This goes on for another 45 minutes or so, in movie time.

WHY IS HE LOOKING IN THE CAMERA. HE KNOWS NO ONE IS WATCHING!

Along the way, a few people get killed; everyone drinks the Hangman's spit; he jerks off while watching the husband and wife make sweet love; he watches the daughter and her boyfriend make out at Inspiration Point; and he keeps messing with the young son, driving the kid mad. And we have no idea why.

If they had only had a dog...

ALWAYS WITH THE DOLLS!

The idea of someone being in your house without your knowledge is a pretty terrifying one; I know I've had that feeling that I wasn't alone when I should be, and it's always unsettling when it happens. Hangman does a great job of playing on that dynamic, which made for a mostly intense and uncomfortable watch. 

After watching Hangman, I was walking around the house in the middle of the night, and caught myself checking the corners of my room for cameras. I felt instantly ridiculous when I realized it was because of some stupid movie I had just watched a few hours back, but it sure stuck with me enough to mess with my mind for a while, which is saying something.

The opening scene was pretty intense and brutal, as was the final one. And while lagging a bit in the middle, the movie somehow managed to deliver plenty of intense and disturbing moments that genuinely skeeved us out. For a Found Footage flick, Hangman did a lot right.

The family, and the cast that played them, were all likable enough, even if there were a few moments when their actions made us shake our heads. Jeremy Sisto has always been cool with us, and it was nice seeing Amy Smart on-screen, even if it was only briefly.

WAKEY, WAKEY...

The movie could have used a bit of a trim, especially in its mid-section. After a pretty strong opening, the movie settles into a routine where the Hangman watches the family, acts creepy, watches the family, acts creepy... and doesn't really "do" much of anything until towards the end. A lot of that repetitiveness was effective for the most part, but it did drag in places.

An even bigger issue for us was the Hangman himself. What was his motivation? I mean, the guy spent a lot of time and effort to wire the house with cameras so he could observe the family, but why? And honestly, how was he able to afford so many cameras, monitors, etc.. when all he did was hide in peoples attics, watching them day in and day out, and ultimately murder them? Was he secretly rich or something? And how did he select his families?

We want answers!

AT LEAST HE HAD GOOD TASTE IN VICTIMS.

After a pretty effective, and very lengthy build-up, the ending didn't really give us that great of a payoff. I guess we were expecting an intense, middle-of-the-night stalk & slash sequence where the Hangman killed everyone, but what we got felt more like a half-measure of that. I don't know, it all happened quick, and given the brutality of the murders earlier in the movie, it just wasn't as nasty as we were expecting it to be. And honestly... SPOILER It felt like a bit of a cop-out to have the kids conveniently out of the house at the end when the nasty stuff went down. SPOILER.

The opening murder video was much creepier, and much more effective.

SHE WAS TERRIBLE AT HIDING.

There are only a few kill scenes in the movie, but they're pretty intense and brutal when they do happen.

YOU'RE UPDATING FACEBOOK? NOW?

The Hangman watches a husband and wife have sex, which has a bit of grainy nudity. He also works one out while he watches, which we don't get to see, which we're completely fine with.

THAT'S AN ODD WAY TO SLEEP.

Don't go on vacation, it's just not worth it. Also, having OnStar will most likely get you killed.

SHE KNOWS. OH, SHE KNOWS.

Even though Hangman felt at times like a typical Found Footage flick that had its share of issues, it was pretty effective in establishing a creepy, intense atmosphere, and skeeving us out with the actions of the titular character. If the idea of someone being in your house while you're unaware terrifies you, then this movie will probably give you a at least a few sleepless nights.

C+

Hangman is available now on Blu-ray, DVD, and VOD.

The lovely Kate Ashfield and Amy Smart are in this, and it's not the first movie that they've starred in together.