Hangman (2015) Poster

(II) (2015)

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4/10
A case of 'seen it all before'
Leofwine_draca2 September 2017
Warning: Spoilers
HANGMAN is a low budget found footage horror inspired by the PARANORMAL ACTIVITY series. The most impressive thing about it is that it masquerades, successfully, as an American film, even though according to the IMDb it was made in the UK. The story sees a vacationing family returning home, only to discover that a burglar has trashed the place. Somehow, they don't realise that he's set up covert cameras throughout the property, so that he can spy and stalk them constantly. This film's pretty much indifferent, lacking the kind of tension I'd expect from the premise despite the director's best efforts, and with boring performances from the cast members. There's the occasional shock scene which works well but overall this is both routine and lacklustre.
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5/10
Psyhoclogical Horror in the 21st Century
in198417 February 2016
Warning: Spoilers
5 of 10. For horror, this is a breakthrough. Not because of the always annoying found footage style (which was actually done fairly well compared to most). It's something like a Cable Guy (1996) with higher tech, a lot less humor, and a psycho with a fetish/hatred/fixation on family homes.

While some of the hate for this film may be a combination of shock and fear, there are definitely annoying discrepancies. Why wires when wireless is available? How did the cops miss the guy in the attic when there was reason to search up there? The problems aren't in the acting or even the direction, but the story setup needed to be better thought out to be fully believable.

For families who have experienced directly or indirectly someone using their home for a party or vandalism while they were away on vacation or noticed a lot of odd, unexplained things happening around their home, this will definitely heighten the horror experience.
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5/10
A Missed Opportunity
Nearlydan6 February 2019
Warning: Spoilers
The premise is intriguing and to begin with I found it fascinating watching the intruder moving about the house with supposedly great confidence and the family's inability to notice his presence. There are certain scenes - during the dinner party, and later when hangman emerges from under the bed after the husband has just left the room, that come across as genuinely shocking regarding the intruder's audacity. However, as the film progresses I find it less and less believeable. Any "normal" - and I use the word advisedly - male intruder of that age woul've shown more interest in the teenage daughter, or if not that then the wife, although we never get to see the ultimate result of his antics with her after he carries her upstairs intoxicated. The ultimate problem with this film is the ridiculous way in which the family meet their end. If hangman was as truly deranged as his character was depicted then he would have either given away his presence long before the end of the film or else they would have deduced that there was an intruder camped out in their loft. Not convincing enough, I'm afraid...
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3/10
Lost the plot
shirinvawda23 October 2016
Warning: Spoilers
The movie started out well and had a lot of potential but didn't deliver. The family had no idea that they were being watched and that's a pity. That's where the real thrill would have been. The shock, terror, disbelief etc would have made this film 10 times better. They died so quickly, not knowing what's been going on under their noses. There were parts in the middle of the movie that were dragged out and could have been replaced by a better ending. Was the mother pregnant? With the intruders child? Why did the son say his dad told him not to say anything? Disappointing watching movie and looking forward to the family finding out the horrific truth only to discover that they never do.
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3/10
A thriller without any suspense nor tension
onerickyisneverenough8 March 2016
I'll have to admit,Hangman have a rather interesting and provoking premise. But,that's as far as what you can get from this movie. All you will get is a "thriller" movie that fails as a thriller,lacks in thrills,lacks of character,Plot-less and empty storyline,cringe worthy dialogue,and an Editing so bad,it feels like you're watching a high school student's film project. I know that this movie is a low- budget indie movie,but this movie is just pitiful.and the main plot of the story itself lacks in explanations,and it will leave you scratching your head on what's the point of the story,and what's going on in this movie.

It has a sloppy visual editing,and a sound editing so bad,that in some unnecessary scenes,there's a sound that will blow your eardrums without any apparent reason. It also has a soundtrack that really didn't help,or maybe ruin a scene that's supposed to be tense.

If you are looking for a full of tense,groundbreaking,jittery independent horror flick,then this movie is not for you.Period.
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1/10
Low-budget reached an all new low.
nyrn11 February 2016
Man terrorizes a family seen through a multi web-cam type setup. That's it. Remove acting, character building, drama, tension or any of the myriad of things that could make a movie watchable. Hangman simply picks up the Paranormal Activity snoozetorch, and manages to do absolutely nothing with it. There are home movies made by kids on youtube that look stellar in comparison to Hangman. Not even kidding here. Had to scrub through the last third of the "film". Possible the lowest quality film I've ever seen. The fake review of the film here on IMDb was the most entertaining moment I had watching Hangman. They're just too funny and always written the same way.
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7/10
Well I thought it was good
tmdarby19 February 2016
I'm not sure why this movie has so many bad reviews.

I thought it was a pretty decent movie. The acting was pretty good for the most part. I quite liked the story. Nothing really to talk about for special effects, which isn't a bad thing.

The premise of the movie is fairly realistic too, which adds to the suspense I think. If it's something that could happen to you it adds to the tension.

The suspense is slowly built up and I found the portrayal of the main character very realistic. The writers obviously did their homework on psychopaths. He's very damaged and shows several ranges of emotion, all without saying anything until near the end of the movie.

If you like suspense with a little bit of horror, I'd recommend it.
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1/10
yawn
trashgang15 April 2016
Being shot in a kind of docu style remember paranormal activity, with night vision and stuff. Well it worked for a lot of scary flicks but here, it did not.

The story looked promising but been done before, an intruder in house and staying therefor days, watching you, this time with a lot of camera's and playing hide and seek, laying stuff everywhere to confuse his victims. But, nothing really happens. All you see is POV of the camera's before his victims, really, so that means that he is walking in front of them. sadly, nothing really happens only stabbing a youngster. Towards the end, but by then it's too late, the victims have to die.

Utterly boring, avoid at all costs.

Gore 0/5 Nudity 0,5/5 Effects 0/5 Story 0/5 Comedy 0/5
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I'm about to slam the snot out of this movie, but also praise it
rooprect22 July 2021
Let's start with the bad because that's the fun part. This movie will make you feel filthy. You know like when you have a mild stroke and can't change the channel and the tv is stuck on Fox News all night? Yeah that.

More on that later, let's continue bashing. There are a couple gaping holes which might bother you to the point of hurling popcorn at the screen (if your stroke hasn't paralyzed your pitching arm), such as how did that 250 lb body conveniently disappear? Or why didn't anyone notice all the blood in a public bathroom (must be a rough neighborhood). These holes seem a bit incongruous with the slow, methodical approach to the film which addresses each infinitesimal detail such as moving a flower pot to get a better camera angle. But a 250 lb body we don't care about. Ok.

Let's switch gears abruptly.

Jeremy Sisto is effing INCREDIBLE. All the acting, for that matter, is excellent from Jeremy all the way down to the 2 kids whose fight scene was so convincing I had to check if they were real life brother & sister (they are). The premise is that this film is a voyeuristic exposé of a normal American family, and major kudos to each & every actor for conveying this flawlessly. Of course that means it's not histrionic, not dramatic, there are no Oscar worthy monologues and tear jerking shows of emotion that make us clutch our pillow and reach for the kleenex. This is reality. Conversations are choppy, sometimes a bit awkward, emotions are muted, and interactions are, in a word: boring. And this is probably what your life is like.

"Hangman" is a found-footage slasher flick which on the surface seems like nothing new, but actually it has the most satsifying found-footage premise I've ever seen. The premise is this: The serial killer is an amateur filmmaker who meticulously sets up cameras, stages the action, films the killings, and most importantly EDITS everything together for us to see. So, unlike all the other found-footage flicks where either (a) it is left deliberately un-edited and raw, or (b) some mysterious person cobbles it all together and releases it as a movie, this film has an explanation for every shot. And since our editor is the serial killer, that gives the film a free pass to be cryptic, oddly-paced and at times inexplicable. (Inexplicable enough to hide a 250 lb body, you be the judge)

If you're an amateur filmmaker yourself, or a professional filmmaker for that matter, this angle will captivate you instantly and lead you to a deeper appreciation. Even if, like me, you're just a film buff who enjoys unusual ways of breaking that 4th wall, this is one of the best.

But now let's switch gears back to Reverse. Dear lord this movie will make you feel filthy. I don't mean that in a sexually perverse way (there are some disturbing sexual implications, but interestingly, our serial killer filmmaker chooses not to show anything explicit). I mean this film just disturbs you to the core. I suppose that's the intent of all horror films, but wow man. Even the most rabid splatter fan will say 'dude.'

It's the film's realistic voyeuristic approach, combined with an utterly detestable 'protagonist' (the serial killer), combined with the artistic approach of subtly declaring that the killer CONTROLS EVERYTHING YOU SEE that makes this such a nasty experience.

And on that note, even though I sound like I'm slamming the snot out of this flick, it is a complete artistic success. The feel bad movie of the decade. I'm reminded of the mid-1900s cinematic master Georges Franju (known for "Eyes Without a Face") who in 1949 filmed "Blood of the Beasts", a coldly methodical exposé of what goes on inside an actual slaughterhouse. The intent was to disturb the crap out of us, and it certainly does. Here we have a modern parallel, thankfully fictional and staged, but disturbing on a similar level in its reality and slow, unrelenting hopelessness.

I'm not being sarcastic when I say the filmmakers here achieved a rare pinnacle of success, much like Franju did with "Blood of the Beasts", but dude. My soul needs a shower. Time to watch a 90s Hugh Grant romcom and hug my pillow.
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6/10
Thought provoking
wacoastalgirl9 March 2020
The Hangman moves slowly. However It's creepy the way it's filmed and also creepy and disturbing when you take in that you need to watch your & your family's back almost nonstop. Even at home! And you may question if your car really needs to store certain information. This could really happen. I would have liked some of the events to have been played out more from a different camera.
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1/10
Interesting story idea that fell off a cliff
floridamangosteen16 March 2021
Warning: Spoilers
This could have been a great movie if only the obvious questions were answered. A home is broken into while the family is away. The criminal hides in their attic during most of the film; observing the families every move on his laptop using hidden cameras all over the house. In the end, he kills both parents and the viewers never do find out if he had a motive or was just crazy. But now for a (few) unanswered questions : 1) The cops were called at the beginning. They searched the house but for some reason could not find the guy hiding in the attic at that time ? 2) For some reason there a numerous shots of the house from the top of a tall tree in the yard -what was this all about ? 3) How did the criminal manage to install the dozens of hidden cameras in the house ? 4) A handyman accidently discovers one of the hidden cameras, is immediately killed by the criminal, but no mention is ever made again of his disappearance ! 5) The criminal follows the daughter and her boyfriend to a park and kills the boyfriend in the bathroom there. No follow-up to this murder either ! 6) When the parents do hear someone in the attic, the father gets his gun and climbs up into the attic to confront the intruder. Why would person one be so stupid ? 7) How could the intruder possibly manage to overpower the father, get the gun away, put a noose around his neck, and throw him down through the attic opening ? 8) Where were the children while this grand finale was taking place ? Perhaps still in the park as time lines are somewhat blurry in this one !? The story could have been that the intruder used to own this house and got kicked out...OR - he was the ex of the mother and held grudge. But no explanation is ever offered leaving the viewers scratching their heads to the very end....
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8/10
Ignore the hate - a genuinely disturbing movie
djcalver2 April 2016
I'm really surprised at the negative reception of the film, so went into this film expecting to turn it off after 10 minutes. However, given that the majority of raters probably also contributed to rating the awful borefest that is 'Gravity' a 7.8/10, I should've done what I normally do and completely ignored the ratings and most reviews.

'Hangman' is a genuinely disturbing film. For fans of 'real' horror (and by that I mean things that absolutely could happen, disregarding ghosts and evil spirits), then this is perfect. Almost everything that happens in the film could definitely happen to people, and in various ways probably does. Yes, slight artistic licence has of course been taken, but overall this film touches way too close to home.

The best comparison I can make is to the wonderful flick that was 'Creep' (2014), in that the main antagonist is a truly disturbed individual, yet undoubtedly fairly common in today's world and most definitely real. The film, although slow paced, burns consistently, and there aren't many dull moments.

The ending, just like the opening sequence, are shocking, and the brutal moments that punctuate the film are almost too much to watch - yet nothing is too far-fetched.

So, with that said, I would definitely recommend this film if you enjoy 'found footage' films in general, or are a fan of horrors where the events could - and probably do - happen.
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6/10
Creepy serial Killer
Pairic2 April 2020
Hangman (2015): A serial killer who invades homes, hangs and stabs his victims, we see this in an opening sequence. Then a family goes on holidays, leave their car parked at the airport. The killer breaks in, accesses their home address from the GPS, burgles their house and sets up cameras, moves into the attic. Mind games follow as he gaslights the family, moving things, turning them against each other. There is gore and violence in the film but the psychological horror is much more effective. Written and Directed by Adam Mason. 6/10.
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1/10
What a let down
Brian72506 June 2018
Warning: Spoilers
You don't really need to know how or why this guy came to be in the house. Actually why is pretty obvious - he's a psycho driven by control, power and sexual perversion. You can accept what he does,safe in the knowledge he will pay for his crimes in the most terrible way by the end of the film. That should be the point of a film like this, the realisation of the family of what has actually been going on, the sadistic crimes that can only be cancelled out by an even more sadistic end for the perpetrator. The film might have been acceptable if that had happened. But no, there is no point in the suffering and ultimate death of the happy parents, the boyfriend, the handyman, the murderer survives to kill again. Who on earth writes an end like that, what sort of a viewer enjoys the fact he gets away with it and indeed is seen to be lining up another set of victims? Perhaps someone who looks forward to making or watching a sequel, perhaps with the same disappointing ending, maybe a real-life serial killer who thinks that the guy is a hero? Like other recent films with similar endings, what would have been a sensible and satisfying end for most of us is sacrificed in favour of a 'clever' ending that leaves you feeling you've just been cheated out of a couple of hours of your life.
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1/10
Unorignal, low-budget tripe
johnmorrisonofficial14 February 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Definitely a top contender for worst movies I've willingly watched. Such a mundane, slow-paced, banal movie with a predictable ending. I blame myself for going into this blind, and not watching a trailer or reading the reviews here. I read the synopsis and it sounded like a movie to kill some time. And, hey, a couple of well known actors were in it like Jeremy Sisto & Amy Smart (for the record, Smart has less than 5 minutes screen time.)

For your viewing pleasure (if you're as crazy as I am to watch this in the first place) watch the first 5 minutes then skip and watch the last 10 minutes. You'll skip watching the boring lives and irrelevant segments of a typical nondescript family. It'll be like watching a mediocre, fan-made YouTube thriller skit.

SPOILERS AHEAD:

In short, this is the full story: Psycho killer has an infatuation with blonde mothers. Infiltrates families' lives while they're away travelling. Watches them for days upon days, not doing anything except eating their food and pleasuring himself while the couple have sex. Abruptly ends up hanging the husband and killing the wife after coercing her to admit she "loves him". Moves on to new family. Fin.

Low budget, found footage film. Okay-ish acting. Bad script and plot. No character development. No tension or suspense. Bad movie. Bad!
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3/10
Boreman (2015)
Seth_Rogue_One2 February 2017
Zero originality whatsoever is to be found here.

Follows the mold of every single found footage stalker movie made just a little more oversimplified is all.

With a 30 minute plot (40 at the most) stretched out to 81 minutes and most scenes mainly being day to day scenes of the family doing regular things at home this movie is far more boring than it is disturbing.

The acting is... okay I guess, the family does act kind of like a family does. The stalker we only see from time to time and he's weird I guess, which makes sense.

I just looked at the credits and saw that Amy Smart was in it which surprised me, she was in it in retrospect but you couldn't really see it was here because she was only in one scene sitting by a table with the "hidden camera" being very far away.

So yeah if she is what makes you want to watch this don't bother. But then there is no real reason to bother watching this period.
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1/10
"Hangman": Hang this crapfest out to dry and then leave it there to rot!
jtncsmistad3 February 2016
Rarely have I come away from a movie viewing experience, hell, ANY experience, feeling as despondent and dismal as I did after suffering through the spirit slaying swill of "Hangman".

This alleged inspiration (the filmmakers claim, because there wasn't a DAMN thing inspiring about ANY of this stinking cesspool) by true events tracks through multi-concealed cameras a masked maniac as he terrorizes a suburban family of four while hiding inside their home. As near as I can surmise this depraved debacle was efforting to explore through character study the sliced up psyche of a gutted soul in search of love never shared with his own kin. But that notion is almost as laughable as the myriad of unintentionally albeit darkly comical scenes where this rancid animal literally stood right next to various household members yet remained COMPLETELY UNDETECTED!

"Hangman" imposes upon it's (hopefully LIMITED) audience a festering crapload of degenerate diligence just to hear a mother tell you she loves you. And the nightmare never sleeps ending is ripped right off without variation from other movies eons superior to this festival of feces.

But hey now, if you wanna spend about an hour and a half of your time on this planet watching a whack-job voyeur engineer the demolition of an innocent couple and their kids, then be my guest.

Just don't come this way with your head hangin' low and lookin' for sympathy. I tried to tell ya.
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7/10
A decent found footage/home invasion movie
jhmoondance7 November 2021
It has been years since I watched this genre of films n I thought it was pretty decent.

There were some menacing moments but no action or killing happened until 1hr n 26mins into the movie.

It was definitely a slow-burning flick with no twists or turns n little suspense.

Still a reminder n reminiscent of found footage n home movie era.

I recommend if you like the silence of this type of film n the actors were really good. The characters less so.

A predictable ending.
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1/10
Awful movie! No originality!
fajing16 February 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Terrible movie! No character arcs, no plot points. The villain is terrible and evil for unknown reasons. The main characters are completely helpless, as always. Acting is fine, but extremely cliché film. The ending of these movies is ALWAYS exactly the same. Basically the exact same movie as 388 Arletta Avenue, which was released in 2012. Same lame ending too! I definitely do not recommend Hangman! There are much better films to choose from. if you are looking for a good recent thriller or horror film, you might want to check out It Follows, The Guest, Kristy, Secret in Their Eyes, Gone Girl, The Loft, Open Windows, Before I Go to Sleep, The Visit, The Gift, Side Effects, Stoker, Prisoners, Passion, The Conjuring, Sinister, or Insidious.
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7/10
Enjoyable slow burner.
parry_na13 October 2018
Warning: Spoilers
There's a lengthy introduction to this tale, involving the set-up for a home-invasion story with a twist - the aggressors are in the house before the homeowners get there, and they are meticulous in their methods.

Director Adam Mason's found-footage-type horror extols the truly frightening prospect of a stranger in your house. As viewers, we are privy to the family going about their daily business, sleeping - but we're unaware of the stalker's dark plans, and that's the worry. Anything is possible. The house has become his world. He is a further member of the family that no one sees.

Of course, in keeping with horror stories, our good guys - particularly Dad Aaron (Jeremy Sisko) - are prone to illogicality, even stupidity that works against them, but succeeds in furthering the plot. I'm happy with that because the result is so entertaining. The finale is particularly good; it manages to be shocking and satisfying.
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2/10
Very bad Crawlspace rip off
Stevieboy66624 August 2017
Warning: Spoilers
A movie about a deranged psycho hiding in the family loft - sounds familiar. Just watch Crawlspace (1986), or even the 2013 remake, instead. This employs found footage style camera work, so zero points for originality. The constant zooming in and out, plus camera shakiness, meant that I was in danger of getting a headache. Apart from the brief but violent opening scene nothing horrific actually happens until over an hour. Perhaps the intention was to build tension slowly but fails miserably as this film is just boring as hell. Nothing to recommend here.
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9/10
I dont see why people hate it!
sciontc-8292429 March 2018
Warning: Spoilers
I've honestly watched this movie probably 6 different times since it released and I've loved every time I watched it. Most of the POV found footage style killer movies, you don't really see it from the perspective of the killer. To me, when people complain about the lack of info on the character, I think it slowly starts to creep in throughout the story. I found that the movie is more about getting to know him rather than the family.

The beginning: "tell me you love me.." before stabbing the woman in the first film invasion was pretty haunting. I'll get to where I think is starting the evolution of his character within the story.

When you see him stalking his next family, you start seeing a trend, as well as the next family at the end. They all have short blonde hair. Now to which, I'm going to say resembles a possible ex-wife. I think they may have had kids and the wife ended up remarrying. Now he sets out to find that one that "got away" to ensure no one else can ever have her and his family but him.

During the film, you see him trying to "include himself" in her life. Causing disruptions in their house and as well their marriage. Trying to create conflicts between them in hopes of getting rid of him and allowing her all to himself. That moment when he's freaking out in the crawl space and crying, he's reflecting on how hurt he was when "the old love" left him and caused his mental breakdown. When he's pleasuring himself watching them have sex, he's trying to simply picture himself being with her at that moment...being with his old love.

Later on in the film, when he starts following around the daughter and her boyfriend, I think its himself playing the "paternal father figure" and wanting to get rid of the boyfriend that will not be good enough for his "daughter."

In the end, I don't think he can actually move on from his ex wife and the whole conflict of the divorce was never actually resolved. There was never any kind of closure. So he sets out to find the resemblance of what he once knew in order to take back what he wants all along, his family, because he can't face the real face of his ex wife. He's desperately wanting his former love to simply tell him that, "I love you." So that's his main goal with these women. When asked, "Do you love me," he's seeking his "former wife" to admit her love still remains. If she says it, he can now move on with his life. If not, then kills her out of anger for not loving him. I do think when the 2nd blonde actually says, "I love you", he only kills her because he know's she didn't mean it. In other words, it's going to be a continuous cycle until he specifically get's exactly what he wants. Which may never come.

After reading this, give the movie another chance with this in the back of your mind. Hopefully you will end up actually changing your mind :)
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6/10
Good idea Warning: Spoilers
Really good idea, but very rushed ending which was disappointing. Would have liked to see more development, and would have been better if they knew towards the end that they were being watched.
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2/10
Couldn't finish it.
pacman-813 April 2020
I'll make this simple it's very rare I don't finish a film but I took an hour of this and couldn't take anymore. A family is burgled but the creep is still in the house. Jeremy Sisto is good actor and I'm surprised to see him in something so poor.
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1/10
Awful
imjim-609851 May 2021
One of, if not the, worst film I have ever seen. A majority of things should not have been able to happen yet some magical way everything always goes to the killer's plans. Really highly suggest you avoid this film, complete waste of time. Can see the idea the film makers were going for but definitely did not to manage to execute it well enough.
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