Some movies are creepy because they capture a sense of supernatural dread that overpowers the viewer. (THE LAST SHIFT)
Some movies are creepy because they feature a monster or villain that works his way into our nightmares. (JEEPERS CREEPERS)
And then some movies are creepy because they make you think: "Holy crap, that could actually happen to me!"
HANGMAN is just that sort of movie. A middle class couple come back from a family vacation to find that their home has been broken into while they were gone. Not that big a deal, right? It happens to thousands of people every year.
What they don't know is that this home invader has wired up their whole house with cameras.
And he is watching their every move, every day.
And he has built a small false wall in the far back corner of their attic.
And that he is living in their house.
This is what makes this film so scary: This masked intruder is living in their house, creeping through their rooms at night, watching them sleep, reading their journals, flipping through their photo albums, watching the wife shower and make love to her husband, whispering in the young boy's ear at night - and THEY HAVE NO CLUE.
He is becoming increasingly obsessed with them, too. Dangerously obsessed, which leads to a bloody denouement that is genuinely horrifying. Because it could happen to any of us!
This is my favorite horror film this year so far. Don't miss it . . . unless you get easily creeped out by the thought of someone watching you. Watching you right now as you read this.
Was that a noise in the attic????
4.5/5