Better than the first one

A sequel to the 2015 hit The Gallows ($43 million, on a $100,000 budget!). Turns out that 'Charlie' - the ghost from the first movie - isn't satisfied with how things ended, and wants a few more souls. An aspiring young actress (Ema Horvath), desperate for more YouTube followers, takes on a viral challenge (based around the events of the first movie). She succeeds in summoning Charlie (aka 'the Hangman'), who sets about ruining her hopes and dreams, and life in general. The only way to beat the challenge is with a 'perfect ending' - but that comes with a price.

Pluses; The lead actress is very good. It's well-shot, with an obvious increase in budget. The visual effects on some of the scares are very good.

Minuses; Other than the lead, the acting ranges from 'not bad' to 'okay'. It's too reliant on 'jump scares' that don't pay off. The storyline is largely predictable, and drags in places.

The ending (no spoilers) plays with a trope of these kinds of movies in an interesting way, although whether the final 'WTF?' moment holds up is a matter of opinion.

This won't be scary to anyone who's watched a few of these. However, I have a daughter who loves Halloween and who wants to like scary movies, but just can't sit through them. This is perfect for her (creepiness-wise it's about on a level with the milder episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer).

Despite its flaws, I've seen far worse. 6.5/10.