Hangman's Curse
April 2004 Reviewed by: Josh Barber Format: DVD	(all ratings out of 5): Overall Enjoyment Picture Quality Packaged Extras Sound Quality

There is always a market for horror stories aimed at kids -- the Goosebumps series, for instance, just seems to keep rolling. All age groups need a catharsis, but what works for adults might not work for their offspring, so it makes sense that kids get their own stories. Author Frank Peretti, known for his adult fiction, started his own line of young-adult thrillers, The Veritas Project. The first novel in the series, Hangman's Curse, has been adapted for this film.

The Springfield family (Nate and Sarah with their twins, Elisha and Elijah) are paranormal investigators for the secret governmental Veritas Project. When the popular members of a small town high school football team begin to fall ill, a curse is blamed. Local legend tells of a student named Abel Frye who, ten years ago, hanged himself in the school. His ghost is purportedly haunting the victims, and the Springfields go undercover to determine the truth.

As a horror film, Hangman's Curse is not scary -- it is more of a family-friendly mystery/thriller, which is great. Too few "family" films these days can actually be enjoyed by the entire clan. There are some creepy and surprising moments, but no gore or extreme violence.

You can tell a film is low budget when its teenagers are actually played by teenagers. It has been a long time since the majority of TV or films presented audiences with age-specific characters where the high school kids look too young. As a guideline, just remember: most high schoolers do not have a five o'clock shadow and crow's feet.

In that vein, Leighton Meester and Douglas Smith at first look too young to be playing the twins Elisha and Elijah. However, both of these young actors prove they have the talent to handle their roles. As the Springfield children, they have a general amiability that does not overpower their realistic sibling rivalry. When they go undercover -- she as a popular girl, he as a nerd -- they both keep their characters from becoming simple stereotypes.

While their kids mix with the student population, parents Nate and Sarah work on the case in their own ways: He poses as a janitor to keep an eye on the school while she handles the science end from the family's Winnebago. Everyone has an equal part in solving the mystery, relying on each other's strengths and skills.

Frank Peretti is a Christian, and writes accordingly. While the Springfields are an obviously faithful family, what is most impressive is that the story never takes a proselytizing, preachy tone. Their faith is their own, and they are not in the story to foist it upon the audience. It is a nice change from seeing a live flagellation on the screen; someone needs to explain subtlety and tact to Mel Gibson.

Hangman's Curse is presented in fullscreen and widescreen versions on opposite sides of a single disc. The image quality is acceptable, if a bit dark throughout -- when the kids start exploring the abandoned areas of the school, it's sometimes difficult to tell who is doing what. In daylight, however, the colors are all rich and vibrant. The sound is surprisingly well done for such a low-budget feature, with impressive use of ambient noise to add to the spooky atmosphere.

The extras are also split between the sides. "Frank Peretti: From Page to Screen" introduces us to the somewhat manic author of the original novel and explains how the story was translated from book to film. Peretti, who also had a central supporting role in the film, talks gleefully about the entire process, and a few other cast and crew members are interviewed as well.

"The Spider Wrangler: The Spiders of Hangman's Curse" is an interesting nine-minute look at the way arachnid actors are trained and directed. If you are freaked out by eight-legged creatures, this is not the feature for you. "Frank Peretti: The Veritas Series Novels" is pretty much an ad for the original book and Nightmare Academy, the next in the series. The disc is rounded out with the film's trailer.

Despite a miniscule budget (only $2 million), Hangman's Curse comes across like a larger effort. The story is a bit mysterious and has a few jump-inspiring moments, but nothing too intense for most young viewers.

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