It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

I'd not heard of this film but stumbled across a cheap DVD copy in a charity store. Confusingly the British title on the sleeve reads "The House on Gallows Hill" but the film itself reads Gallows Hill on the opening credits. A mainly American family find themselves in trouble when their car gets washed away by flood water on a Colombian road and they seek refuge at a creepy inn, owned by an equally creepy old man who doesn't really want them - or anybody else - there. And it's no wonder as the young girl that he has locked in his cellar has a terrifying secret. This film takes place during inclement wet weather and this is enhanced by the use of a dark & green tinge to the picture. I could almost feel that damp. Half of the dialogue is in English, the other half in Spanish. If you don't speak the latter it is subtitled but they're not always easy to read. It uses the idea of evil being transferred from one person to another, eg Friday the 13th pt9 or Shocker, so nothing original there. It does have a few creepy moments, eg the discovery of the girl, but overall it's pretty mediocre and what I call a "watch it once" movie.

In Bogota, Colombia, the widow American David Reynolds (Peter Facinelli) is ready to travel back to America with his fiancée Lauren (Sophia Myles) and his daughter Jill (Nathalia Ramos) to get married after the death of his wife Marcela. However Jill has left her passport in the house of her aunt Gina (Carolina Guerra) and they travel in a car with Gina and Jill's boyfriend Ramon (Sebastian Martínez) to the town where Gina lives. They drive through a shortcut but they are stopped on the road by Capitan Morales (Juan Pablo Gamboa) that warns them that the road is flooded and is too dangerous to drive along, but Gina decides to continue. They have an accident and the car overturns and Lauren breaks two ribs in the middle of nowhere. They decide to walk and find an old hotel that has been closed since 1978. The owner Felipe (Gustavo Angarita) is reluctant to let them in, but he decides to lodge the group. While bringing some wood for the fireplace, the snoopy Jill and her boyfriend Ramon leaves the room and Jill overhears a cry. They seek out and find the girl Ana Maria (Julieta Salazar) padlocked in a wooden box. When Felipe returns with David with the wood and learns that the couple left the room, he runs to the box but is subdued by David. Felipe warns that the girl will kill his family, but they believe that the old man is a pedophile. But soon they discover the truth about Ana Maria. "Gallows Hill", a.k.a. "The Damned", is a reasonable horror film with Sophia Myles. Jill is an annoying character and the decision of gagging Felipe without listening to what he is saying is typical of boastful people. It is amazing the attitude of this group with his host in his house, snooping around and releasing an evil witch. How David succeeded in locking the witch in the box if they broke the pad and the tongue? My vote is six.Title (Brazil): "A Amaldiçoada" ("The Damned")

In hindsight maybe the rating is too high for this movie. But I am partial to movies which have a better second half.The main problem is predictability. If you have seen similar movies, then it is pretty much the same template. Too many elements are derived from so many other movies. There is really no attempt to bring anything new to the table. Another thing was the dad character. He is a good actor and all but I just couldn't buy him as the father of that girl. When she called out "Daddy" in the first scene of their meeting, I was quite surprised. He looks way younger than that. I also disliked the nosy nature of the characters. They invited trouble by going down to investigate. I am not sure if it is manners to explore since they were just guests in that house. The frequent Spanish also doesn't help matters since I was puzzled at the long conversations.But once the girl is out, then it is game on. It just pretty much piles on the action from that point. Well, whatever action is possible within that house for the most part. The frequent bursts of Spanish doesn't matter now since we are as puzzled as the dad character. It also works well for the devil voice as well. Then it becomes a Thing-like situation with pretty much anyone being a target for the possession. The ending is a nice touch. Here the negative ending actually works instead of being a lame shock ending out of nowhere which many movies do nowadays. It is actually believable and doesn't feel like a gimmick.There is plenty of eye candy but unfortunately not much nudity. I guess there is not much time to do anything and the characters are not in the mood anyway with all the possessions and all.I liked it. 7/10

OK so apparently Witches are the new concept to exploit. And apparently they can't die or something. This film was an opportunity to make a really sincerely scary horror film, but "the Damned" just doesn't hold it's weight. The movie was somewhat confusing, and overall it just wasn't scary enough. It started off a little creepy and atmospheric but that's only because the viewer is led on by gloomy surroundings and the location of the hotel they end up at. But once the "secrets" are revealed, it's pretty much all downhill. IFC has some very good films but this is one of the weaker ones. "The Squad" is a horror film that is also about witches and I totally recommend it over this movie.