Evidently author Frank Peretti is a leading voice in Christian horror fiction. He writes for both adult audiences (This Present Darkness) and "tweens" (The Veritas Project series). In between his horror outings, the prolific author is also responsible for a series of young adult adventure books, whimsically titled The Copper Kids Adventure Series. Hangman's Curse is the first book of the Veritas Project line and, though unfamiliar with Peretti's work, there is an overwhelming sense that this film sticks to the book in an almost slavish fashion. The first clue is Peretti's hands-on participation in the film. A featurette on the DVD "Frank Pertti: From Page to Screen" shows how involved he was in the production. So beloved is this author, he's even cast in a rather large supporting role. The second tip-off that this film doesn't stray too far from the source material is that every moment of screen time feels like a young adult reader. Screenwriters Kathy Mackel and Stan Foster seem determined to follow the conventions of what is basically a chapter book - which gives the film a frustratingly episodic feel.

The plot of Hangman's Curse (or rather the set-up) does contain a modicum of intrigue. Trouble-making jocks at Rogers High School begin to fall victim to a mysterious illness. Many begin to think that it's the work of Abel Frye, an unpopular, victimized student who hung himself ten years previously. Naturally, basic forensic evidence is overlooked by local law enforcement - opting instead to give credence to the hangman's ghost legend. Which, granted, is much more interesting than mere juvenile criminal activity. The Veritas Project, an unlikely top-secret investigative team, is called into action. The team consists of the Springfield family: husband and wife Nate and Sarah (David Keith and Mel Harris) and their twin(!) teenagers Elisha and Elijah (Leighton Meester and Douglas Smith). It seems the four of them travel around America in their trailer solving crime (with a little spiritual guidance from above). At the high school, each family member is sent "undercover" in the hopes of unraveling the mystery of the hangman. To be fair, the teens do most of the footwork while the parents stay mainly on the periphery, working more on the "scientific end." Teen sleuths Elisha and Elijah become involved in a high school society that has only three groups: the bullying jocks and their pissy girlfriends, the nerds and the Goths. Guess which group is in-cahoots with the "dark forces?" The preceding drama unfolds with a style and pace that is far more suited to the Disney Channel than general theatrical fare. (It did get a brief theatrical run last year - it quietly played in Dallas theaters for about a week.)

If this were a review for a non-secular tween audience, there would be several positive aspects to trumpet about this film. It's well shot by cinematographer Dan Heigh and easily transcends its obvious low budget. Director Rafal Zielinski does what he can with the material and the apparent restrictions imposed upon him. It's difficult to make a thriller where the implied danger is sub-Goosebumps level - and he manages a few effective scenes. The religious aspects of the film are also handled in a casual, almost ambiguous manner. They are there, however, and would please most parents who are looking for a non-threatening, positive alternative to typical horror films. Oh, and it's got scary spiders! The problem is, this is not a review for that audience. One of the main points of contention here is that the filmmakers aren't exactly sure what they want their film to be. It's advertised as a teen thriller in the same vein as Scream or I Know What You Did Last Summer (itself a young adult reader minus the Christian aspect). In fact, the trailer for this film is a wonderfully crafted piece of trickery. It manages to make the entire pedestrian affair look both engaging and scary. By bypassing their key audience (non-secular fans of the book) and attempting to go for a wider urban market, they've made a frustratingly sterile TV movie devoid of its core religious convictions or anything that might please the typical horror market. A few of these annoying results include an interracial non-kiss, a cult of non-specific evil-something worshippers (why not Satan?) and several conversations about religion that manage to be so completely ambiguous one almost wishes they would just freakin' say, 'What would Jesus do?' It might have been wiser to have sold the film as the family-friendly drama it turns out to be. Something along the lines of a Christian-influenced Witch Mountain. Though that sounds a bit odd, it's exactly what Hangman's Curse amounts to - which is a perfectly valid kind of entertainment.

If a consenting Monsters at Play reader needs further reasons not to watch this movie, there are several. As previously stated, this film is maddeningly episodic. Each "horror set-piece" feels like its own chapter ie: "Elisha in the Spider's Den," "Sarah Gets a Clue," etc. And aside from a couple of well-directed suspense sequences, this is certainly no horror film and the term thriller should be used with the utmost discretion. Hangman's Curse also includes what has to be the most embarrassing turn by a writer ever committed to celluloid. Author Peretti plays Algernon Wheeling (the eccentric banjo-picking scientist) whose embarrassing histrionics would be ill suited for even an H.G. Lewis film. Forget the hangman, Peretti's Wheeling is the true nightmare here.

Technically, the DVD is superior overall. The sound is offered in 5.1 Dolby Surround and one of the stronger points of the film. Picture quality is pristine and vivdly captures the compelling cinematography of Heigh. Special features include the aforementioned Peretti featurette. It's not very long, but even two minutes of Peretti is too much. He comes across as a goofy guy who really likes himself. In fact his on-camera persona is not unlike the character he portrays in the film. Excruciating. It turns out everyone from the producers to craft services simply love him and demanded his input throughout the entire shoot. One can't help but wonder if Mr. Peretti might have financed quite a bit of this baby himself. "The Spider Wrangler: The Spiders of Hangman's Curse" is a somewhat more interesting featurette. It gives a little background on the spider scenes which were refreshingly non-CG. There's also that creepy, albeit misleading, trailer and a commercial for the book the movie is based on.

The real sign that this film might not be what the sinister cover art suggests is the positive quote attributed to critic Michael Medved. Mr. Medved, for those who are unaware, is not a horror film fan - nor is he a legitimate critic. He penned a book a few years back challenging violence in film filled with inaccuracies and bold lies about the genre. In the past decade he has given positive reviews to some pretty bad films, simply because he agreed with their moral agenda. His quote for Hangman reads "A complex, intriguing high school thriller, with some unexpectedly and important underlying messages." There is not a legitimate critic in America that would call this film complex. The adjective "intriguing" is certainly debatable but within the realm of reality. The "important underlying messages" he's referring to give it all away. He's basically saying, 'I like this movie 'cause it's got lots 'o God in it! Quality, schmality...' Always think twice before watching a film given a positive review by Mr. Medved.

Regardless of its religious or moral convictions (which are pretty vague anyway) Hangman's Curse is simply a pedestrian teen drama.