Gallowwalkers | 2012

 Gallowwalkers is a 2012 American Western horror film written and directed by Andrew Goth, starring Wesley Snipes, Kevin Howarth, Riley Smith, Tanit Phoenix, Patrick Bergin, and Diamond Dallas Page. Due to Wesley Snipes' tax problems, the film went through many changes and delays and was completed in 2010. However, it had no official release until a 2012 screening at the "Film4 FrightFest" festival in the United Kingdom. It was released on DVD and Blu-ray in the United States in 2013, nearly eight years after the film started production in 2006.

The plot begins with a group of disfigured people gathering near a railroad in a desert, where they are killed by a mysterious gunslinger named Aman (Wesley Snipes), who also rips out the head and spine from one of the dead bodies.

Nearby, a group of criminals is waiting to be transported. Aman arrives, kills most of the guards, and frees one criminal named Fabulos (Riley Smith). The rest of the criminals are nonetheless transported to a small settlement where they are supposed to be hanged. However, just as they arrive, the settlement is attacked by a bizarre gang led by a skinless man named Kansa (Kevin Howarth), who slaughters most of the inhabitants.

Through flashbacks, it is revealed that the same gang of outlaws once raped Aman's lover, prompting him to seek revenge and brutally kill them while they were imprisoned and defenseless. While Aman was escaping, he was killed, and his mother, who is a nun, broke her covenant with God and sacrificed herself to save him, which in turn cursed him for life. This curse causes all the people killed by Aman to come back to life, so all the gang members that Aman had killed return as undead to seek revenge, except for Kansa's son, who remains dead. The undead lose their skin after a week, so they remove the skins from the people they kill to use as replacements. The only way to kill the undead is by destroying their brains.

While Aman and Fabulos are visiting a woman and child, part of the undead gang attacks. However, the four manage to kill all the attackers. Fabulos is severely wounded, so Aman kills him to allow him to come back as undead.

Kansa, who has put on new skin, and his remaining two undead followers arrive at a secret temple with the beautiful Angel (Tanit Phoenix), whom they took hostage back in the settlement. Kansa believes that inside the temple they will find a way to resurrect his dead son, but this proves to be false. Aman and the undead Fabulos soon catch up with them, and Aman kills Kansa and his followers. As Aman leaves with Kansa's head in his hand, Angel seductively approaches Fabulos.

The film first came to general attention in 2005 as "The Wretched," with actor Chow Yun-fat set to star as zombie bounty hunter Rellik. The filming in Namibia coincided with Wesley Snipes' tax problems. The backer, Gary Smith, had ensured there was a completion bond as backup, but Smith declared, "We are happy that he continues to turn up on set each day. If his indictment creates this amount of press, it shows he is a star."

In a 2014 interview with Empire, Snipes called the film an "absolute disaster."

For home media, Lionsgate Home Entertainment released Gallowwalkers on DVD in Region 1, digital download, and video on demand on August 6, 2013.

Critical responses were mixed. Scott Foy of Dread Central rated it 1/5 stars, stating, "If you've seen the trailer for Gallowwalkers, then not only have you seen pretty much all the best parts, you've actually seen a more lucid version of the movie than the film itself." Scott Weinberg of Fearnet wrote, "It would take a team of veteran film critics working around the clock to catalog all the things that are wrong with this outrageously goofy movie [...] Gallowwalkers is funnier by accident than Adam Sandler is on purpose." Olie Coen of DVD Talk rated it 1.5/5 stars, saying, "I can't recommend this movie to anyone, unless you just want to see Snipes pretending he's a cowboy." Andrew Dowler of Now noted, "With some okay action and spectacular scenery, Gallowwalkers starts strong, sags in the middle, suffers from some narrative incoherence, and comes back for a decent finish."