Customer Reviews

The Gate [VHS]

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(17)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

He, he...sorry, I just couldn't resist using that title for my review....anyway, have you ever had the urge to dig a hole in the ground when you were a kid? I did and I did, have the urge, and dig a hole, that is...all I found was a ceramic pipe (which I accidentally cracked), but that was about it. Had I seen The Gate (1987) prior to digging that hole, I may have chosen not to, as there are things under the Earth best left undisturbed...

Directed by Tibor Takács, whose credits include mostly television work and a few films like I, Madman (1989) and Deathline (1997), a Rutger Hauer vehicle of little consequence (it was all downhill after his most excellent role as Roy Batty in the quintessential sci-fi film Blade Runner), The Gate stars Stephen Dorff, in his first movie role. His most notable appearance for me was in the vampire thriller Blade (1998), as the villainous, murderous Deacon Frost, who later became the Blood God (he was such a nice young boy, and now look at him...) . Also in the film is Christa Denton, who mostly appeared on television in the 80's, but also appeared in A Million Ways to Die (1986), a pretty good B-film worth checking out, and Louis Tripp, an actor of few credentials, but who can also be seen in the film Detroit Rock City (1999), as The Nerdy Kid (I'm not kidding, that's how it's listed).

The film opens with Glen (a very young Dorff) witnessing the removal of a large, old tree from the backyard of his parent's house. Soon after, Glen's friend Terry (Tripp) comes over, and the pair find part of a geode, a hollow, usually spheroidal rock with crystals lining the inside wall, in the up heaved Earth. Terry, ever the troublemaker (every neighborhood has one...he's the kid who kept bugs in jars to see how long they could live without air or tied firecrackers to cat's tails...we find out later the reason he `jest ain't right' is probably due to the fact his mother passed recently), talks Glen into digging up the yard to look for more geodes as Terry figures they could become rich as people paid good money for them, sometime `up to 100 bucks'. Ahh, to be young and ignorant...well, I'll settle for one as I'm loaded with the other...you decide which...anyway, as they dig, a huge hole opens up, and it turns out to be a portal to a realm of demons, but the portal has yet to be opened fully. That happens later, inadvertently, as certain events occurs, to which the boys determined this by reading the extensive liner notes on one of Terry's heavy metal albums (the band was called Sacrifix, with their main schtick being dabbling in the dark arts). Well, strange things begin happening, and activity from the hole increases, so I guess it's pretty lucky that Glen's parents are away for a few days, leaving him in the care of his sister, Al (Denton), short for Allison, I believe, because all hell is about to break loose, literally. So what do these pesky demons want? Why, to take control of the Earth, for their own nefarious purposes. Nice going Glen and Terry...I suppose you've doomed us all to eternal damnation and suffering with the pointy pitchforks to the nether regions and such, and I don't even want to think how you're going to explain all this to your parents when they come back...

The film was pretty well done, and much better than one might expect. The acting and dialogue seems a bit wooden and shallow at times, but there seems to be a real honesty and heart emanating from within the characters, and little or no attempt to `Hollywood' them up, trying to make them more than what they are...these are characters you could known, been friends with...the plot moves along nicely, and while there are a few holes here and there, I found none so large as to make me roll my eyes or drive a bus through. The movie has the effect of drawing you in, creating interest in the likeable characters (I felt empathy as Glen looked over some old photos of the family dog after it passed, reminiscing about a friend now gone. While meant to evoke an emotional response, it didn't appear to be an obvious attempt, which I appreciated). The special effects, while not state of the art, even back in 1987, were actually very professional, which is a bit surprising given the minimal budget I'm sure this film was working on...

I saw this film on cable back in the late 80's, and it kinda stuck with me. Why? It's hard to say. It wasn't terribly scary, or very bloody, but it does have its' charms. Maybe it's the sense that the movie isn't trying to be more than it is, forgoing the over-the-top theatrics for a bit of substance and its' general sense of overall fun. Also, I think the fact that most of the people working on and in this movie seemed to be at the beginning of their careers, and hadn't really had an opportunity to be subverted and perverted by the system, Hollywood, that is...there is a certain amount of predictability within the story, but it was easy to overlook, as the excitement the movie draws from the viewer is fairly constant, at least once the plot elements are established. The picture quality on this release is surprisingly good, but I was disappointed to see that only the full screen format was included on the disk. Also, there is nothing in the way of special features. All in all, this is a four star film, but given the lackluster release, I have go with a three star rating. By the by, there was a sequel to The Gate, released in 1992 called Gate II: The Trespassers, with only Tripp reviving his original role.

Cookieman108

I have the original pressing of this on DVD, which is in full screen, but now I can finally have the widescreen version. So, if you're looking for a horror movie with tons of gore and blood spewing everywhere, this movie is not for you. This movie is for teenagers, and that's when I saw this movie. I watched it in theaters, and I was hooked. The movie has everything; humor, great special effects, and a lot of the actors are good. I won't write a summary of the plot, since there's one already provided by Amazon.com, so I'll just say that if you don't mind a bit of camp and some cheesy dialog, this movie is for you. I know I'm buying this the day it comes out.

Afterthought. After comparing both the original full screen version and this newly released version, I can without a doubt say that this is truly the wide screen theatrical version. Thank you Lionsgate for releasing it its true form. My hat is off to you.

While it's definitely overlooked by horror buffs everywhere, "The Gate" is definitely a classic piece of horror cinema from the generation that brought us so many great horror movies to begin with -- the 80s. It has every element needed for a successful -- if predictable -- horror film. Parents leave teenage sister, younger brother, and younger brother's metally disturbed metal lovin' best friend alone for the weekend. The two boys, playing in the backyard, dig up a hole that is actually the gateway to hell! A couple creepy scenes here and there (including levitation and weird writing on the walls) and BAM! The miniature, Play-Doh looking demons are running around the backyard and the house terrorizing all inside. Zombies bust through the walls, best friend ends up being abducted along with teenage sister, and it's up to the younger brother to save the day! (He does, don't worry). You MUST rent this one at the very least. It's too bad it isn't on DVD.

What horror fan didn't catch this movie on HBO or USA back in the day? I haven't seen this film in over 15 years, but when I did see it, I saw it MANY times. I recently watched it again to see if it was as fun as I remember. Usually watching a movie years later that you loved as a kid is a bad move coz you tend to be disappointed. After all, through the eyes of a child you don't look for or hang on to the inaccuracies. You're able to accept a premise no matter how far fetched, and acting no matter how bad. While I saw a bit of both, I was pleasantly surprised that the movie still retained all of it's fun factor. I still really like it! I'm gonna give you a quick rundown regardless of what the schmuck below says: Glen(a very young Stephen Dorff), and his teenage sister are left alone to mind the house while mommy and daddy are gone. After a storm, they discover a big hole in the backyard that we quickly find out is a gateway for demons to come through and take over the world. We find this out coz Glen's buddy Terry, who lives next door, just happens to have an LP by a metal band called Sacrifyx(only available as an import by the way). Sacrifyx's album sleeve and lyrics tell the whole tale. Thank God for 80s metal albums and their spookish shenanigans, you never know when they'll come in handy(this film was obviously made in the period where listening to a heavy metal band was seen as only one step away from blood orgies and human sacrifice. Thanks Geraldo for jamming that point home!). Soon Glen, his sister, and Terry(not to mention two annoying friends of the sister) deal with various spooks and beasties in an effort to close the gate. The most memorable creatures being the mini-demons that scuttle around and bite you if they get close enough. While obviously silly(I won't give it away in case you forgot, but the way the demons are defeated and the gate gets closed is rather dumb and makes no real sense), and not terribly frightening, this movie is actually very entertaining. This was back when a PG-13 rated horror film could still have balls and a decent amount of gore. The whole mythology of the demons is pure Lovecraft. Those familiar with Lovecraft will notice this immediately with the whole concept of older gods who once ruled the earth that want to return and reclaim it. Considering the low budget and nonexistence of CGI, most of the miniature effects for the small demons look quite impressive today. The large demon, while obviously stop motion animation, looks kinda creepy. At one point Glen discovers he has a living eyeball in the palm of his hand, and it makes you wonder if Faith No More stole something from this movie. Of course the acting isn't all fantastic, not all the fx are perfect, and some of the plot points are ridiculous, but who cares? We don't expect it to be perfect. Add to all that, a Masters of the Universe shirt, Iron Maiden and Slayer posters, and you've got a great trip down memory lane. If it's been a while, I'd make it a point to see this one again soon.

As a child this was one of my favorite movies. I used to watch it all the time. Yes, as a child! I was 4yrs I loved it. Although I remembered it different then it was from when I watched it again last year, it doesn't matter. It was still just as good. There are three main kids a brother,a sister,and the brothers friend. Now the brothers friend is into shall we say "Satanic music", so he recites something from one of the songs and it opens the gate of hell in his friends front yard while his friends parents are away for the weekend. This is only PG-13, but it still has some good scares. And one of the few good horror flicks to come out of the 1980's. Its entertaining and it contains no sexual content or crap like that so its pretty enjoyable. To find out more go out and and rent it, I'm not garunteeing that you like it, but if you like horror movies chances are you will like this one.

God Bless ~Amy

When 11-year-old Glen and his best friend, Terry, unintentionally open a supernatural gateway while digging in the backyard, all hell literally breaks loose. As Glen and Terry are left in the care of Glen's teenage big sister, "Al", for three days time, small demonic creatures begin to wreak havoc on the trio, terrorizing not only them, but their occasional teenage visitors as well. It's up to Glen, Terry, and Al to find a way to close up the hole and stop the demonic forces from spreading, but how?

If you grew up in the 80's and 90's and love horror films, you're probably familiar with "The Gate". Released in 1987 and directed by Tibor Takacs, this is one that most of us rented at some point or another, and if we were young enough, it might have freaked us out. It's actually something of a kids' horror film. Sort of Goonies meets Evil Dead, or something like that. Think "Monster Squad", but more about demons than classic movie monsters. But be warned, this is an '80's kids' movie, back when kids' movies were actually good because they went more for believability over political correctness and fear of traumatizing viewers. These days, PIXAR aside, movies and television are getting very viewer age specific again, so that it is hard for people of varying ages to enjoy the same entertainment together. That's not the way it was in the '80's, when a lot of the kids' stuff was entertaining for adults too. So, basically, keep in mind that there is some scary stuff in here, for some kids anyway, and like I said, this deals with demons, a touchy subject for some people to see in a kids' movie. It also covers all the basics. We see a teen party that includes some playing of "Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board", a kid listening to the kind of rock albums some parents burned back then, and other misbehaving in general, some of this leading to the demon infestation that takes place. But, it's those little, realistic, nostalgic touches that make this so good, like kids acting believably and doing things kids really do, or did back then anyway. This realism really brings the creepy, less realistic fantasy elements home. The young actors are excellent. In the lead, we have a very young Stephen Dorff who really shows his skills here. Louis Tripp is also great as troubled Terry, and I always had a thing for the lovely Christa Denton who played big sister Al and did a great job of it. The effects are fantastic too! Taking lessons from a huge fave of mine, "Darby O'Gill and the Little People", the effects in this small budget movie are highly impressive and sufficiently creepy! Bottom line, if you don't require a lot of gore or violence and if you love `80's horror like Night of the Demons, Evil Dead, Ghoulies, Critters, and more family friendly stuff like Monster Squad and Gremlins, you should love this too! It's just great stuff!

The DVD is excellent too. It features a widescreen presentation, trailer, retrospective featurettes, and a commentary by the director, writer, and special effects creator. The only disappointing aspect (aside from the fact that I don't think that's Dorff on the seemingly recently created cover art) is the lack of participation by the cast on any of the bonus material. It would have been neat to hear from them and see them today. Anyway, great film, love finally owning it on DVD, and I highly recommend it if you are into this sort of thing.

Finally getting a proper release on DVD is The Gate, a smash 1987 teen horror film that pushed the limits of its PG-13 rating and marked the debut of a young Stephen Dorff. What happens when a couple kids accidentally open a portal to Hell in their back yard thanks to a demonic rock album? Nothing remotely good as they all soon come to learn. A surprise box office hit when released in theaters, The Gate offered up a healthy amount of shocks and genuine surprises that still hold up to this day, and for a PG-13 rated film, there are some surprisingly graphic moments to behold (the eye in the hand sequence is still freaky to see to this day). Lion's Gate has thankfully released The Gate in this handsome special edition, brimming with enough special features and a new widescreen transfer as well; all amounting to the fact that the film has truly never looked better. All in all, if you grew up with The Gate, this great DVD release is wholeheartedly worth your time, as this is one horror film worth discovering all over again.

First off, I'd like to say that The Gate was the first scary movie I ever watched as a kid. I was probably around 10 when I saw it a number of times on the premium channels. And it stayed with me. Prior to this the only DVD available was an old out of print fullscreen release being sold used for ridiculously high prices, so I'm glad I waited for this nice clean widescreen version. Besides the nostalgia factor this film really holds up as some very nice storytelling. It was made to be family friendly, something the writer was disappointed in according to the bonus features, but that doesn't stop it from having a number of genuinely creepy moments and great scares. I'm not embarrassed to say that as a kid I used to be afraid to look at my left palm because of a particular scene. The visual effects were great for the times as well. It's hard to imagine 8 inch tall creatures posing a real threat, but look at their faces and tell me that doesn't give you shivers. My first scary movie ever remains one of my favorites and is a proud addition to my DVD collection.

I might be the opposite of most people who were disappointed by the movie after not having seen it in years. "I loved it as a kid," they say. Well, I saw it at the theater when I was a teenager, being seduced by the special-effects in the TV ads (it really looked cool, and the thought of a hole that leads to hell was awesome!), but I remember leaving the theater thinking: "Eh, it was okay."

But then all these years later I'm flipping through cable late one night and saw the movie playing on TNT or TBS or something like that. I watched it and actually LOVED it more this time around than at the theater.

I think nostalgia was a big factor. The movie oozes with 80's atmosphere, especially the girls and the little "party" they have at the house. The look of the movie is very 80's, and since I ache for those old days, I loved this movie. It's a cheesy little horror story, nothing too scary, nothing too demanding. It's great fun if you just allow yourself. Perfect for a Saturday night when nothing else good is on.

The DVD itself is bare bones. It looks good, a lot better than my VHS copy. It has no special features, no commentary...nothing at all. And worst of all, it's presented in full screen.

Full screen? What were they thinking? It's a horror movie, and all horror movie buffs love the theatrical aspect ratio. C'mon, horror movies should always be in widescreen on DVD!

But so what, it's still a lot of fun, and best of all the DVD is cheap. I bought it for like 6 bucks at BestBuy.

This is the best movie I have ever seen!! I think it is so good I feel like watching it 100 more times! It was very well thought out. It was just spectucular. This is a must see.