The Gate

Audience Reviews

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Han R Oct 21, 2018 Parents leave for a few days, so the kids are left in charge. They end up listening to heavy metal music played backwards while reciting arcane phrases and unwittingly open a gate to hell in the backyard. The story is pretty dumb, but the film has a kid focused perspective that reminded me of Steven Spielberg films, ALA "ET" "The Goonies" or " "Explorers." It's a bunch of kids from the 80s having to deal with scary stuff, kind of like "Stranger Things" but on a smaller budget and with old timey special effects. The special effects are actually another charm of the film. Released from the gate is a hoard of tiny demon minions, which are a mix of some excellent stop motion animation and also some forced perspective shots of full-size actors in rubber suits made to look small. The effects are wildly charming for fans of old school practical special effects (Boo CGI). Another novelty of the film is a very young Stephen Dorff, in his film debut, playing the main character, a young boy being babysat over the weekend by his big sister and handing out with his nerdy metalhead friend. They're a likable group of kids, which gives the film a nice family feel, which is a change of pace from most teen horror films of the 80s. What's also interesting is that although it does have a family feel, it doesn't shy away from being scary. Don't get me wrong, this film isn't "Demons" or "Hellraiser," but it's much scarier than say more family friendly horror films like "Critters" or "Monster Squad." Overall, "The Gate" is a film worthy of it's cult film status and is a unique horror film that's well worth watching. See more

Kylo W Nov 7, 2017 not much to like about this dumb kids movie

Finn M Sep 17, 2017 It's nothing groundbreaking (no pun intended), but it is a good introductory horror movie for youth, and the practical effects are good. The story, though cliche, is told well and the movie keeps you watching from scene to scene. Scared the crap out of me when I was a kid. See more

George W Jul 29, 2017 Love this movie. Haven't seen it since I was a kid.

Harry S Mar 27, 2017 I love this movie, so much nostalgic fun. Some of the effects hold up surprisingly well. If you like Monster Squad or a Goonies tone movie, you should have fun with this. See more

Abraham S Mar 31, 2012 Fun movie with great effects, but not one of my all-time favorites.

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The Gate

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