The Gate is a fun gateway movie that has a lot to offer with eighties nostalgia, some scares and a lot of entertainment.

• Entertainment factor: ★★★★★
• Scare factor: ★★★☆☆
• Practical effects factor: ★★★★★
• Occult factor: ★★★★☆
• Gateway movie: ★★★★☆

The Gate is a fun and entertaining film with likable characters, little nasty demons, a lot of eighties practical and special effects and can offer a lot of occult fantasy horror fun for a younger audience. Of course watch with caution.

Duration: 1h 25m

Plot

Twelve-year-old Glen lives in a nice neighborhood with his sister Al (Alexandra), his old dog Angus and his parents. Terry is his best friend. At night he has a horrible dream of his treehouse being demolished by lightning with him in it and when he wakes up he sees that the tree indeed fell down and that workers are cutting it up. But the tree left a big hole. 

When his parents go away for a few days, they ask them if they can stay home alone with Al in charge. After a lot of begging and persuading, Al is indeed left in charge of Glen and Terry who is staying over. Glen and Terry go inspect the hole and find a geode. Glen cuts his finger and blood drips into the hole. There’s something special about the geode because it leaves strange writing on a notepad. Glen reads the words aloud and that he shouldn’t have done.

Terry later deciphers the writing  with his heavy metal album. And it isn’t anything good. He believes the hole is a gateway to a demonic realm and that they have activated it. Glen is reluctant to believe it, but when strange things and weird stuff are happening that night at the party Al is throwing for her friends, Terry might be right. The only thing the hole needs now is two human sacrifices to unleash hell on earth.

Continue reading below this announcement.

Short Review

It’s a very typical horror fantasy film from the eighties. There’s a lot that gives it away. First of all the film starts with a dream, throwing us right into the world of fantasy horror made for a younger audience. Although the film is now marked as suitable for 16 years and older, back in the eighties it would have been watched by a lot of kids. 

Although scary things happen and even emotional things, like Angus dying and his body unknowingly used as a sacrifice, at the end he comes back to life and he is fine. Just like everybody else. The only thing that isn’t fine is the house, which is a big mess and half torn apart. But hey, parents in the eighties were used to big parties thrown in their absence. 

Second the special effects are great and very eighties. There’s a lot of wind, fog, light in bright colors. And of course the special effects are awesome. While there’s no blood or gore, except for Glen’s finger and later his hand, there is a lot of other gooey gory stuff going on. Like melting slimy disintegrating faces or a melting phone. The eighties loved their practical effects and especially melting things into gooey stuff is a very well-used practical effect. It’s gory but not in a bloody way and makes it an excellent effect for kid’s horror. 

Then there are the little demons. Who are awesome and more funny than scary but they can do some damage. Instead of computer animated little demons, these are men in suits which makes it even more fun to watch. The whole demonic vibe refers to the satanic panic that lived among parents who considered Dungeons and Dragons and Heavy Metal music as satanic. It’s a fun aspect that Terry’s heavy metal album explains what is happening and gives them clues how to prevent or stop it. 

The whole film radiates love for horror that was made with care and fun. It’s clear that the director loved horror from a young age and wanted to transfer that love to the next young generation. A generation that grew up with fantasy horror, where anything was possible. Where the most scary and emotional things happen and the kid characters had to deal with, all by themselves without their parents or other grown-ups. They had to go through it all alone but they were brave, stood by each other and eventually saved the day and in this case the world and everything was fine in the end. It learned kids how to deal with the most frightening and dawning situations in a safe environment. 

The film doesn’t lack humor. Terry is a fun comical character who plays an important role in explaining what is happening and why and how they might solve this huge problem. Al’s two girlfriends also bring in some humor by being too frightened when the scary things hit. The only two grown-ups seen in this film are Glen’s parents. All the other characters are kids and teenagers. 

The scene where Al is throwing her party is also a big culture shock. They are partying a bit, but mostly talking to each other and at some point one boy is telling them a ghost story. Everybody is sitting around him, listening carefully even if they don’t believe him. Then they are going to play the levitation game, which gets out of hand. There’s also hardly any peer pressure. They do things for each other and even though Al and Glen fight sometimes, they care very much for each other. It’s a nice thought and depiction, even if it might be a bit idealized. It sets a good example of being nice and considerate. It’s also the key to saving the world, as a matter of fact. 

Although Angus dies at first, he is later resurrected when they close the gate and he is just fine and a happy dog. 

The Gate is a fun gateway movie that offers nostalgia for adults and some scares for a younger audience. It offers a genuine eighties experience. From the characters, to storytelling, special and practical effects and the happy ending with a comical remark.