The Gate: When Unsettling Horror and Heartwarming Family Make a Film Baby

You Deserve Medals

Normally, the terms “campy 80’s horror” and “heartwarming solid story telling” go together about as well as “Jay” and “healthy gastro-intestinal operation” or “Benny” and “underwear devoid of faint brown streaks”. However, this is one of those rare and beautiful exceptions to the rule, and also serves as a fantastic palate cleanser after we had to choke down the dry turd-nugget that was Buckaroo Banzai. The Gate is, quite honestly, one of the better light-horror movies you could hope to watch - an interesting idea, fantastic characters, and unsettling scenes mixed with some genuinely frightening moments result in a well paced, well acted and memorable film that succeeds in extolling the virtues of family and friendship as much as it promotes unease and fear.

Join us as we jump into that symbolic hole in the ground and explore a movie that really had it all going for it. The story is simple and mildly cheesy, but that makes it easy to follow and light to digest. Solid casting gives you a family unit that actually feels and acts like a core group that cares deeply about one another. The special effects, while a bit...80’s...at times, are some of the best effects we have seen in a movie ever, let alone one from 35 years ago. Sure, it has its “what the hell” moments, but we enjoyed the heck out of it. If you’re eager for an 80’s scare flick without unnecessary gore, graphic nudity, or vapid and poorly written characters, The Gate will not disappoint you.

Throw on your patch-covered football jacket and grab your ridiculously detailed death metal album as we dive headfirst into the gaping maw of hell to discuss things like:

• Before he was giving Blade a hard time as Deacon Frost, Stephen Dorff was an adorable kid cutting his teeth in movies like this. We always assumed he was just born as an early 20’s vampire
• Even if you refuse to watch this quality movie, please search Youtube for a short clip of the minions. We cannot stress enough how absolutely jaw dropping their design and effects are
• Benny loves dogs more than he loves his own kids. If you’re like Benny, you’re going to have a hard time with this movie. The family has a dog, and the dog definitely doesn’t experience a smooth ride to put it very mildly
• Forget Stranger Things; The Gate NAILS the 80’s look, from wardrobe to makeup and everything in between
• We know that vinyl is a thing again, but this movie really takes us back to when record albums were works of art, complete with exclusive photos and themed write-ups
• Whoever was responsible for casting deserves a shout out, at the very least. Dorff and his sister have some genuinely warm moments that give you pause and make you think that they are actually family
• First, Leviathan made us dry heave by putting a toothy mouth onto a hand. Now The Gate doubles down with an incredibly articulated eyeball in Dorff’s palm. Forget jump scares and decapitations - this is REAL horror
• The Gerry character is surprisingly deep and nuanced. His life is a mess, and is crushed under his circumstances in a way that makes the viewer sympathize for him as much as they do the main characters
• SERIOUSLY: LOOK UP A VIDEO OF THE MINIONS. We still can’t believe how incredible they look, and how spectacular they integrate into the movie