The Gate (1987)

Waste of time

Good movie but grossly overrated

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

Considering the large debt it owes to 'Poltergeist', this Canadian horror film stacks up remarkably well to repeat viewings with a similar plot about a house where odd things begin happening after forces are inadvertently summoned from below. One thing that really works in 'The Gate''s favour is the lack of adults with the film instead focusing on two young boys and a teenage sister warding off demons and goblins and protecting their family home while their parents are away on vacation. Their experiences give the brother and a sister a chance to really bond for the first time as well as wrestle with the responsibilities of adulthood, left in charge of the house and expected to take care of it. The best aspect of the film though is unquestionably the special effects; the film achieves a refreshingly different sort of creepiness by having tiny demons to fend off as opposed to more traditional large and ferocious monsters. Sequences in which a human head falls off and smashes and in which the boy discovers an eye inside the palm of his hand are very well done too. It is not a particularly frightening film, with many scenes that feel as if they have been toned down to achieve the film's PG-13 rating, but it is unsettling to watch all the same, full of moments (Louis Tripp realising he is holding the dog) that are still effective even when one knows that they are coming.

This was almost a regular in my movie rotation when I was a kid but, out of nowhere, I forgot about it for a long time until a friend reminded me of it recently and I pulled it out of storage—and by storage, I mean I put it on my Netflix queue (pay me money for dropping your name, Netflix).As a kid, I was genuinely creeped out by those little demons that chased a young, pre-E-cig selling Stephen Dorff but, watching it now, I can't help but think I was a weakling and just an all-around stupid kid for finding them terrifying even in the least. However, the fact I was easily scared as a child and have now grown into an impossible to scare adult (I have no middle ground in my life), I really enjoy "The Gate" and it was nice to watch it again."The Gate" may not be one of those quintessential 80s movies that instantly comes to mind when you think about an era that gave us the drink of the Gods (Ecto-Cooler) and where MTV was less about pregnant teens and more about music but it's still a decently entertaining and fun film. The practical effects still hold up and the story is fairly entertaining. Overall, not a bad movie that is still watchable today and doesn't feel dated.Howdy! The name is Rev. Ron and if you wanna read a more in-depth review of this film and many other films that don't contain the guy who would one day go on to be in "Blade" and sell E-cigs, you can head on over to my blog; revronmovies.blogspot.com. Or maybe you're busy with demons in your backyard and don't have time for that…that's cool, too.

I hadn't watched this film in well over twenty years! Now I've got more hair coming out my nose than on my head, but one thing hasn't changed: This film still take ages to get to the good stuff. Then again, I enjoyed it more this time around because The Gate is pure eighties goodness, and is nice, light hearted stuff. With zombies and demons.Two kids find that a hole in their back garden is a gateway to hell, and there's demons trying to get through to our world. Following instructions they find in a heavy metal album, they discover that there's certain rituals to be followed to open up the game, but unlucky those rituals have already taken place (accidentally), and the demons are about to push through. The demons are great. Small, capering imps that attack the kids, form into a zombie, and generally cause havoc before a huge stop motion demon attacks the household. Add into that bits and pieces of gore and those great eighties fashions, and you've got a film that's slow to start, but pays off in the end. I must admit I'm getting soft and easier to please in my old age, however.

Three young children (including Stephen Dorff and Christa Denton) accidentally release a horde of nasty, pint-sized demons from a hole in a suburban backyard...This is a film many people of my generation grew up with. Certainly the movie takes a place in my heart. Whether it is a good film or not is open to debate. I think it is good, but maybe my judgment is clouded by the nostalgia, the fond memories of the film. I just watched it for the fourth time, and it still seemed good to me. The special effects are pretty strong for their time, and really should be praised.The film is a 1980s film, clearly, with its bright colored clothes and unusual love for heavy metal music. But it really is something more -- a timeless story of kids and monsters (very different from, but in the same spirit as, "The Monster Squad"). The film is scary in many ways (the workman, the demon king, the eye) but yet still has that childlike sense of fun and adventure. You never really feel anyone is in danger.A modern classic? Perhaps. "The Gate" is the high point of Tibor Takács' career, who made "Gate II" and "I, Madman" before moving to television and cheesy SyFy movies. This was also a great feather in the cap of visual effects master Randall William Cook, who went on to work on those other two films, and then bigger things like "Ghost Busters" and the "Lord of the Rings" franchise (where he won three Academy Awards).While Stephen Dorff went on to bigger things, Christa Denton faded away. She appeared in a handful of television episodes before retiring from acting in 1992 at age 20. Louis Tripp came back for "Gate II" an then he, too, faded away...