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The Gate

I learned about Stephen Dorff through "Backbeat", in which he played ex-Beatle Stuart Sutcliffe (he later played the title role in John Waters's "Cecil B. Demented"). So you can imagine how surprised I was when I learned that one of his early roles was this 1980s horror hokum! He plays a suburban boy who finds a hole in his yard leading to evil. You read that right. It's outlandish and doesn't pretend to be anything else. Since I assume that director Tibor Takacs is probably an immigrant, I try to imagine him fleeing communist Hungary, expecting to live the good life in America...and he directs a horror movie. But make no mistake, "The Gate" is a cool horror flick. You're sure to like it. Stuart Sutcliffe left the Beatles to find evil under his yard. The things that we see in life...

Glen and Terry (Stephen Dorff, Louis Tripp) inadvertently open a gate to hell in Glen's backyard, releasing ancient demons. The boys and Glen's sister Al (Christa Denton) must find a way to send the demons back and seal the gate. Very fun kids horror movie from the '80s. The cast is likable. The special effects are very cool. The script is good. The '80s had some great movies with kids as the heroes fighting against the forces of evil. Despite some inevitable cheese, these movies were way smarter and more "real" than similar movies of today. The kids seemed authentic and not overly precocious or popping off pop culture references right and left. The Gate's a fun movie that anyone should enjoy, except maybe gorehounds.

This is a movie about parents who leave their kids at home while going on vacation. Of course the older daughter throws a wild party. Less predictably, the younger son and his screwed up, heavy-metal listening to friend open up a dimensional gate to a realm of demons. That's where the fun begins. Some hard-core lovers of horror movies may find this movie to be too heavy on plot and character, but I believe that those aspects are balanced with a good dose of gore and special effects including some pretty amazing f/x feats for 1987. The only let down for me is the sappy feel-good ending that is seems a bit tacked on. Other than that this movie is good for a scare. So if you are cruising down the bargain priced movies at your local video store and see this title give it a shot. At the very least you'll see Stephen Dorf in his first movie.

If you are ever in the mood of seeing a funny and thrilling 80's horror movie, please watch The Gate! Don't trust IMDb with the 5 rating it's much better than that! I love the opening scene, the monsters and the thrilling scenes it contains. The movie is about a Gate to hell or something which lies in a young boy and his sisters garden. Suddenly when it's dark, monsters emerge from the gate and attack the boy and the girl. The monsters are small latex beasts which also like incredible good and monster like. And there are some scenes with a zombie dude which are totally outstanding! I'm not going to spoil the end because this is a special effect extravaganza! Must see!

Possibly after being struck by lightning, a tree in young Stephen Dorff (as Glen)'s yard is removed. Possibly, this was a gateway to Hell. After Mr. Dorff, neighbor Louis Tripp (as Terry), and sister Christa Denton (as Al) unwittingly perform a succession of rites and incantations, demons surface. The youngsters' parents are conveniently away from home; and, the demons want to do mean things. Mr. Tripp is dealing with the loss of his mother; and, Ms. Denton is discovering young womanhood. The monster demons are cute, but the story really doesn't pass muster. Made, apparently, to scare 1980s pre-teens. ***** The Gate (1987) Tibor Takács ~ Stephen Dorff, Louis Tripp, Christa Denton

Overall, I liked The Gate because of it's weirdness. Plus, the special effects were eye-catching. Especially when the handyman tumbles over then transforms into tiny demons that scatter about. My favorite scene is when the parents return home late at night and Glen's father says "You've been baaaaaad!" and tries to strangle him while slime drips out of his face. Weird stuff. My only complaint is how it ended. But I won't give it away. I recommend seeing this one but keep in mind that those dwarf demons are "older than the Bible".

Demons? Metal Music? Steven Dorff? Why not!!! So... the gateway to hell or whatever is in the backyard of Steven Dorff's suburban home... and a metal band foretold all of this... and Demons threaten this world... Doesn't that sound great? As a kid this was scary watching this with a baby sitter and such but now it just seems campy. But I still love it every time! OK... it is a bit cheesy, and the DVD quality is awful.... but come on...it's like 5 bucks at Best buy! Seriously... if you haven't seen this movie and your into cheesy horror flicks just give it a try... keep the classics alive!