Fantastic!

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

There's no point in spending a lot of time analysing this movie. It's an incredible, over-the-top, very 80s horror experience that is also gloriously childish and exuberant. I loved the performances of the two lead child actors, and I really don't say this often. They were both terrific, and something here in the direction or performances just worked so well that these nearly-pubescent children never put a foot wrong -- a rare thing to see. The paeans to heavy metal were great, even if none of the music featured in the film is as heavy or dark as Venom or Sacrifice! Terry has great taste.This movie has a thin story, but it has loads of memorable scenes, some sympathetic performances, and a feeling of ecstatic freedom and paradoxical joy in horror and weirdness. It was shot in my home province of Ontario and I enjoyed the little references and cameos from local establishments and such. The movie is 80s-as-hell and can be put alongside some other films of the period that are ostensibly directed at children but dabble in strange morbidity and delight in being somewhat twisted. never once does the movie try to preach morals or ruin the fun. Terry is so over-the-top sometimes it's just glorious. If you want a great movie night with some friends, this would be a nice choice. Even if you're one of those people who finds these projects (the styles, the music, the monsters, the stop-motion, etc) "cheesy" I don't think you'll be able to resist falling under its spell and kind of liking the thing.

This would usually be the kind of film I like, as I tend to love demons and monsters and things whatever film they're in. However this turned out to be a distinctly average, politically correct, teen-orientated horror film and boredom quickly sets in as we are treated to an insight of this boy and his family's life. The film seems a lot similar to POLTERGEIST in this respect. Is there anything more annoying than whining American children? I don't think so. Especially when they're in the form of a young Stephen Dorff (later going on to play the bad guy in BLADE), an incredibly bad child actor who at least grew up to exhibit some acting abilities.However the boredom is relieved by some good special effects in the form of a number of small demons, who generally try to drag some people into the gate. Things actually get good when a big, tentacled Lovecraftian monster rises out of the hallway and the film becomes entertaining. Unfortunately, as it's a film made for children nothing very scary happens, and there's a real let down at the end when all the people we thought were dead (even the dog) come back to life and live happily ever after. That's right, nobody dies. There's no blood either. Couldn't the film-makers just leave them dead? The acting is nondescript, and the only parts worth watching are those with the monsters in which do make up for the rest of the mundane story. It's just a shame that these good monsters are stuck in such a lame film. If they had been in a real Lovecraftian film, something starring Jeffrey Combs perhaps, or something involving Brian Yuzna, then it all could have been so much better. Oh well. The road to hell is paved with good intentions, as they say...

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.

Nice kid Glen (a fine Stephen Dorff in his film debut) and his amiable heavy metal music nerd best friend Terry (a solid and likable performance by Louis Tripp) inadvertently release a powerful supernatural force from another dimension through a mysterious hole in Gleen's backyard. If the boys don't figure out a way to close said gate right away, these lethal demonic beings will bring about hell on earth. Director Tibor Takacs and writer Michael Nankin eschew the usual graphic gore and cheap nasty scares found in a majority of 80's slasher fare that was trendy at the time in order to put a welcome and refreshing emphasis on eerie mood and nerve-jangling suspense. The gradual build-up in the opening half leads to a delightfully surreal and nightmarish second half which culminates in a lively and exciting climax. Moreover, the main characters are well developed and genuinely appealing: Dorff and Tripp make for engaging leads while Christa Denton brings an endearingly spunky charm to her role as Glen's sweet older sister Al. Jennifer Irwin and Deborah Grove are amusing as the vapid Lee sisters. Nankin's screenplay boasts several cool offbeat touches: Terry learns about the gate by listening to a hard rock album from an obscure band, the telephone melts, a shambling zombie workman bursts out of the walls, and Glen winds up with an eyeball in the palm of his hand. Kudos are also in order for the dazzling array of excellent and impressive special effects: The giant stop-motion animation beast seen towards the end is truly gnarly while the diminutive demonic minions are quite creepy and funky. Takacs and Nankin bring a positively infectious go-for-it enthusiasm to the material that's impossible to either dislike or resist. Tomas Vanes' slick cinematography and the spirited shuddery score by Michael Hoenig and J. Peter Robinson are both up to par as well. Best of all, there's even an upbeat central message about how the power of pure love can effectively conquer evil. An incredibly fun and worthwhile 80's creature feature winner.