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THE GATE (1987) (***)

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I hadn’t seen his film previous to now, but I do remember the trailers making a big impression on me as a kid. A young Stephen Dorff (BLADE) plays Glen, a kid who always seems to get himself into trouble. His parents are heading out of town and they are allowing his 15-year-old sister Al (Christa Denton, MICKI + MAUDE) to babysit him for the weekend.

In the meantime, lightning has struck a tree in their backyard and opened up a large hole in the ground, where Glen finds geodes. His heavy metal-loving best friend Terry (Louis Tripp, DETROIT ROCK CITY) wants to search for more, finding an enormous one. When cracked open, the rock emits a strange smoke. After finding some strange symbols in Glen’s room, Terry discovers from one of his rock albums that the hole in Glen’s backyard is really a gate to hell.

Strange things start to occur and the kids must find a way to close the gate before the gods of old take over the world once more. I got to admit the way the gate gets opened is pretty convoluted, but these are demonic forces we’re dealing with here and they have been known to be pretty persuasive when they set their minds to something.

What I found surprising from this teen horror flick is that it took the time to establish an interesting dynamic between the characters. Glen is easily scared, but wants to appear more grown up. Terry’s mother recently passed away and that’s why he’s been acting out lately. One quick scene also establishes his father’s lack of attentiveness. Moreover, Glen and Al have had a pretty close relationship, having model rockets in common. However, Al is now getting more interested in boys and her catty friends.

Writer Michael Nankin (MIDNIGHT MADNESS) and director Tibor Takacs (MANSQUITO) both understand what creeps kids — and even adults — out. Also because the film is from Glen’s point of view, we relate more closely to his fears that things are just not right. Plus, Dorff gives a convincing performance. Most of the effects hold up pretty well, except for some really bad moth shots. There’s nothing bloody, but some of the effects do push the PG-13 boundary. Anchored by well-established characters, the film understands its intended audience well, providing a good amount of chills for anyone.

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Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks