The Gate (Special Edition)

It's About Bloody Time!
I have the original pressing of this on DVD, which is in full screen, but now I can finally have the widescreen version. So, if you're looking for a horror movie with tons of gore and blood spewing everywhere, this movie is not for you. This movie is for teenagers, and that's when I saw this movie. I watched it in theaters, and I was hooked. The movie has everything; humor, great special effects, and a lot of the actors are good. I won't write a summary of the plot, since there's one already provided by Amazon.com, so I'll just say that if you don't mind a bit of camp and some cheesy dialog, this movie is for you. I know I'm buying this the day it comes out.

Afterthought. After comparing both the original full screen version and this newly released version, I can without a doubt say that this is truly the wide screen theatrical version. Thank you Lionsgate for releasing it its true form. My hat is off to you.

Ah, Memories....
What horror fan didn't catch this movie on HBO or USA back in the day? I haven't seen this film in over 15 years, but when I did see it, I saw it MANY times. I recently watched it again to see if it was as fun as I remember. Usually watching a movie years later that you loved as a kid is a bad move coz you tend to be disappointed. After all, through the eyes of a child you don't look for or hang on to the inaccuracies. You're able to accept a premise no matter how far fetched, and acting no matter how bad. While I saw a bit of both, I was pleasantly surprised that the movie still retained all of it's fun factor. I still really like it! I'm gonna give you a quick rundown regardless of what the schmuck below says: Glen(a very young Stephen Dorff), and his teenage sister are left alone to mind the house while mommy and daddy are gone. After a storm, they discover a big hole in the backyard that we quickly find out is a gateway for demons to come through and take over the world...

80s horror that rocks!!!
While it's definitely overlooked by horror buffs everywhere, "The Gate" is definitely a classic piece of horror cinema from the generation that brought us so many great horror movies to begin with -- the 80s. It has every element needed for a successful -- if predictable -- horror film. Parents leave teenage sister, younger brother, and younger brother's metally disturbed metal lovin' best friend alone for the weekend. The two boys, playing in the backyard, dig up a hole that is actually the gateway to hell! A couple creepy scenes here and there (including levitation and weird writing on the walls) and BAM! The miniature, Play-Doh looking demons are running around the backyard and the house terrorizing all inside. Zombies bust through the walls, best friend ends up being abducted along with teenage sister, and it's up to the younger brother to save the day! (He does, don't worry). You MUST rent this one at the very least. It's too bad it isn't on DVD.

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