‘The Gate’ is Essential Gateway Horror
Tyler Doupe'
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Simply put, The Gate is the ultimate gateway horror picture. This 1987 effort from Tibor Takács dares to place its juvenile protagonists in very real danger, something we rarely see in contemporary cinema. As such, the flick serves as an enticing and empowering viewing experience sure to delight youngsters in a safe but scary way. The Gate is absolutely an essential gateway horror experience.
The setup sees Glen (Stephen Dorff) and his cool, metalhead friend Terry (Louis Tripp) discovering a geode in Glen’s backyard. When they start digging to look for more, the boys unwittingly uncover a portal filled with tiny, satanic creatures. In the wake of the discovery, Glen’s parents head out of town, leaving young Glen and company alone to battle the forces of darkness and defend the home front from a series of sinister happenings.
More than 35 years after its release, The Gate remains a premiere offering in the gateway horror genre. I caught it for the first time as a youngster during the Saturday AM cartoon hour and it scared the hell out of me. But in the best possible way. It was empowering to see kids my age battling the forces of darkness without even a modicum of adult oversight. It terrified and delighted me in equal measure.
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Since horror films have historically featured a largely adult (or at least adolescent) cast, placing a kid in the lead role and eschewing parental figures makes the proceedings that much more relatable (and empowering) to an impressionable viewer. The Gate made me feel like I was likely to wake up to a hellish portal in my backyard and that I may then be called upon to defend my home against demonic creatures. That sensation was intoxicating and caused the film to imprint on me in a special way.
Movies like this now exist as relics of a bygone era. Since the advent of helicopter parenting, features that depict minors in peril now include far more parental oversight and often watered-down depictions of youngsters in dicey situations. And that’s a travesty because so many of today’s children won’t experience that intoxicating feeling of seeing someone their age hurled into unspeakable danger and emerging victorious, without the benefit of adult oversight.
What cements The Gate as a phenomenal gateway horror effort is the film’s refusal to talk down to its audience. The flick wastes no time getting spooky. It opens with an eerie dream sequence that foreshadows the unseemly horrors to come. And like the 80 minutes that follow, the opening sequence quickly places juvenile protagonist Glen in some harrowing situations. Throughout the picture, he runs afoul of malevolent forces that wish him harm and consistently finds himself in grave danger. The kind of danger where the audience wonders if Glen and his pals will survive to the end of the ordeal.
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When I say that the film doesn’t talk down to its audience, I am not kidding. Before the second act rolls around, Terry has a vision of his dead mother and goes to hug her… Only to learn that he is embracing Glen’s dog. Who is dead. There’s some heavy stuff in this flick. And that’s far from the most terrifying occurrence.
In addition to mildly traumatizing an entire generation of burgeoning horror fans, The Gate is also memorable for featuring some pretty terrific creature designs. Though it may not be quite as sleek as modern CGI, the practical effects work is undeniably spooky and effective. The pint-sized demons are ominous looking. And their presence terrified me as a lad.
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All in all, The Gate is a rare find. It’s a film that sets out to scare the shit out of kids and it succeeds remarkably in that conceit. It’s the perfect picture to help kickstart a youngster’s lifelong love for horror. Just make sure your children are old enough to discern the difference between real and make-believe before subjecting them to this epic tale of satanic critters run amok.
If you haven’t seen The Gate, you’re in luck. As of the publication of this post, you can check the film out for free (with ads) via Roku, Vudu, Tubi, FreeVee, or Plex.
Categorized:Editorials
