4 ¾ Pies

Reviewed by Yankee

Plot Summary

Three young children accidentally release a horde of nasty, pint-sized demons from a hole in a suburban backyard. What follows is a classic battle between good and evil as the three kids struggle to overcome a nightmarish hell that is literally taking over the Earth!

Review

One of the true treats of reviewing horror movies for this website is my ability to revisit old times. Sometimes you wonder if you still love an old movie because it was timeless or because of the memories tied to it.

I caught The Gate for the first time on cable TV when I was in high school when watching horror films gained you notoriety among peers. That was back when a Friday night with your buddies meant a trip to the video store on the way to an all night movie marathon, eating junk food and depriving someone’s parents of a good night’s sleep.

So as I watched this film for the first time since my late teens, I couldn’t help but to smile and remember the days when the world was innocent and my biggest worry was beating the next level in a video game before my other friends. It pleased me greatly to see how much of the innocence and elegance from those times was thoroughly preserved in this movie.

Quotes:

Terry: We accidently summoned demons who used to rule the universe to come and take over the world.
Glen: Yeah, we found out about it from, uh, one of Terry's albums.

Terry: May the old devils depart! May they burn in the fires of their own damnation! May they freeze in the infinite golden darkness of their own hideous creation!
Glen: Isn't that kind of insulting?
Terry: I guess it's supposed to be. I mean, we're trying to get rid of them.

Al: You mean you guys were serious about that demon stuff?

Terry: Demons aren't gonna ring the doorbell!

Spook Factor: ¼ Pie

I’m not sure how scary one should expect a PG-13 film to be. Given that the protagonists are pre-teens… yeah, I wouldn’t expect to lose any sleep over this one. There are some visuals that could be a little unsettling to really young… oh wait, PG-13… never mind…

Antagonist: ½ Pie

Demons, demons everywhere! An army’s worth to take over The Earth to be precise… pretty menacing if you can ignore the fact that they will be fighting against a handful of juveniles for the fate of our world…

Story: ½ Pie

Half of the charm in this movie comes from the story. Not complex by any means but it does manage to deliver enough cohesiveness and elegance to please.

Acting: ½ Pie

Here is the other half of the movie’s charm. I really cannot see this movie casted any other way… although the word is that I will… still, the cast here is warm and organic for their roles. And watching it today adds its own enjoyment in seeing Stephen Dorff making the same facial expressions as a kid that he later would in Blade. Classic!

Directing: ¾ Pie

Tibor Takács proved that sometimes you can turn out a good product using modest resources. We'll get to the effects soon, but props to Tibor for putting everything together into this classic film!

Soundtrack: ¼ Pie

The talented Graeme Revell, who pretty much always turns out great product, graced us with his work on this film. That being said, while the music did serve its scenes rather well, they didn't offer much in terms of standing out as memorable.

Special Effects: ½ Pie

This is right down the middle. Some of the claymation and other effects are pretty cool and elegant while some of the scene splicing and overlaying looked like a college film. I'm just being honest.

Gore: ¼ Pie

There is a minimal amount of gore or perhaps even a bit less than that. That's because bloodshed is NOT the focus of any part of this movie. This is more about monsters and the supernatural.

Replay, Rewatch, Rewind: ¾ Pie

Although it had been years, I distinctly remember watching this movie many, many times as a teen and I can tell you that I would look forward to every opportunity to see it again.

Pros

A good, fun 80's-styled horror film that has the elegance and nostalgia of The Goonies.

Cons

A limited budget (listed as unknown, maybe they used the loose change in all of their couches) is very apparent throughout the film.

Final Word

If not for that fact that everyone I mention this film to immediately lights up and claims to “love” this movie, I may have thought it was just due to pleasant memories that I still enjoy this so much. Still, I can see how a remake with today’s technology and a better budget could enhance the experience so long as the director doesn’t forget what made this movie work to begin with.

You’ve been bad!