| | | | The Gate
(1987) |
hen two young boys find and remove a mysterious crystalline centered rock from a hole in a suburban backyard, they are both quickly motivated by feelings of impending fortune and eagerly dig up the newly softened soil in search of other precious stones.
What they discover instead, is a gateway into a hellish, demon-filled dimension. A terrifying subterranean world where an ancient god known only as the Demon Lord has been imprisoned for billions of years along with his horde of tiny, devilish minions, all waiting for the chance to be set free and claim the Earth as their own.
After unwittingly performing the rituals to free the demons, the boys suddenly realize their horrifying mistake, and all hell literally breaks loose, forcing them to fight for their lives against a dark and powerful evil that threatens to transform the planet into a living nightmare.
Can the boys discover the secret that can shut The Gate forever? Or will there really be a hell on Earth? Time is running out. Pray it's not too late!
An interesting addition to the creature feature genre, 'The Gate' was introduced to the movie going public way back in 1987 and was a surprise box-office hit in Canada, among others.
Despite a shoestring budget and an incredibly short theatrical run (two weeks in total), the Canadian supernatural thriller almost tripled it's production costs in it's first week of release... And to producer John Kemeny that was money in the bank. "To put it in perspective, 'The Gate' was released the same year as 'Ishtar' -and came within $10,000 dollars of beating it!" he said.
Now, whilst 'Ishtar' is considered to be one of the greatest box-office flops of all time, The same cannot be said of 'The Gate'. Indeed, the production values appear incredibly low and the acting, at times, sub-standard... But the sheer atmosphere coupled with surprisingly good special creature effects saved this little low budget gem from the dud movie scrap heap and video sales and rentals subsequently elevated it to cult status among genre fans during the 1980's. (An elevation that caught the attention of the film makers and resulted in a direct to video sequel entitled 'Gate 2: Return to the Nightmare').
Screenwriter Michael Nankin cited his own strange encounter with a disembodied 'voice' as the inspiration behind the story for The Gate... An encounter that, even to this day, he still maintains is true. Director Tibor Takacs handled the supernatural material flawlessly, a feat that earned him the mantle of 'the Canadian Spielberg' and assured him a healthy (if only short-lived) directorial run in the horror/fantasy genre. The Gate also introduced us to (a then 12 year old) Stephen Dorff who today is a major Hollywood star, appearing in such films as 'Blade', 'Judgment Night', 'Backbeat' and the recently released 'Alone in the Dark'. Dorff played the title role of 'Glen' (a role which earned him the respect of his peers) the young boy who's home is invaded by demons but who eventually overcomes the odds when he discovers that the love he has for his best friend, Terry (Canadian child actor Louis Tripp) and sister, Alexandra (actress Christa Denton) is more powerful than anything that hell could conjure up.
I believe that it is this element, the underlying theme of the importance of family, friends and the love we should all have for them (not the supernatural aspects) that make this film a real winner.
Look past the obvious when you are watching this movie... It's the hidden aspects that make it a gate worth opening.
 Don't forget that The Gate is now available to order on DVD using our special 80s Retro Assistant...
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The Gate is a fantastically frightening supernatural thriller that will have the kids hiding behind the sofa more than once.
A worthless first half is thankfully redeemed by some very impressive special effects in the second half and a terrific sense of atmosphere endures throughout.
An old film, (circa 1986), but The Gate still holds up well and is worth a look. Of passing interest as Stephen Dorff's first film and one of the better creature features of the 1980's.
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The role of Glen was played by Stephen Dorff who went on to become a major Hollywood heartthrob. As well as appearing in many films since 'The Gate', he has even appeared in a Britney Spears music video in which he plays an abusive boyfriend. 
Canadian star Louis Tripp reprised his role as Terry Chandler for the sequel 'Gate 2: Return to the Nightmare' which sat on the shelf for three years before the popularity of the original film earned it a release in 1992. Tripp starred in several shows on Canadian television during the late 80's and early 90's and was credited as 'The Nerdy Kid' in the movie 'Detroit Rock City' Sadly, it appears that Tripp has faded into obscurity. Update: Patrick wrote in to say that he "worked with Louis Tripp in the early 2000's at a call center in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. His legal name is now Twelve Twenty (L is the 12th letter of the alphabet, T is the 20th) I loved the Gate movies, but honestly would not recognize him at all. He's certainly now an imposing and decidedly non-nerdy looking guy, very quiet and very friendly and polite." -Thanks to phatpants
Christa Denton who portrayed Al (or 'Alexandra' as she so desperately wished to be called) has appeared in several made for TV movies and a few Hollywood films including: '8 Million ways to Die', 'Convicted: A Mother's Story' and 'Scandal in a Small Town' in which she starred opposite the legendary Raquel Welch. She has also appeared in the movie 'Ellen's Father' (1990) and the short lived TV series 'The Secret of Lost Creek' (1992)
Stephen Dorff is also the vampire villan "Deacon Frost" in the movie "Blade". -Thanks to Derrick
Actually, The Gate 2 was in theaters. I know this 'cause I went to see it in a theater in NYC.. -Thanks to Joseph Corsentino
Actress Kelly Rowan was only 19 and fresh out of film school when she landed her role as 'Lori Lee' in 'The Gate' way back in 1987. Since then, she has had many acting gigs on television and in several large (and low) budget features...one of which was the female lead in 'Candyman 2: Farewell to the Flesh.' Currently, she appears as Kirsten Cohen on the smash-hit series 'The O.C.' -Thanks to Phantomplanet
Special effects supervisor Randall William Cook went on to help realize the Gollum character in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings. -Thanks to Thor
Sadly, actor Sean Fagan (who portrayed Eric) passed away in October 2006 of liver failure. He was 40 years old. -Thanks to Phantomplanet
Randall William Cook (the special effects supervisor who worked on The Gate, Gate II, Peter Jackson's King Kong and The Lord of the Rings Trilogy) will be directing a 3D remake of The Gate. No word yet on who will be writing the film or which studio will be releasing it. Stay tuned, Gate fans! -Thanks to phatpants
For her role in 'The Gate', Christa Denton won the award for 'Best young actress in a horror motion picture' at the ninth annual Youth in Film Awards (1986-87). It was her second win (she had previously won in the exceptional performance by a young actress in a television special or mini-series category at the seventh annual YFA's in 1984-85 for the CBS Network's 'Not my Kid'). -Thanks to phatpants
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Rediscover your favorites! If you like
The Gate or 80's Horror classics, then be sure to
check out this list: ..... Lost Boys ..... Near Dark ..... Fright Night ..... Hellraiser ..... Shining ..... Poltergeist ..... Scanners ..... American Werewolf In London ..... Night of the Creeps ..... Nightmare on Elm Street ..... Paperhouse ..... One Dark Night ..... Re-Animator ..... Prom Night ..... Mausoleum ..... Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama .....[More]
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Actor Carl Kraines, who portrayed the 'zombie workman', was also the dialogue coach for the child actors who appeared in 'The Gate'. He also provided the voice heard on the record that Louis Tripp's character 'Terry' plays backwards. -Thanks to Phantomplanet
Back in the late eighties and early ninties, U.S. TV broadcasts of "The Gate" were supplemented by a five minute 'making of' featurette which came on at the end of each showing. The featurette covered the writing of the story and the creation of the special effects for the film. Although the featurette is now no longer shown on TV, it can be found on any Australian VHS/PAL copy of a movie called 'The Women's Club'...an unrelated sex-thriller starring Michael Pare. "The Making of the Gate" appears on the video as a bonus after the final credits. -Thanks to Phatpants
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|  |  |  | | The Gate
Locations |
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The Gate was filmed at locations in Canada.
Can you help? Do you know any of the Canada filming locations used for The Gate? [Please send them in]
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| Our
Comments: A mediocre DVD release |
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| Our
Comments: A mediocre DVD release |
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Sadly, it appears that no specific soundtrack for this film exists. However, film composer J. Peter Robinson (who provided the haunting themes for The Gate's opening and closing credits) DOES have several non-related CDs avaliable on the market. Who knows... perhaps the theme for The Gate exists on one of them. Better get looking, folks!
I've just recently learned that there actually IS a soundtrack to 'The Gate'. It is an extremely rare 44 track synthesizer score by film composer J. Peter Robinson and is usually only avaliable at conventions. If you are a true fan of this movie, you simply must have this highly enjoyable and brilliantly nostalgic CD. Better get looking, folks! -Thanks to phatpants
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