I have The Gate on DVD, and I don't think I've
watched it in about five years, and it wasn't until about a year ago
that I had any idea a sequel even existed. Last week on a spur of the
moment trip to our local family owned video store (where you seem to
find all the cool old shit), I bought a VHS copy for $3. Yesterday at
lunchtime, we thought we'd give it a watch. Hearing from approximately
5,672 sources that it blew goats I was prepared for the worst, but the
results were pleasantly surprising.
The movie wasn't great by any means, but it doesn't suck nearly as much
as a lot of movies that I own. I can't really remember the first film,
so I don't have much of a basis for comparison, but I'd still suggest
giving this one a look in if you like dorky redhead kids who get the
girl, stop motion animation and explosive diahorrea that turns you into
a demonic being.
Terry is the only kid left on the block from the previous opening of
the Gate debacle, and Glens house sits across the street abandoned and
decaying. Its been five years since they opened the gate, and Terry
decides that it wasn't the fact that they opened the gate at all that
was the problem, but the fact that they didn't do it right. Terry's
mother is dead, and his alcoholic father is without a job. If Terry can
open the gate and tap into the "power of the infinite", maybe he can
fix all the wrongs in his life and make things better for himself and
his father.
Things don't go according to plan, as when he sets up to open the gate
at Glens house, Tough kids Johnny and Mo show up, with Johnny's
girlfriend Liz. Of course Johnny being the tough guy, feels its his
birth rite to pick on red-head bespectacled Terry. Liz respects the
demonology that Terry is into and really does believe that what he is
saying has some power. The four make a wish for their strongest hearts
desire when the gate opens, but when a small minion appears Johnny
freaks out and shoots it, but Terry wraps it in a cloak and takes it
home.
In a few days he notices that the minion has healed and when it
breaks out of the jar he was keeping it in, he locks it in a cage. But
meanwhile he notices that his wish is coming true, with his father
getting his old job back. Terry works out that the whole wishing thing
works - then Liz comes over and the two go on a wishing spree wishing
for a new car, lots of gifts and other cool stuff. Unfortunately for
them the wishes only have a half life - after a while they turn to
shit. Big steaming piles of it. Terry realises too late that the wish
he made for his father may have backfired and wakes to discover that
his father is in hospital after crashing his plane. Liz (whose wish was
to meet her true love) shows up and comforts Terry, and the two decide
that they must send the minion back and undo all the bad things that
have happened. Somewhere in between doing that Liz uncharacteristically
makes up with Johnny, Terry gets punched in the face and the minion
gets kidnapped by Johnny and Mo. They aggravate it and it attacks them
scratching and biting. Johnny and Mo start turning into demons and back
on the other side, they need only one more sacrifice to open the gate
for good and bring hell to earth. They have decided to make that
sacrifice Liz - and Terry is going to be the one to make the fatal
blow. Can Terry fight the evil magic and save the woman he secretly
loves?
 Meh, of course he can. This movie is aimed at
kids. Minimal gore, a little profanity. Its a classic thirteen year
old's horror flick. Its silly at times and has a few plot holes but I
still enjoyed it.
Pamela Segall is Liz, and after seeing her in Grease 2 I had no idea
that she would grow up to be so pretty. It's quite weird seeing her
fall in love with King of the Uber Dorks Terry, but makes for a nice
story. The whole way through the movie I'm thinking man, his head is
weird. His head is really weird. He kind of looks like an anorexic
Andrew McCarthy crossed with a chucky doll. But all that aside, I think
this was a good movie and I might even pick up the Canadian DVD really
cheap.
Watch it for some dumb fun on a lazy afternoon.
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Year: 1992
