The Gate (1987)

Kids, left home alone, accidentally unleash a horde of malevolent demons from a mysterious hole in their suburban backyard.

Director:

Tibor Takács (as Tibor Takacs)

Writer:

Michael Nankin

Stars:

Stephen Dorff, Christa Denton, Louis Tripp

2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Stephen Dorff	...	Glen
Christa Denton	...	Al
Louis Tripp	...	Terrence 'Terry' Chandler
Kelly Rowan	...	Lori Lee
Jennifer Irwin	...	Linda Lee
Deborah Grover	...	Mom
Scot Denton	...	Dad
Ingrid Veninger	...	Paula
Sean Fagan	...	Eric
Linda Goranson	...	Terry's Mom
Carl Kraines	...	Workman
Andrew Gunn	...	Brad

Storyline

Two young boys 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 two kids struggle to overcome a nightmarish hell that literally begins to take over the Earth.

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Plot Keywords:

monster under bed | brother sister relationship | mini monsters | eye gouging | urban legend | 

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Taglines:

... pray it's not too late!

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Genres:

Fantasy | Horror

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Country:

Canada USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 May 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Fenda

Filming Locations:

Kleinburg, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$2,500,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$13,539,458

Company Credits

Production Co:

New Century Entertainment Corporation, The Vista Organisation, Alliance Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Terry's back patch when he's first seen is for the band Venom, who released the song "The Seven Gates of Hell" in 1984, on the b-side of their "Warhead" single.

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Goofs

The word "business" is misspelled in the note to Terry from his father.

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Quotes

Terrence 'Terry' Chandler: 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?
Terrence 'Terry' Chandler: I guess it's supposed to be. I mean, we're trying to get rid of them.

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Connections

Featured in Trailer Trauma 3: 80s Horrorthon (2017)

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Soundtracks

LOVE WILL FIND A WAY
By Vince Carlucci
Courtesy of Secret Songs Publications

User Reviews

cheesy horror and nostalgia = fun!

Ah, the pleasures of horror movies and nostalgia. I was about 18 or so when this was first released, and I wandered to the theaters with my friends to watch this movie based on all the TV ads. Yeah, ads that included those little dwarfed demons with mean faces and sharp teeth. Hey, for 1987 that was seriously cool - and done very well! But at the time, I came out of the theater thinking, "Eh, it was okay." Years later, sick and not in the mood to move, I flipped through the channels late at night and found "The Gate" about to come on. I thought, "Eh, for nostalgia, why not?" I was surprised by how much I loved the movie! I'd forgotten it starred Stephen Dorff (he was unknown back then), and I was disappointed to learn that his sister in the movie (Christa Denton) didn't really go on to do much else. She was cute. Whatever happened to her??? Besides the cool suburban and 1980's atmosphere (not to mention the clothes and hair - oh yeah!), the movie's story is the fun type of cheese that still keeps your eyes glued to the TV. Cool effects, a no-brainer but engaging story, and the kids are fun to watch. It's also on DVD at a cheap price, and I bought it the other day. Not bad. It's full screen (bummer), but the picture is pretty good. No extra features though (bummer again). But still, very worth of owning. I just watched it again lastnight. And yes, it's still so fun!