Review of The Gate (1987) by Glenn C — 05 Sep 2012

What has happened to movies like The Gate? As a kid of the 80s I fondly remember genuinely scary horror films being made for kids. Stuff like Ghoulies, Gremlins and Monster Squad to name just a few. Nowadays we tend to bubble-wrap our kids and protect them from such horrors.

I share the sentiments of creature-designer Craig Reardon who sees horror films romantically and recalls seeing his most influential ones before the age of 10. The Gate is a fantastic fright flick for kids.

A tree is uprooted in a boy's (Glen) backyard and with the help of an accidentally coincidental ritual, a horde of subterranean demons are unleashed. Along with his best friend and sister, Glen has to find a way to defeat the savage minions.

With virtually no adult actors in the film, it's such a wonderful kids flick. Often gory, it balances the scares with a childhood sense of imagination and adventure. We don't get many films like it anymore and when we do, they're classified with adult ratings and are widely unseen.

If you're a parent I would urge you to expose movies like The Gate to your kids when the time is right, and before it's not too late. Fear is that healthy and important emotion that builds character and confidence.

.. kids really lack it these days and I would argue that it's irresponsible to deny them that emotion!