The Gate (1987)

They don't make 'em like this anymore. Horror that's focused on kids and just ramping up the weird and putting kids in situations that would terrify them. Great effects, solid acting, believable characters, and super nice model work all add up to a solid time. If you like Gremlins or Monster Squad, this should be up your alley.

Can I really be objective about this film. Things we see in childhood are perceived differently.This movie is what it means to be 13 years old, up late at night, and finding yourself engrossed in a world of fantasy, horror, and magic. A film to cherish.What is about this film. The stop motion animation, the eye, metal band lore. The ending and what kills the demon. This isn't a movie of cliché, and not about people doing stupid things while the villain tracks them down. I think people underrate it, b/c in a way it is a silly fantasy film, but it does take itself seriously and is not campy garbage.

Glen (Stephen Dorff) finds a geo after they pull out a tree. He and his friend Terry Chandler (Louis Tripp) dig for more geo, uncover a deep cavern and find a magical rock. Their parents are going away for 3 days and they reluctantly let his sister Al (Christa Denton) to be in charge without a babysitter. Al disobeys her parents to have a party. Terry and Glen split open the rock and open the gate releasing the tiny demons. They are eventually trapped with Al and her friends Lori Lee (Kelly Rowan) and Linda Lee (Jennifer Irwin).This is a pretty good small B-horror movie. The three young leads do a great job. The effects are fun with a good effective mix of forced perspective and stop-motion. As always, it is a big plus to put little kids in danger. This is no exception. The tiny demons are both funny and super creepy. It's another kind of fear to be attacked by a large number of tiny creatures.

I'm not sure if I would have liked it when I was a kid or teenager, fact is now being in my thirties I liked it a lot. Kids going on some kind of adventure has always been an interest of mine but there really aren't that much who do it in a way that can hold my interest for very long. "The Goonies" for example started out interesting but very soon became silly and pointless. This one captivated me from the start with a nice premise, very likable child actors who also work very well together. Of course there is the obligatory annoying teenage friends of the big sister who don't like the younger kids but that is only a minor distraction. Actually big sister is very likable and caring towards her little brother and his friend. Without giving too much away the story is basic with a well worked out "demon" legend behind it in the style of "Don't be Afraid of the Dark". The kids bundle forces and are eventually able to overcome the evil working well together and caring for each other. That the monsters didn't look really scary didn't bother me that much as the creativity of the events blew me away a few times.