The Doorway

Take a chance to watch this one. THE DOORWAY is the average slasher of the new century. It takes some ideas from 80's and 90's slashers. It fails miserably to scare or even to get your attention.

Rick has a chance to get for free an old mansion if he fixes it. With the aid of 3 friends, Rick and companny accept the challenge. Soon after they arrive to the house, they notice that something evil is in the atmosphere.

A demonic ghost of a woman makes an apparition just to scare them and in the same time manifest that she needs rest for her soul. The doorway in the attic leads to hell and these guys need to close it... sounds easy, but they don't know that before doing it they have to face the devil in a monstrous disguise. These friends look for help with their school history teacher (Roy Scheider)that apparently knows a terrible secret about the mansion.

Try to watch this movie without losing patience. The highlights of the movie are Susan and Tammy. The ghost girl is somewhat attractive even when she's possessed. Average horror movie from the 2000, the year that marked a return to slasherS. A lame attempt to return the dead genre, but at least the intention is there waiting for better chances.

3/10

Roger Corman's New Concorde produced this reasonable little straight-to-video low-budget demon feature that wears its b-grade quality proudly. Usually these films know what their target is and keeps to its strength, and "The Doorway" does that. Honestly the thing that caught my eye in the first place other than Corman's name; was the name of a establish actor Roy Scheider. He might not make an appearance to about 30 minutes in, but when he does it's dependably good even if it's nothing more than merely a small, but important role to the scheme of things.

Four college students looking to make some money, head out to an old abandon Georgian mansion to make some renovation repairs. However after just settling in weird things begin to happen, and one of them finds a book explaining the original occupants curiously demented past involving devil worshiping cults involving orgies and death. Soon they realise they're not alone as there's a demonic force at work.

You want blood… you got it. Cheap jumps… that's a tick. Nudity… yes plenty to go around. Sex… of course with depraved passions let out. And how about creepy dolls… oh yes it's a win-win situation. Well that's what happens when the mansion you're working in has a carnal past and a doorway to hell in its cellar, expect you soul to be corrupted by the evil. One sequence involving the group dancing away to a song while they clean… was just the start of it and nobody had been possessed yet. How to combat it in a logically sense is to get in a professor of the superstitious field and maybe a descendant (a smoking Teresa DePriest) with a physic link, who luckily enough knows the professor and is there on the spot. What are the odds? What they came up against is a ghostly succubus and hideous looking demon. For its obvious budget restrictions the make-up FX and visual effects are decently executed by Robert Hall / Almost Human. Sometimes cheesy, but not terrible. Low rent sets standout, but it's well photographed with it catering a claustrophobic remoteness to its house-bound terror.

You could probably nit-pick the creaky narrative and find a whole lot of flaws, but what's the point. It did take on some different fabricated plot roots, but the ending was unfulfilled in the way they closed it off. One aspect that I could have done without the cheeky humour that filled the fashionable script. The performances are passable enough and Lauren Woodland is likable.

If you let it, there's fun to be had.

B-film? Yes.

Cheesy style homage to yesteryear horror films? well, sort of.

At times intriguing and other times laughable but the most haunting thing about it was I felt as if I had seen it all before...and I had. Slightly updated effects (which certainly didnt enhance the film) and a couple slightly re-arranged plot lines but this was definately a thinly-masked remake of the 1981 The Evil starring Richard Crenna. For those who enjoyed this film find a copy of the original and compare. For those thinking of watching The Doorway, find the Evil and enjoy a slightly more interesting (and original) b-horror film.

I can't believe this was released in theaters. It should came straight to video. Anyways, this is a very bad horror movie. In fact, it can't be horror as it lacks of gore, scary scenes, creepy direction and settings, etc. It features 4 teens that spend some days trying to fix a house in order to receive some bucks. For their bad luck, there's a doorway in the house that leads to hell. Yes, hell in a very cheesy way. When they find out that they found hell, they immediately look for help... I won't get into details about the plot as the explanation of hell and some strange events that occur inside are very stupid. And guess what? Roy Scheider is on the rescue... What does that mean? Is it something good or bad? There's no reasonable answer.

This movie has only one good aspect : both girls are somewhat attractive, and the ghost girl (when not possessed) can be very attractive.

Avoid this one! Fans of the horror genre will find this a very boring, and no potential movie. Don't even give it a try.

Writer/director Druxman draws from previous films of his producer Roger Corman (such as "The Masque of the Red Death" and "The Dunwich Horror") to deliver a well-done ensemble piece about the doorway to hell.

Filmed in Ireland, but presumably set in Massachusetts or New England, a group of four teenagers and their lecturer dare to uncover the dreaded doorway despite their horrific encounters with a demon. It is not clear whether they are brave or stupid.

Scheider's role is lamentably too small to have an impact despite top-billing. It's the kids we care about despite their immaturity.

The writer/director knows we've seen it all before, so while the film is played straight, the tongue is firmly in his cheek. The humour is not out of place, but the frights are genuine.

Stay tuned for the wrap-up, it's satisfying though you will feel like a victim of a practical joke. The fate of the surviving two teenagers might have made a great sequel.

Really, what does happen to characters in horror movies when the "horror" is over?