The Gate II: Trespassers

Obviously not learning his lesson from "The Gate", the young man from the first movie again opens a gateway to another dimension. This time he uses the power to get wishes, but the demons don't give you wishes for free, you know? (Obviously, he hadn't seen "Filthy McNasty" at this point.) While I would have liked to see Stephen Dorff return for this sequel (his absence is poorly explained), at least we are treated to Louis Tripp, who is just as geeky as ever (though no longer sporting the Angry Dwarfs jacket or rocking out to Sacrifyx). As I say in my introduction, he thinks that opening a gateway is a good idea... and brings along three people for the ride. A hot chick by early 1990s standards (Pamela Adlon) and two greasers.

Some aspects of this film were really fun and I enjoyed it a lot. The demon (or "minion" to use their term) getting high and causing a serious car incident was nice, and the idea of wishes turning to feces gives a whole new twist to the idea of "wishes in one hand, poo in the other". I really liked the visual of a minion in the jar -- where can I get a pickled minion? And if the stop-motion technology is this advanced in 1992, where was it for "Basket Case"? (Granted, that was much earlier, but how hard could it be?)

What I didn't like about the movie was how forced it seemed, how dull most of it was, and the fact that a fair amount of the plot just doesn't make any sense. Tripp knows how to conjure demons and how to send them back, but waits for the right climactic moment to do so instead of finishing the job right away (not unlike how James Bond's villains don't shoot him when they have the chance). For example, he creates a box that has to be thrown into a pit (like the ring that must be thrown into Mount Doom) but just waits until after his girlfriend is almost sacrificed to Satan. Why? The end is also really cheesy (but I won't say what it is, you'll have to rent this one from Netflix).

Despite my feeling this is a shadow of the original, it was still entertaining and I would have gladly welcomed a third film. There's a certain mythology about this series that I enjoyed, and I would rather sit through something like this than a film of a similar idea that just has no sense of itself. While this movie is not a comedy, clearly the crew wanted to have fun and it shows.

If you really liked the original, this is worth a view. Unlike other sequels, this has the same director and star, so the continuity is very decent (how many sequels spin off from the original intent -- "Leprechaun" comes to mind). If you thought the first one was "just alright", I'm willing to bet this will greatly disappoint you. But hey, a bad 1980s or early 1990s film is still better than the average film today, in my opinion.

This deserves better than it's getting here! Anyone who's seen The Gate, also starring Louis Tripp, would agree. I looked a long time to find a copy of it and finally got one, very-well-used copy for more $$ than I care to spend on videos, but I paid it because I like to watch this movie a couple times a year, and video stores don't usually carry it. It's a solid 7 outta 10 in my book! Good chemistry among these young actors/actress! Nice, dark, creepy feel to the otherworldliness it depicts! Yeah, I like it a lot! So sue me!

I recently watched The Gate 2: The Trespassers (1990) on YouTube. The storyline follows a new family that moves into the house from the first film. The son in the house is bullied and struggles with girls, so he opens the Gate hoping to be granted his every wish, but discovers his wishes come with a price. Can he and his new love interest find a way to close the Gate before hell is unleashed on Earth?

Directed by Tibor Takács (The Gate), the film stars Louis Tripp (The Gate), Simon Reynolds (Saw IV), Pamela Adlon (Grease 2), James Kidnie (Sea of Love), and Elva Mai Hoover (Superman II).

This sequel is a significant step down from the first film but still entertaining and worth a watch for fans of the original. The cinematography is mediocre, but the monsters are solid and entertaining to watch. There's a cool bathroom transformation scene, and while the conclusion isn't as good as the first film, it's still fun to watch unfold. The special effects depicting the other side of the Gate are interesting. The acting is good enough, with an 80s feel, and Pamela Adlon reminds me of a young Demi Moore. Additionally, there are some cool muscle cars (Corvette and Challenger).

In conclusion, The Gate 2: The Trespassers isn't as good as the first film but still has some charming, redeeming elements. I would score this a 5.5/10 and recommend it with the appropriate expectations.

Louis Tripp returns as Terry in this completely odd sequel to the surprisingly creepy The Gate. It's been a few years since the events of the last film where a crater leading straight to hell showed up in a suburban backyard and caused all kinds of nightmarish terror. Even after witnessing all the horror, Terry decides it's a good idea to try and bring hell back on earth, so he does a ceremony that's crashed by a few bullies who want to use the powers of hell for their own good.

It turns out that the creepy little minions from the previous film are a lot more harmless than originally thought and can be used for good if you know how to channel their energy correctly.

Gate II is a sort of confusing sequel that has a few inspired and creative moments here and there with some pretty decent effects to keep the viewer interested, but it's not a must see event for horror fans and it might have been best to leave The Gate as a stand alone movie.

While this movie could have been much better, it is what you might expect for a low budget sequel to a b-movie.

With that being said, I think the film recalls enough of the charm that made the first a borderline cult classic to hold the interest of those who were fans of the original. One returning character, one returning plot line, one returning minion.

So for fans, its a nice hidden rental when your Netlflix Que runs low on must-sees, especially if there other fans out they're like me who didn't even know there was a sequel. I happened to be looking to rent the original and saw this as well. It sat at the bottom of my list for a while but finally I decided to give it a chance and while not blow away, I was satisfied enough by the nostalgic cheesiness this film provided.