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Don't let the PG-13 rating and the "if it's not gory and new, it's no good" critiques fool you. This could possibly get an R today, and is a great horror-fantasy that I loved as a kid and still love now. All of the actors turn in great performances (including a very young Stephen Dorff who proves here that he was a great actor from the start), and I have no idea how anyone could dare to criticize the quality of these great special FX. To me, "The Gate" is an example that sometimes a low-budget film, if done well, looks much better than big-budget swill could ever wish to be. The only less than totally impressive special effect is the big monster that shows up, but it's no better or worse than the computer-generated monsters we're accustomed to today, plus the fact that it WAS done on a low budget should make it more worthy of respect when it probably looked state-of-the-art back then. All of the rest of the creatures are great. Like in "Return of the Aliens: The Deadly Spawn" (another great movie with even lower budget creature FX), if I were to run into some monsters in real life, I would expect them to look as real as this! Another thing I loved about this was the fact that, despite idiotic people who write all the time that this movie is making a comment against heavy metal, "The Gate" actually poses an interesting idea that sometimes the knowledge of some of these heavy metal rockers can be positive and helpful, no matter how "evil" their image might be. If you watch this movie, you might see what I mean. This is definitely a PG-13 horror movie that deserves a lot more respect than it's gotten.

A classic in the eighties genre of horror. It features goofy heavy metal music and demons. Stephen Dorff plays young Glen, who discovers a hole in his backyard is a doorway for demons. After his friend Terry plays his metal album backwords and they coincidently bury the family pet(you always need a sacrifice) in a hole in the backyard, they awaken demonic spirits which destroy the home and try to kill them. A funny take(even if not meant to be) on back masking and the influence of rock music on children. This film features some classic stop motion in the lines of Jason and the Argonauts. They are attacked by reanimating dead, droves of tiny demons and a head demon the size of a bus, which bares a strong resemblance to a Clash of Titans creature. This all stemming from a movie that would normally be a dud given the time period. It shouldn't be taken too seriously, but will amuse you for about 85 minutes. This is yet another underrated, hardly seen eighties gem.

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!

I have such fond memories of 'The Gate'. Thankfully, I enjoyed it just as much as an adult as I did way back then.

Hungarian director Tibor Takacs brought us the unforgettable horror thriller 'The Gate'. I'm not sure whether to call it a classic, but it certainly is a memorable film. It is a very well made film in the time before CGI. Sure, most of the visual effects doesn't hold so well by today's standards, but whenever I watch an old movie, I view it for what it is and envision it for what it must have been back in the day. In the 80s they had to rely on practical effects - real film making as opposed to doing everything on computer in post production nowadays! They also made use of stop-motion photography, as you'll clearly notice when the giant demon makes its appearance.

The acting is very good, and the little demons especially are well made (in a time before CGI, that is). Some of the practical effects are truly amazing and its wonderful how total chaos ensues during the final act. The film also delivered a few really funny moments, without the humor being out of place or being slapstick. Then there's also the more serious moments, like Glen (Dorff) dealing with the loss of the family dog. These were emotional moments I'm certain everyone who has had to bid farewell to a furry family member can relate to. I enjoyed the characters and the character development. Interesting to see a very, very young Stephen Dorff here...

I absolutely love 'The Gate' and will easily rate this among my many favorite 80s horror films. A real gem of a movie.

The boy Glen (Stephen Dorff) and his best fried Terry (Louis Tripp) accidentally open a gate to hell when a rotten tree is removed from the backyard of Glen's house. When his dog die and a friend of Glen's sister, the teenager Alexandra (Christa Denton), buries the animal in the hole, demons from an ancient civilization are released, seeking for two human sacrifices to dominate the world. Glen, Al and Terry, who are spending the weekend alone in the house, fight to save their lives and close the hole.

I do not recall how many times I have seen "The Gate" on VHS and now on DVD. The funny story has a terrible conclusion, but the special effects were amazing in 1987. This cult-movie is very underrated inclusive in IMDb but who cares? I still love this little gem of the fantastic cinema. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "O Portão" (VHS) / "O Portal" (DVD) ("The Gate")