It's been a month of adult horror so I wanted to wind down this countdown with a more family friendly flick. Most of the movies I looked up I had already seen, but two I had not seen were Monster Squad and The Gate, both from 1987.
I started to watch Monster Squad, but there was just so much tossing around of the words "homo" and "faggot" - which, OK fine, it was 1987, a different time - and the kids were also so immediately unlikable, that I turned it off after about 15 minutes. Sorry, not sorry.
I think The Gate was definitely the better choice, although it's not without a tossed off f word as well. But at least this time it's uttered by a likable kid, Glen, played by tiny baby Stephen Dorff, who I had no idea was in this. (Also have to admit I had no idea he started as a child actor!) Glen and his friend Terry (Louis Tripp) unwittingly open a gate to hell in his backyard, and they, along with Glen's older sister Lori (Kelly Rowland), have to fight the army of monsters they've unleashed.
I imagine I passed this one by in the 1980s for the same reasons I didn't bother seeing The Goonies until I was in my forties: I was a teenager in the mid-80s and felt these movies were too childish for the likes of me. When it comes to The Goonies I really do think it's a film that you have to see as a kid to truly appreciate it. But The Gate charmed me, mainly because of its special effects, which combine stop motion with forced perspective to depict its army of tiny demons and the boss monster.
I watched The Gate on Kanopy. It's also streaming on Prime and Hoopla.
2 comments:
I saw "The Gate" not too long ago for the first time (as an adult). What stood out for me is that it's definitely a movie for pre-teens. There are only three adults in the entire cast, and none of them are given names - not even the parents!
p.s. The Countdown to Halloween sent me here!
Ha you're totally right. And thanks for stopping by!
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