The Gate (1987)

This lil' gem from 1987 brings back warm 'n' fuzzy childhood feelings for me. It really reminds me of being a kid in the '80s, what with crazy clothes, slap bracelets, side ponytails and demons in the backyard...ah, those were the days!

Glen (a young Stephen Dorff) and his metal-listening, know-it-all friend Terry discover a geode in a hole in Glenn's backyard. Digging for more, they stumble upon a smelly, smokey hole and find another geode that they eventually crack open. Meanwhile, Glenn's parents have left for three days, leaving Glenn's teenage sister Al in charge. Al throws a wild and crazy 80s party where some strange things happen. Glen levitates, moths are all over the house and there's a demon under the bed...

The boys start to realize some demonic stuff is going on and they realize that they've inadvertently opened a gate to hell, allowing the demons of old to come through into our world. A metal record is involved, detailing how to both open and close the gate. Just when you think Glenn, Terry and Al have defeated the demons, the demons come back with a vengeance!

Sure, this flick is pure 80s nostalgia, but that's what is so fun about it. I should have watched this and Ghoulies on Halloween! It would have been a perfect throwback to childhood...

Anywho, I love it when horror flicks use kids as the main protagonists. Everything is so much scarier as a kid! I've always wondered what I would do (as a kid) in a horror-type situation...probably scream my head off and run!

No CGI was used in this movie, just green screen and stop-motion/claymation. The kids are terrorized by little pint-sized demons, a henchman zombie and the big baddie demon daddy. All the creatures look totally '80s, but who cares? It was made in the '80s! It doesn't feature any gore, but then again, it's a family-type movie! Plus, it doesn't take gore to make an enjoyable and entertaining movie.

Watch when you're feeling nostalgic for the good ol' '80s or just feel like watching some kids stir up some demons in their backyard.

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