Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Stranger Things is now finished – volume 3 came out on New Year’s Eve, and it will probably take me a while to process everything. While I pour one on the sidewalk for the Duffer Brothers hit Netflix series, I wonder about their highly anticipated derivative project and the future of Hawkins, Indiana. If you’re like me, you’re probably making withdrawals in reverse. Well, don’t worry: I may have a solution.
What if I told you there’s an ’80s horror movie that’s both weird and fun that you can stream right now to keep the Stranger Things vibes going? Like Stranger Things 5, the movie I’m referring to also takes place in 1987 (it was also released that year), has a similar title card aesthetic (that same red-on-black font), and if you go back and revisit Season 2, you’ll even find an episode named after the movie.
The Gate is the film in question, and if you can get past the dated and cheesy effects of some of the scenes, I’m here to say that the 85-minute film is the perfect companion to Netflix’s global hit series. It is currently streaming for free on Pipes.
Learn more: 44 of the Best Netflix Movies You Should Stream Now
Don’t miss any of our unbiased technical content and lab reviews. Add CNET as your preferred Google source.
The Gate stars Stephen Dorff (yes, as Stephen Dorff) as a 12-year-old boy named Glen who, along with his nerdy, heavy metal-loving friend Terry, discovers a gate to hell in his backyard. Removing a pesky tree opens the portal, and as soon as Glen’s parents leave town for the weekend, weirdness ensues.
Stephen Dorff and Louis Tripp star in The Gate in 1987.
Glen’s sister Alexandra remains in charge and, like most 80s teen films, she throws a party. What better way to pit a group of mismatched teenagers against a demonic force with no parental intervention in sight!
The children eventually band together as a team of unlikely heroes, ready to fend off the forces of the underworld. Sound familiar?
The Gate was one of those films from my childhood that felt like a scarier version of Poltergeist, thanks to the ethereal behind-the-camera work of genre director Tibor Takács (anyone remember Madman?). There’s a sweet, smoky feel to the film’s production quality that makes it easier to accept its crazy premise. These children are living a nightmare and demons are knocking at the door.
I guess the main thing that makes The Gate work well is Dorff’s portrayal of Glen. As bizarre as things may seem, there’s a sequence in The Gate that’s on the same level of trauma as the face-melting scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark — Glen remains grounded. You feel his trauma, his terror, his determination. The Gate is an early example of Dorff’s talent as an actor capable of commanding the camera’s attention. He carries this film with every tortured reaction he delivers.
I sometimes find myself thinking about the key factors that make Stranger Things so successful. At one end there is the Stephen King horror of all this. On the other, the ’80s tone and setting permeated the show from the start. Merging these aesthetics, while incorporating pop culture references from The Terminator to A Nightmare on Elm Streetwhile delivering a show that can touch the heart and appeal to a wide range of ages, is quite an accomplishment.
Tiny demons run amok in 1987’s The Gate.
There are seeds of this kind of tonal mashup in The Gate. It’s absolutely a horror film, but there’s also a childlike wonder to it. At one point, Terry screws it up for the sake of levity, only to have to flip the script and find the friends being attacked by giant hands that appear from under Glen’s bed. It’s a scene that showcases a real childhood fear, and the film’s practical effects succeed in realizing the terror.
Remember, this movie was made in the 80s, so the special effects are absolutely dated. Yet it also offers some standout moments. In one of The Gate’s most famous scenes, tiny demonic minions emerge from a larger demon as it collapses to the ground. It’s a scene that, along with the reveal of the big bad in the third act, would probably make special effects legend Ray Harryhausen tip his hat in approval.
In the end, Glen and his team end up defeating the demonic threats with nerdy courage. Before the Hellfire Club challenged the Demogorgons in Hawkins, Indiana, these kids used their knowledge of heavy metal lyrics and their rocket-making skills to give the monsters the why.
No, I’m not trying to tell you that The Gate is on the same level as Stranger Things. As a low-budget film made nearly four decades ago, it is limited by the resources available at the time. That said, you can see the tonal breadcrumbs that led to Netflix’s success.
Before children’s entertainment had the guardrails we see today, The Gate offered a blend of horror and fantasy that both appealed and unsettled kids of my generation. It’s a film that relies on moments of intense fear while bringing together young heroes who thwart evil. For a cult 80s horror film, this was surprisingly inspiring to me as a kid. And all these years later, I’m surprised to say it still holds up.
