Stranger things is over now — Part 3 came out on New Year’s Eve and it will probably take me a while to process it all. As I pour one on the sidewalk to the Duffer Brothers hit Netflix series, I wonder what their highly anticipated movies are spin-off project and the future of Hawkins, Indiana. If you’re like me, you probably have upside-down recordings. Well, rest assured, I may have a solution.
What if I told you there’s a weird but fun ’80s horror movie that you can stream right now to keep the Stranger Things vibe going? Like Stranger Things 5, the movie I’m talking about is also set in 1987 (it also came out 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 effects and cheesiness of some 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 Blowjob.
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The Gate stars Stephen Dorff (yes, that Stephen Dorff) as a 12-year-old boy named Glen who, along with his heavy metal-loving, nerdy friend Terry, discovers a portal to hell in his backyard. Removing a pesky tree opens the portal, and once Glen’s parents go out of town for the weekend, something strange happens.
Stephen Dorff and Louis Tripp star in 1987’s The Gate.
Glen’s sister, Alexandra, is in charge and, as with most ’80s teen movies, she’s throwing a party. What better way to pit a group of mismatched teens against a demonic force, without parental intervention!
The children eventually form 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 creepier version of Poltergeist, thanks to the ethereal work behind the camera of genre director Tibor Takács (anyone remember I, Madman?). There’s a smooth, smoky feel to the film’s production quality, which makes it easier to accept the wacky premise. These children are living a nightmare and demons are knocking at the door.
I suppose the main thing that makes The Gate work is Dorff’s portrayal of Glen. No matter how bizarre things get, there’s a scene in The Gate that’s on the same level of traumatizing as the face-melting scene in The plunderers of the lost ark — Glen stays grounded. You feel his trauma, his fear, his determination. The Gate is an early example of Dorff’s talent as an actor who can command the camera’s attention. He carries this film with every anguished reaction he delivers.
Sometimes I think about the key factors that make Stranger Things so successful. On the one hand there is the Stephen King style horror of all this. On the other hand, the 80s tone and setting have been infused into the show from the very beginning. Merging these aesthetics while incorporating pop culture references from The Terminator A nightmare on Elm Streetand still deliver a show that can touch the hearts and appeal to a wide range of ages is quite an achievement.
Little demons run amok in 1987’s The Gate.
There are seeds of that kind of tonal mashup in The Gate. It’s definitely a horror movie, but there’s also childlike wonder in it. One minute Terry is calling it out, but then he has to flip the script and see the friends being attacked by giant hands coming out from under Glen’s bed. It’s a scene that plays on real childhood fears, and the film’s practical effects successfully create terror.
Remember, this movie was shot in the ’80s, so the special effects are definitely dated. Yet it also produces some striking moments. In one of The Gate’s most famous scenes, small demon acts erupt from a larger demon as it falls to the ground. It’s a scene that, along with the big bad reveal in the third act, would probably make special effects legend Ray Harryhausen tilt his head in approval.
Ultimately, Glen and his team defeat the demonic threats with nerdy grit. Before the Hellfire Club challenged the Demogorgons in Hawkins, Indiana, these kids used their knowledge of heavy metal lyrics and rocket-making skills to give monsters the target.
No, I’m not trying to tell you that The Gate is on the same level as Stranger Things. Being a low-budget film made almost 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 genre-bending hit.
Before children’s entertainment had the guardrails we see today, The Gate delivered a mix of horror and fantasy that both appealed and disturbed the children of my generation. It’s a film that leans toward intense moments of fear while bringing together young heroes who thwart evil. For an ’80s cult horror film, it was surprisingly inspiring to me as a kid. And all these years later, I’m amazed it still holds up.
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