Beyond the Gates (2016)

Running Time: 1hr 24min

Release Date: December 9, 2016

Written by: Stephen Scarlata, Jackson Stewart

Directed by: Jackson Stewart

Review by: Stacey

Horror has been a haven for the retro throwback style the last few years with movies like House of the Devil, Almost Human, The Guest (ok, not really horror, but y'know) and most recently The Mind's Eye.  It seems like a lot of filmmakers are choosing to set their movies from decades past or even in fairly ambiguous time frames (It Follows), and for most it works!  I've talked to a few folks, however, who have said they're growing tired of the throwback style, but I can tell you that I'm not one of them, especially not after seeing Jackson Stewart's feature debut, Beyond the Gates.

Most who were born after the 80's probably don't realize that for a time VHS board games were a thing.  Basically you had your board game which was accompanied by a VHS tape that you would usually play during certain parts of the gameplay.  While I never really played any, I'm fairly certain that they weren't exactly of the best quality.  That said, what a fucking genius idea for a horror movie, though.

BtG follows estranged brothers, Gordon (Graham Skipper) and John (Chase Williamson), who go to their father's video store to clean up after his disappearance.  They find a strange VHS tape and board game in his office that is linked to their father's whereabouts.

From the intro and the score to the climax and the shades of neon purples and blues, this movie was steeped in 80's nostalgia and it was pretty wonderful.  Beyond the Gates felt like a healthy mix of Jumanji and an adult version of an Are You Afraid of the Dark episode.  It never felt like a STRAIGHT horror movie despite the amounts of gore and head explosions that were in it (which were awesome, btw), but it was like it was more tapped into the adventure/fantasy genre with horror elements thrown in.  In any case, I wasn't mad at it.

You'll recognize a few folks in the cast, especially horror legend Barbara Crampton as the ominous host on the VHS game.

You could tell that there were some possible budgetary issues in terms of the gore, in terms of the special effects, and even the pacing of the film.  There was A LOT of time spent on introducing us to the characters and the game before we finally get into it, and the ending itself felt a little rushed and abrupt.  That aside, it didn't take me out of the film, thankfully.  It almost lent itself to the amateur vibe that I think you'd need when making a movie about something like a VHS board game.

The movie wasn't just about this horror aspect either, there was the family drama that you're introduced to that gave the movie another layer to work with without feeling just tossed in to the story.

I had been looking forward to this one for several months now and I'm damn happy it didn't disappoint!  It's a fun one that I don't recommend sleeping on.

4/5

On VOD now!

Check out the trailer below: