Beyond the Gates: If Stranger Things and Jumanji made a baby and it grew up and chilled out.
I’m seriously digging this funny, retro throwback love letter to horror.
The aesthetic of this film is primo. The art direction alone is reason enough to watch. For such a low-budget project, the visuals were creative, nostalgic, and impressive in the attention to detail. Everything was straight out of the 80s. The pink and purple lighting, the movement of the camera, and the sets themselves were decidedly old school. Even the music, mystical synth-y rock, was spot on in the way it set up the mood for the whole film, especially well done in the brilliant title sequence. Basically, a group of people play one of those creepy old VHS board games. It’s a horror-comedy that behaves like its been around the block a few times.
The opening scene reminded me, a bit, of Clerks, just a couple of regular guys going to work at a lazy shop. And, I did take issue with the extremely slow wind-up for the bulk of the action, in a solidly mumblecore manner. What is even up with mumblecore, anyway? Non-professional actors, “natural” dialogue, and narratives that are heavily dependent on character relationships are the main hallmarks of this indie trend. Although the main actors here are experienced professionals, the initially meandering script and ‘character development’ are exactly the things that kind of drag Stewart’s project down.
The first half-hour felt like time-killer exposition which could easily have been truncated and replaced with more of the exciting horror that the film did so incredibly well. It’s unclear if director Jackson Stewart intended this to be considered mumblecore, but the weird, deadpan delivery and heavy themes at the start were somewhat boring and unnecessary. The end of the film would still have had a great payoff without the stiff family drama (absentee father, estranged brothers, alcoholism, and domestic abuse). Moreover, the comedy in this horror-comedy might have gained some edge, some darkness, if the exposition wasn’t so determined to over-explain the characters’ back stories
Regardless, it’s obvious that Stewart is a huge fan of horror. Every facet of this film felt like an homage to the 80s generation. It had all the fixin’s of OG scary flicks: danger lurking in the basement, nightmares, ghosts, zombies, possession, ancient relics, and a board game filled with treachery from which there’s no way out but through. The scares were nicely balanced with jumps, gross-outs, drawn-out suspense, and some interesting visual effects. Even Barbara Crampton, of horror genre fame, is featured as the eerie video tape game host.
Overall, it’s a great piece of work from a first-time director of a feature. It premiered at LAFF in a sold-out show in the NIGHTFALL segment. Beyond the Gates is definitely worth a watch for horror fans and film lovers in general, who can appreciate the artistry behind this project.
Best enjoyed at night, on the sofa, with blankets, and a group of friends to share screams and live-commentary.
