Jackson Stewart's feature directorial debut BEYOND THE GATES hasn't even gotten its full home video release yet, but the filmmaker has revealed that he is already writing a sequel.
Starring Graham Skipper, Chase Williamson, Brea Grant, and Barbarba Crampton, BEYOND THE GATES is described as a "retro-cool blast from the day-glo 1980s past" and tells the following story:
In the wake of their father’s mysterious disappearance, two estranged brothers — responsible Gordon and reckless John – reunite to sift through the contents of his stubbornly anachronistic VHS rental store. Among the inventory, they discover an interactive VCR board game, which their father viewed just before he vanished. Intrigued, the boys pop in the tape, press play, and soon discover that, far from an ordinary game, the video is a portal to a nightmarish alternate reality overseen by a sinister hostess and that in order to save their father’s soul, they must play by her rules.
The movie received a VOD release last December and is scheduled to be released on DVD and Blu-ray on May 2nd, courtesy of IFC Midnight and Shout! Factory.
The sequel announcement was made by Stewart during a guest appearance on the Scream Addicts podcast. Stewart, who co-wrote the first film with Stephen Scarlata, said BEYOND THE GATES 2 (that's what we'll call it for now, anyway) will
…definitely take some cues from A Nightmare on Elm Street 4. It’s a little bit of a different story and kind of changes up some things. It’s definitely bigger scale, and a little bit more in the vein of the ’80s paranoia horror movies like The Stuff and Society, and even the ’70s Invasion of the Body Snatchers. It would be focusing on John (Chase Williamson's character) from the previous movie. He has a new girlfriend in the mix; probably going to be Alex Essoe or Jocelin Donahue, someone cool like that."
ELM STREET 4, THE STUFF, SOCIETY, and INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS '78 are some great sources of inspiration, and Alex Essoe or Jocelin Donahue would indeed be cool cast members to have. It's early days, but it sounds like BEYOND THE GATES 2 is on the right track.
If you'd like to pre-order a copy of BEYOND THE GATES on DVD or Blu, you can do so at THIS LINK.