Happy 30th Birthday, The Gate!

May 15th 2017, 5:26pm

Last Updated on July 31, 2021

Happy Birthday, THE GATE!

While this sounds like a spooky campfire tale, I'm going to tell you all the story of THE GATE. It was thirty years ago today that the film first opened it theaters one dark and stormy night. The film starred an adorable Stephen Dorff (never thought I'd say that) in his first role.

The film centered around a group of kids who find, literally, the portal to hell in their own backyard. This is like GOONIES by way of Clive Barker, ladies and gents. And, trust me, it's just as fun as it sounds.

The movie was given a bit of guff on its initial release for feeling like a rip-off slash mash-up of POLTERGEIST and GREMLINS, but this flick has a sense of childhood fun like none other.

Here is an excerpt from The Arrow's 6/10 review of the flick: "'The Gate' is flawed and a bit silly but that doesn’t mean that it’s not fun. This is the perfect horror flick to watch with your little sister. If the demons don’t scare her, the horrendous 80’s fashions will."

Haha. Gotta love it. Below I have gathered together some fun trivia on the flick, as well as some cool art, stills, posters, and more. So join us here at AITH today and wish THE GATE a happy 30th birthday!

THE GATE synopsis:

Two young boys accidentally release a horde of nasty, pint-sized demons from a hole in a suburban backyard. What follows is a classic battle between good and evil as the two kids struggle to overcome a nightmarish hell that literally begins to take over the Earth.

THE GATE Trivia:

The diminutive demonic minions are played by actors in rubber suits who were made to look tiny by being shot in forced perspective.

Stephen Dorff's debut film role.

The fictional The Dark Book album that Terry shows to Glen features the logo for (the very real) Canadian thrash metal band Sacrifice.

The logo on the back of Terry's jacket is that of the Killer Dwarfs, a heavy metal band from the Toronto, Ontario area who were known for their offbeat sense of humor.

Writer Michael Nankin based the script on specific things from his childhood. For example, Nankin did have a best friend named Terry.

Writer Michael Nankin originally planned on directing the film as well.

THE GATE opened at just behind the infamous flop ISHTAR at #2 with an opening weekend take of $4.2M and went on to gross $13.5M domestically. Adjusted for inflation, if THE GATE hit last weekend it would've made $9.6M and end it's run at $28.8M. Not bad on a budget of $6 million.

THE GATE was directed by Tibor Takács from a script by Michael Nankin. The film stars Stephen Dorff, Christa Denton, Louis Tripp, Kelly Rowan, and Jennifer Irwin.

THE GATE was released on May 15, 1987.