Filmmaker Jackson Stewart has made his feature directorial debut with a project that sounds extremely awesome to me, a horror movie that won me over as soon as I heard that it's being described as a "retro-cool blast from the day-glo 1980s past". Titled BEYOND THE GATES, the film promises to "zap viewers back to a time when VHS ruled", and if that weren't already enough to draw in the '80s nostalgic and obsessed among us, Stewart went and cast '80s scream queen Barbara Crampton as the film's villain.
Can I please see this immediately?
Written by Stewart and Stephen Scarlata, BEYOND THE GATES has the following synopsis:
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.
Crampton's co-stars include Graham Skipper, Chase Williamson, and Brea Grant.
Need to be enticed even further? The press release mentions that the film is full of eye-popping practical effects and has an unsettling synth score. It aims to "put a fresh spin on old school terror".
We'll get our chance to watch BEYOND THE GATES one month from today, December 9th, when IFC Midnight will be releasing it into select theatres and on VOD and digital platforms.
I know what I'll be doing on December 9th. In the meantime, let's take a look at the trailer: