As far as directorial debuts go, Jackson Stewart has a lot to be proud of with his first feature film, Beyond the Gates, which recently premiered at the 2016 Los Angeles Film Festival. Featuring performances from a strongly charismatic cast, a really inventive story concept, fantastic practical effects, and a whole lot of heart that shines through from start to finish, Beyond the Gates feels precisely like a movie I would have rented with friends on a Friday night growing up, and I adored the hell out of it.
Beyond the Gates follows two brothers, Gordon (Graham Skipper) and John (Chase Williamson), who have returned home after their father’s disappearance in order to close up his home video store and deal with the rest of his affairs. While going through their dad's office, the pair stumbles across an old VCR horror game called “Beyond the Gates”, which sparks a sense of nostalgia between the two. They decide to give the mysterious game a try later that evening, with the help of Gordon’s girlfriend, Margot (Brea Grant), only to discover that not only does playing it lead to dire consequences, but it also happens to be the reason their dad went missing in the first place.
The only one who can seem to help them now is Evelyn (Barbara Crampton), the ethereal host of the game who seems to be a bit more interactive than expected when they first popped the tape into the VCR. Only she knows the way to cross “Beyond the Gates”, and soon Gordon and John must decide how far they’re willing to go to beat the game and find out the truth about what exactly happened to their dad.
If you happened to grow up during the heyday of horror, Beyond the Gates is undoubtedly a film that will appeal to your ’80s-loving senses. It has a wonderful feeling of nostalgia to it, and yet, it doesn’t rely on that sentimentality to drive the story. What co-writers Stewart and Stephen Scarlata have done instead is craft a script that embraces that love, but never exploits it. Relying on nostalgia can be a delicate line for storytellers to walk, but both Stewart and Scarlata do a great job of finding a balance with their efforts on Beyond the Gates.
The cast all bring something uniquely wonderful to Beyond the Gates, too; Skipper, who Los Angeles horror fans might remember from the Re-Animator musical, is the film’s “straight man,” which means he’s often doing his best to rationalize the insane events unfolding around him, making for some subtle moments of humor from his character. Williamson, who was fantastic in John Dies at the End, is a bit of a loose cannon and is often at odds with his more uptight sibling, but still loves his brother just the same (even if neither of them are able to really show it—their awkward hug gags are great).
As far as the ladies in the film go, Grant gives a truly lovely performance as Gordon’s girlfriend who not only supports her boyfriend while he deals with his father’s disappearance, but also goes to great lengths to help beat the board game. Continuing to do some of her best work in her career as of late, Crampton is a total joy in Beyond the Gates; her performance is so hypnotic and entrancing that oftentimes while watching the film, I felt myself staring very hard at her visage just to see what kind of weird little things here character might do. In an interview, she mentioned that Barbara Steele from Black Sunday was a huge inspiration behind her approach, and I can definitely see that. Crampton’s delivery is somewhat reminiscent of the original Dark Shadows series (which I used to watch in syndication with my mom, who grew up with the show), and her enchanting presence adds so much to Beyond the Gates.
The film also features several highly impressive practical effects gags that would give any movie with ten times the budget Stewart had at his disposal a real run for its money. Glorious, over-the-top, blood-drenched moments feel ripped right out of an early Peter Jackson film and I tip my proverbial hat to the artists tasked with bringing these ambitious effects to life.
A genre-infused adventure with a lot of heart that was made by a highly passionate cast and crew, Beyond the Gates is a wonderful example of indie horror done right and a great first-time feature for Stewart, who proves he has the chops as an up-and-coming director. This film celebrates what many of us grew up loving about horror, board games, and home media (RIP VHS) with an infectious enthusiasm, and I spent most of my time watching Beyond the Gates with a big, goofy grin on my face.
Movie Score: 4/5
Heather A. Wixson was born and raised in the Chicago suburbs, until she followed her dreams and moved to Los Angeles in 2009. A 14-year veteran in the world of horror entertainment journalism, Wixson fell in love with genre films at a very early age, and has spent more than a decade as a writer and supporter of preserving the history of horror and science fiction cinema. Throughout her career, Wixson has contributed to several notable websites, including Fangoria, Dread Central, Terror Tube, and FEARnet, and she currently serves as the Managing Editor for Daily Dead, which has been her home since 2013. She's also written for both Fangoria Magazine & ReMind Magazine, and her latest book project, Monsters, Makeup & Effects: Volume One will be released on October 20, 2021.
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