Review: BEYOND THE GATES (2016)

There have been a lot of films trying to recapture the feel of the old VHS era horror films, but none has been more explicit about it than BEYOND THE GATES, the debut film from Jackson Stuart. Not only does it involve a missing and presumed dead proprietor of a video store,
Estranged brothers Gordon (Graham Skipper ALL THE CREATURES WERE STIRRING, THE MIND’S EYE) and John (Chase Williamson, SEQUENCE BREAK, FETISH FACTORY) are brought back together after the disappearance and presumed death of their father. While boxing up the contents of his once-thriving video store they come across Beyond the Gates, a game he was apparently playing before he disappeared.

Curious, the brothers along with Gordon’s girlfriend Margot (Brea Grant DEAD NIGHT, BAD APPLES) decide to play it. In truly creepy fashion it seems the game’s hostess Evelyn (Barbara Crampton REANIMATOR, PUPPET MASTER: THE LITTLEST REICH) is speaking directly to them about their missing father. When the game’s events start having a fatal effect on those around them it’s obvious she’s playing for keeps.
BEYOND THE GATES is, first and foremost, a fun film and secondly a nostalgic one and that’s a distinction that

During
This is an enjoyable film that had me recalling the days of video rental stores. And many of the straight to video films I rented from them. You can’t get BEYOND THE GATES at Blockbuster. But you can get it on DVD, streaming and VOD via IFC Midnight.