I'm not sure if I would have liked it when I was a kid or teenager, fact is now being in my thirties I liked it a lot. Kids going on some kind of adventure has always been an interest of mine but there really aren't that much who do it in a way that can hold my interest for very long. "The Goonies" for example started out interesting but very soon became silly and pointless. This one captivated me from the start with a nice premise, very likable child actors who also work very well together. Of course there is the obligatory annoying teenage friends of the big sister who don't like the younger kids but that is only a minor distraction. Actually big sister is very likable and caring towards her little brother and his friend. Without giving too much away the story is basic with a well worked out "demon" legend behind it in the style of "Don't be Afraid of the Dark". The kids bundle forces and are eventually able to overcome the evil working well together and caring for each other. That the monsters didn't look really scary didn't bother me that much as the creativity of the events blew me away a few times.

The Gate is a bit of fun for adults and pre-teen kids alike.

Its a nice adventure story that draws you in, keeping you entertained throughout.

The effects are pretty cool, low budget but effective.

Far from award winning but even further away from terrible, The Gate will give you a giggle and keep the kids hiding under the bed :)

Considering the large debt it owes to 'Poltergeist', this Canadian horror film stacks up remarkably well to repeat viewings with a similar plot about a house where odd things begin happening after forces are inadvertently summoned from below. One thing that really works in 'The Gate''s favour is the lack of adults with the film instead focusing on two young boys and a teenage sister warding off demons and goblins and protecting their family home while their parents are away on vacation. Their experiences give the brother and a sister a chance to really bond for the first time as well as wrestle with the responsibilities of adulthood, left in charge of the house and expected to take care of it. The best aspect of the film though is unquestionably the special effects; the film achieves a refreshingly different sort of creepiness by having tiny demons to fend off as opposed to more traditional large and ferocious monsters. Sequences in which a human head falls off and smashes and in which the boy discovers an eye inside the palm of his hand are very well done too. It is not a particularly frightening film, with many scenes that feel as if they have been toned down to achieve the film's PG-13 rating, but it is unsettling to watch all the same, full of moments (Louis Tripp realising he is holding the dog) that are still effective even when one knows that they are coming.