The Gate Movie Review (1987)

After his treehouse is destroyed by lightning and removed by a yard waste company, Glen (a young Stephen Dorff) finds a geode. Excited about his discovery, his friend Terry helps him search the hole where the treehouse once stood to see if they can find any more, but they end up finding more than they bargained for. They do find a rather large geode but also end up digging so deep that they reach a cavernous area that smells like death. After breaking open the geode the boys immediately know that something is off as there are lights shining through it. After repeating the words that are magically written on his magnetic tracing pad, Glen unknowingly opens...the gate.

Upon listening to an album entitled 'The Dark Book' by the mysterious band Sacrifyx, Terry uncovers the parallels between what's happening at Glen's and the summoning of demons as heard on the album. Fortunately for them, listening to the album backwards provides instructions on how to close the gate. After being attacked in the house by the demons, the kids (now with Glen's sister Al), Terry finds himself in the hole/gate and being pulled down by the demons, but is successfully pulled out of it. The group tries reading Bible passages to close the gate, but after that doesn't work, Terry throws the Bible into it causing an explosion resulting in it closing.

The demons have not been thwarted however, as they disguise themselves as a corpse in the wall and abduct Terry as a human sacrifice, turning him into some kind of possessed being. They then take Al as well leaving Glen to fight them on his own. Another gate opens up inside the house and a massive demon is summoned, towering over the others. Glen is able to kill it by shooting one of his model rockets into its chest and exploding. Doing so brings back Al and Terry and everything is hunky dory as the skies clear and the birds sing. 'The Gate' is definitely a product of its time with the stop motion animation and practical effects. It was also part of the "Satanic Panic" sensation that was at its peak in the 80's. 

~TJ