Beyond The Gates is a horror film directed by Jackson Stewart. The plot serves to homage classic 90s genre films and has two brother (Graham Skipper and Chase Williamson, respectively), beginning playing a supernatural board game that has very real-world consequences and threatens to endanger their lives.
This film was a lot of fun, I enjoyed its wink and a nod tone and thought that it was a perfect retro throwback. However, it was also far more than that, I also thought that the premise was quite inspired, it was like a hellish version of Jumanji but with less time spent in the other world, I am surprised I have not seen this done before, but I haven’t, and it felt fresh to me.
Skipper, Williamson and Margot McKenzie who make up the main trio all do solid work and sell the scares. I thought the shotgun scene was particularly well done on the part of Skipper and Williamson, they both seemed genuinely scared, like they weren’t acting, and that allowed me to become more emotionally invested in the scene as a result.
Finally, I would be remiss if I did not talk about horror veteran Barbara Crampton who is also in this film. She plays the guide of the game, a figure who can communicate between worlds, and she is just as magnificent as you would expect and does a lot with a minimal amount of screen time.
Overall, an unexpected treat.
Pros.
Crampton
The leads
The horror
The retro throwback feeling
Cons.
It is a little slow to start
4/5
Reviewed by Luke
Another Millennial Reviewer 