gokeymichael If you watch this movie you will no doubt find out what I mean by bad, intentional or not? The acting is so far beyond good that it makes Troma flicks into Oscar worthy pictures. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Troma, but you know what I'm saying. This has parts that are funny and parts that are pretty decent. It also has a lot of bad parts to it too. But I think the bad is actually meant to be that way. If it is, then I can cut it some slack. The two buddies, Johnny and his hole-in-the-heart buddy, Moe are perfect examples of the "bad" acting aspect of the movie. I think they are funny, because they are so horrible it can't be for real. The magic is actually thought out somewhat, although I'm sure using English won't help to raise many ancient demons from billions of years ago. I do believe that hamster sacrifice is a no-no as well. But you have to give them credit for going off the reservation and trying to be cute and clever and more along the lines of an offbeat dark/horror/comedy flick. Not too bad, not the best. Try it if you have watched a lot of other stuff first.

DemonGate Sadly, despite some decent creature effects ranging from an actor in a demon costume to old school stop-motion animation, Gate II offers very little to the viewer with it's sub-standard storyline and dull characters. One never really feels that the four teens are in that great a danger...and the low budget seems to have had a greater affect on the production this time around. A surprisingly disappointing sequel (considering that the 1987 original was so well done) that is recommended for the unwavering, die-hard Gate fan only. Gate II was filmed in 1989 but sat on the shelf for three years until the resolution of distribution problems earned it a limited (yet ultimately unsuccessful) theatrical release in 1992.

gavin6942 Obviously not learning his lesson from "The Gate", the young man from the first movie again opens a gateway to another dimension. This time he uses the power to get wishes, but the demons don't give you wishes for free, you know? (Obviously, he hadn't seen "Filthy McNasty" at this point.) While I would have liked to see Stephen Dorff return for this sequel (his absence is poorly explained), at least we are treated to Louis Tripp, who is just as geeky as ever (though no longer sporting the Angry Dwarfs jacket or rocking out to Sacrifyx). As I say in my introduction, he thinks that opening a gateway is a good idea... and brings along three people for the ride. A hot chick by early 1990s standards (Pamela Adlon) and two greasers.Some aspects of this film were really fun and I enjoyed it a lot. The demon (or "minion" to use their term) getting high and causing a serious car incident was nice, and the idea of wishes turning to feces gives a whole new twist to the idea of "wishes in one hand, poo in the other". I really liked the visual of a minion in the jar -- where can I get a pickled minion? And if the stop-motion technology is this advanced in 1992, where was it for "Basket Case"? (Granted, that was much earlier, but how hard could it be?) What I didn't like about the movie was how forced it seemed, how dull most of it was, and the fact that a fair amount of the plot just doesn't make any sense. Tripp knows how to conjure demons and how to send them back, but waits for the right climactic moment to do so instead of finishing the job right away (not unlike how James Bond's villains don't shoot him when they have the chance). For example, he creates a box that has to be thrown into a pit (like the ring that must be thrown into Mount Doom) but just waits until after his girlfriend is almost sacrificed to Satan. Why? The end is also really cheesy (but I won't say what it is, you'll have to rent this one from Netflix).Despite my feeling this is a shadow of the original, it was still entertaining and I would have gladly welcomed a third film. There's a certain mythology about this series that I enjoyed, and I would rather sit through something like this than a film of a similar idea that just has no sense of itself. While this movie is not a comedy, clearly the crew wanted to have fun and it shows.If you really liked the original, this is worth a view. Unlike other sequels, this has the same director and star, so the continuity is very decent (how many sequels spin off from the original intent -- "Leprechaun" comes to mind). If you thought the first one was "just alright", I'm willing to bet this will greatly disappoint you. But hey, a bad 1980s or early 1990s film is still better than the average film today, in my opinion.

shark-43 Wow - this movie has EVERYthing!!! I feel it is MUCH better than the first GATE - I saw the first one on it's initial release in theatres and it was earnest and definitely had some nice special effects moments but overall - rather bland and dorky. But this "sequel" just seems like a gumbo of things - like they threw in everything they could think of to feed the horror audiences in the early 90's. The small demon thing appears is much fun and the side story with the pouty lead teenager and his drunk airline pilot father is unintentionally hilarious. In fact the lead guy is so geeky - like a real low-rent Anthony Michael Hall. For a good cheesefest - this movie is unbelievable! Plus the two sidekick thugs give stunningly bad performances. They seem to be auditioning for either an old Dead End Kids movie or for parts as Sweathogs in the old Welcome Back, Kotter sitcom. There's even an amazing plot development after the teens get one of their wishes granted - tons of money and sure enough the money actually turns to sh--. Yep, even heavy symbolism about the evil of money in good IL' Gate II.