The Gate II: Return to the Nightmare - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

The Gate II: Return to the Nightmare

Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score: ​

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Movie
1987’s The Gate was a fun little cult horror film that has stood the test of time for being goofy, childish fun. When Lionsgate released the film under the Vestron Video line last year I was SUPER excited, but also a bit disappointed, as Lionsgate didn’t have the rights for the sequel. A sequel that I never really thought would see the light of day, as it was the epitome of a “couple year later cash grab”. Lo and behold, I wake up one morning a few months back and see that Scream Factory has licensed the once defunct film (It got a single DVD release from a niche studio back in February of 2007, but has been out of print for YEARS). Now, the movie isn’t exactly anything to right home about, and is a slight decline from the goofy fun of its predecessor, but The Gate II: Return to the Nightmare has a cheesy 90s charm to it that makes it a worthy addition to those of us who collected the first film.

Bringing back only Terry (Louis Tripp) from The Gate back, we have ANOTHER dive back into the world of demonology. Grown up into a teenager, Terry is languishing over the events from the first movie, as well as the loss of his mother. His father is a laid up alcoholic, and the only thing that the troubled boy can think of doing is summoning the demons once more. I know, I know, why would anyone try to awaken the horrors of what he experienced again? Well, this time Terry’s narrator voice informs the viewer that their problem wasn’t in summoning the demons, but that he and Glen didn’t do it RIGHT. This time he’s going to summon it with full control and have the demon grant his wishes. Well, things go sideways when local punks Moe (Simon Reynolds), John (James Villemaire), and John’s cute girlfriend Liz (Pamela Adlon) interrupt his little summoning.

What seems like a failure at the summoning turns out to be a success, as the little minions from the first movie come into this world. This time around, Terry has figured out a few more of the spells in the demonology book, and he and Liz use them to get everything they ever wanted. Terry’s dad gets his old job back, and the two of them have more money and possessions then they can ever handle. Soon the duo finds out that the wishes are a dual edged sword, with everything they gained from their ill gotten wishes turning to crap (literally in this case). However, this is not the worst of it. The gate has been opened, and behind that gate are the most powerful demons ever created, and they are not willing to go quietly into the night as they did the first time Terry summoned them years ago.

The Gate II: Return to the Nightmare (originally titled The Gate II: The Trespassers) survives on its own merits by being a much different movie than the first film. Instead of being a “Goonies meets horror” film, it broadens its horizons and kind of makes itself a splice between the original film and The Wishmaster. The cast is grown up (or at least the one cast member) and it’s much more your traditional teenage horror vibe, with less goofy dialog. The 1990 film did alright for itself in the day, but was sadly neglected on home video for years, with the DVD only selling a few thousand copies before going out of print. Sadly it languished in “rights” hell for over a decade, and not till now have we even had a glimpse of hope for its release.

The cast does well enough for themselves, with Louis Tripp resuming his role as main character, while the goofy moronic duo of Moe and John act as the comic relief. Little known fact about Pamela Adlon. Not only was she cute as a button in The Gate II, but most of us have heard her voice for years, as she was the voice of Hank’s son Bobby in King of the Hill. Not only that, but her maiden name was actually Pamela Adlon, and she was the daughter of famed director Don Segall (who made some of my favorite Clint Eastwood films).




Rating:

Rated R by the MPAA




Video:

The Gate II: Return to the Nightmare was struck from a brand new master from the interpositive, and it nets a fairly robust looking Blu-ray. Once again, I do temper that statement with the knowledge that this was a low budget film that has been neglected for a VERY long time, but the results are quite staggering for what I was expecting. There’s some mild speckles and spots across the screen, but the clarity is quite striking. I did notice a greenish hue to the film, and the black levels looked a little washed out at times. Otherwise, shadow detail is excellent and the film has some striking contrast (except for scenes with the spotty stop motion animation for the monsters). It’s a nice looking film, and while not exactly exemplary, is in much better shape than I ever expected for a film of its ilk.





Audio:

Scream Factory’s 2.0 DTS-HD MA track is solid for the low budget film it is. The dialog sounds a bit muffled and has a bit a mild hiss to it, but overall I can’t really complain. Dialog is well placed in the two stereo mains, and the ambiance with the monsters crashing and tearing things up is replicated well. With most 2.0 stereo tracks, there is no real LFE to speak of and the channel separation is standard for a 1990s horror film.






Extras:

• NEW 2K REMASTER struck from an interpositive
• Return to the Nightmare – A Look Back at GATE II - featuring interviews with director Tibor Takacs, screenwriter Michael Nankin and special visual effects creator Randall William Cook
• From the Depths – an interview with make-up effects artist Craig Reardon
• Theatrical Trailer
• Video Promo and Video Store Contest promo
• Still Gallery

Final Score: ​

The Gate II isn’t as enjoyable as The Gate, but it does manage to stand on its own as a worthy companion to the 1987 film. The goofy duo of John and Moe almost has a Three Stooges quality to it, and the cheesy early 90s romance between Terry and Liz gives you quite the chuckle. Scream Factory has done a great job with the release, even though its not one of their Collector’s Edition titles. The extras are actually pretty hefty and the new remaster breathes new life into the film’s existence. Worth it as a great companion to the first film, or at least as a fun watch for those who haven’t checked it out.





Technical Specifications:

Starring: Louis Tripp, Simon Reynolds, James Villemaire
Directed by: Tibor Takacs
Written by: Michael Nankin
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 2.0
Subtitles: English SDH
Studio: Scream Factory
Rated: R
Runtime: 93 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: February 20th, 2018

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• Michael Scott
• May 11, 2017

Recommendation: Fun Watch

 

[tripplej]

Thanks for the review. I can't remember if I saw the first one so will have to revisit this one and the earlier one. Thanks.

 

[Asere]

Thanks for the review. I wouldn't mind seeing this one and part 1. I don't remember if I've seen one or two since its been many years.

 

[Danisjon]

Hi, The Gate II soundtrack "Tim & The Torontones" (SCREAMIN - John Ballinger, George Blondheim) was deleted - scenes was cut off for the finished film.
Was it a documentary or anything where it was "Tim & The Torontones"?
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099636/soundtrack

 

[Michael Scott]

not my knowledge,