Beyond the Gates (2016)

Once upon a time, in the mid-80s up to the early 90s, there was a popular trend of releasing board game that came with a VHS component. The tapes would function very much like a Dungeon Master in a game of D&D, conveying instructions and directing the players during the game. Most of these were Fantasy/Action games like Dragon Strike and Doorways to Adventure, licensed games based on pop culture like the Star Wars and Star Trek:TNG franchises, or new versions of classic board games like Candyland and Clue, however, there were a substantial number of horror games. Doorways to Horror, Atmosfear, and the very popular Nightmare series (4 of them!) are but a few examples of this forgotten period. Sure, they still release games now with DVD components, but it's not really the same. But indie flick Beyond the Gates seeks to bring attention back to this proud subgenre.

The father of two estranged brothers, the driven working professional Gordon and the lazy bum John, goes missing for 7 months and is declared dead in absentia. After being brought back together to close up his somehow-still running video rental shop they find the last thing he was watching was the tape from a game called Beyond the Gates. They bring it home to their father's home --where they're staying during the cleanup-- and make the unfortunate decision, along with Gordon's wife Margot, to give the game a try. On the tape an entity by the name of Evelyn (played by the genre vet Barbara Crampton) tells the three playing and finishing the game is the only way to save themselves and the father's soul.

Writers Stephen Scarlata and Jackson Stewart (who's also the director of the film) create an atmosphere of familiarity and nostalgia. The film wears it's influences proudly but doesn't wallow in them, creating something that feels old and new simultaneously. If feels like discovering a Full Moon Production from the 90s you've never seen before, just with far better writing and acting of course. The few instances of gore are tow that line of intentionally over-the-top, the look of the film runs a wide gamut from warm and crisp in the "normal" world to a beautifully retro pink and blue color scheme for the in-game world, and the music is fantastic (frankly I'm baffled why it hasn't been giving a vinyl release yet).

While the film is a bit slow at times and could've used a bit of trimming of some slightly redundant scenes, Beyond the Gates is guaranteed to make you feel all the nostalgia feels.