Beyond The Gates definitely gets points for originality and then extra points for nostalgia value.
This weird little movie taps deep into the nostalgia for the videotape horror game craze THAT I ACTUALLY REMEMBER from the 80s/early 90s.
In fact directly after watching this, I jumped on Youtube and found the exact video my family played one Christmas...
Beyond The Gates borrows some choice things from this game - the message at the start of the tape, the gorgeous neon colour scheme of pinks, purples and blues to name but two - and so perhaps those of us old enough to remember the "source material" may find more to love about this film than those who don't.
My biggest complaint, is probably the dialogue. In the 'downtime' moments it's natural to the point of actually being dull. You know how normal, human conversations just don't translate to the screen? It's too mundane and too awkward. This film has a lot of those, more than it needs.
Nevertheless, this is certainly the most unique horror film I've seen in a while - and yes, there's also plenty of gore!
Turn the lights down and the sound up :)
