Beyond the Gates

The fresh-faced cast and first-time director Jackson Stewart give it their best, but once the tape enters the machine, all bets are off.

Shows early promise but eventually ends up in the bin of ordinariness.

Though the film moves slowly - like a half-hour anthology episode stretched to three times its natural length - co-writer/director Jackson Stewart's obvious affection for obsolete technology earns some goodwill.

It's an odd, sometimes uneasy combination of stylized retro horror and character drama that plays like a game of Exquisite Corpse between the Duplass brothers and Full Moon Pictures.

This fun if unmemorable occult thriller sports - all too faithfully at times - both the typical pleasures and shortcomings of the movies it pays homage to.

Doing something with video store memories, "Beyond the Gates" has the right ideas when it comes to shadowy evil and VHS ephemera, creating a very entertaining and mildly spooky B-movie version of "Jumanji."

Beyond The Games plays to the nostalgia crowd instead of adopting 21st century scares, but still finds a way to explore untapped VHS potential.

Fine performances tempered with a lacklustre finale, Beyond the Gates is a worthy effort built on a solid foundation of nostalgia.

The movie is definitely one for horror buffs; enjoyable and carefully curated with knowing winks to its audience. Jackson has a bright future.

This is a film destined to find its natural home on DVD, where it really needs the game among its extras.

Everything here screams the Eighties, from the red-and-blue lighting to the practical latex-and-splatter effects, [to] the presence of Eighties scream queen Barbara Crampton (Re-Animator) as the game's creepy video guide...

A genre-infused adventure with a lot of heart that was made by a highly passionate cast and crew, Beyond the Gates is a wonderful example of indie horror done right and a great first-time feature for Stewart.