Retro is cool again, which is why there are so many old-school trailers and promos trying to tap into nostalgia. Most are pretty fun but lack authenticity. No, no, no…not this time! IFC has created a retro promo for Jackson Stewart’s Beyond the Gates, which will eject horror on VOD audiences December 9th. The difference here is that this trailer isn’t just for the movie, but for the board game within said film – and it’s astoundingly authentic, not to mention fuckin’ balls to the walls insane. It weirdly makes me wish the entire film was shot V/H/S-style. The retro trailer also shows Barbara Crampton’s (Re-Animator, From Beyond, Sun Choke, You’re Next) role in the movie as she’s the host of the haunted board game.
Described as throwback paranormal movie in the spirit of horror classics such as Phantasm, The Beyond, and Poltergeist, the film also stars Graham Skipper (Almost Human, The Mind’s Eye), Chase Williamson (SiREN, The Guest), and Brea Grant (Halloween 2, “Heroes”).
“In Beyond the Gates, two estranged brothers reunite seven months after their father’s disappearance to liquidate his anemic video store. While there, they unearth an old VCR board game that acts as an inter-dimensional hub to a nightmare world where their Father’s soul is trapped and can only be saved by playing the game. The film is an adventure horror that pays loving tribute to the VHS format, video stores, and board games of the era.”
IFC Midnight acquired the film ahead of the fest after its premiere at the Los Angeles Film Festival earlier this summer. Kalyn Corrigan was at the premiere and offered her thoughts in this review:
‘Beyond the Gates’ is a wickedly fun little trip down memory lane, back into the good ‘ol days of 1980s cult classics, like ‘The Gate’, ‘The Beyond’, and ‘Re-Animator’. Its light and playful atmosphere makes it not only one of the most enjoyable films to play at the Los Angeles Film Festival thus far, but also a film that clearly can be watched over and over again, specifically at home, on the couch with friends, a bowl of popcorn, and the lights dimmed.
Matt Mercer (Contracted), Justin Welborn (FX’s “Justified”, The Signal, V/H/S/ Viral), Henry LeBlanc (“The Tonight Show with Jay Leno”), Jesse Merlin (FDR: American Badass), David Bruckner (co-director of V/H/S, The Signal), Sara Malakul Lane (Kickboxer: Vengeance, Sunchoke) and Pierson Ryan (“Red Team Go”) round out the cast.
Stewart co-wrote the screenplay with Stephen Scarlata (Jodorowsky’s Dune). Destroy All Entertainment’s Amanda Mortimer produced alongside Barbara Crampton.
