Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.0

Beyond the Gates Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Stephen Larson December 16, 2017

During the main titles of Beyond the Gates, director Jackson Stewart and cinematographer Brian Sowell show the inside of a VCR; the player's rubber drive belts and rollers turn as a VHS tape plays to the external accompaniment of composer Wojciech Golczewski's non-diegetic, goblin-inspired synth score. Videocassettes are nostalgic artifacts for brothers Gordon Hardesty (Graham Skipper) and John Hardesty (Chase Williamson) since they're the apparent heirs to their father Bob's (Henry LeBlanc) mammoth video rental store. A prologue set in the summer of 1992 depicts Bob and his wife Marilyn (Caryn Richman) unveiling the family's new business in front of their curious-minded sons. Gordon and John develop a fixation for "B" horror movies, which no doubt germinated after they saw their Pop's banner stand portraying visages of Universal's classic movie monsters on Mount Rushmore. When the movie shifts to the present, Gordon and John have not seen each other for a long time but reconnect because their dad has been missing for seven months and is sadly presumed dead. Gordon has had anger management and drinking issues but seems to have gotten his life together and has a significant other, the attractive Margot McKenzie (Brea Grant). However, Gordon's unkempt younger sibling can only get odd jobs and doesn't really have a permanent home. Derek (Matt Mercer), the Hardestys' boyhood friend, is now a police officer and stops over at the old video outfit to get one of his favorite cult films on tape.

Gordon finds his dad's office key and along with John goes into the building's secret backroom to explore what their old man kept in storage. They discover a VHS board game titled Beyond the Gates and pop in the tape. A bewitching fifty-something blonde named Evelyn (Barbara Crampton) takes over the black-and-white screen and informs her viewers that they can "step into the ultimate nightmare" if they follow directions to locate four keys. The two brothers are a little spooked out but they take the game box and tape back to their parents' old neighborhood house where Margot will be staying with her boyfriend. Something is awry because when the three invite Derek over to inspect the tape, the cop cannot see Evelyn while it's playing on the TV (he only sees snow).

Three childhood friends reunite in one of the father's video rental stores.

Stewart and co-writer Stephen Scarlata are able to embed their knowledge of underground horror and fetishization for films they watched on VHS as a meta-narrative. Specifically, the opening credits displaying the internal machinations of a VCR is key because analog-based physical media is supposed to be fixed and unalterable. However, Evelyn's presentation of instructions on the cassette appears to be a live airing since she waits for the Hardestys to make their next move before giving the next command. She also seems to know a lot about their personal lives and their father who has vanished "beyond the gates." Evelyn is probably not unlike horror characters that the brothers viewed on the small screen in their youth but she's become a real "boogeywoman," especially for Gordon. He sees a spectral phantom outside his parents' bedroom window and wakes up repeatedly at 3 a.m. following bad dreams.

The first third of Beyond the Gates is a slow-burn as it toils in setting up the plot and establishing the characters. The second half becomes more event-oriented as Gordon and John learn (with consequences) about unlocking the secrets behind each key. They visit the shop of reclusive and eccentric Elric (Jesse Merlin), whose had the board game in his inventory before but warns that it's never been returned by the original purchaser. Gore in Beyond the Gates is abundant when it occurs (not that often) but the splatter should satisfy genre fans. Stewart deserves credits for portraying the gory moments with seriousness but also imbuing them with glee and tongue-in-cheek irreverence. Beyond the Gates contains plot elements analogous to other movies and if you catch them, it can be quite fun to predict where Stewart will take them.

Beyond the Gates Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Beyond the Gates comes to Blu-ray in the US courtesy of Scream Factory on this BD-50. The main feature is presented in the native ratio of 2.40:1. The MPEG-4 AVC-encoded transfer carries an average video bitrate of 27999 kbps while the entire disc clocks in at a total bitrate averaging only 35.56 Mbps, which is low considering the supplemental audio tracks and extras also on the disc. Sowell's cinematography for nighttime scenes is appropriately dark with pitch-back levels (see Screenshot #s 4, 8, and 19). Daylight scenes have evocative shafts of light creep through the curtains and windows of the Hardesty home. The darker atmospheric scenes (particularly in the basement) have shades of shocking pink and midnight blue. Flesh tones appear both distinctive and natural with no fluctuations throughout the picture. I only noticed video noise once: i.e., during a bedroom scene between Margot and Gordon with the lights shut off. There was maybe a wee bit of edge enhancement along the shelves of the VHS store.

Twelve chapter selections are available for the 82-minute feature.

Beyond the Gates Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Scream's Blu-ray boasts two lossless audio tracks: a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix (2961 kbps, 24-bit) and a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo downsample (1593 kbps, 24-bit). I listened to both and the 5.1 Surround provides by far the liveliest and most immersive sonic experience. Dialogue is consistently intelligible and easy to hear, including Evelyn on the two TVs. Golczewski's retro score sounds clean and dynamic across all speakers.

Scream has supplied optional English SDH and Spanish subtitles. I watched the movie with the former activated and they deliver a very faithful transcription of the spoken dialogue.

Beyond the Gates Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary with Director/Co-Writer Jackson Stewart, Actors Barbara Crampton and Jesse Merlin, Director of Photography Brian Sowell, and Co-Writer Stephen Scarlata

• Audio Commentary with Director/Co-Writer Jackson Stewart and Actors Chase Williamson, Brea Grant, and Graham Skipper

• Audio Commentary with Junk Food Dinner Podcast Hosts Kevin Moss, Parker Bowman, and Sean Byron

• Easter EggAudio Commentary with Director/Co-Writer Jackson Stewart and Production Assistant Dan Fisk - this hidden commentary track does not display on the main menu or popup menu. The Dolby Digital 2.0 track should be accessible on either the fourth or sixth audio option (this will depend on the order in which your player places the two DTS-HD MA sound track options for the main feature.)

• Behind-the-Scenes Featurette (10:59, 1080p)

• Deleted Scenes (2:49, 1080p)

• Premiere Q&A – Moderated by Famed Horror Director Stuart Gordon (17:28, 1080p)

• Sex Boss Short Film (5:32, 1080p)

• Theatrical Trailer (2:06, 1080p)

• Retro Beyond the Gates Commercial (0:51, 1080p)

• Previews - bonus trailers including Antibirth, The Autopsy of Jane Doe, and Tank 432. These play in succession after the disc launches.

Beyond the Gates Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Beyond the Gates is fun and offbeat indie horror that should build a solid base around fans of The Fog (1980), From Beyond, and the Hellraiser series. Scream Factory delivers a fine transfer that only has a few small faults. The DTS-HD MA 5.1 mix sounds stupendous and makes wide and ample use of Wojciech Golczewski's synthesizers. Please note that the studio has included a total of four audio commentaries, not three as has been reported in other reviews of this BD. It's slightly possible that my review copy included an extra one but was pulled before the final retail. It's more likely that Scream made an authoring error on its menu and simply forgot to list it. It remains listed, however, on its website. In addition, Scream has some EPK interviews with the main actors on the featurette, a couple of deleted scenes, a festival-style discussion with an audience, and a short film by director Jackson Stewart. The whole package comes HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.