The Gate II: Trespassers starts two years after the events of the original & sees Terry Chandler (Louis Tripp) disillusioned & depressed with life, his mother has committed suicide, his father is distraught, lost his job & drinking heavily, oh & Terry still looks like a geek which doesn't help. The house from the original is now empty & boarded up & the temptation is too much for Terry who decides to reopen the gate & use it's powers to wish for a better life. As Terry begins the ritual three uninvited guests crash the party, John (James Villemaire) his girlfriend Liz (Pamela Adlon as Pamela Segall) & their friend Moe (Simon Reynolds) who all think it would be fun to stay & open an inter-dimensional portal full of demons, as you would. Terry completes the ritual & a small demon known as a 'Minion' appears, John shoots it but Terry rescues it, puts it in a jar & keeps it in his bedroom. Since the incident Terry & Liz have be seeing a lot of each other & together they discover that the Minion has the power to grant wishes which unfortunately literally turn to crap. John & Moe find out about the Minion & steal it, however it scratches them & they slowly begin to turn into demons from beyond the gate...
This Candian production was directed by Tibor Takacs & while on one hand I didn't think too much of it it is not without some merits. I have to admit now that while I have seen it's predecessor The Gate (1987) it was when it originally hit cinemas 19 years ago so I can't remember anything about it & can't really compare it to this. The script by Michael Nankin is a bit on the slow side, contains little horror & maybe tries a bit too hard. It tries to develop it's character's beyond what it needs too, sometimes it's good to just let go & have lots of blood, slime & monsters, things which are sorely missed in The Gate II: Trespassers. The film seems rushed at times almost as if the filmmakers simply didn't know what to do, the awkward start where Terry seemingly want's to hold some sort of occult ritual for no apparent reason & John, Liz & Moe are introduced very abruptly while their motives for staying & taking part are thin to say the least. I also have to mention the ending which is truly hideous, everyone in The Gate II: Trespassers comes back to life. During Terry's funeral he jumps out of his coffin alive & well & himself, Liz & his father all walk off laughing like nothing ever happened. A horror film where not one single person dies or even harmed & one which goes out of it's way to make sure of it? Are you serious?
Director Takacs does a good job & gives the film a nice atmosphere & look throughout but what was he thinking about with that sickeningly happy ending where people actually come back to life? Forget about any blood or gore as there isn't any, I can't remember a single drop of blood being spilt. There is one scene when someone face is covered in spots which begin to burst but that's it, needless to say very disappointing.
Technically The Gate II: Trespassers is made with competence throughout & has nice production values. The special effects are mixed, some of the stop-motion animation especially on the Minion is very impressive while other effects work less well. The acting is pretty strong from everyone, maybe the best aspect of this film.
The Gate II: Trespassers isn't anything that I would recommend but it does have a few decent ideas, some neat special effects & it's well made. It's just a shame the story is weak, flawed & just didn't interest me that much. Just about worth a watch if your desperate.
This Candian production was directed by Tibor Takacs & while on one hand I didn't think too much of it it is not without some merits. I have to admit now that while I have seen it's predecessor The Gate (1987) it was when it originally hit cinemas 19 years ago so I can't remember anything about it & can't really compare it to this. The script by Michael Nankin is a bit on the slow side, contains little horror & maybe tries a bit too hard. It tries to develop it's character's beyond what it needs too, sometimes it's good to just let go & have lots of blood, slime & monsters, things which are sorely missed in The Gate II: Trespassers. The film seems rushed at times almost as if the filmmakers simply didn't know what to do, the awkward start where Terry seemingly want's to hold some sort of occult ritual for no apparent reason & John, Liz & Moe are introduced very abruptly while their motives for staying & taking part are thin to say the least. I also have to mention the ending which is truly hideous, everyone in The Gate II: Trespassers comes back to life. During Terry's funeral he jumps out of his coffin alive & well & himself, Liz & his father all walk off laughing like nothing ever happened. A horror film where not one single person dies or even harmed & one which goes out of it's way to make sure of it? Are you serious?
Director Takacs does a good job & gives the film a nice atmosphere & look throughout but what was he thinking about with that sickeningly happy ending where people actually come back to life? Forget about any blood or gore as there isn't any, I can't remember a single drop of blood being spilt. There is one scene when someone face is covered in spots which begin to burst but that's it, needless to say very disappointing.
Technically The Gate II: Trespassers is made with competence throughout & has nice production values. The special effects are mixed, some of the stop-motion animation especially on the Minion is very impressive while other effects work less well. The acting is pretty strong from everyone, maybe the best aspect of this film.
The Gate II: Trespassers isn't anything that I would recommend but it does have a few decent ideas, some neat special effects & it's well made. It's just a shame the story is weak, flawed & just didn't interest me that much. Just about worth a watch if your desperate.