How sad is this?

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

While it never once achieves the pure creepiness of the original, this inevitable sequel to 'The Gate' is more palatable than one might expect. Michael Nankin and Tibor Takács (who wrote and the directed the first film) smartly take the material in a refreshing new direction here with a now older Terry willfully re-summoning the demons under the belief that he can manipulate them to grant wishes. The mythology driving this plot deviation is never too well explained, but there are several great moments as he manages to capture one such demon and keep it in a cage (the special effects for the creature are phenomenal). The film also manages to achieve lots of laughs thanks to some deft black comedy as it turns out that all the wishes the creature grants are only ever temporary. A French restaurant scene is especially funny as two bullies who have stolen the creature see their wishes turn inside out, one of them having to wipe away excrement that used to be money, while the other finds his face oozing like crazy - all this much to the bafflement of the posh restaurant staff. Unfortunately the film looses its way towards the end with an over-the-top ancient ritual battle/climax that lacks the subtlety of the film's earlier special effects; the upbeat ending is also terribly jarring. For the most part though, this is as wildly inventive a sequel as one could ever really hope for.

A rather obscure(..and, more than likely, remain obscure)sequel to the entertaining 80's offering, The Gate, brings two of the components that made the first a success..Louis Tripp returns as troubled and lonely nerd Terrence and the director pulling strings once again, Tibor Takács. This film takes a different direction than the first for instead of keeping it in a central location, the house possessed, this film follows Terrence and the problems that exist when he decides to go fooling around with the demonic gateway again. This time three obnoxious teenagers, Liz(Pamela Segall), John(James Villemaire), and Moe(Simon Reynolds), butt in on Terrence as he is attempting to open the gateway in the remains of his former neighbor friend's house. Terrence, in his carefully studied research, finds that you can call forth a demon and get wishes granted with proper persuasion. So John, the clichéd bully and his stooge, Moe wish to push around Terrence and mock his even trying to do such a thing as conjuring demons. But, through the insistence of believer Liz, John and Moe humor Terrence to a degree and partake in his little ceremony. This ceremony yields the result of a demon(one of those little demons that like to bite..we seen many of them in the first film)who is instantly shot by John because he is in this film to simply cause conflict and aggravation. He's a butt-head and Moe is here to be his lackey to run into trouble with. Obviously, Liz will warm to Terrence because he is the supposed hero of the picture, though to be honest he's a wee bit creepy in his Satanic garb and "demon-speak". He actually admits to Liz that he only wishes to conjure the demon so that his job-less, drunk father could get his pilot job back. Each of the four teens get wishes when they threat the demon(..who is able to come back to life when Terrence keeps him in a jar of liquid). They find that their wishes , though, have serious drawbacks via "Monkey's Paw." This film, as directed by Takács is not as thrilling as the original because it takes us deep within the whole demonic angle which often descends into foolishness, especially when wishes are granted then taken away. The whole mythology of the gateway as it pertains to Terrence and his cohorts can really get confusing as we hear how everything works and see it. John and Moe try to kidnap the demon to get wishes granted and find that their bodies have become the way out of hell for the "Unholy trinity" who need Terrence as the third gateway and Liz as the sacrifice. The ending has them in another dimension with Terrence about to slay poor Liz who begs for him to fight the force taking him over. It's a weird film, and for that alone this might be interesting for those searching for something different. I guess those who like the first film might try to check it out, but may be disappointed to find it takes a whole different approach. The scares and creepy atmosphere is not present, but the film is so unusual and weird, The gate 2 might just be your kind of diversion from the norm of today's horror film.

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.

Okay, "The Gate" was a remotely interesting little film but we can't have too much of this silly child-horror nonsense now, can we? Part two is a thoroughly dull and unknown (with reason!) sequel that adds nothing at all. For no reason whatsoever, "star" of the original Louis Tripp (looking like an early version of Harry Potter) restarts digging in the monstrous demon-hole, and he discovers that the little critters inside have the power to fulfill wishes. So he and three other, very stupid teenagers eventually face the not-so-pleasant consequences of messing around with ancient demons. After an uneventful first half, the script becomes really ridiculous, with the male teens turning into demons themselves, trying to sacrifice the girl teen… Or something like that. The characters are lame, the dialogues sophomoric and – once again – director Tibor Takàks stupidly pretends that it's a serious horror film. Nothing to recommend here