“Watch your step. These old places are full of tricks.”
This is the warning shot given when a married couple steps foot into their new house. They are aware of the “accidents” which happened in the home, well, the husband (Eric Larsen) is and he’s trying to convince his wife (Traci Burr) of their insignificance to the current era. Back in ‘81, a devil worshiping artist was burned in the basement and the local townspeople still believe the house is built above a portal leading to Hell . . . but now the agency - that is, the realtor (Brinke Stevens) - is willing to pay the couple above the asking price to demolish the house.
And for good reason. Would you want to live somewhere with that type of history? That’s the question at the center of filmmaker Dustin Ferguson’s homage to Lucio Fulci's The Gates of Hell. To make matters worse - or more deliciously evil - the house is one of the rarities in California in that it has a basement.
And the basement? That’s the entryway straight into Hell.
Opening with a memorable knife through the neck kill sequence, Beyond the Gates of Hell is yet another gloriously gruesome offering from prolific filmmaker Dustin Ferguson. His films continue to offer what B-movie horror aficionados crave, creating a unique cinematic world until itself, yet the filmmaker keeps getting better and better, tightening his edits and limiting the scope of his lens while not compromising on some of the horrific absurdities his films encompass.
This one doubles down on the satanic themes, thanks to the mysterious “blind” woman (Jennifer Moriarty) who pays Katrina a visit one day. Reaching out to a local priest (Brad Banacka) for help, blessing this home is going to piss off the witches, goblins, and warlocks loose in the echoes of this house’s haunted history.
Stylized and bloody to its final beating moment, his latest 65-minute offering (with 20 minutes of trailer to add to the grindhouse experience) feels more accomplished and complete than some of his earlier films, though just as entertaining. There is indeed a filmic quality - thanks in part to the effects added to make this feel anything but a digital flick - and the locations are key for centralizing the horror, making it moodier than expected and packed with a whole lot of potboiler mayhem, including a side of the road discovery that can’t be easily kicked away.
Full of gnarly kills, cool shots, and creepy monsters, Beyond the Gates of Hell is now available through SCS Entertainment as an unrated release. Check it out!
Read review for Liza: Warden From Hell, the second part of the The Grindhouse Double Feature
MPAA Rating: Unrated.
Runtime: 65 mins
Director: Dustin Ferguson
Writer: Dustin Ferguson
Cast: Traci Burr; Eric Larsen; Brinke Stevens
Genre: Horror
Tagline:
Memorable Movie Quote:
Distributor: SCS Entertainment
Official Site:
Release Date: Now playing
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
Synopsis: A newly married couple purchase a mansion in the countryside to open a bed and breakfast. However, it is revealed that brutal murders has took place previously on the property and someone or something might be lurking in the basement.
