Phil goes Hollywood, Part 6: Phil attends the midnight screening of THE GATE at the Hollywood Silent Film Theater-Sept. 9, 2011

Right after the screening of CREATURE at the Mann Chinese 6 Theater, my friends from Fangoria (Rebekah McKendry, Johnny Leftwich, Marshall Andres, David Ian McKendry) and I then headed down to the Silent Film Theater on Fairfax Avenue in Hollywood. There, the theater was having a special midnight screening of the classic 1987 horror film THE GATE. To top it off, the director of the film Tibor Takacs would be doing a live interview via Skype from Toronto, Canada!

Theatrical Movie Poster (1987)

If you have never seen this film, shame on you! The film's about three kids who, after an old tree is removed from the backyard, accidentally opens up a gateway to Hell that has pint-sized demons crawling out of it. Soon, it's up to Glen (a very young Stephan Dorff) to save his sister Al (Christa Denton), his best friend Terry (Louis Tripp), and the world from being consumed by a demon from Hell.

I remember seeing this on cable years ago when I was a kid, I believe it was HBO. They would run some great horror films late at night, so while my folks were fast asleep, I would sneak downstairs and watch them. As a result, I became a fan of the film, because, like Glen, I was a kid too. I could relate to him, and that made the film more accessible. Here was a cool, scary, horror film that was geared for horror fans, but made for kids to watch and enjoy.

After the screening, via the internet, director Tibor Takacs (who looked very tired) took the time out of his beauty sleep in Toronto, Canada and participated in a fun and informative Q&A. He recalled how Stephen Dorff was cast, how he came to be the director, and how some of the special effects were achieved. There was slight glitch when the theater lost connection with Takacs, but that was soon fixed and the interview continued.

Tonight was one of the best nights I have had in a while. I got to hangout with my friends from Fangoria, saw some great horror films, and got to visit another theater in Hollywood! Overall, a night that I won't forget anytime soon!

If you'd like to learn more about the Silent Film Theater in Hollywood, or would like to know more about their film schedule, visit their website at http://www.cinefamily.org/

THE GATE was also just recently re-released by Lionsgate on a Special Edition DVD. Visit your local retailer to purchase a copy today, or visit http://www.amazon.com/

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the show!