Beyond the Gates is the first full-length feature by director Jackson Stewart, and adds a unique twist to many game-themed horror and fantasy movies, with a touch of '80s nostalgia. The film centers around two brothers who meet up again after several years after their father mysteriously disappears and they are left to clean out his abandoned video rental store and home. Gordon, the older and more responsible brother, comes back to his home town with his girlfriend, Margot, to meet up with John, his younger, wilder brother, in order to tackle the task of cleaning out their father’s things.
In this process, the brothers come across an old VHS board game called Beyond the Gates, akin to Atmosfear or Doorways to Horror, with a design invoking some serious old-school board game nostalgia. Finding the tape still in the VCR, they decide to watch it, and horror icon Barbara Crampton greets them as Eveline, the Gatekeeper of their game. She briefly introduces the game, but after some bright, headache-inducing flashing lights, they decide to turn the tape off and head back to their dad’s house, where Gordon and Margot are staying, for dinner.
After dinner, John starts telling Margot about the game, showing her the box and explaining to her (and the audience) what a VHS board game is. She gleefully suggests that they all play it, clearly invested in trying to help the brothers get along a bit better, but unfortunately, this game is not the type of bonding experience any of them are looking for.
Beyond The Gates' Sinister Board Game Explained
When Gordon, John, and Margot place the tape in the VCR and get the game board ready, Eveline explains that there are three players, red, grey, and blue. After doling out three colored skull figures for each player, Eveline goes on to tell them that the object of the game is to collect four keys, though they will have to endure a series of challenges to obtain each one.
“To collect the keys and unlock the gateways, a series of challenges must be undertaken. Failure to do so will turn your souls over to our world. Obtaining the four keys allows passage beyond the gates and to return to your world.”
The players are then directed to roll the dice, the result providing guidance for the players during their next action. They flip over four cards, which are somewhat reminiscent of tarot cards, and find that each depicts a line drawing of a figure with a title. The first is ‘The Drifter,’ the second is ‘The Noble,’ the third is ‘The Maiden,’ and the fourth is ‘The Father.’ Though this isn’t explained to the players at the time, these people will serve as the points of contact to find each of the four keys. Once each key is obtained, they’re placed in the designated spots on the game board and the players are supposed to move on to the next challenge.
The first challenge that the brothers face, The Drifter, leads them to an x-shaped shrubbery in their father’s backyard. Digging it up, they find a small tin box containing a voodoo doll of John’s less-than-gentlemanly friend Hank. Not thinking anything of it, John cuts open the doll to find the first key inside, while simultaneously Hank is gutted in the middle of a bar by an invisible assailant, complete with a graphic shot of his intestines being pulled out. Not long after, John receives a call alerting him to what happened to Hank, at which point brothers understand the true ramifications of the game.
Beyond the Gates offers an interesting addition to the recent group of game-themed horror films being released (Ready or Not, Truth or Dare, Escape Room) by using a board game as the center of the plot and capitalizing on the nostalgia of the 80s VHS board game. However, while it does have some interesting elements, it’s largely predictable and pales in comparison to other horror game movies out there.