MovieChat Forums > The Gate (1987) Discussion > Something I never understood...

Something I never understood...

posted 15 years ago by shawnw007
26 replies | jump to latest

I've watched this movie since childhood. However, now that I'm watching it as an adult, I discovered something obvious, yet puzzling.

Glen, Al and Terry all live in a well inhabited, middle-class, peaceful, residential neighborhood. It's not like it's an isolated suburban home stuck in middle of nowhere. And yet, with all the chaos and screaming and monsters and gigantic demons and smoke-filled skies bursting with firecrackers, not once do any of the neighbors ever come out and check on these kids? Not to mention the cops? Glen's house was darn near demolished in the final panoramic shot, and yet, we never see any idle neighbor running outside or walking a dog, or ANYONE popping out of their homes, checking to see what the HECK is going on? Surely things weren't THAT quiet. Even if it was 3 in the morning, there was enough cause to at least wake up SOMEBODY. Yeesh...

It's still a classic though. ;o)

[–] actionmanrandell 12 years ago

have you ever thought that everyone else in the neighboor hood knew about the gate and the demons and that maybe they knew dont get in the way

[–] YouKnowMyName68 12 years ago

Stop pretending to have answers and eat your Happy Meal, baby boy.

"You know, my name..."

[–] cambot882 12 years ago

I came here to ask, "don't these people have neighbors?"

* God is an imaginary friend for adults. *

[–] samhain777 12 years ago

it could've been something similar to Poltergeist, in that it wasn't a fully developed neigborhood and the homes were on the market or what have you

or the writers just didn't think about this

[–] ashemaria16-356-530786 11 years ago

I never wondered about that. However it did baffle me how they were all alive at the end but the workman wasn't:)

My love for Heathcliff resembles the eternal rocks beneath - Wuthering Heights

[–] Boutros_Boutros_Sirhan_Sirhan 11 years ago

The workman was a made up story (Terry said so himself) the demonic force just lucked the story from their heads and made it real.

[–] Boutros_Boutros_Sirhan_Sirhan 11 years ago

The film was like a nightmare come true for kids, so their house being at the epicenter of events it was like the outside world ceased to exist or stood still. The writer based the events off of his own and then modern childhood fears, so this fits.

[–] JurorNr13 10 years ago

It's a dream/nightmare.
I watched this so many times as a child and it's been ages since I've seen it, but I seem to remember the movie beginning with a dream/nightmare. The Stephen Dorff character is riding home on his bike and the lighting and atmosphere is all weird with no neighbors to be seen anywhere. He then reaches the house and something happens and he wakes up. But maybe it's just a dream within a dream.
As I said, it's been ages since I saw the movie and maybe I'm confusing opening scenes here, but a bunch of stuff, even the bitchy friends of the sister just leaving and the undead dude in the wall just making away with the kid's friend and sister..., basically everything is nightmare material and could explain the isolation, no police, no neighbors.

I found this movie terrifying as a kid.

[–] ArtofAlmost11 8 years ago

Oh, I know the answer! It's a fictional movie, there are no neighbours because there aren't any!