By contributor Gabby Foor
The ice-cold Irish thriller Gateway from director Niall Owens opens with a simple quote, “Never open the door to a lesser evil, for other greater ones invariably slink in after.” This reminds me of The Offering’s powerful quote, “Only we decide how much good and evil enters our realm,” and foreshadows the darkness that will pry at our characters from behind closed doors. This well-lit, cerebral haunting focused on a cryptic locked door delivers slow building tension and rock-solid emotional performances, that make its modest but effective horror plot device a disturbing addition to the psychological thriller genre.
Mike (Tim Creed) is a tormented man. From his bed to his every day comings and goings, he is shadowed by visions of his sister Hannah (Fiona Hardy). It’s apparent he carries guilt from her tragic passing, attacked and abandoned in an alley, left for dead. Mike cannot shake her memory. Though it seems he has larger troubles besides his emotional scarring: he owes money to some people you wouldn’t want to have to split the dinner check with, and is in the market to find a location to start a marijuana growing operation. Armed with a tip-off and a group of his mates, he sets off to scout out an abandoned house to try and get his operation off the ground and get out of hot water before his time is up. This first portion of the film plays out more like a heist than a horror, with the gathering of a crew, characters meeting in shady places, park bench drop-offs and hushed business meetings held with close confidantes.
This action-driven tone takes a back seat once the group finally arrives at their destination and begin to explore the vacant location to set-up shop. The usual bickering goes on as the group explores the site and talks logistics, but they stumble on something in the house they didn’t expect: a locked door with no way to open it. Naturally, as the group drifts in their separate directions, one unfortunate soul, Phil (Joe Lyons), is the first to witness the door open itself. What he witnesses drives him to tears, from hysteria, wonder or fear is hard to say. However, several minutes later, he exits the room and silently, abruptly and unceremoniously ends his own life.
What comes to pass, and what I refuse to spoil, is a slow-burn of wide eyes and the many faces of fear confronting what’s behind the door, and the mysterious forces that seem to lurk around it. The viewer may be able to guess what waits behind the door for each soul it opens up to, and its devilishly simple, but it’s an effective exposé for such secretive, grimy people with pasts best not discussed. The pacing of the movie after the door first begins its work is intentional; nothing is forced, and though the film is a modest length, some viewers may find the formula of one after another falling prey to the door predictable. The evil working behind the scenes takes its time and takes the film to a simmer occasionally. I, however, think it utilizes its timed very well to create strain, ask questions, and to invest in and understand the murky origins of the crew.
Stylish, clear camera work and committed performances go hand in hand to create a dramatic look at the characters’ emotional states. Blunt close-ups of fraught faces leave no secrets; the actors lay passions bare, especially Creed as he paves the way with every mark of disappointment and unease etched on his face. A special shout out goes to Laurence Ubong Williams who plays Eddie, another man in the group struggling with a personal loss who uses his screen time powerfully, and may have one of the most impactful scenes and shocking reactions with the malevolence lurking behind the door. The way the camera closes in on the intimate moments happening within and between the men makes it feel as though you’re a part of the conversation, making every emotion and traumatic flashback more significant.
It’s not just the visuals of this film that make it a pleasing watch, but the audio as well. I’ve heard it said in many a haunted house movie that houses like the one featured in Gateway are “alive” in a sense. The audio and sound mixing lends itself to the feeling that the house has a pulse, a breath, joints that move and creak. Where a score is missing in this movie or soundtracks piled in, there is a sense of breath or a faint whisper following you in the house as though it is a living organism. The sound of groaning wood and an active woodstove sound like the old bones and the stretching lungs of an ancient being, straining for life. This blend of sound effects filling in the silence and ramping up the creep factor was particularly effective in a film that doesn’t rely on the standard frights or the classic disruptive noisy jump scare.
Gateway blends crime, chills, and trauma, using an effective method to unravel it all into a satisfying conclusion that addresses the mysteries behind each of these men and their secrets. I would have robbed myself of many answers and a few heartbreaking twists and turns, had I given up at the first sight of sluggishness. I can say with certainty that any measured parts of this movie are worth waiting through for the ending, which reveals destructive secrets in its final moments. I also believe any “slow” part of this movie that I have seen reviewed elsewhere is merely plot development described with impatience. I insist that if you watch it you are being enduring, as it is a compact thriller worthy of your time. Gateway hits hard and deliberate with commanding visuals and a dedicated cast, led by a director who never loses vision. It’s up to you now to open the door and see if you’re interested.
Gateway is currently on release in the U.S with Dark Sky Films and the MPI Media Group.