The Pit/Hellgate
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Cindy Auten, Edith Bedker, Jeannie Elias, John Auten, Richard AldenBrand: FOX Home Entertainment
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: Color, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.77:1
Running Time: 187 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-10-19
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Starz / Anchor Bay
Movie Reviews of The Pit/Hellgate
Movie Review: Two cult classic gems, one DVD
Summary: 5 Stars
I would love to know what committee at Anchor Bay Entertainment sits down and decides on what movies they will release and why. With that being stated, this double movie feature from the horror vault of Anchor Bay is awesome. There are two cult classics here that are both great for the horror/campy/strange/atypical lover in you!
The movies are as follows:
THE PIT (1981) is about a boy twelve years of age named Jamie Benjamin who looks like a younger version of Beck (two turn tables and a microphone). It is safe to proclaim Jamie is a bit eccentric to say the very least. Jamie is the victim of jokes and ridiculed by peers and adults. Also he doesn't have any friends, except for his good pal Teddy, who just happens to be a "Teddy Bear". Unlike other plush animals, Teddy is able to talk to Jamie via telepathy. Teddy makes many suggestions to Jamie about how to "approach things" in life, the advice isn't always pro-social. Jamie also knows about a strange pit in the woods near his house where four to five trolls live. Jamie also has a strange obsession with sex, which he tries to display with his babysitter. Once Jamie is pushed to his limit, which isn't that far of a trip, he figures out the perfect form of revenge for everyone that has ever made a fool out of him.
The Pit is hands down one of the most bizarre, peculiar, disturbing and creepy movies I have ever seen. I wouldn't say it is scary, just weird and eerie. It is all the elements together that make it so odd: trolls, talking teddy bear, Jamie's behaviors, ghosts, characters who almost seem moot and the jovial music played throughout the film that really doesn't fit. The movie itself almost seems like a mixture of an after school special + Grimm's fairy tale + fable + rejects Muppets, no jiving. This motion picture should be watched just for the "I can't believe what I am watching aspect". Overall, The Pit is a cult classic that will make the viewer ask, "Where did the inspiration for this come from"?
HELLGATE (1980) is about three friends telling ghost stories/legends in a log cable while they wait for their friend Matt. The ghost story/legend that sticks out is about a tourist attraction town called Hellgate that closed down thirty years prior. This happened when the owner of Hellgate (who is a diet John Astin) watched his daughter being murdered by a biker gang. The legend states that this tourist attraction is now haunted and it is taboo to go there now. Hellgate is only several miles from where the friends are staying. Meanwhile, Matt is on his way to meet his friends when he sees an arcane and beautiful girl walking along the road named Josie. The interesting factor is that Josie is the owner of Hellgate's daughter who was killed many years ago. Josie has this Tori Amos thing going on about her and seems very pale when Matt picks her up in his car. So Tori, I mean Josie brings Matt back to Hellgate and tries to lure him with sex. To make a long story short, Matt leaves Hellgate without Josie and meets up with his friends. Matt and his friends then go back to save Josie, rather Matt wants to and his friends are just there for the cheap thrill. Will Matt and his friends make it out of the haunted town of Hellgate or not? Will Josie come with them or not? Is Tori, I mean Josie good or evil?
Hellgate is very cheesy and has a wonderful B movie quality about it. I was laughing out loud at some of the special effects and loop holes in plot that were so big "you can fly a spaceship through". There are zombies in this movie which is almost always a positive in any horror movie, in Hellgate it is definitely a good thing. I wouldn't say this movie is scary, but there are some creepy moments due to some lighting and situations. The characters are all pretty much flat and one dimensional. Consequently, that is alright since I was expecting anything wonderful in the "character development" department when I was watching this movie. Overall, a nice little horror flick that gives you a bit of everything: zombies, blood, nudity, interesting scenery and a zombie turtle (don't ask).
The DVD itself is dual sided and the only special features are a poster/still gallery for THE PIT, there is no special features for HELLGATE. Out of the two movies, THE PIT is definitely more unique, but HELLGATE will provide wonderful entertainment. I found this to be a wonderful investment in the DVD department and see myself watching both of these movies again. I am glad Anchor Bay is able to restore these lost gems and present them to a whole new generation of viewers.
Summary of The Pit/Hellgate
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