HOLLOW GATE: A fascinatingly ugly slasher for genre fans

A tawdry, repulsive, sidewalk, independent, and ugly slasher—which for many fans of the genre will only be an advantage. Fortunately, the audience for such slashers tends to be exceptionally intelligent. The production was directed by Ray Di Zazzo, a creator known essentially only for this one title. His “life’s work” was forgotten almost as soon as it premiered in the 1980s, as it was released during a time when the market was already saturated with slashers, and much better ones at that. All the more reason Hollow Gate is a little gem in this crowd, deserving almost of collector’s attention. It’s a real pity that Di Zazzo couldn’t come up with a longer story that could stretch to at least 100 minutes, instead of just 76.
Indeed, the plot of Hollow Gate hurtles forward at supersonic speed. First, a flashback with a childhood insert for the main character, then a scene set five years later, followed by another scene set two years after that, and only then are the other characters introduced, as is typical in slashers. And all this happens within barely 20 minutes of runtime. The director must have rushed to kickstart the action since the entire film doesn’t even last 80 minutes. He was so pressed for time that he didn’t spill even a drop of blood early on, even though that’s precisely what viewers expect in a slasher. Blood only makes a slight appearance around the 43-minute mark. That’s how suspense is structured in Hollow Gate, which surprised me a little, especially since Di Zazzo had solid support during production from Richard Pepin, a specialist in B-movies. Clearly, the costs of special effects were a decisive factor. The horror in this slasher leans heavily on acting, dramatic dialogue, ominous music that sounds like someone learning to play a synthetic cello, and the psychopathic antagonist’s creepy grin—an undeniably peculiar theater. In truth, Hollow Gate resembles a televised stage play, which, oddly enough, adds to its charm or at least its eccentricity.
The plot is based on a classic slasher trope—a group of young people, on a Halloween evening, finds themselves in a wealthy mansion. The seemingly kind owner turns out to be a psychopathic murderer. There’s no real mystery here. From the very beginning, it’s clear who the killer is and who the victims are. The creators weren’t interested in hiding the killer’s identity, as is often the case in this horror subgenre. Instead, viewers witness how Mark’s sense of alienation grows into hatred for others, which eventually explodes—first against his grandmother and later against four innocent people who don’t want to “play Halloween” but take it more seriously. The murders, when they finally begin, occur without much suspense. There’s little stalking, and Mark, unfortunately, uses firearms far too freely for a slasher, instead of gruesomely disemboweling his victims. However, an interesting twist is that he kills each victim in a different costume. First, he’s a soldier, then a cowboy, and finally, he goes hunting with dogs dressed as an elegant jockey. At the end, he dons a doctor’s coat. Does this add to the horror? Psychologically, perhaps. If viewers ponder the meaning behind Mark’s words about “cleansing” a victim’s brain with a knife to remove all evil, it could leave one feeling unsettled. However, no lobotomy actually occurs. The finale compensates somewhat with action for the relatively bloodless rest of the plot. As I mentioned earlier, everything moves quickly. The story’s stages follow one another as if the creators were racing against the fear of running out of film or limited by a script draft that someone forgot to flesh out. Much more could have been added to the story—not just more blood but perhaps an element of supernatural mystery, more characters, or more inventive tactics from the killer.
I don’t expect better cinematography or music. These are typical of the B-movie standard, which lends the production its unique character. If someone can’t accept these elements or can’t view them with detachment, even if they don’t like them, then Hollow Gate isn’t for them. Personally, I probably won’t revisit this film unless an occasion arises, such as this year’s Halloween. The film perfectly suits the atmosphere of a holiday evening, or perhaps even as an alternative Halloween screening playing in the background while someone knocks on the door every few minutes, looking for tricks or treats. Halloween is one of the more enjoyable modern holidays adopted into our Slavic culture, and it will continue to evolve, blending more deeply into our mundane lives over the coming years. So go ahead and throw your own Hollow Gate—just keep the real horror confined to the screen.