Hell’s Gate (1989) | Merits of Sin | Region-Free (DVD)

Title: The Hell’s Gate (1989)

Alternate Title: La Casa dell’Orco

Genre: Horror
Plot Synopsis:
A man undergoes a scientific isolation experiment in a cavern beneath the ruins of an old monastery. Near the end of his scheduled time, he experiences a terrifying mental breakdown. When a rescue team is sent in, they encounter the haunted underground, where undead monks — buried alive centuries ago — rise in search of revenge, turning the experiment into a nightmare of blood and madness.

Cast and Crew

• Director: Umberto Lenzi

• Writers: Umberto Lenzi, Olga Pehar

• Cast:

  • Barbara Cupisti as Erna

  • Pietro Genuardi as Paul

  • Lorenzo Majnoni as Manfred

  • Giacomo Rossi Stuart as Dr. Johns

  • Gaetano Russo as Maurizio

IMDb Link: The Hell’s Gate (1989)

Reviews from Letterboxd:

1. Tony the Terror – ★★★☆☆
   “Been under a lot of stress lately with work and like, just life and crap, but damn if a good ol’ Italian horror film isn’t the best comfort food any time. Even if about half of that particular film is basically people wondering around an underground cave system. I don’t care because it’s atmospheric and has a cast full of familiar genre faces including the delightful Babs Cupisti. There is some great gore and a nice mean streak with the way people are killed and since it’s from 1989 and directed by Umberto Lenzi it has that Ghosthouse vibe although it’s not as silly so we’ll just say Ghosthouse Lite Vibez. I’d still let it into the whole Ghosthouse Universe pending approval…”

2. Dennis Vehlen – ★★½☆☆
   “One of the weaker late 80s Lenzi horror movies I’ve seen so far, but not without its moments. This was one of five movies Umberto Lenzi directed in 1989, so it’s no surprise they can’t all be winners. The premise here is actually pretty good and it has a certain atmosphere (the cave setting isn’t used that well but it reminded me of the other Italian cave horror ‘Alien 2’). Lenzi steals from himself in two scenes (a minor gore effect he previously used in ‘Cannibal Ferox’ and the pseudo twist ending of ‘Nightmare City’) and also tried to steal the spider scene from Fulci’s ‘The Beyond’ which is pretty silly. In this case, the victim is not totally paralized…”

3. Adrian – ★★½☆☆
   “Hell’s Gate begins promising but turns into a fairly generic supernatural slasher very fast. It’s a cave horror movie first and foremost. But the Decent this is not and Lenzi’s attempts at creating horrific images fail completely. At one point the Tarantula scene from the Beyond is referenced. The dialogue is laughable and the cinematography lifeless. Easily my least favorite Lenzi flick so far.”

Meta Description:
A terrifying 1989 Italian horror film directed by Umberto Lenzi, The Hell’s Gate follows a rescue mission that descends into an undead nightmare beneath the ruins of a haunted monastery.