The premise of a derelict, abandoned house full of secrets is certainly not anything new, but Irish horror film Gateway doesn’t want you to brush it off as the same old, same old. 

Writer/Director Niall Owens opens the film with a foreboding quote from Spanish Philosopher Baltasar Gracien that states “ Never open the door to a lesser evil, for other and greater ones invariably slink in after it.” It’s a crafty way to set the tone for the film before it’s even begun, allowing you a few moments to feel uneasy about what’s to come. What does come after is much more plodding than anticipated, however, as the film really takes its time to get to the spooky moments.

Drug dealer Mike (Tim Creed) is haunted by the recent death of his sister, while also desperately trying to find a way to pay off gangster Cyril (Jimmy Smallhorne), who he owes money to after a job gone bad. When he and fellow associates Joe (Kevin Barry), Eddie (Laurence Ubong Williams), and Jamie (John Ryan Howard) receive a tip about an abandoned house they can use for a drug operation, they waste no time in taking it over. 

They soon discover something is off about the place when a puzzling door begins to vex them. Events quickly unravel inside the home, and the door seems to be at the center of it. As they struggle, both individually and as a group, to ward off the evil that appears to be kept behind the door, friendships and alliances will be tested in horrifying ways.

The film does well in setting the tone for the story, particularly with the score and sound production, but the pacing feels plodding for the majority of its runtime. When considering that in its entirety, it’s just under 90 minutes, this is problematic. There is much time spent during the first quarter or so of Gateway that focuses primarily on character interaction, and while this helps you to understand their psyche, it’s unnecessary to dive that deep with this type of story. 

The cast is talented, though, carrying the story with believability and mesmerizing allure. Despite their questionable career choices, you do care enough about them, and what’s happening to them, to stay engaged from start to finish. Though it’s onerous at times in the beginning, it does finally get to some frightening moments that are played out with quiet meticulousness. 

There are a lot of questions left unanswered once the final credits roll, leaving the viewer to ponder over their own interpretation of the events that took place. Fortunately, Gateway is a movie that doesn’t need to tie all loose ends, and in many ways, is better off leaving things open ended. It just takes slightly too long to get there for it to feel like it fits squarely into one genre. It’s much less a horror movie, and more a crime drama with eerie elements thrown in.

Gateway will see its U.S. release through Dark Sky Films on July 15th on digital platforms.

5 out of 10