For those of you who don't know, SOV stands for Shot On Video. In the mid-late 80s when VHS cameras hit the market, several independent filmmakers flooded video store shelves with SOV films. Generally known for their awful production values, horrid acting, and typically bad screenplays. You never truly know what you're going to get when you watch an SOV. It's part of the appeal. Hollow Gate is an SOV slasher from 1988.
The film opens with a sequence of a father nearly drowning his son while forcefully assisting him bobbing for apples. It's no mistake, this guy is absolutely ashamed that his kid does not excel in the proud sport of apple bobbing. It's presumed that years of mental abuse has taken its toll on the child who now, fully grown still lives with his mother. Having developed a psychotic obsession with Halloween, he goes on a murder spree.
Hollow Gate is completely self aware as of what it is. And that's always a great thing in an SOV film. None of these films should ever take themselves too seriously. Then you just have a bad film lacking the humor and charm that makes these movies so fun. There are tons of one liners, over the top delivery, campy moments, and just general silliness.
All this over some apple bobbing! You can't make this up. But this is exactly the type of charm you look for in an SOV horror film. That said, there are still some pretty slow parts. This one is good for an SOV. It has a few decent and funny kills too. Fans of these kind of low budget trash films should check it out.
Side Note: 2 pretty funny oblivious cop characters in this film. In the middle of all the carnage it cuts to them just having idle chatter and joking in a diner several times thought.
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