When they put the tape in, Evelyn instructs Gordon ("the blue player") to stand in front of the TV, and asks the brothers if they have the courage to do what is necessary to save their father - namely to locate the "four keys."

That evening, Gordon wakes at 3:13 again and goes downstairs to find the TV on with a static screen and he is soon joined by John and Margot.

Realizing what has happened, Gordon panics and turns over the other four cards, which resemble Derek ("The Noble"), Margot ("The Maiden") and their dad ("The Father").

Later that night when the men turn back on the tape, they are instructed to take the next key from the head of the lawman, telling them they must choose between life and death.

Gordon realizes The Maiden is Margot and throws the game in the trash, but the next morning, the gameboard has reappeared set up in the living room.

As the men dive for cover, Gordon suddenly comes across a small grey plastic head with a key sticking out of it.

Margot reveals that Gordon drank a lot when they first met, but stopped after he accidentally broke her wrist during an argument, vowing to never drink again.

[4] Noel Murray, writing for the Los Angeles Times, said "Anyone old enough to feel nostalgic for the era of VHS board games should get a kick out of “Beyond the Gates,” a horror movie as retro in style as subject matter.

"[5] Justin Lowe for The Hollywood Reporter said "This low-budget horror-comedy co-starring Graham Skipper and Chase Williamson enthusiastically revisits familiar '90s genre conventions.

Club gave the film a "B" rating calling it "an odd, sometimes uneasy combination of stylized retro horror and character drama that plays like a game of Exquisite Corpse between the Duplass brothers and Full Moon Pictures.

"[7] Dennis Harvey, writing for Variety called it "a fun flashback to the era of cheesy direct-to-VHS horror.

"[8] Jake Dee, for JoBlo.com, gave the film a qualified endorsement noting "let's be honest, Beyond the Gates isn't a great movie.

Dee added, "For a low-budget indie horror flick, Beyond the Gates is certainly worth checking out, and definitely puts us on alert for what writer/director Jackson Stewart does next.

"[9] Neil Genzlinger of The New York Times also had problems with the film saying it "shows early promise but eventually ends up in the bin of ordinariness.