In one of her last roles for Wicked, and possibly adult, lovely Alexa (we hardly knew ye) plays a haunted mental patient in need of counseling from an even crazier Joel Lawrence. This is dark, sobering stuff kids.While award-winning director Jonathan Morgan's (Double Feature!) latest is infused with Wicked's typical handsome production values, most of its six sex scenes are in general nothing special, though sufficient for the couples for whom The Gate is intended.

A few scenes, however, are hot enough even for some single strokers. They be anal queen Bridgette Kerkove's rectal reaming by Herschel Savage (pre-nom it for Best Couples Sex Scene - Video; pre-nom Kerkove herself for Best Supporting Actress - Video for her turn as a cynical rich bitch marking time in the loony bin) and a sizzling, trash-talking Kaylynn (who just naturally radiates dick-stiffening nastiness)/Joel Lawrence gooey oral/anal/facial coupling.

As for the plot, it centers on Alexa's detention in the above-mentioned mental ward for killing her husband and the climactic revelation that those maddening voices in her head are really…. O.K., O.K., relax, we won't give it away.

Yes, porn has a long, proud tradition of flirting with the Dark Side. But does the average retail customer really want a tape set in a depressing insane asylum? And sorry, but Lawrence's manic, constantly twitching performance is annoying as hell (he makes Dennis Hopper in Apocalypse Now look positively placid by comparison). Only slightly less annoying is the performance given by Alexa, who essentially throws violent, ear splitting, psychotic fits every other second.Other pluses, however, are the jarringly creepy open credits (Morgan has obviously seen Seven) and the gorgeous metallic box cover, which deserves a pre-nom for Best Box Cover Concept.

In this feature Alexa is in an insane asylum for killing her husband. While there she gets some counseling courtesy of Joel Lawrence, who is equally (if not more insane) than she is. The video itself is very dark and kind of disturbing, but there are a couple of great sex scenes. One highlight is an anal excursion between Bridgette Kerkove and Herschel Savage that got a well-earned pre-nom for Best Couples Scene — Video.

Visually, this is an exceptional DVD. The graphics and artwork are amazing, as is the soundtrack. The overall look has a Seven-ishfeel to it, with an erotic twist. The actual transfer is almost flawless; there is only occasional, very minor pixelation. Other than that, it's perfect. The colors are vibrant with excellent blacks and saturation.

This two-disc set is jam packed with notable extras. One of the best features is the multiple angle orgasms. This allows the viewer to switch the angle during an orgasm in order to see it from different perspectives. There is also the making of The Gate,a short about the creation of Alexa's body molding for the Wicked girls toy line, the box cover shoot, bloopers, interviews with the cast, two extended sex scenes and an audio commentary from Director Jonathan Morgan, Alexa and Joel Lawrence.

As with most Wicked DVD's, also included is the Wicked Casino, trailers, contact information and Wicked Web hyperlink.

Pre-nom for Best DVD and Best DVD Extras.