James Van Der Beek Plays Sinister Pastor in His Final Film Role in 'The Gates' — Watch the Trailer

James Van Der Beek took on the role of a twisted pastor for his final film role in “The Gates.”

The trailer for the horror film just dropped, revealing a chilling plot line that involves three friends (Mason Gooding, Keith Powers and Algee Smith) who get stuck in standstill traffic while on a road trip.

They decide to take a detour, but end up inside a gated community. They stop at a house to ask for help… but instead end up witnessing the pastor in the middle of a violent crime!

The friends get trapped inside the community, on the run from the pastor and hunted by the residents who don’t believe them.

John Burr, who directed the film, shared a statement with Collider about working with James, who passed away on February 11 after a battle with colorectal cancer.

He said, in part, "We were incredibly fortunate to have worked with him on this film. He brought experience and perspective to the role, and he built profound relationships with his fellow cast members and with the crew. And while he was deeply dedicated to his performance as the flawed, amoral antagonist of our story, between scenes he effortlessly morphed back into the grounded, charming conversationalist he was at his core. He never missed an opportunity to speak glowingly of his wife, brag about his kids, laugh about the lighter moments in his career, or to ask others what was going on in their lives. His energy was contagious. None of us knew that he was already deep into his battle, and we were all shocked to learn with the rest of the world about his diagnosis."

Burr continued, "Over the last few months, my conversations with James were limited to periodic text messages. His words were filled with energy and punctuated with exclamation points even as his health must have been in decline. Despite knowing his diagnosis, the news of his passing was shocking. In the minutes and hours after it broke, countless members of the production team have reached out, expressing grief and sharing memories, bonding in our shared love and sadness. And thus, even though he is no longer with us, his energy somehow feels like it lives on, bringing us all back together again, inspiring us to live life the way he did. I am grateful for that. And so, on behalf of the entire filmmaking team, I'd like to express our heartbreak at James' passing, and our joy to have been so lucky to know him."

“The Gates” opens in select theaters March 13.