Dorff's first major film role was in The Gate (1987), a horror film about a boy who, along with a friend, discovers a hole in his back yard that is a gateway to Hell.
Dorff's første store rolle var i filmen The Gate fra 1987, en gyserfilm om en fyr som, sammen med en ven, opdager et hul i jorden som viser sig at være en indgangsport til helvede.