Portal to Hell – Movie Review (4/5)

PORTAL TO HELL is a deliciously diabolical horror-comedy that speaks to the darkest corners of my genre-hybrid-loving heart. It’s character-driven, with camp and kitsch moments at every turn, yet never forgets the pitch-black moral of the story. Read our full Portal to Hell movie review here!

PORTAL TO HELL is a horror-comedy with a core plot that is as simple as it is efficient. Basically, a portal into hell emerges in a local laundromat. And that’s really the starting point that leads into a quirky, dark, and deadly genre-hybrid. I liked the premise on paper, but loved how it was used exactly as described.

It isn’t often that a horror-comedy manages to deliver as well as this one does. Often, it runs a little too long or can go off the rails. This one stays very true to its core plot, but allows its characters to build an entire world around the concept. It’s both very small and infinitely large. The runtime is 93 minutes, and I actually didn’t want it to end.

Continue reading our Portal to Hell movie review below. Find it on VOD from September 8, 2026.

Three bad souls for one terminal neighbor

As already revealed, Portal to Hell is about a portal that suddenly appears and leads straight into Hell. This portal shows up in a local laundromat. We follow a local debt collector, Dunn (Trey Holland), who works from home as a freelancer. He is often at the laundromat, where he discovers that there is a deal to be made. A demon comes out of the portal to Hell, which is (of course, I suppose) inside one of the washing machines in the laundromat.

The demon is named Chip (voiced by Richard Kind), and he offers Dunn a deal of three bad souls for one. Dunn’s neighbor is a cancer-stricken elderly man, Mr. Bobshank (Keith David), who is terminal. However, Demon Chip says that he could save Mr. Bobshank from being dragged to Hell if he throws in three other souls.

They don’t even have to be bad, though obviously this makes it easier for Dunn.

All he has to do is lead the three people to the portal, and Hell will drag them in and take care of business from that point. Easy peasy, really. But is good-hearted and kind Dunn ready to end the lives of three others? Even if only indirectly?!

Deliciously matter-of-fact

Amazing horror-comedies are often made when things just are. You don’t need to explain or elaborate too much when the premise and setting work. Think of Shaun of the Dead or even the more recent Cold Storage. We don’t need a long explanation; instead, we enjoy seeing it unfold and the “good guys” fighting back.

With Portal to Hell, anyone who sees the diabolical fire in the one washing machine at the laundromat asks, “Is that a portal to hell?” as if it’s the most natural conclusion. I love that kind of extremely simple worldbuilding.

Also, the little details in Dunn’s job when he calls people about their debts. He’s working as a freelancer, but all the debts appear to be related to some medical procedure. A nice little jab at the horrors of getting sick in the U.S. Whether you have insurance or not, it’ll cost you something. And Dunn’s job is to collect that debt from people who are often still not healthy or cured.

Of course, this is why helping his neighbor, currently and very actively dying of cancer, becomes a countermove to his day job. Also, there is more to Dunn than meets the eye. Clues come from the beginning, but we will learn exactly what torments him as well.

Watch Portal to Hell on VOD… really, do watch it!

Woody Bess is the writer and director of Portal to Hell, and I am ready to sign up for watching whatever comes next. This is an amazing feature film debut as both writer and director for Woody Bess, and the movie has deservedly had an amazing film festival run. The fact that it’s so character-driven means the casting has to be spot-on, and – for me, anyway – it absolutely is.

Trey Holland (The Diabolical) is so organic and direct in his approach that he becomes the “straight man” in the comedy, and the heart of the horror. Also quite amazing in her laid-back portrayal is Romina D’Ugo (12 Monkeys series), who plays the manager of the laundromat. She needs her job, so she is fine with not telling the owner anything.

Meanwhile, Keith David (Shelby Oaks) and Richard Kind (The Watcher) are solid in their portrayals and offer each of their brands of satirical comedy. The kind that’s so sharp it cuts like a samurai sword!

For those appreciating amazing body horror actors (which includes myself), I have to mention Trevor Newlin, who physically portrays the demon “Chip”. Trevor Newlin previously portrayed everything from a Xenomorph in Alien: Romulus to “The Monstrosity” in Smile 2 and “Mr. Handsome” in Superman (2025). In Portal to Hell, his physicality and Richard Kind’s voice are a match made in heaven. Or hell, as it were, I suppose!

Portal to Hell is exactly the kind of satirical horror-comedy I love. From the social commentary to the diabolical jabs at human nature, this horror-comedy speaks to the darkest corners of my genre-hybrid-loving heart. Do not miss out on this one!

Portal to Hell is out on Digital and VOD from Cineverse on September 8, 2026.

Details

Director: Woody Bess
Writer: Woody Bess
Cast: Trey Holland, Romina D’ugo, Keith David, Richard Kind