Sometimes it can feel like a portal to hell has just opened up before you, sucking everything good in life down a deep dark hole of despair. A pretty common feeling these days, if you’re unlucky enough to have eyes or ears. In Woody Bess’ dark comedy Portal To Hell, a depressed debt collector discovers his very own portal to hell in a dryer at his local laundry mat. Featuring supporting performances from Keith David (The Thing), Michael McDonald (Halloween Kills, MadTV) and Richard Kind (Beau is Afraid) as a carefree demon, Portal To Hell is a goofy and poignant tale about coming to terms with death…and taking a few bad people with you on the way down.Â
Dunn (Trey Holland) spends his days getting yelled at over the phone in his apartment, trying to squeeze blood from a stone with customers who owe thousands in medical bills. His only pleasant interactions are with his gruff, terminally ill neighbor Mr. Bobshank (Keith David) and Ed (Romina D’Ugo), who manages his favorite laundry mat. One day, Dunn and Ed discover hellfire and wailing coming from one of the dryers. It’s pretty clear they’re looking into a portal to hell and they act accordingly….by doing nothing, worried that saying anything might jeopardize, or draw unwanted attention to their quiet laundry spot.Â
Living in a major city, it’s easy to ignore pretty much anything. Even a doorway to an inferno of torture and despair. But Dunn is forced to do something about the portal when a wisecracking demon named Chip (Richard Kind) reveals his plans to drag Mr. Bobshank down into the underworld. Making a quick deal, Dunn offers to deliver 3 souls in exchange for Mr. Bobshank. Thankfully, Dunn has a laundry list of bad folks in his debt-collecting-rolodex that totally deserve what’s coming to ’em.
Portal To Hell is, maybe unsurprisingly, a dour story for how many comedic actors and goofy characters litter each scene. Mad TV‘s Stuart Michael McDonald takes a turn as a psychotic debtor stalking Dunn, but Keith David is as charming as ever and Richard Kind can’t say more than 3 words without making you want to laugh. Trey Holland’s Dunn is a relatively positive person that always tries to put a smile on but there is a sadness inside him that he’s forced to confront has he spends more time with Mr. Bobshank and his grim reaper, Chip. Dunn (as well actors Trey Holland & Romina D’Ugo) are what take this otherwise silly premise and punch up the weight of the whole proceedings for a more dramatic story arc.
“Strong indie spirit, a fun mischievous villain, and a slice of silly for the hellbound heart”
Celebrating its World Premiere at the 2025 Slamdance Film Festival, Woody Bess’ Portal To Hell is a strong debut and a perfect LA-set indie tragicomedy for the festival’s inaugural year on the West Coast. It’s got a strong indie spirit, a fun mischievous villain (who’s demon form was made by Bess himself!) and Keith F*cking David who always seems incapable of delivering anything less than an A+ performance. Portal To Hell is as indie a comedy as you’re bound to see this year, and a healthy slice of silly for the hellbound heart.Â
Click HERE to follow our continued coverage of the 2025 Slamdance Film Festival and let us know if you’re excited to see Portal To Hell over in the official Nightmare on Film Street Discord!
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