With its world premiere at the 2025 Slamdance LA Film Festival wrapped up, writer/director Woody Bess's indie horror/comedy Portal to Hell looks all set for a successful festival journey.

The film centers around Dunn (Trey Holland), a debt collector living a rather mundane existence until he discovers a portal to hell in his local laundromat. When a demon (Richard Kind) appears intent on dragging Dunn's neighbor Mr. Bobshank (Keith David) to hell for an unpaid debt, our Dunn kicks it into gear in an effort to help Bobshank settle debt. Unexpectedly, the demon offers a devilish deal - three souls in exchange for Bobshank's absolution. 

There's a lot of fun to be found in Portal to Hell, though it's a film that struggles a bit with tone and it never quite finds that perfect balance between the emotional/philosophical depth Bess is aiming for and the absurdist horror we keep expecting the film to be. 

That said, Portal to Hell never falls apart and both Richard Kind and Keith David are an absolute delight here - both actors tend to make anything they do better and that's exactly what happens here. Every time I expected to lose interest, Kind or David would show up and make everything alright again. 

Bess shoots the film quite impressively, the film's color scheme ridiculously fun to watch and Erin Elizabeth's production design immersing us in this off-kilter, unpredictable world where we never quite know where Bess is going. This could have easily been a throwaway comedy, however, Bess refuses to settle and manages to make an uneven yet visually arresting and narratively compelling film. For some, the lack of hardcore gore may disappoint. However, it's clear that Bess is aiming for something a bit deeper here and he's for the most part successful in hitting that mark. 

Trey Holland impresses as Dunn, though it often feels as if he's the straight man in this world that surrounds him. It works just fine and those searching for an indie horror comedy with a bit more substance will find much to enjoy here. Keep your eyes open for Portal to Hell.

Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic