‘It’s been waiting for you’
Portal is a 2019 American horror feature film about an ambitious ghost hunter and his team encountering a demonic force.
Directed by Dean Alioto (Alien Abduction: Incident in Lake County; U.F.O. Abduction) from a screenplay co-written with Peter Dukes (Escape Room, 2017; shorts: Daniel; Little Reaper), the movie stars Ryan Merriman (The Jurassic Games), Jamie Tisdale (From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series), Myk Watford and Heather Langenkamp (A Nightmare on Elm Street).
Plot:
When an ambitious ghost hunter performs a risky ritual, opening a portal to “the other side”, he and his team quickly find themselves way in over their heads in a fight for survival against an ancient demonic force…
Reviews [click link to read more]:
“Given its lack of resources, the movie succeeds at almost everything it sets out to except for being genuinely terrifying […] but because of the solid screenplay, kinetic chemistry among the cast, ribbing sense of humor, and demonic Native American subplot, writer/director Dean Alioto proves he’s someone to keep an eye on moving forward.” Arrow in the Head
” …while the idea of filmmakers going to a supposedly haunted house that actually turns out to be haunted is not new, the delivery makes it worth the watch. The characters are well-played and the story helps to develop them. The viewer gets to know what drives them, and I actually cared about what would happen to them.” Film Combat Syndicate
” …Dean Alioto decided to showcase this story as a traditional narrative film with a tiny bit of found footage mixed in because it really allowed the cast to shine […] Aside from its short run-time (an hour and ten minutes) and a lack of scares that dared to go above and beyond, this flick is pretty solid…” Horror Society
“Perhaps the budget prevented Portal from delving further into the ghost story or perhaps the director could not decide between a haunted house or an ancient demon. Whatever the reason, the film fails to develop into an enjoyable story.” Killer Horror Critic
“The swerve into Evil Dead territory makes a nice change from the usual ghosts and spirits these films give us. The first half of Portal actually feels like a fairly decent ghost film […] An appearance in the last act by Heather Langenkamp (A Nightmare on Elm Street, Hellraiser: Judgement) as the surviving daughter helps put the last pieces into place. It also gives Portal an unusually poignant ending.” Voices from the Balcony
Release:
Portal is available from Vertical Entertainment on Digital and On Demand from October 15th 2019.
Cast and characters:
- Ryan Merriman … Steven
- Jamie Tisdale … Cris
- Myk Watford … Mason
- Heather Langenkamp … Fiona
- Reinaldo Zavarce … Raz
- Najarra Townsend … Jen
- Courtney Nightingale … Jill
- Gregory Zaragoza … Douglas
- Lindsay Seim … Lucy
- Travis Des Laurier … Location Scout
- Jose Rosete … Richard Dalva
- Yan Birch
- Joe Raffa … Jack
- Lauren White … Eve
- Ryan Sprague … Damon – Ghost Tracker Host
Production companies:
- HorrorHound Films
- Indiesyndicate Productions
- Lotus Visual Arts
- Portal Film
