Cineverse Secures U.S. Rights to Indie Horror-Comedy “Portal to Hell”

Cineverse and its horror label Bloody Disgusting have purchased U.S. video-on-demand and streaming rights to “Portal to Hell,” the Slamdance and Frightfest debut directed by Woody Bess. The companies plan a limited theatrical rollout before a digital release slated for summer 2026. Raven Banner, which handles worldwide rights, will continue selling additional territories at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival. Negotiations were led by Raven Banner’s Cecilia Brush and Michael Paszt, with Dan Fisher, vice president of acquisitions at Cineverse, finalizing the deal.

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“Portal to Hell” follows debt collector Dunn (Trey Holland) whose routine life is upended when a portal opens in his laundromat, releasing a demon (Richard Kind) that seeks to drag neighbor Mr. Bobshank (Keith David) to hell over an unpaid debt. The demon offers a bargain—three souls for Bobshank’s freedom—which Dunn rejects. The cast also includes Romina D’Ugo, Michael McDonald, Casey Deidrick, Trevor Newlin, Ryan Follesé, Kevin Fonteyne and Monet Weir. Production credits list Holland, Lucas Ford and Tom Watts as producers; Little Shadows serves as the production company in association with Hello Moon, Ford Films, This is Swington, Dalmatian Cow and Baked Studios. Executive producers are Keith David, Dionne Lea Williams, Matthew Dean Russell and George A Loucas.

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The film will appear in a handful of independent venues:

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• Paradise – Toronto, ON – July 9 2026

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• Laurelhurst Theater – Portland, OR – July 24-25 2026

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• Screenland Amour – Kansas City – July 31 2026

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• The Palace Eastwood – Syracuse, NY – July TBD

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• Rio Theater – Vancouver, BC – August TBD

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• Cinema Art Theater – Rehoboth Beach, DE – August 8 2026

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• The Independent – Huntsville, AL – August 21 2026

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• Additional dates in St. Louis, MO; Tuscaloosa, AL; Florence, AL; Corvallis, OR; Oklahoma City, OK; and Beverly Hills, CA are listed as TBD.

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Cineverse’s acquisition team described the film as “sharp, wildly entertaining” and a strong fit for the company’s genre-focused audience. The filmmakers expressed enthusiasm for partnering with Cineverse, noting the distributor’s reach and genre expertise as a “good home” for the movie.

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• “We’re excited to bring ‘Portal to Hell’ to Cineverse and work with the passionate group of genre folks over there to release the film. Their reach and partnership felt like a good home to bring our film to a larger audience” — Filmmakers, statement

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• “Portal to Hell is exactly the kind of sharp, wildly entertaining genre film that Cineverse and Bloody Disgusting audiences respond to — inventive, funny, and genuinely horror-forward, with a terrific cast led by Keith David and Richard Kind,” — Dan Fisher, vice president of acquisitions, Cineverse

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