Directed by: Cornelia Duryée
Written by: J.D. Henning and Tallis Moore, based on a story by J.D. Henning
Starring: Sloane Morgan Siegel, Elise Eberle, Carol Roscoe and Brian S. Lewis
Runtime: 73 minutes
Not Rated
Begins streaming December 10th on: Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play, Kings of Horror

by Stacey Osbeck, Staff Writer

In director Cornelia Duryée’s feature film Portal Runner, Nolan (Sloane Morgan Siegel, Dwight in Shining Armor) discovers that mirrors are gateways. Not passageways to fantastic far off lands, but his own world, his own room, family and life just…off.  It would be fun and games to leap around and pick the existence he likes best, but something is chasing him from world to world and he can never quite break free without it close behind.   

Clearly this monster once lived a as man, but is evil or reanimated or both à la Freddy Krueger.  A bunch of booby traps fail to stop the malicious entity and Nolan narrowly escapes.  He lands in his usual home.  His mom is his mom, his uncle his uncle, but for the first time he has a sister, Mae (Elise Eberle, The Last Tycoon), a belligerent teenager with all the trimmings.  She likes to fight at the dinner table, argue at holiday gatherings, lie to her mother, scream at Nolan to get out of her room (in this world it’s her room even though it’s always been his).      

At first Mae makes this life hard on her brother as they butt heads.  Ultimately though, in her Nolan finds a friend and an ally.  He wants to stay here, but can’t as he’s constantly on the run.  Mae’s aggressive nature comes in handy as she decides he’s done fleeing.  They have to stop the monster and she’s going to help. 

The film takes place in 1999 right before Y2K, probably as a metaphor for transitions, not knowing what’s waiting for us once we cross over.  I also suspect setting it in the 90s was a wink to the genre’s roots from when these kooky family films abounded.   

When Nolan arrives in any world it’s mostly the same cast of characters who don’t detect anything is off.  He’s the one who has to adapt to new changes.  After he crosses sometimes nothing seems altered except minutia like the color of a carpet.  Other times starker differences emerge.  Mae also gets a peek at what could be.  Through a mirror, in an alternate existence, her boyfriend isn’t thoughtless and loves her.   

The sense of play and limitless potential turned out to be the most fun aspect.  All these options take shape within Nolan's already established world.  It’s how most of us fantasize on a daily basis, our own lives, but better.  The same boyfriend, but not a jerk.  The same family, but with a fun addition.  Same boss, but one that recognizes a promotion for you has been a long time coming.  Our daydreams often utilize our existing lives as a framework and just tweak the limits of what’s possible.   

Sloane Morgan Siegel has range and those Joanie-Loves-Chachi-Scott-Baio-Boy-Next-Door good looks.  I’m excited to see where his acting career goes.  Portal Runner is marketed as a family film, but I would suggest viewing with friends over some brewskis, reminiscing about those camp 90s films of the past we all enjoyed and watching as a kid explores different possibilities of the future.