History Main / PortalSlam

* The child Boo in ''WesternAnimation/MonstersInc'' finds only an ordinary closet instead of a portal to Monstropolis after Sully and Mike are obligated to let the closet door be destroyed. Earlier, the same thing happens when Sully and Mike [[spoiler:are banished]], finding a big metal door in the middle of nothing.

* The brilliant cartoon episode of ''Series/{{Farscape}}'' has quite a few of these, with painted-on wormholes. Used purely for comedy, without any of the dramatic implications.

[[folder:Films -- Animation]]

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]

* The TV series ''Series/GoodnightSweetheart'' ended with Gary's PortalToThePast closing forever -- leaving him in Post-War Britain.

** In the episode "Father's Day", disruptions in time cause the interior of the TARDIS (which is, of course, bigger on the inside than on the outside) to vanish, leaving only the police box shell. No, don't ask how this makes sense. At least it makes more sense than the original idea: it was supposed to FALL APART.
** It also makes more sense than a similar scene in "The Time Meddler"; when the Meddling Monk's TARDIS had its dimensional controls removed, the console room ''shrunk'' to fit the exterior shell!
** The episode "Girl in the Fireplace" gives more examples of this, with time portals between a futuristic spaceship and 17th century France. One portal the doctor uses is attached to a mirror, which breaks on the way through and won't let him back in. The title fireplace is another (malfunctioning) portal, but while time passes normally on one side years pass between each trip on the other, with more than one serious plot consequence.
** In "Flatline", aliens from a two-dimensional universe cause the Police Box disguise of the TARDIS to shrink without likewise affecting the internal dimensions. The result is that the TARDIS shrinks to the size of a toy and the Doctor cannot fit through the opening. Clara instead sticks the box in her purse and the Doctor passes objects through as needed.
* Franchise/StargateVerse:
** Though not quite the same, Earth's stargate in ''Series/StargateSG1'' has an item known as an "iris" that can be closed over the portal, which prevents most physical matter from fully manifesting itself on Earth's side of the wormhole if the bad guys decide to use it in an invasion attempt. Captain Carter says "It doesn't even allow matter to reintegrate", but stuff still comes through as atoms -- it just doesn't have enough room to reassemble itself into molecules or Jaffa. This is used to provide less-advanced allies who couldn't figure out an IDC with a primitive one-time method of contacting SGC: Throwing a box containing iridium through the gate allows traces of the element to be detected on the iris.
** A non-lethal variant occurs when the gate deactivates moments before a traveler reaches it (hopefully before partially entering it and suffering a PortalCut[[note]]Stargates are designed with safety measures to prevent them from closing if an object is partially inside it, but with normal power sources it's impossible to keep a gate open from longer than 38 minutes.[[/note]]). For example, in the episode "Michael" of ''Series/StargateAtlantis'', Ronan pursues Michael Kenmore, who has taken Teyla hostage, and tries to leap through but just lands painfully behind the inactive gate.
* In the final episode of the original ''Series/TheTwilightZone1959'', kids who jump into a pool emerge from a pond, to live with a nice old woman. Once the kids do this, they can hear their parents arguing become fainter and fainter, implying the portal is closing.
* Vortices disappearing when people try to jump through them happens an awful lot in ''Series/{{Sliders}}''. If it's a good guy, they'll always find another vortex. If it's a bad guy, they're usually trapped until the good guys can deal with them. Rickman, the BigBad of season three, meets his end this way when a portal is just over a cliff. When it shuts down just as he's leaping for it, he falls to his death.
* A Portal Splat was used to remove Mr. Marshall from ''Series/LandOfTheLost'' when the actor playing him wouldn't come back for the third season. Fiddling with the controls of a pylon, he opens a portal and slips through, but a tremor knocks the control-pedestal over, causing the portal to vanish before Will and Holly can follow him.

* In the ''Series/TrueBlood'' episode "Hopeless", Sookie and Jason are searching a field when Sookie walks through an invisible portal into the fairy stripclub. Confused, Jason tries to follow her, but when he walks through the spot where Sookie disappeared, nothing happens. He tries a few more times, then curses the fairies and demands his sister back. Sookie reemerges and properly takes him through the portal.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

** The Episode "Girl in the Fireplace" gives more examples of this, with time portals between a futuristic spaceship and 17th century France. One portal the doctor uses is attached to a mirror, which breaks on the way through and won't let him back in. The title fireplace is another (malfunctioning) portal, but while time passes normally on one side years pass between each trip on the other, with more than one serious plot consequence.

* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy'', Billy's kiddie pool becomes a portal to another dimension. Whenever [[TheBully Sperg]] tries to use it, he just hits the bottom of the pool.

** A hilarious inversion in one episode: the Road Runner goes through a painting in the middle of the road, and when Wile E. tries to follow he ends up inside the painting -- where he falls down the cliff that he painted.

** Wile E. Coyote's experience probably qualifies. He's repeatedly painted a tunnel on the side of a wall, seen the Road Runner go through the tunnel, and then followed it to run smack into the wall, usually accompanied by a literal 'splat' sound.
** Sometimes, it's a paper wall set up at the edge of a cliff, and he bursts through the paper.

** A non-lethal variant occurs when the gate deactivates moments before a traveler reaches it (hopefully before partially entering it and suffering a PortalCut). For example, in the episode "Michael" of ''Series/StargateAtlantis'', Ronan pursues Michael Kenmore, who has taken Teyla hostage, and tries to leap through but just lands painfully behind the inactive gate.

* In ''Toy/{{Bionicle}}'', the transportation system of the city of Metru Nui isn't made up of highways or railroads or anything like that -- it's made up of chutes. Some daredevils, instead of just hopping on at the stations, prefer to jump in through the energy fields that hold the chutes in place. Time the chute-diving when the field fluctuates and you pass right through; time it wrong and the impact could be lethal (time it in-between, as Matau did in ''Legends of Metru Nui'', and the "slam" is merely [[ThePratfall a pratfall]]).

Whichever reason, the PortalSlam is normally a sign that the fantasy world the portal gave access to is irrevocably inaccessible. This is a common method employed at the end of a fantasy/science fiction series to [[StatusQuoIsGod bring things back down to normal]]. If the character manages to get back to the world by alternate means, he'll usually discover that the world has drastically changed for the worse with black magic brewing.

Less commonly, the PortalSlam is used near the ''beginning'' of the story, as the protagonists figure out how to work the portal by trial and error.

* At the end of ''WesternAnimation/TheLegoBatmanMovie]]'' when Batman is ascending into the Phantom Zone, he hits an invisible barrier and falls because of his actions in the film's climax, Phyllis no longer sees him as a villain.

** Wile E. Coyote]]'s experience probably qualifies. He's repeatedly painted a tunnel on the side of a wall, seen the Road Runner go through the tunnel, and then followed it to run smack into the wall, usually accompanied by a literal 'splat' sound.

** At the end of the first movie, the human Pinkie Pie tries to follow Twilight Sparkle back to Equestria, but bumps into the wall where the portal was.

* The TV series ''Series/GoodnightSweetheart'' ended with Gary's PortalToThePast closing forever - leaving him in Post War Britain.
* In the ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode "Father's Day", disruptions in time caused the interior of the TARDIS (which is, of course, bigger on the inside than on the outside) to vanish, leaving only the police box shell. No, don't ask how this makes sense. At least it makes more sense than the original idea; it was supposed to FALL APART.

* Franchise/StargateVerse

* A Portal Splat was used to remove Mr. Marshall from ''Series/LandOfTheLost'' when the actor playing him wouldn't come back for the third season. Fiddling with the controls of a pylon, he opened a portal and slipped through, but a tremor knocked the control-pedestal over, causing the portal to vanish before Will and Holly could follow him.

* In ''Toy/{{Bionicle}}'', the transportation system of the city of Metru Nui isn't made up of highways or railroads or anything like that - it's made up of chutes. Some daredevils, instead of just hopping on at the stations, prefer to jump in through the energy fields that hold the chutes in place. Time the chute-diving when the field fluctuates and you pass right through; time it wrong and the impact could be lethal (time it in-between, as Matau did in ''Legends of Metru Nui'', and the "slam" is merely [[ThePratfall a pratfall]]).

* Hsi Wu, the Sky Demon, in ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'' attempted to exit the Demon Netherworld using Shendu's portal after Jade goes through it, disregarding the rule that only one person can use a portal when it opens. Sure enough, the portal closes and Hsi Wu slams into a floating rock formation that happened to be behind the location where the portal manifested.

** In the Culture novel ''Literature/{{Excession]]'', the title [[SufficientlyAdvancedAliens object]] does this to a ship's [[WeaponizedTeleportation displacer-delivered munitions]], leaving the [[SapientShip ship in question]] wondering how the hell that was even possible.
** In the later Culture novel ''Literature/SurfaceDetail'' (taking place several hundred years after ''Excession'', a very advanced Culture warship is able to perform a similar trick, although another Culture ship also wasn't aware such a thing was possible, indicating that it is still prototype/secret technology at this point.

* Can happen in ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'' if you place a vehicle over the receiving end of the teleporter. You can also stand on it, which temporarily blocks them, and then you move and kill them easily. It'll kill you if you stand on it long enough, but at that point [[TooDumbToLive you kinda deserve it]].

* The child Boo in ''WesternAnimation/MonstersInc.'' finds only an ordinary closet instead of a portal to Monstropolis after Sully and Mike are obligated to let the closet door be destroyed. Earlier, the same thing happens when Sully and Mike [[spoiler:are banished]], finding a big metal door in the middle of nothing.

* In the Culture novel ''Excession'', the titular [[SufficientlyAdvancedAliens object]] does this to a ship's [[WeaponizedTeleportation displacer-delivered munitions]], leaving the [[SapientShip ship in question]] wondering how the hell that was even possible.
** In the later Culture novel ''Surface Detail'' (taking place several hundred years after ''Excession'', a very advanced Culture warship is able to perform a similar trick, although another Culture ship also wasn't aware such a thing was possible, indicating that it is still prototype/secret technology at this point.

* The doorway in the wardrobe into ''Literature/{{Narnia}}'' vanishes when Lucy tries to show it to her siblings the first time. A portal to Narnia only seems to appear when you're not looking for it, according to Professor Kirke -- and indeed, in Creator/CSLewis's other Narnia books, every portal only works once, as opposed to the three times the wardrobe does.

* In ''Franchise/TheDarkTower'' novel "Literature/WolvesOfTheCalla", when someone brings Black 13 (a magic black ball which radiates evil) through the portal in the Cave of Voices, the portal slams shut, separating Ronald and his friends.
* Princess Quinn of Dian Curtis Regan's novel ''PrincessNevermore'' attempts to return to her homeworld by leaping back into the pond she emerged from. All she gets is soaking wet. The spell must be reactivated [[spoiler: by spinning around to generate a vortex]] before she can return.
* A much different version occurs in Neal Asher's ''{{Gridlinked}}''. Because the planets that the gates are on are moving at different velocities (and directions), there is technology in place to keep someone from stepping through one end of a portal and flying out the other side at thousands of miles an hour. The sabotage of this safety feature has disastrous consequences and starts off the plot.

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

* Though not quite the same, Earth's stargate of ''Series/StargateSG1'' has an item known as an "iris" that can be closed over the portal, which prevents most physical matter from fully manifesting itself on Earth's side of the wormhole if the bad guys decide to use it in an invasion attempt.
** Captain Carter says "It doesn't even allow matter to reintegrate", but stuff still comes through as atoms - it just doesn't have enough room to reassemble itself into molecules or Jaffa. This is used to provide less-advanced allies who couldn't figure out an IDC with a primitive one-time method of contacting SGC: Throwing a box containing iridium through the gate allows traces of the element to be detected on the iris.
** A non-lethal variant occurs when the gate deactivates moments before a traveler reaches it (hopefully before partially entering it and suffering a PortalCut). For example, in ''Michael'', Ronan pursues Michael Kenmore, who has taken Teyla hostage, and tries to leap through but just lands painfully behind the inactive gate.

[[folder:Webcomics]]

* In ''WebComic/{{Erfworld}}'', this one's invoked by Charlie and the Jetstone side, in order to trap Parson in an unwinnable situation. (More an emotional slam than a physical one: Parson was hoping to keep that portal open as an escape route.)

* [[WesternAnimation/WileECoyoteAndTheRoadrunner Wile E. Coyote]]'s experience probably qualifies. He's repeatedly painted a tunnel on the side of a wall, seen the Road Runner go through the tunnel, and then followed it to run smack into the wall, usually accompanied by a literal 'splat' sound.

** A hilarious inversion in one episode: the Road Runner goes through a painting in the middle of the road, and when Wile E. tries to follow he ends up inside the painting - where he falls down the cliff that he painted.
* No less than three incarnations of ''Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'' have told the story of an artist based on JackKirby, whose [[ArtInitiatesLife drawings created a parallel universe]] that he and one of the Turtles must save. The portal stays open long enough for the Turtle to return home... but not Kirby.
* The 1987 ''WesternAnimation/{{Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles|1987}}'' animated series did this frequently, to the point where it's lampshaded after the Big Bad and his mooks escape through a portal that closes before the good guys can follow: "How do they get away EVERY time?"

* In the final episode of the original ''Series/TwilightZone1959'', kids who jump into a pool emerge from a pond, to live with a nice old woman. Once the kids do this, they can hear their parents arguing become fainter and fainter, implying the portal is closing.

* ''Shocker'' climaxes with a chase scene [[TrappedInTVLand through the world of television]]. Just as Pinker tries to leave the current "show" by diving into a nearby TV set, Johnathan turns it off, making him bash his head on the screen.

* In the final episode of the original ''Series/TwilightZone'', kids who jump into a pool emerge from a pond, to live with a nice old woman. Once the kids do this, they can hear their parents arguing become fainter and fainter, implying the portal is closing.
* Vortices disappearing when people try to jump through them happens an awful lot in ''{{Sliders}}''. If it's a good guy, they'll always find another vortex. If it's a bad guy, they're usually trapped until the good guys can deal with them. Rickman, the BigBad of season three, meets his end this way when a portal is just over a cliff. When it shuts down just as he's leaping for it, he falls to his death.

* ''Shocker'' climaxes with a chase scene {{through the world of television|TrappedInTVLand}}. Just as Pinker tries to leave the current "show" by diving into a nearby TV set, Johnathan turns it off, making bash his head on the screen.

!!Examples

[[folder:Films -- Animated]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirls'', the human Pinkie Pie tries to follow Twilight Sparkle back to Equestria, but bumps into the wall where the portal was.

* In ''ThePhantomTollbooth,'' Milo finds the morning after that the tollbooth has vanished, with a note in its place that explains that the tollbooth will find its way to the next needed child.
* The doorway in the wardrobe into ''{{Narnia}}'' vanishes when Lucy tries to show it to her siblings the first time. A portal to Narnia only seems to appear when you're not looking for it, according to Professor Kirke -- and indeed, in Creator/CSLewis's other Narnia books, every portal only works once, as opposed to the three times the wardrobe does.

* In DeanKoontz's ''Lightning'', any [[spoiler: time traveler]] attempting to make a "jaunt" that would result in [[spoiler: a temporal paradox]] is violently "bounced back" to the point from which the jaunt was originally attempted.
* Variation from ''InTheKeepOfTime'': since it isn't possible to "splat" against a portal which consists of simply opening a real door, the children are instead kept from traveling through time by the need to warn the men of the English ambush, then by the key's disappearance. Although the magic of the key comes and goes, this turns out to be a RedHerring and not a ChekhovsGun, as it seems that once "unlocking" a time period, the key remains ready to use until the bearer returns to their own time. Something of a TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot moment, although subverting reader expectations here was also clever.

* Creator/JamesPatterson's ''WitchAndWizard'' series has portals to the alternate world of the Shadowland, which can only be accessed by certain beings known as "Curves." It is strongly implied that the New Order is trying to eliminate the Curve ability from its prisoners (at one point, when an evil hellhound is the only one of its kind to make it through, Celia suggests that it "must not have been fully brainwashed by the Straight and Narrows.") Said Straight and Narrows, when attempting to get through a portal, will invariably slam into the wall instead.

* The TV series ''GoodnightSweetheart'' ended with Gary's PortalToThePast closing forever - leaving him in Post War Britain.