- Release year: 2019
- Director: Stephen Cognetti.
- Producer: Joe Bandelli.
- Screenplay by: Stephen Cognetti.
- Cinematography by: Carlos Garcia de Dios.
- Music by: Sinius.
Synopsis: a haunted house is repurposed as theatre for an immersive play, with deadly consequences.
Shotgun Commentary: the most unremarkable sequel of the franchise, but watchable nonetheless.
Review
Hell House LLC III: Lake of Fire is the third instalment of the Hell House LLC franchise. It is not the flashiest, but still a pretty great addition to the family. Despite its stark resemblance with the first instalment (same location, similar victims), this story has a fascinating twist in the end that speaks volumes of the franchise’s ability to stay fresh and surprising.
Repurposing content
The feature begins with yet another group of perky people who, despite all warnings, venture inside the now notorious “Hell House”, previously known as The Abaddon Hotel, to put on a performance. This time, it is not a haunted house, as it was in Hell House LLC (2015), but an actual play: Faust. Now, if you happen to know the play, and you happen to have watched the previous instalments, you might already have an idea of what this film is going for… or do you?
While the format is kept traditional, with their signature combo of found footage and mockumentary interviews, as well as the expected archival footage from the prior instalments. However, there is an interesting combination of sources for the found footage, a blend of people shooting their day (like in the first instalment), and professional cameramen (like in Hell House LLC II: The Abaddon Hotel, 2018) who shoot a documentary about the whole process of setting up the production. This creates an entertaining combination of formal and informal content that provides enough chaos to make the cheeky supernatural photobombs thrilling.
The victim
As for the cast, this is the film where we meet Vanessa (Elizabeth G. Vermilyea), a character that will become quite relevant to the overarching story of the franchise. Vermilyea does a great job playing a woman with condensed milk running through her veins. In fact, it is almost shocking to see her character get worked up about not being believed, considering she is by far the most passive character of the franchise. After this awkward feminist moment that would fit a lot better if it made any sense, she goes back to being the good ol’ Vanessa we all know and love, a person who sees the danger coming and does…not much, actually.
Every sighting is recorded, every noise and jump scare is perfectly caught on camera, so why is everyone still acting like nothing is happening? Well, most because Vanessa and her cameraman are saying nothing, as are the managers of the production.
The key
The director of the play and main kahuna of the whole ordeal is Russell Wynn (Gabriel Chytry), a super rich fella who made his fortune young and, after almost dying in a car accident that left him looking like Bond villain, has decided to act as sketchy as possible while paying people around him enormous amounts of money to pretend that he is perfectly normal. Before you say it, yes, he does have all the tickets of the villain raffle. Chytry manages to keep his performance low-key, which is hard when one looks so cartoonish, but somehow works quite well for the story.
All in all, Hell House LLC III: Lake of Fire is a horror film with great, stressful scenes, and terrifying jump scares. So, pretty much what you want from a movie of this kind. The story seems repetitive, but it will surprise you if you give a chance. Plus, it does provide another piece of the overarching puzzle of the saga. Not bad if you’re looking for something scary to fill in a little less than an hour and a half of your life.
Advice to take from this movie:
- Never trust people who look like Bond villains… or do?
- Mannequins are the devil’s work.
- Gyrating mini-tables for drinks are really not as cool as they sound.
What’s your take? Have you watched Hell House LLC III: Lake of fire? Don’t hesitate to let me know your thoughts in the comments section below, or leave a message in my contact page! For more reviews and cinema-related articles, check out the rest of my blog! 😀