- Release year: 2015
- Director: Stephen Cognetti.
- Producer: Joe Bandelli.
- Screenplay by: Stephen Cognetti.
- Cinematography by: Brian C. Harnick.
- Music by: Larry Hopkins.
Synopsis: the location for a haunted house turns out to be actually haunted, claiming the lives of dozens of people.
Shotgun Commentary: creepy, tense, and intrusive. Everything a found-footage horror film should be.
Review
Hell House LLC is the first of a long saga of horror films connected by ever-growing lore. If you aren’t bothered by found-footage format, and you like creepy hauntings, this is definitely a film to consider.
The tragedy
The story begins with a piece of news: the opening of a haunted house ends up in disaster. Through a series of mockumentary interviews and found footage from the surviving sources who were at the site, you learn that there was a haunted house going on and that, out of nowhere, people started stampeding towards the various exits. The reason for this apparent reaction remains an unknown until the very end of the film.
As it often happens with found footage, right after getting a taste of the ultimate disaster, you are taken to the very beginning of the story so you can see how the situation culminated in such madness. It is at this point that you meet the Hell House team, a group of young adults, whose job is to find creepy locations and decorate them to be even creepier so that they can charge people for entry on Halloween. As far as business models go… not quite the best, but hey, at least they have fun…
The Hell House team is essentially five people and some bait. The team is led by Alex (Danny Bellinni), a man so obsessed with getting the haunted house done that he is completely alright with ignoring even the most obvious of warning signs. Following this clearly mentally-unstable person are his girlfriend Sarah (Ryan Jennifer Jones), childhood friend Andrew (Adam Schneider), greasy friend and main camera Paul (Gore Abrams), and electric technician Tony (Jared Hacker). Sarah is the only survivor of the team. Her testimony becomes the main source of information about what happened in the hotel, along with the tapes she gives the reporters, tapes that the Hell House team made as they prepared the haunted house.
The highlights
A fascinating bit of this feature is the camera work. Not so much how it is shot, but rather the personality of the characters holding the cameras. We have a bit of everything on the spectrum of stupidity. From the cameraman that goes head on towards danger despite the clearly deadly situation waiting for him, to the cameraman that whiffs a smidge of creepiness and goes “hell nah”.
This last one in particular, in his incredibly brief appearance, is a breath of fresh air to the genre of found-footage horror, not only because he acknowledges the danger and refuses to engage, but because he actually follows through with his refusal, at least for long enough to allow you to respect him.
Another surprising element of the film is the acting. Granted, this is not the first found-footage film ever where the cast does a great job, but it is still a pleasant surprise to avoid exaggerated performances and characters that go hysterical for no reason. If someone freaks out on this one, you better believe they have a great reason to.
All in all, Hell House LLC is a powerful first instalment that sets a strong foundation for the franchise to come. It is thrilling to follow, and keeps you on edge at all times, like any good haunting-themed movie should. If this movie tickled your fancy, and you want to give it a watch, you will find it on SHUDDER. Fair warning, though, turn your lights off, or you will miss most of the scares.
Advice to take from this movie:
- If a creepy clown mannequin moves on its own, and it is clearly not a prank, GET THE F*CK OUT OF THERE.
- Childhood friends are severely overrated. Sometimes it’s okay to just cut and run.
- Never trust on a complete stranger to save you.
What’s your take? Have you watched Hell House LLC? 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! 😀