Hell House LLC is an Ameican found-footage horror film from director Stephen Cognetti. It stars unknown actors like Ryan Jennifer, Danny Bellini, Gore Abrams, Jared Hacker, Adam Schneider, and Alice Bahlke. FBI Films released the movie on October 15th, 2015 at the Telluride Horror Show to rave reviews. It made the rounds on video streaming services shortly after it’s festival circuit. And gained a bit of popularity as one of the “Scariest movies” around right now. I am watching the Amazon Prime Video HQ stream.

Synopsis

Hell House LLC is a group of five friends that host and create really elaborate Haunted Houses every year. They are recently coming off of their biggest “Haunt” ever, and are looking to up-their-game by taking their next Haunted House to a new location, the old Abaddon Hotel. Shortly after arriving at the hotel the group notices satanic markings everywhere. They decide to start sleeping there and that’s when weird stuff starts happening. Strangely enough, the group decides to ignore these warnings and their grand opening is scheduled to go off without a hitch.

Analysis

The story isn’t the most engaging. But I love what the filmmaker is creating here. It’s original and frightening. And who knew ANOTHER found footage movie would actually be scary. One thing that kills these movies for me are the horrible ways they try to shoehorn a way to explain why they are filming in the first place. This movie explains that the group is watching the footage back to see what they can improve. They are also hoping to get some cool stuff to upload to their website. Not bad.

The acting is good and I appreciate what the actors were doing. It felt real and that’s the whole point of the genre. However, it bothers me when the characters are experiencing these supernatural events, but they just don’t leave the situation they are in. There are ample opportunities for the crew to leave, but they don’t take ‘em.

Stepehn Cognetti creates an atmosphere of creepiness that haunts the picture. It’s intense and carries a dreadful tone. The effects are minimal and great for the shoestring budget the filmmakers had to work with.

Overall

Hell House LLC is a very effective found-footage horror film that keeps your blood pumping all the way through the entire picture. It’s known widely that the found-footage genre has been done to shit. However, Stephen Cognetti delivers a scary film that is a delight to recommend to disillusioned horror fans. Check this one out when you get a chance. Watch it during the middle of the day if you think it’s going to be too frightening.