Hell House LLC? More like Hell YES, This Rules!
Look, I know the found footage horror subgenre has been done to death at this point. But the Hell House LLC series manages to breathe some much-needed new life into the format with its ambitious multi-film story arc.
For the uninitiated, we’re talking about a deranged tourism crew that decides reopening the famously cursed Abaddon Hotel as a haunted house experience is a genius money-making idea. Spoiler alert: It’s definitely not genius.
The first film kicks things off in deliciously creepy fashion as the crew gets more than they bargained for with demonic forces and tragic “accidents.” I’m talking bleeding walls, bone-crunching deaths, and all sorts of freaky supernatural shenanigans.
But what really sets this series apart is how it doesn’t just wrap things up in a single movie like every other found footage flick. Nope, Hell House LLC is a wildly ambitious multi-film universe that follows different characters and timelines all connected to the ill-fated hotel.
Each subsequent movie peels back new layers of lore and disturbing incidents, to the point where you’ll be reading up on Abaddon Hotel conspiracy theories just to try and piece it all together. It builds this rich, tangled mythology that sucks you in deeper with every installment.
Is the overall acting and production value going to blow you away? Nah, not really. But who cares when the slow-burn tension and batshit crazy story more than make up for it? This demonic rabbit hole just keeps getting deeper and more unhinged in all the right ways.
And just when you thought the franchise couldn’t get any more bleak and disturbing, they go and drop Origins: The Carmichael Manor on us horror masochists.
This fourth film serves as a prequel that finally explains where all the demonic terror plaguing the Abaddon Hotel originated from – the infamous Carmichael Manor from the 1800s. Talk about one messed up family curse.
We’re talking seances gone horrifically wrong, bloody familicides, and enough gnarled ghosts to keep you up at night. The Carmichael Manor lays the groundwork for how this deep-rooted evil spread like a plague across generations.
While a bit more polished in its production than the first few found footage entries, Carmichael Manor still maintains that ominous, unsettling atmosphere the series does so well. You’re never quite sure what fresh haunted house hell is about to go down.
It’s a diabolical origin story that’ll have you watching the entire Hell House arc again through a creepier, more demented lens. We’re talking multiple harrowing rabbit holes of cursed lore to follow down now.
At this point, the Hell House LLC mythology has solidified itself as the most ambition and genuinely deranged haunted house franchise out there. Nobody is safe, the scares keep getting more unhinged, and we horror fans are ALL the way strapped in for this batshit crazy ride.
Seriously, block off a weekend, grab all the beverages, and binge from the beginning. Just be prepared to sleep with a night light afterward…
Where to watch Hell House LLC all movies?
All the Hell House movies are available as of writing this review on Shudder.
