- Director: Stephen Cognetti
- Writer: Stephen Cognetti
- Stars: Elizabeth Vermilyea, Searra Sawka, Mike Sutton
REVIEW
The Hell House LLC franchise has an ardent fanbase and it’s easy to see why. Writer/director Stephen Cognetti has successfully crafted a paranormal mystery that spans generations, centers around a cult and features creepy clowns. With the four previous films being found footage, Hell House LLC: Lineage is the first narrative film in the franchise and, allegedly, the final film as well.
Focusing on Vanessa Shepherd (Elizabeth Vermilyea), who was a main character in Hell House 3: Lake of Fire, she is plagued by recurring nightmares and visions ever since her experience in the Abandon Hotel. As people around her begin to die, she starts to piece together how the Abandon Hotel and another storied building, the Carmichael Manor, share a troubling history.
Fans of the series are all too familiar with the hotel and the manor, but could a casual viewer sit down with this film and be able to follow all of the threads? I doubt it. In fact, I think even the biggest fan may have moments of confusion and, at times, I’m not entirely sure Cognetti can always keep the various storylines straight. The lore between two buildings, a county fair, a car accident, a cult and multiple news reporters is more confusing than keeping the Game of Thrones houses in order. And switching from the found footage format didn’t do the movie any favors either: rather, it highlights just how convoluted the story is and reminds us of how much more we expect from acting in a narrative feature versus a found footage feature.
Overlong and overwrought, Hell House LLC: Lineage can’t get out of its own way. Promising to be the scariest and the last film in the series, it falls as flat as Vanessa’s hair. (Seriously, a character has never been so obviously depressed and unable to wash their hair.) Bringing the four previous movies into one story, one would assume that this two-hour slog will reward you with a concise ending, but don’t get your hopes up. Hell House LLC: Lineage commits two of the most egregious filmmaking sins: it’s boring and the ending is a huge middle finger to the viewer.
Available on Shudder
Lisa Fremont
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