Hell House LLC (2015)

 

    Happy Thursday, everyone! Hope you're all excited for a long weekend because it's only a day away. If we had at least one more day off during the week I'd have a lot less to complain about. Alas, such is life.

    The winner of June's horror film poll is Hell House LLC! The recommendation was brought on by my good friend Robby, another avid horror film enthusiast. When he first recommended the film, I was taken aback by the fact it was a found footage/mockumentary so, of course, I watched closely. I did take notes for this one but not too much so as to avoid spoiling it.

    Hell House LLC was directed and written by Stephen Cognetti and produced by Joe Bandelli and Matt DePaola. Originally released on October 16th, 2015 at the Telluride Horror Show festival, it was later released to major streaming services on November 1st, 2016 after the distribution rights were bought by Terror House. Despite having the film being taken place in the outskirts of New York, the film was shot in Lehighton, Pennsylvania. The film has two sequels released in 2018 and 2019 respectively. The film stars Ryan Jennifer Jones, Danny Bellini, Gore Abrams, and Jared Hacker. The film runs for a total of 83 minutes.

    Five years after an unexplained tragedy on the opening night of a Halloween haunted house attraction, a documentary film crew sets out to Abaddon, New York to investigate the so-called "malfunction" that led to the mysterious, sudden deaths of 15 attendees and staff members. While there, they interview locals and visit the remnants of the Abaddon Hotel for answers.

    At first I had nothing but negative commentary when watching. At about 10 minutes in, I wanted to turn it off and go to sleep. The format was dull and familiar with nothing to fantasize about. Acting was both forced and unconvincing making it hard to take seriously. Up to this point in my blog I don't think I've seen a film with an obviously scripted dialogue. It was tough to watch in the beginning. Even though it followed the same formula most found-footage horror films do I will give credit to the "upcoming haunted house attraction" trope. I don't think I've seen anything like it much less in this style but they played it nicely here and there. The more you watched, the more you tolerate it. You get a feel for it. The longer it went, the more you wanted it to end. No soundtrack, obviously. 

    I think I've said enough. Truthfully I didn't make it to the end. I had high hopes for a 2015 found-footage/mockumentary film because I've definitely seen better since the 2010s but it didn't do anything for me or lived up to a hype. Did I expect this? Yes, I did. It was a lightly entertaining film that obviously aimed to change the game but was not reflected in their effort. It was poorly executed. There were a few scenes that stood out but taking a look at the big picture they were certainly drowned out. I will never watch this again. I recommend Hell House LLC if you're looking for a found-footage film with benefits: not to be taken seriously.

My overall rating is 2/10. Based on:

- Somewhat original story

- That's it

    Thank you for reading! I will be taking a short break from reviewing to focus on self-care so that I can come back with fervor. Now that it's summer I've taken full advantage by going out on my Saturdays, hence, the later and shorter reviews. During this time I will come up with ways to continue growing my blog. I won't be gone for long!

Stay safe and make wise decisions!

-CL