Synopsis: It’s Halloween and the team from Hell House LLC are planning to scare you silly – if you survive the night!
Director: Stephen Cognetti
Starring: Gore Abrams, Alice Bahlke, Danny Bellini and Theodore Bouloukos
Review: I need to stop saying I’m not a fan of ‘found footage’ movies because I’ve recently found some real gems, including ‘Savageland‘ and ‘There Are Monsters‘. I almost dismissed ‘Hell House LLC’ due to it being a found footage concept but I was so intrigued by other reviews of the movie that I decided to give it a go and I’m pleased I did!
Thankfully it’s not all hand-held shaky cameras with the story told from different sources giving the movie more of a documentary feel. We immersed straight into the action, knowing that something went wrong with the ‘Hell House’ before seeing the footage.
The concept of a Hell House isn’t really known here in the UK but seems fairly common in the US – people decorate a house and employ actors to jump out and scare patrons as they walk through. We see how the team decides to decorate a derelict house and from early on see that something is not quite right with ghostly shapes appearing in the night and locals telling tales of the previous owner who apparently killed residents as part of a satanic ritual.
As I said, the hand-held cameras aren’t too shaky which is a huge plus. There’s also not too much running around with much of the action contained to the house. The sense of forboding is there from the beginning and increases the closer they get to opening night and most of the scares are surprisingly creepy, even with a second viewing.
The acting is pretty solid from all involved and the direction is good, moving things along at a good pace so that you don’t get bored. My ownly complaint is that many of the ideas aren’t original – scary clowns, creepy ghosts, satanic rituals, even the twist at the end were nothing new.
Having said that, I did enjoy the movie, even during the rewatch and it’s one which will be added to my Halloween viewing.