Directed by Stephen Cognetti and released in 2015, “Hell House LLC” has found its place high up in the found-footage, low-budget thriller genre. Becoming a cult classic within the genre was no easy task, but by using clever jumpscares, rising tension between the characters, and a creepy atmosphere, “Hell House LLC” acts as a standout movie within the found-footage genre.
“Hell House LLC” revolves around the horrific events that unfold during an opening of a brand new haunted house in upstate New York that resulted in the deaths of 15 people. The five main characters in the movie are the company’s founders, but the story mainly focuses on Sara Havel, played by Ryan Jennifer Jones, as she is the lone survivor of the “Hell House” tragedy. As the film progresses we learn that the abandoned hotel that was renovated to become “Hell House” had a dark past, with its past owner taking his own life, as well as other signs that something much darker going on than a simple haunted house. This causes tension between the team members, as a few of them do not believe that anything is happening, while everybody else is going crazy due to the fear of what they have seen.
The movie is shot as somewhat of a documentary, like something you would see on the History Channel. They use fake interviews and news clips to convince the viewer that what is occurring in the movie is based on real life, which adds to the scare factor in the movie. There are not a lot of jumpscares in the movie, contrary to most horror movies. Instead, “Hell House LLC” uses the tension built up over the entire movie to scare the viewer into thinking something is about to happen. A lot of the scare factor of the movie is based on pure creepiness and the fact that we are seeing something that the characters cannot.
Another factor that helps the movie is its location. “Hell House LLC” was shot at the Waldorf Hotel in Lehighton, Pennsylvania, which is currently a seasonal haunted house in real life. Angie Moyer, the creator of the real-life attraction, was a part of the film crew as a set designer. The entire film crew responsible for making Hell House consisted of only about a dozen people who filmed the movie within 10 days.
Overall, “Hell House LLC” is a standout entry in the found-footage genre and uses an eerie sense of realism to ground the movie and make it feel real, despite the supernatural events occurring throughout. Although the budget for the movie was minuscule compared to other blockbuster horror movies, its clever storytelling and creepy scares make “Hell House LLC” a captivating experience for horror fans.
