Hell House LLC

On October 8th, 2009, an unexplained tragedy occurred at "Hell House", a haunted house attraction in the fictional town of Abaddon in upstate New York. During the tragedy, 15 people, including nearly all of the staff, died in what authorities declared a severe malfunction. An investigative documentary team led by Diane Graves finds rumours of supernatural activity behind the tragedy. The crew tracks down the sole surviving Hell House staff member, Sara Havel, who provides them with behind-the-scenes footage. Sara's footage documents the company's arrival at the dilapidated Hotel Abaddon in Rockland County as they set it up for Halloween. CEO Alex plans the attraction's layout to culminate in a scene in the basement of an actress chained up, about to be sacrificed to a cult. They hire several local scare actors, including Melissa, who shares with Alex and cameraman Paul that the hotel is rumoured to be haunted. Expert interviews report that the hotel was originally constructed by alleged cultist Andrew Tully, who chose the location because the town shares its name with Abaddon, a demon who guards the gateway to hell. In 1989, a young mother and her daughter disappeared while staying at the hotel. Though Tully was cleared of their disappearance, the hotel's reputation was ruined, and Tully hanged himself shortly after. The Hell House team experiences several supernatural events, including a clown mannequin moving on its own, shadowy figures, and Paul and Sara seemingly being possessed. Despite concerns, Alex insists on opening the attraction on schedule. As the hauntings escalate, Paul considers quitting. Later that night, he disappears after being assaulted by a spirit. The next day, the crew finds Paul in the basement in a fugue state. Tony, the staff technician, quits after Alex continues to push forward. However, Mack convinces him to stay for Alex's sake. Hell House opens to a large turnout but quickly goes awry. In the basement scene, Melissa is suddenly and brutally killed by a shadowy ghost cultist, causing a stampede of guests. In the chaos, Tony is killed trying to save Melissa. Mack and Sara find each other in the panic and flee to the attic, where they find Alex hanged. Sara flees as Mack is surrounded and killed by shadowy ghost cultists. In the present, Sara asks for a break and provides them with her room number, 2C. She also suggests that the crew enter the Abaddon Hotel. Soon after, Diane and her cameraman attempt to leave a message for Sara at the reception, but are informed that nobody named Sara checked in and that room 2C doesn't exist. Diane and her cameraman decide to visit the Abaddon Hotel site. Mitchell, a member of the documentary film crew, stays behind to catalogue Sara's footage. He discovers footage after Mack was killed, where a possessed Paul kills Sara before slitting his own throat. Diane and her cameraman break in to see the aftermath of what unfolded that night, ignoring Mitchell's calls. They go to the second floor, where they see a room labeled '2C'. When they enter the room, they find Sara sitting with her back to them. Diane and her cameraman try to flee but are attacked by a ghoulish Sara and two other shadow cultists. ==Cast==

• Ryan Jennifer Jones as Sara Havel • Danny Bellini as Alex Taylor • Gore Abrams as Paul O'Keefe • Jared Hacker as Tony Prescott • Adam Schneider as Andrew “Mac” McNamara • Alice Bahlke as Diane Graves • Phil Hess as Joey Sheffler • Lauren A Kennedy as Melissa • Jeb Kreager as Martin Cliver • Miranda Robbins as Miranda Kelly ==Production==

Stephen Cognetti began writing the script in 2012 after visiting an abandoned house near Rockland Lake, NY. It took him over a year to finalize a draft he was ready to put into production. Casting took place in NYC in February 2014, and production took place shortly after, in May. Initially, Cognetti was looking for an abandoned house to shoot the film in, as the original script had the events take place there. As early as 2012, he had been visiting many abandoned buildings and homes, including two in Rockland County, where the story takes place. Not finding anything suitable, he began searching for real haunted-house attractions in which to shoot. That is when Cognetti met Angie Moyer, who owns the Waldorf Estate of Fear, Towamensing. The location was perfect, and Cognetti locked it in as the primary shooting location. Angie would serve as the film's set designer. The script had to be changed in a few areas to reflect the change in setting. After filming wrapped in Towamensing, Pennsylvania, in May, the production then moved to NYC, where most of the interviews were filmed. In mid-June, filming was complete, and the movie went into post-production, where it would be edited for the next five months, before the first private screening of a rough cut was held in the Rose Studio at the Lincoln Center. After some quick edits, the film was locked just before its first public screening at the Telluride Horror Show in October 2015. The film would also screen at Fear Fete Film Festival the same week, where it won the best paranormal film award. The worldwide distribution rights for Hell House LLC were acquired by Terror Films, with a North American VOD release date of November 1, 2016. ==Reception==

Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gives Hell House LLC a 73% positive rating based on eleven critic reviews, with an average rating of 6.50/10. Dread Central gave the film a positive review, awarding it a score of 3.4/5. Found Footage Critic praised the cast, premise, and cinematography, giving the film a rating of 7.8 of 10. The Horror Society gave a score of 8.75 out of 10 and saying the mystery and suspense works for this film. SlashFilm also gave the film a positive review writing that "Stephen Cognetti's Halloween chiller marries found footage with haunted attractions, channeling a popular and rational fear." Luke Rodriguez of Modern Horror was more critical of the film, saying that "it doesn't quite stick the landing", but otherwise enjoyed the film. == Sequels ==

In an interview with Geeks of Doom, Cognetti has stated that he sees the Hell House LLC trilogy as "one movie just divided into three acts and each movie is its own act". He further commented that he found it easy to write the second and third parts, as he knew "where I wanted to go with it from the get-go". Hell House LLC II: The Abaddon Hotel Hell House LLC II: The Abaddon Hotel was released on Shudder on September 20, 2018. The film's plot centers around a group of journalists who have gathered to explore the Abaddon Hotel, which has once again been abandoned following the events of the prior film. The movie further fleshes out the character of Andrew Tully, a character introduced in the first film, and his goal of opening a gate to hell. None of the journalists leave the abandoned hotel alive. The sole survivor found by the police is revealed to have been dead all along and sent out to intrigue people into visiting the hotel. Bloody Disgusting reviewed the film, criticizing it as a "well-intentioned misstep". Hell House LLC III: Lake of Fire Hell House LLC III: Lake of Fire was released as a Shudder exclusive on September 19, 2019. The film is the third installment of the series. The film is styled as a documentary following Russell Wynn, a wealthy and mysterious entrepreneur who wants the Abaddon Hotel to serve as the location for an immersive theater experience called "Insomnia" based on Faust. Although aware of the location's history, he is keen to proceed with the venture despite others warning him of ongoing and frightening supernatural events. This prompts the documentary team to investigate Russell's past and the prior two events, uncovering new footage that implies Russell was involved with or was monitoring events. When opening night arrives chaos ensues. However, Russell manages to wrestle Tully and overcome him before he can kill or take any other innocent lives. The following day one of the documentary crew muses that Russell was likely an angel sent back to defeat Tully and bring an end to his evil plans. Before the film ends, Russell manages to bring back the spirits of the original crew who died in the house, telling them that they are free from the evil but that the house still holds them captive. The song "Running Away" by the Pittsburgh based band "Post Traumatik" was used during the bar scene. Film School Rejects was critical of the movie, stating that it was "an ambitious stab at closing out a horror trilogy, but as much as that’s an accomplishment worth celebrating the end result is an unfortunate disappointment. Still, fans of the first two — or even the first one — might find some worthwhile closure in the final swan song of the Abaddon Hotel." The film holds a rating of 14% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 7 reviews. Hell House LLC Origins: The Carmichael Manor Hell House LLC Origins: The Carmichael Manor was released on October 30, 2023, exclusively on Shudder. Written and directed by Stephen Cognetti, the film serves both as a prequel to Hell House LLC (2015) and a sequel to Hell House LLC III: Lake of Fire (2019), making it the fourth installment in the franchise. It stars Bridget Rose Perrotta, Destiny Leilani Brown, James Liddell, and Gideon Berger, and was produced by Joe Bandelli. The story follows Margot Bentley, a filmmaker and paranormal investigator, who travels with her girlfriend Rebecca Vickers and her brother Chase to Carmichael Manor in Rockland County, New York. Their goal is to document the site of the unsolved Carmichael family murders from the 1980s. As they uncover hidden film reels and artifacts linked to the Abaddon Hotel, the group realizes the property’s connection to Andrew Tully’s cult. Over four nights, they experience increasingly violent supernatural events, leading to their disappearance. A mid-credits scene connects the events back to the Abaddon Hotel, suggesting the evil has spread beyond its walls. Principal photography began in April 2023, with Cognetti emphasizing the film’s goal of expanding the series mythology beyond the hotel setting. It was produced under Terror Films and Cognetti Films, using a mix of found-footage and conventional cinematography. The film received positive reviews from critics and fans. On Rotten Tomatoes, 88% of 17 critic reviews were positive, with an average rating of 6.8/10. The Guardian praised Cognetti’s “devious command of camera mechanics,” while Bloody Disgusting described the film as “a scary return to form for the franchise.” Hell House LLC: Lineage Hell House LLC Origins: Lineage was released theatrically on August 20, 2025, before its October 30, 2025 release on Shudder. Vanessa Shepard, portrayed by Elizabeth Vermilyea, is haunted by visions and nightmares after returning to the town of Abaddon. As mysterious deaths occur around her, she uncovers connections to the Abaddon Hotel and the Carmichael Manor, delving into decades of unexplained murders. ==References==