Hell House LLC: Lineage

The Hell House series of films has gone a little under the radar for some time now. It hasn’t really established itself in the way, for example, the V/H/S series has in the second-tier of horror franchises. This entry is unlikely to trouble that and is probably not the last one as has been stated by writer and director Stephen Cognetti.

Kicking off with events at the Carmichael Manor, 1989 and then Rockland Fair, 1993, all pre titles, the film settles into concentrating on Vanessa (Elizabeth Vermilyea). Vanessa is haunted by visions from her experience at the Abaddon Hotel. Seeing a shrink and estranged from her husband, Vanessa is increasingly troubled as she delves deeper into the mysteries of the hotel and the manor.

Cue a lot of exposition that delves into the previous films and appears to complicate matters as more issues are introduced. This quickly becomes repetitive and dull which is a problem for a film that is just not far off two hours. The film also labours with the lore surrounding the Abaddon Hotel and Carmichael Manor, which is understandable if this film is looking to tie up loose ends.

However, without giving away too much a revelation during the film all but guarantees if not another film then an offshoot of some sort.

However the main problem with this Hell House LLC: Lineage is that it isn’t that scary. That could be because Cognetti decided to drop the found footage format of the previous films and make this one in a more conventional way. That has affected the intensity, which was present in those entries. As a result there is precious little tension and the dread that is essential for these films to work well is completely missing.

Hell House LLC: Lineage will be on Shudder from 30 October 2025