HELL HOUSE LLC
A young group of friends who craft haunted houses for Halloween think they've hit the jackpot when they stumble across the abandoned Abbadon Hotel, which has a dark backstory. When they set up shop inside, bad things start to occur and they all realize that the hotel may have been abandoned for a good reason. This film is one of THE WORST examples of SWPS (Stupid White People Syndrome) I've seen in a horror film. Crazy, bad, freaky shit is going down, our leads see this and acknowledge it (even freaking out over it themselves), and yet instead of getting the hell out of dodge they decide to stay or even travel deeper into dangerous territory. It's frustrating. Our leads are likable enough and the actors do pretty good performances. (Ryan Jennifer as Sara, Gore Abrams as Paul, and Jared Hacker as Tony are the most likable. Danny Bellini as Alex is very handsome and looks cool, but is an asshole). The first two acts are great and intriguing, but the third act shits the bed. The scariest thing this film has to offer is a clown mannequin that comes to life and continually stalks our crew. As for the last act where the shit finally hits the fan....it's really hard to make out what is going on on screen due to intense shaky cam and very grainy footage. This wouldn't be quite as annoying, except the whole film is predicated on figuring out what really happened at The Abaddon Hotel, and by the time the film ends the audience isn't any closer to figuring out the truth (It's clear it was likely something paranormal or demonic, but that's all we really know by the end). The big twist/surprise at the very end is also pretty predictable if you are paying attention early on (or have half a brain). If you're looking for a fun haunted house film I'd happily recommend Haunt or The Houses October Built over this flick. Hopefully the sequels are better.
2.5 STARS
HELL HOUSE LLC 2: THE ABADDON HOTEL
In Hell House 2, an investigative journalist ropes the sole survivor from the previous film into giving her a tour of The Abaddon Hotel in an attempt to discover the truth behind the place. If you've seen the first Hell House LLC, then this sequel is required viewing. It fully explains the back story of the Abaddon Hotel, as well as the truth of the events witnessed in the first film (in a way, it makes the first film retroactively better). Unfortunately, the way Hell House LLC 2 is structured and designed is very weak, and almost all the actors are terrible. The only actor that doesn't suck is Vasile Flutur as Mitchell, the only surviving character from the first film. He is very likable and intelligent, and he makes for a great leading man/hero (He's also easily my favorite character out of any in the three films). He does suffer from a bit of SWPS (Stupid White Person Sydrome), but his decision to explore The Abaddon Hotel makes some sense and doesn't come across as complete stupidity. The story this time around is interesting, and there are still some freaky moments found within. Hell House LLC 2 is considerably weaker than the first Hell House, but it is still not without it's odd charms.
2 STARS
HELL HOUSE LLC 3: LAKE OF FIRE
In Hell House LLC 3, a traveling interactive theater troupe sets up shop inside the (still abandoned) Abaddon Hotel, only to discover the horrors lurking inside for themselves. The worst out of the three Hell House LLC films. The acting here is overall better than that found in Hell House 2, but most of the characters are overly obnoxious live theater performers. This final outing does bring the trilogy to an acceptable ending, but I was not a fan of how it insisted on giving the complete story a too-happy ending (they even retroactively redeem characters found in the first film). With the added insult of a Christ-like savior figure that the film centers around, Hell House LLC 3 is an insult to fans of the Hell House films and is incredibly disappointing. Skip it.
1 STAR
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