Just when you think the found footage horror film has nowhere left to go, the well now running dry after granddaddy of them all The Blair Witch Project's release in 1999, along comes a low-budget gem like Hell House LLC.

Directed by debut feature length filmmaker Stephen Cognetti, who edited the film over a course of a full calendar year as he worked another full time job, Hell House may on paper seem like a tough sell but due to the films non-reliance on jump scares and instead a focus on subtle build ups and solid character design and growth, Cognetti's film is an effective example of both low-budget filmmaking and the found footage style of horror film's that has been going through a rough time over the last few years.

Setting up a slow build scenario, Cognetti's film draws the audience in as we witness a haunted house crew set-up for a new season of Halloween haunts and scares in a decrepit old hotel building on the outside country surrounds of New York City.

Mixing in talking head interviews with journalists and eye-witnesses of a night of terror and death on the Hell House's opening night, the film feels like a lived in and realistic experience as the hotel premise's true nature begins to be unravelled by the production crew and we the audience begin to understand the horrors that the hotel harbors within its bricks and motor design.

Most impressive for a film of this nature and budget, Hell House has great production values and extremely solid acting turns which makes the haunted house feel alive and real and rare for a film of this ilk, the characters here are ones we grow to care for and are characters that feel cut from the real world, unlike many found footage film's where characters feel unrealistic and most tellingly, uninvolving.

Not everything in Hell House works to the standard it sets, a few plot contrivances and some obvious budget constraints hamper a few scenes and situations but with a focus on the practical (the Hell House is an impressively constructed set-piece for the film) and the stories engaging design, Hell House is an enjoyable and frequently haunting piece of horror filmmaking.

Final Say –

One of recent memories great little horror surprises, Hell House LLC is the newest found footage experience you didn't know you needed and a splendid calling card for its director Stephen Cognetti, a director who quite clearly is an astute student of the genre and a filmmaker to keep a very close eye on.

3 ½ creepy pianist's out of 5

Hell House LLC was probably the biggest surprise for me in the found footage genre. The movie flowed well throughout the whole duration, not becoming too boring like some horror movies often do. While there is a lack of character development at the start, they begin to flesh out later on in the film. The story seems believable as well, while some movies may explore a haunted area "because they want to see what is there", Hell House LLC sets up a more stable backstory, explaining how setting up haunted houses is a practice for the crew and that they need to go through with it for financial reasons.

If you want a found footage horror film and don't want cheesy jump scares then this movie is great for you.

I approach all modern found footage movies with a sense of cynicism nowadays - mainly because they're usually atrocious - and going by the trailer, cover and even title of this film, it was no exception. But what a pleasant surprise! Great twists, a real and genuine sense of dread in the hotel and intense up until the end.

Location was perfect, fairly rural and run down but without giving in to the cliché, 'cabin in the woods' scenario. Great use of Halloween props for creating some ultra-spooky scenes and a decent enough original storyline to keep the viewer interested throughout.

Not perfect by any stretch, I'm still a bit muddled as to what actually happened in the house but otherwise highly recommended.

So I was looking for something to watch and came across Hell House LLC and decided to watch it after checking it's ratings online. I am well aware of the 'found footage' genre that has become a normal horror movie cliché and while I have enjoyed some in the past, a majority of them, I do not like.

Hell House LLC is one of the ones I liked.

The film is part found footage and part documentary mixed into a sort of surreal horror film. The fact that the film takes place in and around a pop-up Halloween haunted house only allows them to use weird and creepy effects without expecting people to suspend belief.

The movie has a decent pace, the actors are your average run of the mill B-Horror cast.

The writing is fine, but it's another one of those films that explain nothing and I really hate that.

Found footageflicks can go two ways, or it works or it fails completely, teher's no in between. Luckily this one works and even as it doesn't have any effects or let's even say blood (okay at the end a bit) it is sometimes creepy and towards the end you want to know what is going on.

Of course the flick has to start with a lot of 'real' news facts and interviews with cops who were at the crime scene but once that's over the movie picks up speed. Don't watch it to closely, the footag eis edited a thing that in real life can't happen naturally but if you don't mind that, then it gives you entertainment.

The use of manne quinq and clows and stuff happenng in a basement, well, face it, it delivers. What is going on with the hotel, I can't tell, ypu will have some background but no explaination at all.

So, it's okay even without effects, just look at Blair Witch, no effects there, It isn't a Blair Witch but it's surely worth picking up.

Gore 0/5 Nudity 0/5 Effects 0/5 Story 3/5 Comedy 0/5

First of all, this movie isn't bad, it's just not as good as the hundreds of fake/paid reviews says.

The story was decent but a bit slow at the beginning, like every FF movies.

The acting was decent, I seen much worse but in general the actors did a good job.

I really liked the sets. The house was creepy and they had a decent budget for props. I don't recall any CGI effects.

To conclude, if you need a semi decent horror flick to help you fall asleep, this one will do the job.

Found Footage movies are a hit and miss, more often the shakiness of the camera tends to be a distraction, but there are those instances when the cameras flawed views work for the subject. Hell House LLC has been compared to The Houses October Built as both focus on Commercial Haunted Houses, but Hell House is more similar to Lake Mungo in that multiple video sources are used to create a documentary feel. The setting of Hell House is important as it is an actual commercial Haunted House, so the creepiness of the setting adds to the genuine feel of the events. What makes Hell House stand out is the seemingly mysterious way the horrible events of its fatal opening are presented, making efficient use of Youtube and Cell Phone videos we view the panic of the situation along with the mystery of what exactly is going on. The movie does slowly reveal what did happen but also leaves some mystery for the viewer to ponder. Most reviews of the film agree that Hell House is unique and does not seem too derivative among the dozens of recent found footage films. The only area of the debate centers on the ending; you will either love it or hate depending on how much closure you seek. Overall Hell House LLC is a terrific film, and for its small budget, it compares well with bigger budget films that focus more on FX and less on the plot.

As the title says, it's better than it has any right being. If you have an aversion from found footage or documentary style fictional films, I don't think this will redeem them for you--although it might. If you don't care one way or the other, as is the case with me, take a look.

The "no name" actors are actually quite convincing, it's mildly unsettling, and it's creepy. Note my Oxford comma there. That was pretty neat too.

I have to write ten lines before it accepts my submission? Well, that's not delightful at all.

So anyway, much better movie than I thought it would be.

Hell House LLC has a lot of pretty decent scares, but the actual story of the movie doesn't hold up.

This is a found footage movie that tells the story of some down-on-their-luck New Yorkers scouting out a new location for their Halloween haunt business in the made-up town of Abbadon. There, they buy an abandoned hotel with a dark history. Even though something is clearly wrong with the location, the crew pushes on towards opening night, where a terrible event claims many lives.

If that sounds like a spoiler, it's not, really. The movie opens laying all of this out, and it's more about the steps that happen along the way.

The movie excels at spooky atmosphere. Rather than get in your face with ghouls or excessive amounts of CGI, Hell House plays things subtle. It might be as simple as a shadow in the hallway, or things changing places when you look away for just a second, but it succeeds in being very unsettling without going overboard.

That being said, some of the production is a little sloppy, particularly in the sound design department. Being found footage, a lot of the sound in this movie has a very distinct style to it -- built-in microphones on handheld cameras. It's a little bit tinny, there's room echo, and so on. Which makes it SUPER OBVIOUS when they dub in new sounds during post production, because the dubbed sounds are ten times clearer than the microphone's source audio and definitely weren't present during filming. Not a deal breaker, but a minor annoyance.

The real problem is when Hell House tries to tell its story. The actors do okay, but this movie is jam packed full of horror movie logic where everybody involved spontaneously forgets about common sense. Being found footage, the camera is always rolling, but the condemning evidence is always either handwaved away for convenient reasons, or outright ignored entirely. These are ignorant characters doing dumb things, because if they were too smart and recognized the danger then we wouldn't have a movie to watch.

There's also not a lot in the way of character development. Real documentaries spend time helping us get to know the people involved, but that's glossed over here. We get little snippets of things early on, like how some people are known for arguing, or how the group had a bad time at their last haunt location in Queens. It largely does not matter, and there's zero sense of who these people were before they arrived at Abbadon. I never even knew most of their names.

Without getting in to spoiler territory, I also found the ending to be sort of a letdown. The movie is great with subtle scares, but the ending ends up being more confusing and underwhelming than scary. It's this weird half-step of showing you what happened, but only the least important parts.

I guess I did not hate my time with Hell House. It's fine, and mainly exists as a vehicle to deliver spooky moments. Just don't think about it too much harder than that.

Found footage horror movie set in an abandoned hotel that some enterprising young people hope to turn into an elaborate Halloween haunted house. But on opening night, things go horribly wrong and 15 people end up dead. An investigative journalist sets out to uncover the truth of Hell House.

When Hell House LLC works, it's incredibly effective. There are parts of the film that really creeped me out. If there's one thing I can't stand, it's clowns. So, when dead-looking clown mannequins start moving mysteriously in the night, it's uber-creepy to me.. Throw in a basement with Satanic drawings on the wall and old bibles scattered on the floor and I'm ready to hide until it's all over. The backstory of the hotel and the hotel itself are also pluses for the film. You get a weird, spooky vibe from the building even before anyone sets foot inside it. Finally, I like the fact that Hell House LLC is really two found footage movies in one. I won't spoil anything, but the twist at the end worked on me.

But as my rating would indicate, all is not perfect with Hell House LLC. I have two chief complaints. First, almost every character involved in the haunted house preparation is as annoying as sin. The entire time I was watching, I just hoped Paul and Danny would be among the dead. Second, and more importantly, not a single character in the movie displayed an ounce of common sense. You hear strange things in the night - what do you do? Walk around with a camera and a weak flashlight? Well that's what these people do. Turn on the damn lights! The lights work - use them. And after you've seen strange things that shouldn't happen (like a dead-looking clown moving around), do you get out? Not if you're these lunkheads. The first time I saw some of the happenings they see, I'd be on the first bus out of town. But because the characters in this movie act without an iota of common sense, they're like lambs led to slaughter.

Overall, a real mixed bag. Hell House LLC is creepy enough, but the characters really hurt my enjoyment.

5/10

Hell House LLC is about a group of friends that go around to different cities and make haunted house attractions for Halloween. This time the group decides on an old abandoned hotel/restaurant in the fictional Abbadon, NY. The venue seems like a great fit for this year's haunted house (even complete with some "leftover props!") However, as the countdown begins to opening night, weird and delightfully creepy things start to happen... *insert evil laugh here*

I am SO glad I took a chance and gave this movie a shot - I was pleasantly surprised as it exceeded all my expectations! I am a horror fanatic and I would love to add this movie physically to my DVD collection! The movie starts out REALLY strong - I remember about 20 minutes in thinking, "I hope this isn't one of those that fizzles out at the end." I am proud to say it kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. This movie left me genuinely creeped out (much to my absolute delight) and watching bits of it from between my fingers out of fear. The acting is sufficient (no one really stands out, but the acting is good enough as a collective whole), there are more than just the typical jump scares, plus overall there is this impending sense of doom and tension that builds during the entire movie. This is definitely an unexpected horror gem!! You will not be disappointed!!

Not too bad of a movie, done in that "realistic" style, likened The Blair Witch Project. Here, lost footage found of some entrepreneurs and actors in a spookshow haunted house attraction, taking over "Hotel Abaddon" where a girl and her mother went missing, and the owner hung himself. There were also alleged Satanic rituals conducted at the then abandoned edifice, in the basement wherein pentagrams and an inverted cross are still present.

A girl becomes possessed speaking in shilgne backward speech, a clown prop keeps moving around on its own, and a mysterious shadowy figure shows up around corners and in photographs. Well, perform Satanic rituals to open The Gates will draw legions, and many strange things will start happening! Add to that the fear and folklore imbuing the reputation of the place, and a shadowmantic dynamic is created. Tulpas and egregores, rendering the atmosphere conducive for paranormal activity.

Given the name, One would think that it is sponsored by xians for propaganda purposes, but it turns out to be just a pretty good Halloween show overall. Good use of lighting and shadows, with suitable acting.

That was genuinely absolutely terrifying. I absolutely love horror films and this is one of the highest rated ones I've given. It's very hard to find good horror films but this is actually a really good one. Why is this film so under the radar it should definitely be a lot more popular then it is. It's so much scarier and better then all the big budget ones. Like the conjuring and insidious and all the doll films, I personally don't find any of them scary but I actually find this scary so what does that tell you.

Very very very good movie.

Yes regarding the plot there are weaknesses, such as why for example some characters do some actions etc.

But, i watched the movie twice and both times i didnt care. Because it is successful, for invoking a high level of scare without any budget requiring elements.

The movie should be included in the film studies: the specific framings, using the sharp corner turns, the camera movements, and "dont show but tease" kind of tactics were used very well in this movie. Well, of course i suggest you to watch this in a big screen, not in small screen laptops, because all found footage movies are better to be watched in big screen due to, yeah, being hand camera usage. For example the plot weaknesses will be fixed if you watch the other films in this franchise such as the second and the third one. Cognetti probably realised the weaknesses in the plot but he also didnt care in this very first movie, but he fixes them in the second and the third one, but as you will see, the third movie for example have almost zero plot weaknesses but it wasnot scary like the second and this first one, my personal favourite is the second one, so god damn scary.

I admit it I love horror films, all of them, the good, the bad & the ugly ones. Sometimes l watch the movie and sometimes I just can't get thru it.

Hell House LLC has its good, bad & ugly moments for sure. The premise is a good idea and it's just the right amount of campy (the "journalist " interviews).

I like all the clown props & that one scare with Paul is creepy! I enjoyed the dudes dynamic as friends until Sara and/or Alex are on screen , I have an irrational hatred of these 2 characters...I wanted to slap them silly.

The movie is a fun watch as far as found footage goes, it is hard to pull off. But Hell House gives it its best shot and comes close enough to the mark for me to give it a 7.

Was really surprised when I watched this. Watched it on Shudder and after reading some of the reviews, thought I'd give it a go and so pleased I did! Genuinely creepy at some points, good storyline. Would recommend!

Attempting to film a new documentary special, a film-crew looks at the scene of a tragic accident at a retrofitted hotel that was intended to be a Halloween attraction and follows the initial experience a crew trying to prepare the house for the evening which befell a terrifying experience.

This here was a rather fun and enjoyable effort. One of the better features here is the fact that this one really manages to generate a strong and impressive atmosphere throughout here. Starting with the initial concept of the film about a collection of videos uploaded by a visitor to a haunted attraction in New York films the gradual descent into terror unleashed against the rest of the patrons as a launching point, this one gets off to a great start as the scenes are rather fun with all the creepy happenings occurring amongst the darkness and the chaos it unleashes starting the atmosphere nicely with these scenes forming a bridge to the fake documentary about the incident which is rather fun. Once it moves away from there into the crew preparing the haunted house and details their experience trying to get things built, this one follows a more traditional found- footage type of film which details their early exploits within the hotel building everything for the occasion as this shows them deciding on the preparations, figuring out how to get the decorations up and going behind-the-scenes of the shoot to really ramp up the atmosphere of the building. That some of the encounters later on in the basement in the house as they set-up, from the encounter with the strobing lights, the disappearing dolls and rearranged rooms leading to the group disappearing as it starts in on what's going to happen to the group. Leading into the opening night performance that ties into the chaos shown earlier gives this a truly enjoyable piece of action that signals a frenetic and crazed final half which is a great way to fully cap off a fine ending note. That these manage to give this a rather strong atmosphere throughout here is what really gives this a lot to like, as the whole thing going wrong leads to a really creepy feel here. While these here manage to hold it up, it does have some problems with it. The biggest issue with this one is the exceptionally slow pacing here that really drains the energy from the film. Not only does that include the scenes of incredibly long time before any of the demonic activity begins that it really begins to feel like the whole affair is slowly being dragged along to a rather slow crawl as the majority of the film doesn't really feature much at all happening. That this is intercut with the cutbacks to the other figures talking about the incident does seem to slow this one down at times. As well, the other big issue with the film is the rather confusing narrative here where it's nearly impossible to tell what's going on at the end, as the action seems to just occur without any kind of explanations. There's not much here that makes sense and it just seems to be freaky incidents without much in the way of explanation or reason and it just makes the whole thing feel confusing as to what's going on more than anything. Otherwise, this one was quite fun.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Language and Graphic Violence.

What would Halloween be without a found-footage scare-fest about a haunted house attraction? The setup is creepy with some genuinely good scares as things eventually go horribly wrong.

Not much to say about this one other than: Watch it! It's really good. It utilizes the found footage angle very well and also the reason why the main characters are recording everything isn't absurd or unrealistic. The plot is unique, and the way it's executed as if it's a documentary is great. I loved it and I highly recommend it! The acting was good as well, almost none of the dialogue was cheesy or unrealistic. None of the characters acted unrealistically or idiotic (aside from one certain scene but it's forgivable because the character has continuously acted similarly). Overall, it was a good movie! One of the best I've seen in a very long time. I recommend it, and it's a very fun and pretty creepy movie.

Love this movie, This is the Horror Movie I was finding so I could scare the heck of myself. I highly recommend this movie to my friends that love horror films. It would be Great.

I love the found footage genre but this movie is really subpar. The scares are cheap. Essentially the acting is at the level of your local theatre group running a haunted house. Truly corny stuff.

The plot of the movie was really interesting and I decided to watch the movie, even though I don't really like found footage horror films. Eventually, it was an unexpectedly good movie. The storyline was well-written and kinda different than any other found footage horror film. The filming location of the movie was TERRIFYING! Of course, it was a really scary movie, even though there weren't many jumpscares, but the whole vibe of the movie was really creepy. Also, it was a really intense movie, from start to finish, I was terrified. I have to admit that, the killcount of the movie wasn't really good, but I didn't really care, because it was a really scary movie. Of course, the acting was really good and the casting was nice. The ending scene was totally unexpected and really shocking. Overall, it was a really scary movie and I would definitely recommend it to anyone.