Hell House LLC

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

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.

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

I have to say this was decently well done for what it was... an obviously low budget found footage indie horror that ended up being genuinely creepy.

The acting was better than I thought it was going to be and other than some stilted moments here and there, they were pretty convincing. While the semi-reliant and expected use of jump scares were certainly there, it was also solidly creepy in it's only right without that crutch.

Where I would say it was lacking the mostwould be the story. It was just barely developed enough as a vehicle to produce the movie that they wanted to... but it was nothing extensive, particularly interesting or intricate. Yet, there is also something to be said for a good old fashioned, what you see is what you get, simple horror. Also, we have a fun little twist at the end that wasn't particularly original but I still enjoyed it.

For me personally it lacked a bit of intrigue, but I was pleasantly surprised with the amount of successful aspects there actually were here. Although not my top sub- genre, a solid found footage. 6.5 rounding down to a 6, would recommend.

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.