Seven of the very best found footage horror films ranked
By Carla Davis
#4: Hell House LLC:
Hell House LLC is one of my favorite horror films of any sub-genre, largely because it was such a surprise to me. I found it on Amazon Prime around 2017 or so, sprinkled amongst the list of B-movies that were free to watch. I noted that the reviews were very, very positive and decided to give it a watch. To say I was delighted is an understatement.
Although it is obviously, as with other found footage films, low budget with a cast of unknowns, this story was scary as hell. A group of friends mount a haunted house attraction each year in New York City, and they have a dedicated following for their haunt (called Hell House LLC). This year, for the first time, the attraction is set up outside of the city in an abandoned hotel called The Abaddon.
They never made it past opening night, and as we see through news footage and footage filmed by Hell House LLC’s crew, something horrible happened when the first group of tour-goers began their visit. Ultimately, we are told that 15 visitors and all but one of the crew died that night.
The rest of the film takes us back to the beginning stages, as the crew sets up the location and spends their nights in the old hotel. Everything is presented through the lens of their cameras, as they begin to have supernatural experiences in the hotel. One particular experience involves a clown figure that they are using in the haunt; a clown figure that seems to move on its own. I’m telling you, I do NOT have a fear of clowns, but this one freaked me out.
Eventually, Hell House LLC was picked up by Shudder, and two sequels called Hell House LLC II: The Abaddon Hotel and Hell House LLC III: Lake of Fire were released by Shudder (for what it’s worth, I thoroughly enjoyed all three). Terror Films and Shudder recently announced that another sequel, Hell House LLC Origins: The Carmichael Manor has begun production.
Hell House LLC can currently be seen on Shudder. All three films (plus the director’s cut of the original) can be watched on Tubi, and SCREAMBOX subscribers can stream the first two.