The Hell House franchise has become something of a cult franchise for horror fans, with the concept revolving around haunted house attractions turned deadly the movies are an especially fun watch this time of year. The franchise has become especially prominent in discussions around found footage horror, with many claiming it to be one of the best franchises in the sub-genre. So, how does the fifth and supposedly final installment hold up to the franchises modern legacy status?
The film follows Vanessa Shepard (Elizabeth Vermilyea) as she grapples with the trauma of her near-death experience and finds herself in the town of Abaddon. When people around her begin to die, she is enthralled in a mystery connecting the Abaddon Hotel, Carmichael Manor and decades of murders that began long before Hell House LLC. The film also features the return of Searra Sawka (Hell House LLC: Origins) and Cayla Berejikian (Hell House LLC: Origins) as well as franchise newcomer Mike Sutton (825 Forest Road). The film was also written and directed by Stephen Cognetti, the writer and director of every other film in the Hell House LLC franchise.
The film opens with an exceptionally creepy sequence, right off the bat one of the most notable things Hell House LLC: Lineage does is abandon the found footage angle, making it the first in the franchise to do so. While the found footage style is missed dearly and admittedly took some time to get used to, the change does not come without reason. The change in format allowed for some bold swings, like being able to tell a story through multiple characters perspectives and being able to pull off dream sequences. These sequences allow the film to switch out the usual haunted house frights for a more intense melodrama, unfortunately though it didn't always work. Writer/Director Stephen Cognetti said: "I realized the story, scope and most importantly, the scares I wanted to tell required a change in the format to truly do it right,". While the switch from found footage to a more traditional style took some getting used to, I couldn't agree more with his reasoning.
The films plot earnestly tries to connect all the previous Hell House films together in a satisfying way for the franchises conclusion, and while I found this admirable I couldn't help but feel like the films story became too wrapped up and began tripping over itself. Nonetheless, diehard fans of the franchise will likely find this sendoff satisfactory and while it was a great effort, at times it felt too overwhelming narratively. Fans are probably going to want to do their homework before throwing this one on. The overall pacing felt too slow for my taste and I felt like the amount of scares was less than I had hoped for, especially after previous installments. I did, however, find myself really enjoying the performances throughout the film, which elevated both the scares and melodrama that much more. I found Vermilya, Sawka and Sutton to be particularly captivating. Sawka's performance as Alicia especially kept me tense throughout the films third act.
Another highlight for me were the scares, I was concerned that in dropping the found footage format the scares would feel underwhelming, and I'm glad to report that I was dead wrong in my suspicions. That infamous clown that's become the mascot of the franchise is still terrifying, each scene he creeps into had me ready for a jumpscare, and yet despite how prepared I thought I was every single time, I still jumped. Those classic tension building moments from previous installments is still littered throughout the film and they're fun as hell.
Overall, Hell House LLC: Lineage takes some bold swings, and while not all of them hit for me I can appreciate the supposed final film in the franchise wrapping up the story in a satisfactory and captivating way, and the fact that this franchise has been spearheaded by a singular writer and director through it all adds to that. While it may not make it into my yearly Halloween rotation like some of the other Hell House flicks, I can see fans of the franchise appreciating the leaps this one takes.
Hell House LLC: Lineage will be released in theaters August 20th, 2025. Will you be seeing it?
If you enjoyed this analysis, consider following me on my social media pages such as my Twitter (@JacobAtTheMovies), my Instagram (@JacobTheHarper), my Facebook (@TheJacobHarper) and my Letterboxd (@JacobTheHarper).