In 2015, horror fans, especially those that enjoy found footage, were blessed with the arrival of the terrifying Hell House LLC. Following five young haunted house creators in New York with dreams of repurposing the infamous Abaddon Hotel, tragedy strikes on opening night, and we get a behind the scenes look at the new set of ghouls and ghosts that would move to cult status from the frights they delivered. Shudder picked up the helm three years later, giving this film a well-deserved sequel, and one year later seemed to close the loop with a third film. Four years after the lake of fire was supposedly sealed, Hell House now returns with a new chapter outside of the stage we’re used to with Hell House LLC Origins: The Carmichael Manor. Written and directed by Stephen Cognetti, who brought us the first three films, The Carmichael Manor was an overdue return to basics in what made the original Hell House LLC so effectively creepy, encapsulated in a standalone origin story that Cognetti hopes to make more of. With a dark new storyline to follow, a fresh set of faces, but with some familiar looking terrors still lurking, I believe this chapter of the franchise has come the closest of them all to matching the strength of the original, while reopening the franchise to new possibilities.
The Carmichael Manor. No one quite knows where to begin in the classic interviews that usually begin Hell House movies, with the ominous building and the mysterious family that occupied it. The Carmichael family itself, wealthy and private, has been plagued by mystery and tragedy. The matriarch Katherine and one of her daughters, Eleanor, were discovered brutally murdered one morning, and while the suspect was father Arthur Carmichael, the problem is he and his son Patrick have been missing for 30 years…. The true crime aspect drew plenty of investigators and the story was ripe to turn the manor into a ghost story, but supposedly no one was granted extended access to the house until a sleuth named Margot Bentley. She and her girlfriend Rebecca spent several nights in the mansion; five days after their last contact with the outside world, their bodies were found in the manor, along with unbelievable footage.
We begin the reel of Margot (Bridget Rose Perrotta) and Rebecca (Destiny Leilani Brown) in their final leg of their trip for a five day stay at the Carmichael Manor. Hosts of a website called Net Sleuths, the pair are looking to investigate the location. After a long, forested drive down dirt roads, the ladies arrive at their destination, already in awe of it. They meet with Donald (Michael Caprioli) who’s helped organize their stay, explaining to them he’s been trying to get setup as it’s hard to get companies to go out to the house to stage and clean before guests, what with all the gossip. In the meantime he’s been getting guests to stay for short periods of time, but according to him, no matter how long he offers, no one makes it more than a couple of evenings before leaving.
Donald takes the two on a tour of the house, including each bedroom where the grisly murders took place and also uncovering what they believe to be a locked storage room for which there is no key. With the house toured, Donald is on his way with assurances that the office isn’t far and if they need anything they can simply call—and if they’re interested in some antiquing, there’s a store that recovered some of the items from the Abaddon Hotel, if they’re interested. While Rebecca finds out that Margot’s brother, Chase, will be joining them, Margot finds the previously locked storage room open, with some familiar looking friends of ours inside: a set of life-sized clown mannequins. Just as the two are mesmerized by the disturbing circus faces, Chase (James Liddell) arrives.
We are given a little backstory into Margot and Chase’s love of sleuthing through our interviews again. As a child, Margot and her brother were taken to a county fair where a man tried to lure her away, but she luckily screamed and was able to get away. Others disappeared from that fair, and I can’t help but wonder if it was the fairgrounds near the Abaddon that claimed several victims before it was shut down. It seems the experience caused her to want to expose herself to places where she experienced fear and inspired her to create the site which has brought together so many detectives to solve the inexplicable. Away from the interview backstory, we join the group on night one in the manor, trying to reconstruct the murders from the information they have. As Rebecca goes to take a phone call, we get our first glimpse of the paranormal as a door creaks open by itself, and soon after, Rebecca drops a bomb on Margot that she plans for this to be her last trip for some time. The group settles in for bed, and shortly afterwards as noises begin to permeate the house, we see this is going to be a restless night.
An unsettling watch that kept my teeth clenched, Origins uses the found footage camera angle to its advantage in professional fashion and takes some classic shots that create tension while otherwise brilliantly misleading you into a jolt. Figures lurking just out of frame, creeping shadows and surprising visitors abound, packed with specters and ghouls: this was the haunting assault on our senses that makes Hell House LLC the movie where even hiding under the covers isn’t safe. Costuming, makeup, and prosthetics make for some disturbing entities, and the small cast is lively but never goes over the top, inserting humor in unexpected places with the use of their cameras and delivering performances that range from the charming to the unhinged and horrified. The storyline is refreshing and it was a pleasure to be introduced to a new set of obscure, sinister characters like the Carmichaels to replace the tepid reception of the monologuing Andrew Tully from previous films.
While creating a new chapter of the lore, this film expands on some of the interesting side pieces from the franchise that were never fully explained, introducing new details and secrets to old favorite items from The Abaddon. This fourth instalment of the Hell House franchise is the first film to rival the original in frights, lore, and performance, elevating it above its sequel predecessors. Tying together past and present, this was both a new beginning and a satisfying dose of explanation for much of the mystery surrounding the Abaddon and those who frequented it, while very much remaining its own film and not getting overly lost in previous storylines. An impressive entry that breathes life back into a frightening franchise and opened the door for expansion, I think Hellhouse LLC Origins: The Carmichael Manor will be a treat for fans of the first film looking for a dose of the Abaddon chills with a brand new terrifying location to explore, new characters to follow, and new foes to fear. Now streaming on Shudder, which has kept this stirring story alive, I recommend you swing by the Manor and see what all the screaming is about.