Review: HELL HOUSE LLC: LINEAGE is a Disappointing Addition to Franchise Lore

The Hell House LLC franchise’s continued expansion is a monkey's paw wish. Stephen Cognetti's original Hell House LLC is one of the best haunted attraction horror flicks, but as his sequels prove, that was a spectacular outlier. We're now on the fifth entry, Hell House LLC: Lineage, and the series' unceremonious decline is more evident than ever. Cognetti's mission to flesh out Hell House LLC lore has become a derivative mess, and now he's even ditched the voyeuristic distress of found footage presentations. Everything that made Hell House LLC a beloved contemporary standout has vanished from Hell House LLC: Lineage—a whimper of a finale if it truly is a final chapter (it won't be).

Cognetti's latest sequel is about establishing blanket connections, hence “Lineage.” At the center of everything is Hell House LLC III: Lake of Fire survivor Vanessa Shepherd (Elizabeth Vermilyea). Despite her horrific experience with the Abaddon and Insomnia, she's drawn back to the area, now a bar owner plagued by nightmares about the Carmichaels. She's approached by documentarian Alicia Cavalini (Searra Sawka), who claims to have traced the cursed events of Hell House LLC and beyond back to a drunken accident in 1989 that killed Margaret Carmichael (Victoria Andrunik). Vanessa just wants to escape the voices in her head, but since townsfolk keep dying, it becomes evident that there's no way out except through the Abaddon and the Carmichaels once and for all.

Frankly, the Hell House LLC mythology that's accumulated with each sequel has become more cumbersome than revelatory. The rise of Andrew Tully, the hubris of Russell Wynn, and the Carmichael Manor murders intersect in Lineage, but it's hardly a walk down memory lane. Margaret's death becomes the catalyst for vengeance, targeting not only the drunkards responsible for a young girl's death, but their descendants. Except Vanessa isn't on the list, so why is she seeing morbid visions? Why is Alicia willing to risk her life, as well as Father David Flannery (Mike Sutton), to vanquish the supernatural Carmichaels? It's officially reached the point where storytelling begs for subplots to tie off—too bad Cognetti has other ideas.

The "Lineage" aspect never comes together as Vanessa searches for answers in therapy, in alcohol bottles, and in her hallucinations. She and other locals are stalked by the now infamous Hell House LLC clown, but the monochrome menace isn’t as frightening outside of first-person confrontations. Overlapping continuity from multiple movies feels too beholden to larger tangents than something more digestible in a single entry, which creates diminishing returns as explanations unravel. Hell House LLC is a jolt of paranormal chaos in an amusement park package, whereas Lineage is a dreary and sluggish mystery that fumbles nostalgia by continuing to rework what's already established.

It's a shame, because Cognetti's biggest failure in Lineage is meeting the traumatizing scares of at least the first three Hell House LLC titles. By opting for traditional cinematography, certain tricks lose their appeal. Whether it's Mr. Clown's slow head turns, now seen from afar, or the presence of disfigured ghouls in blurry backgrounds with too much space, Cognetti's standardization of the Hell House LLC formula sucks the energy out of tactical frights. Even worse, there's a reliance on out-of-frame action that trains us not to get excited even when there's an impending kill. Joe Bandelli's "Hell House LLC Clown" portrayal is rendered unscary, and even though the climax tosses a few bloody bones our way to finally escalate the simmering tension to a boil, it's far too late to save face.

The falloff from Hell House LLC to Linage is pronounced and unfortunate. Cognetti gave fly-on-the-way filmmaking a go in the hopelessly underwhelming 825 Forest Road, but none of the kinks were worked out—Lineage repeats the same mistakes. There's an emphasis on buildup, as spirits and rubber-faced mascots lurk behind characters, but payoffs are either undersold or non-existent as the scene cuts to black. Memorable thrills spiked by a bent-necked woman or roadkill-faced funeral body are the exception, not the norm. When grinning entities with rotten skin and milky eyes approach the screen, filmed like a found footage tape, there's an inherent fear that drives us mad. These same undead figures feel like stale props in normal cinematic appearance—dioramas in a museum that recall better times.

Hell House LLC: Lineage is an overcomplicated, heavy-footed, and all-around clunky addition to a franchise on its last legs. If Hell House LLC blasts you with excitement like riding Six Flags’ formerly record-setting Kingda Ka (RIP), then Lineage is like hopping on one of those collapsible kiddie coasters that fit into a church’s low-budget parking lot carnival. Kudos to Cognetti for trying something different, but variation alone is not enough to excuse the prevailing sensation of monotony. Lineage does the opposite of going out with a bang, instead opting to leave every door wide open—without the accompanying intrigue to explore further. Shut 'em all, it's time for Hell House LLC to close down.

Movie Score: 2/5