Shudder Sunday: Hellhouse LLC Origins

A stellar, exceedingly creepy entry in the “Hell House” franchise, “Hellhouse LLC Origins: The Carmichael Manor” hits all the right notes.

The fourth movie, set within the Hellhouse LLC universe, takes place in Carmichael Manor, the site of the unsolved murders of the Carmichael family, who met their grisly ends in the 1980s.

The film seamlessly takes place between three different timelines: the present day (2021), the events of the Abaddon Hotel tragedy in 2009, and finally, in 1989, which focuses on the Carmichael family as they document their lives via recently unearthed home video recordings.

Our present-day narrator is Margot Bentley (played by Bridget Rose Perrotta), an amateur Sleuth passionate about documenting unsolved cold cases.

This time, she is accompanied by her ever-suffering partner, Rebecca (played by Destiny Leilani Brown). Margot drags Rebecca and her brother Chase (played by James Liddell) along with her to spend a few days at the hotel as investigative documentarians.

Margot wants her small team to film EVERYTHING; such is her obsessive nature.

It is this plot point that explains why on earth someone would continue to document their surroundings despite the increasing craziness that befalls them — a curse of Found Footage films that can be explained away if we suspend our disbelief for the film’s runtime.

Cognetti achieves a feat in merging two of Horror’s most oversaturated tropes: spooky clowns and Found Footage, which he utilizes to terrifying effect despite them being cliches of the genre in recent years.

The original film Hellhouse LLC ranked 12th in Fangoria’s ‘Scariest Found Footage Movie’ list; therefore, Carmichael Manor has a large set of (clown) shoes to fill.

One would presume that dissecting the Lore of this universe, which the previous films set up, would deflate the scares and tension. However, Cognetti has once again presented an extremely creepy entry that also succeeds in bringing a fresh perspective.

Fans of the original films are in for a treat.

Not only does Carmichael Manor itself house the now-iconic Carnie clowns of the original, but we get to see more of them during the film’s frightening climax.

Carmichael Manor also serves to tie together loose threads and even gives us an origin story for the villain of the first film; this story thread blends in with our current characters in a satisfyingly Retconned way.

Whereas HELLHOUSE LLC took place in cramped, claustrophobic Haunt rooms, CARMICHAEL MANOR unfolds in a sprawling countryside manor and its surrounding grounds.

Cognetti uses the liminal spaces that sweep across empty corridors and up winding staircases to startling effect.

The sudden appearance of a slim woman donning a creepy Volto mask as she peers around corners just out of frame is a simple yet extremely effective scare. Our eyes are drawn to slender fingers curling around doorframes cast in deep shadows as our minds try to discern what the hell we are seeing.

The quiet yet unnerving moments like these leave a lingering effect upon the viewer.

Cognetti allows the audience to soak in the oppressive atmosphere of the empty manor as Chase documents his day alone during scenes when Margot and Rebecca are out on an excursion.

It is heavily implied that Chase suffers from mental health issues, and Margot even comments, ‘’I KNOW that he is a liability’’ to Rebecca when she tries to convince her that he would make a good addition to her film project while also allowing her to keep an eye on her troubled sibling.

This cleverly sets up the notion of the ‘Unreliable Narrator’ when the camera is in Chase’s hands: are the images of the slender, masked woman a symptom of his disturbed mind, or is something more tangible at play?

There is an eerie ambiance that permeates the film, as well as enough satisfying jump-scares to shock both genre fans and casual Horror viewers alike.

Carmichael Manor captures some of the charms of films like Host from 2020 and Lake Mungo from 2008- choosing atmosphere over gratuitous violence.

The onscreen gore depicted is impressive, and it oozes that 80’s Splatterpunk look of yesteryear.

I found the acting believable. However, I did find Margot to be irritating. Perrotta’s portrayal of her felt too cartoonish at times as she chewed the scenery.

The segments of the film where we witness events unfold from the perspective of Chase are very entertaining. His humor disarms the viewer before setting up a jump scare, and I wish we could have seen more of him.

The final act of the film is around twenty minutes of pure anxiety: the terror experienced by the characters is palpable, and the ambiguous ending even leaves room for a sequel.

If you are a fan of the first Hellhouse LLC film, but you found the sequels to be bloated or too concerned with exposition, then you may appreciate how Carmichael Manor focuses on the scares while giving tidbits of lore for the viewer to piece together.

Part Found Footage, part Urban Legend, and all atmospheric dread: Carmichael Manor is best experienced alone, with the use of headphones.

Hellhouse LLC Origins: The Carmichael Manor may not be a wholly original film, but its eerie atmosphere, strong visuals, and feverish performances ensure that the Hellhouse LLC universe remains in deft hands.