Since 2015, the Hell House LLC films have become one of my favorite horror franchises. Even when the franchise was at its lowest, every single film delivers spine-chilling scares and an ever growing mythos to shock audiences. After four amazing found footage films, writer and director Stephen Cognetti returns with a new entry into his successful franchise, Hell House LLC: Lineage. Vanessa Shepard, a survivor from the Abaddon Hotel fire, begins having nightmares that feel all too real. When others connected to the hotel and the Carmichael Manor begin dying in mysterious ways, she must work to solve the mystery before it’s too late.

Cognetti built this franchise with the mockumentary, found footage style. With Hell House LLC: Lineage, he’s shifting the format into a more traditional narrative film. It’s a bold move to make this switch after creating four found footage films horror fans adore, but I’m happy to report this changeup works. It allows the audience to get a more intimate look into the lives of these characters, even showing us their nightmares. Hell House LLC: Lineage follows Vanessa, who we previously met in Hell House LLC III: Lake of Fire. After her her experience at the Abaddon Hotel, most would think she would want to stay far away from the town of Abaddon. Instead, she now lives in the town and even opened her own business there. While years have passed, she is still working through the trauma of that night, but something has changed. Her nightmares are becoming more vivid and real, others are experiencing similar things, and people in Abaddon are dying without explanation. The film delivers a fantastic supernatural mystery while also throwing in plenty of unsettling ambience and terrifying scares.

With each new addition into the Hell House LLC franchise, more and more intricate lore is incorporated into the plot. Hell House LLC: Lineage is no exception. If anything, the mythos established in this film is some of the most intriguing and intricate to date, connecting every person and event previously seen at the Abaddon Hotel and the Carmichael manor in unexpected ways. Each new revelation is more shocking than the last, sure to leave audiences gasping with jaws on the floor. It’s really quite impressive just how detailed Cognetti was while tying the various threads together. However, because the many threads may admittedly get a bit confusing, I would highly recommend marathoning the previous four films prior to seeing Hell House LLC: Lineage. Having all the characters and events fresh in your mind will greatly help in making sense of everything that’s revealed in this latest entry. Along the way the film examines a range of fascinating themes including the various ways people deal with trauma, such as therapy and alcohol, while also showing how one event can have a dramatic ripple effect through generations. It all leads to a truly shocking final scene that had this film critic repeatedly yelling, “What?!” at her TV. The ending might upset some viewers, but once they realize what it means, it will likely lead to more excitement.

Hell House LLC: Lineage features a few familiar faces, as well as plenty of new ones. Elizabeth Vermilyea (Hell House LLC III: Lake of Fire, 825 Forest Road) stars as Vanessa. Last time audiences saw Vanessa, she was the host of Morning Mysteries and had just survived the end of the Abaddon Hotel. Vermilyea was great last time we saw her in the franchise, and this time she’s even better. She is able to brilliantly convey trauma, fear, and a determination to stop the legacy of Andrew Tully and his cult. Another familiar face is Searra Sawka (Hell House LLC Origins: The Carmichael Manor, Brave the Dark) as Alicia. Alicia is a true crime author who appeared in the previous film as an interviewee to add context to what happened. This time, she’s a much more active participant in the events. Sawka shows her character’s great investigative mind and confidence, but she also has one of the best horror film screams I’ve heard in a while. Other memorable performances come from Victoria Andrunik (Hell House LLC Origins: The Carmichael Manor), Gideon Berger (Hell House LLC Origins: The Carmichael Manor), Emily Fan (Camp Unplug), and Nicholas Stoesser (Turbo Cola).

While many will likely miss the found footage format of the previous films, Hell House LLC: Lineage is able to add a bit more artistry with the narrative style. Cognetti did ease the audience into this format transition. It starts by showing some of the old home footage taken by the youngest Carmichael daughter before transitioning to the higher resolution, narrative format. Even after this shift, there are moments in which found footage is incorporated, giving an appreciative nod to the franchise’s beginnings. Throughout the film there are dream sequences that both give clues to the mystery, while also showing different perspectives of familiar scenes.

The film has plenty of great makeup and practical effects. Some of these are used to create the familiar appearance of the horrifying ghosts, while others are used to create a couple of graphic, gory kills. Not to mention, the three most terrifying clowns in history are back to disturb audiences. If I had one complaint about the scares in this film, it’s that we see the clowns moving too much. In the previous films the clowns were largely stationary, imparting terror with their stillness and off-screen movements. This time around, they’re far more active. Despite this, the film still has the great, chilling atmosphere and nightmarish frights Hell House LLC fans know and love. Bringing it all together is a beautiful, haunting, synth-heavy musical score.

Hell House LLC: Lineage is a bold change for this beloved horror franchise, staying true to its roots even as it delivers exciting new scares, lore, and shocking twists. Cognetti created something special with the Hell House LLC films, and it’s wonderful to see how he continues to find ways to expand upon the story in surprising ways that still make sense. The performances are fantastic, especially from Vermilyea returning as Vanessa, and there are plenty of moments that will have people jumping out of their seats. While many fans will surely miss the found footage format, the original DNA of the franchise is still all over this narrative-style film. This is the first time audiences will have the chance to see a Hell House LLC film released in theaters, so don’t miss Hell House LLC: Lineage on the big screen on August 20th.

OVERALL RATING: 8/10