The time to return to Hell House has come after the vicious massacre and unsolved disappearances in 2015’s Hell House LLC (2015) and 2018’s Hell House LLC 2: The Abaddon Hotel. On the 19th of September, Hell House LLC III: Lake of Fire crawls up from the Stygian pits and exclusively onto Shudder thanks to Terror Films. For any fans of the previous films, the wait is nearly over for a film with all the shrieks and panic of the previous installments!
The film picks up nine years after the events in The Abaddon Hotel or, as it is more sinisterly known, ‘Hell House.’ Despite the precedent set by the murders and the building being set to be demolished, it has been purchased by an eccentric millionaire named Russell Wynn, played by Gabriel Chytry (Altruism 2013, 2BR02B (To Be Or Not To Be) 2016), and is set to reopen as ‘Insomnia.’ The host of Morning Mysteries, Vanessa Shepherd – portrayed by Elizabeth Vermilyea (John 137 2018, Evil Talks: Chilling Confessions 2018) – and a cameraman are sent to interview the cast and record all the activities during the course of the reopening.
The crew for Insomnia is introduced as Jeff Stone, played by Sam Kazzi (Law & Order SVU series), and Harvey, portrayed by Scott Richey (Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell series, Watching the Detectives 2008). The cast for Insomnia is completed by Jane Maloney, played by Brigid Adams (Contributions 2019), Max, portrayed by Jordan Kaplan (The Switch 2018, The Match-Stick Flame 2019), and Gregory, played by Leo DeFriend (Hotline 2018, Morsel 2019). Everyone is briefly asked about their knowledge of what occurred and if it scares them, to which Max replies, “I do know where every exit is.”
It seems that the town of Abaddon itself has a history of strange events even before Hell House, most namely an unexplained attack on a hayride at the County Fair. As the days count down to opening night of Insomnia, the alleged haunting of the Abaddon Hotel seems more and more like a reality. Creepy clowns and bloody ghosts are just the beginning as the Abaddon House is dragged down to Hell.
The premise of Hell House LLC III: Lake of Fire is dependent upon the lore of previous films for certain details to add up, but there are certainly no shortage of flashbacks to help tie all the plots together. Perhaps because of this, there is a familiarity and an ease among the cast that flows naturally, and as the fear mounts a suitable tenseness comes to replace it.
Though the plot of this addition in the franchise is simplistic, it is well-woven with many layers that touch on themes such as religion, friendship, the afterlife, and denial. In fact, while Hell House LLC III: Lake of Fire is intended to be a found footage film, there’s nothing pretentious or bothersome about the execution of the premise. Therefore, Cryptic Rock gives Hell House LLC III: Lake of Fire 4 out of 5 stars.
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