The Hell House LLC franchise has built its reputation on atmospheric scares, lore-heavy storytelling, and an uncanny ability to make simple images like a clown standing still in a dark hallway feel utterly terrifying. With Lineage, the fifth and supposedly final installment, writer-director Stephen Cognetti takes a new approach by moving away from found footage and into a more traditional narrative style. The result is a film that is both ambitious and frustrating, offering moments of genuine tension alongside stretches weighed down by exposition.
A Return to Abaddon
Lineage follows Vanessa Shepherd, a survivor of the Abaddon Hotel disaster, now living in the same cursed town she once tried to escape. Her life is haunted by visions and nightmares that blur the line between memory and hallucination. When new deaths strike the town, she finds herself pulled back into the mystery surrounding the Abaddon Hotel, the Carmichael family, and the legacy of cult leader Andrew Tully.
Alongside Vanessa is Alicia Cavalini, a determined investigator who wants answers at any cost. Alicia pushes deeper into the tangled history of Abaddon, even as the evidence points toward forces far more dangerous than she realizes. Joining them is Father David, a priest with a commanding presence whose faith is tested in the face of Abaddon’s horrors. Together, their stories intersect inside the Carmichael Manor, where old evils resurface with frightening clarity.
Strong Performances in a Shaky Framework
The cast carries much of the film’s weight. Elizabeth Vermilyea makes Vanessa feel lived-in and layered, portraying a woman still carrying the scars of survival. Searra Sawka’s Alicia takes on the heavy burden of delivering much of the film’s backstory, and despite the mountain of information she provides, her energy keeps the material from dragging completely. Mike Sutton’s Father David grounds the more supernatural elements with a performance that feels rooted and authoritative.
When the film allows these characters to interact, it finds some of its most engaging moments. A debate between Alicia and Father David about the nature of good and evil stands out as a rare pause where the film explores deeper ideas rather than simply moving from scare to scare.
Shifting the Style
The most noticeable change in Lineage is the departure from found footage. On one hand, this shift allows for more polished visuals, clean editing, and moments that dive into dreamlike imagery. Abaddon has never looked sharper, with sweeping shots of autumn leaves, ominous streets, and eerie set pieces that give the film a theatrical scope. On the other hand, this polish comes at a cost. The raw immediacy of the original Hell House films is missing, and some scares feel overproduced rather than creeping under the skin. The infamous clowns, once terrifying in their eerie stillness, lose some of their menace by appearing overly polished on screen.
The Weight of Lore
Fans of the series know that lore is a double-edged sword. Lineage ties together threads from every previous installment, pulling in the Carmichael family, the Abaddon Hotel, and long-hidden family secrets. For those who have followed the series closely, these connections will be rewarding. For others, the sheer density of names, timelines, and revelations may feel overwhelming. At times the story resembles a wall covered in red string and photographs, with too many threads to follow clearly.
A Final Curtain Call
Hell House LLC: Lineage is both polished and uneven. The performances of Vermilyea, Sawka, and Sutton elevate the material, and there are moments of atmosphere and tension that capture what made the franchise special. Yet the shift away from found footage robs the film of its signature dread, and the overreliance on exposition slows the pacing.
As a finale, the film provides enough closure to satisfy longtime fans, though it will not convince everyone that leaving behind the franchise’s roots was the right decision. Lineage is neither the strongest nor the weakest entry, but rather a bold and imperfect experiment that closes the doors of Abaddon with both confidence and hesitation.
Jessie Hobson