The Lurking Fear (2023)

Mike hosts a tv show and is filming an episode at an abandoned asylum. The producer and crew are outside, while Mike breaks a lock on a door to get in. He’s exploring with a cameraman, sound guy and Andy, a local who is knowledgeable on the history of the asylum.  While in the basement, they hear a noise, the cameraman is knocked out and dragged off.

Meanwhile outside the asylum, Officer Hansen and his partner arrive and tell the producer to get lost because it’s private property. They’re surprised to find out the Sheriff gave them permission to shoot.  Hansen says the building and grounds are dangerous and warns him it’s in his best interest to leave.  

The next day Mike’s fiancé Crystal is panicked because he hasn’t called. She calls the production team, who seems familiar with her calling when she hasn’t heard from Mike. Crystal seems very high maintenance.  

Not satisfied with the answer they provided, Crystal shows up in town and accosts the Sheriff while he’s at a park watching his son perform in a chorus. It’s not clear how Crystal found him or why she’d think this was appropriate.  When the Sheriff tells her to leash her dog, she ignores him and says the dog is “pretty harmless.”

The Sheriff says if Mike is missing, she can go to the police station to file a report. She refuses and demands he bring her to the asylum now. When he says no, she says it will only be an hour. When he refuses to make her the center of his world, she sarcastically says he’s supposed to protect and serve.  She’s getting more unlikable by the minute.

At this point, Crystal flounces off to the asylum on her own, where she repeatedly cried, “Mike! Mike” sounding like a cawing bird.  After finding no access to the building, she wanders across the lawn and promptly falls through the ground into the basement.

After she wakes up, she bumps into some freaks and runs off where she meets up with the Sheriff, Andy and a few more people.  They help her look for Mike, although they did not see anyone chasing her. The rest of the movie is people being chased, murdered, and wouldn’t you know it the old doctor did unethical experiments in the basement  and surprise! the survivors are still in there.

There are two problems with this movie and the biggest is Crystal. She’s not strong or smart and seems to think the world revolves around her.  When she is captured, she’s screaming, crying, panting, gasping and annoying as hell. Also the scene where her cell is unlocked is so confusing. The little kid backs away from the cell, Crystal cries and then a hand unlocks it. Next shot she’s running down a hallway. Whose hand was it? 

The second issue is in the middle of these horrific moments, people provide unnecessary exposition about their pasts when they should be more concerned about their current personal safety.  At one point, the officer tells Crystal the Sheriff was a good man who believed in him.  Later Crystal says she pushed Mike into being the host even though he didn’t want to do it.  Then Mike and Crystal run away but then stop to have an emotional reunion instead of continuing to try to get the hell out of there.

I’m also confused as to what happened to the crew?  There were a ton of people at the asylum when Mike went inside.  Did they leave even though Mike, the cameraman and sound guy never came out again?  If they didn’t leave, then what happened to their campers, vehicles and equipmennt? 

The super clean abandoned asylum with no spider webs

The car would be a good reason to contact the police

Crystal about to find out why you shouldn’t wander
around abandoned buildings by yourself

Polaroid (2019)

Teenaged girl Bird, who works in an antique store, is given a Polariod camera by her friend Tyler who found it at a garage sale.  Bird is excited and tells Tyler it’s the same type of camera used in the 70s by Ansel Adams and Walker Evans. I was hoping Tyler would tell her she was no Ansel Adams, but he just dumbly smiles.

Bird brings the camera to a party and takes a photo of her friends.  There appears to be a strange shadow in back of one of them.  When that person ends up dead, Bird notices the shadow is no longer behind them in the photo. In fact, it moves to other photos once everyone in the first photo is dead. That’s right, we have a haunted camera that kills anyone whose photo is taken.

Bird was already unpopular, and when she tells her friends of her theory about the camera, some of them blame her for putting them at risk. They don’t care that there’s no way she could have known this was an issue.

She starts trying to stop whatever supernatural force is killing everyone and tries to figure out whose camera this is and if they know what is going on. One scene involves her getting into a store by removing a vent on the outside wall. Can you actually get into stores this way? And if so, why wouldn’t this be  considered a security issue?

Another question is if Bird thinks taking a photo with the camera dooms the subject to death, why is she still carrying it around? Damn it woman, lock it in a box to make sure no one else uses it.

When their friends start dying, the police bring her in. They do not believe the story of the evil camera. And why would they? It’s ridiculous.  If only there were some way to prove it to them. Oh wait, there is. Because the photo acts like a voodoo doll and if you set it on fire, the persons clothes starts smoking before they burst into flames. A controlled environment with the ability to put out the fire would show them it’s not an act.

Bloody Mary Returns (2022)

Aka Summoning Bloody Mary 2

A group of con artists who do fake exorcisms, possessions, palm reading and seances decide they can make money doing a video about Bloody Mary. They convince a nurse they know at an asylum to let them see Sara, who was convicted of killing her friends -although Sara insists the murderer was Bloody Mary.

Sara explains Mary was a witch who was burned at the stake and if you call her, she’ll come for you.  The nurse rolls her eyes as Sara speaks, but Lily is excited about the footage they’re getting. When Sara hears they plan to call Mary, she warns them it’s a mistake. But as with most warnings, it is not heeded.

Lily arranges with her roommates to film at their house. The plan is when she calls Bloody Mary, Mel will come in dressed as the witch. Lily, Kasper and Rich will run around the house, doing the shaky cam POV video. Then they’ll put it online claiming Mary is real and rake in the bucks. 

Imagine their surprise when they call Mary, she kills a roommate, and comes after them. Apparently Mary has some sort of powers since the doors and windows of the house won’t open. They’re trapped, which you think would mean they’d die fairy quickly since it’s a small house. But instead Mary goes back into the mirror and later pulls Mel into it.  Lily thinks they can open the portal by calling Mary, then jump through the mirror to get Mel and bring her back.  

The weird thing about this movie is the characters just randomly make up how things work. They’ve done no research on Mary, but Lily keeps coming up with guesses about how this whole Mary curse works.  At one point when trying to figure out how to survive, she says, “there’s one thing we haven’t tried yet.”  I replied, “break the mirror”  and Lily said “An exorcism.” Oh Lily, you’ve barely tried anything.

Questions abound.  Why do they think a curse stops at sunrise? Are they getting witches confused with vampires? Are we supposed to care about characters who make money by conning people?  Why does Mel think witches wear crop tops? And why does no one realize a ghost witch should have a clown white stomach ? Why do they think Mary can only appear in a room with a mirror? Why did they do no research on Mary?  Wouldn’t breaking the mirror remove the portal? And if Mary is trying to kill them, why do they keep splitting up? 

Ridiculous dialogue

Ellen: Run Max run! Ah run Max run! Run Max run! [she trips] Max, help me!

Max: Oh shit!

If we could pull this off, this could be our biggest gig yet.

I don’t understand. How can a ghost trap us?

It’ll be sunrise soon. Maybe the curse will have lift itself off by then.

Our less than likable main characters

Mel forgetting witches didn’t wear crop tops,
and only putting white makeup on her face 

No one tries to break the mirror or cover it to stop
Mary from crawling through it

Mary going for that old King Diamond look

Tahoe Joe (2022)

After seeing several videos of local Sasquatch Tahoe Joe, Dillon and Mike decide to make a documentary about him. The first video they see was shot by Shane Patterson and part of it resembles the famous Patterson Bigfoot film.  The second video was provided by Jaylin, whose dad Toma was dragged out his tent in the night while looking for Tahoe Joe.

Jaylin’s whole focus is finding his dad, but when they go to scout the area, he refuses to leave the car.  Mike says he can stay at his house with his sons until they get back, which is odd.  Mike tells his girlfriend he’s going on a business trip and asks his son to let her know if anything happens to him. Mike’s son thinks he’s an ass.

They hire Shane who shot the footage to guide them to the sight of the video. As they’re getting their gear out of the truck, Mike pulls out a massive gun.  Shane refuses to guide them unless they leave it behind. He also says electronics won’t work in the woods because the government is monitoring everyone who goes in.  Dillon and Mike hope he’s wrong as they ready their cameras, drones, go-pros and phones. When the drone stops working, Dillon says he’s programmed the electronics  to upload to the cloud so they won’t lose any footage. Wouldn’t they need service for that?

After setting up camp, they discover Shane has a gun. When they question him, he says he brought it  since he doesn’t trust them or like them because they act like this is just a big joke. He walks off into the woods to get away from them. Later that night Dillon and Mike find out there really is something in the out there.

There’s not a lot of action in this.  The footage shot by Tomas is tedious and could be completely abandoned since it can be summed up by saying he disappeared while looking for evidence of Tahoe Joe.  Instead we get lots of footage of him repeatedly stating he just arrived somewhere, reading a map, or setting up his tent. We also have to listen to what sounds like him chewing gum or maybe food, which is just gross. Plus the camera swings around too fast which made me slightly motion sick. Overall the acting isn’t the best either.

Ridiculous dialogue

I couldn’t find anything. No evidence.

I am one hundred percent convinced that is Tahoe Joe. No doubt.

After all those years of looking for Tahoe Joe, I finally found his ass.

Crouching in the dark with a light on

Uhh Shane? Are you okay?

Watch as he films himself reading a map

Wearing a go pro at your laptop looks pretty silly

Another Patterson Bigfoot

11:23-09:59 (Project Angst) (2018)

Aka 11:23-09:59 Projekt Angst; aka 11:23-9:59 (About Fear)

Six theater students decide to take a trip to Switzerland to find Fort K, a military research facility sealed ten years ago. This doesn’t seem like a great idea, especially since they aren’t even sure how to find it. And if it’s sealed, how will they get in? 

They head up into the mountains and after a long hike they stumble across the entrance which slowly opens to reveal an odd man who motions to follow him. He leads them deep into the underground bunker, where their friend Manu is waiting.

Although this place was supposedly sealed ten years ago, the lights work and it’s clean. No dust, dirt or spider webs are to be found. No one is concerned.

The idea is everyone will do a dare to face their fears.  Sophie is afraid of heights. Esther is afraid of the dark.  Manu is afraid of getting dirty, and Jamal is afraid of confined spaces.  The other two’s fears are not defined. The group is surprised when the dares have negative effects on their mental states. 

This is found footage so you know something will go wrong.  But I’m still not clear on why one person just sort of laid down near another and immediately died.  Stupid theater students and their overly dramatic fear rituals.  And why did Jamal bring a drum? He hiked to a bunker carrying a drum. It’s the most useless and awkward thing to bring on a hike.

The door to the bunker painted sort of camouflage

Our theater kids 

This doesn’t look like an abandoned bunker closed for ten years.

No dust or dirt here. Feel free to use the blankets.

Mega Lightning (2022)

Mega Lightning, the movie that posits what if lightning were attuned to your bodies energy,  the storm of the century was coming, and you’re trapped in the house with a serial killer. Well that certainly took a left turn.

Linda and Gregg go to the forest to watch for the storm. Linda points her camera up and swings it around as if something is happening.  But there is only blue sky through the canopy of leaves, which begs the question why are they in the forest if they want to see lightning?

After lightning actually strikes nearby trees, Linda and Gregg run for the car and again we wonder why they went to the forest. When their car doesn’t start, Gregg screams “get out!” and jumps out. Linda’s door handle won’t work. She sits swatting at the handle and screaming, unable to comprehend there is an open door to her right.  Thankfully the screaming stops when the fissure caused by a lightning strike swallows the car in a special effect out of the 90s.

Meanwhile in a parking lot, Johan approaches Tammy whose car’s broken down.  Tammy has no concept of stranger danger and tells him twice she’s been unable to reach her husband. Before you know it, a chloroform rag is over Tammy’s face and she’s in the trunk. 

Over in another part of the plot, Meg is worried her father and mother are going on vacation in the storm.  The news says no one should leave their houses but it’s not clear why that’s safer than a car, especially since some houses seem to be ready to collapse due to…lightning?

With their parents gone, Meg and her sister Corin invite Paulie and Sean over for a party. Apparently Meg isn’t at all worried about their boyfriends being on the road in the storm. The group gets into the hot tub, which is an odd choice in a lightning storm. When Meg says they should get out, Paulie tells her to relax. Paulie is a miserable man with limited intellect and it’s unclear why anyone would date him or befriend him.

When their Mum calls to say she and Dad have been in an accident, Meg doesn’t ask if Dad is okay and offers to pick up Mum, ignoring the lightning danger. Mum’s not sure where she is but she’s walked into someone else’s home.  There’s a lot of that in this film, which is unfortunate since everyone is walking into the home of a serial killer.

While looking for their mother, Meg and Corin also walk into the same house, saying it’s fine because if the owner comes home they can just say they needed to get out the storm. So now everyone is in the  serial killers house and he’s coming back in from burying a body.

I’ve got questions: Why are Linda and Gregg in a forest if they want to look at the sky? What mystery ailment would render their car unstartable and disable the door handle simultaneously? Why doesn’t Linda try to get out one of the other three doors, particularly the one already open?  Or why not roll down the window?  Why doesn’t Meg ask if her Dad is okay? Are there adults who don’t know you should be in water during a lightning storm? Why is Corin dating the incredibly unpleasant Paulie? Is she paying off a debt? 

This is a movie where people are either over reacting or under reacting.   It’s kind of hilarious so I guess I give it some credit for having entertainment value, even though it isn’t exactly what they were attempting.

Ridiculous dialogue

If what they’re saying on the news is correct, this could be the biggest natural disaster in history in a matter of days.

Father: Some crackpot in here says that uh he thinks lightning is attuned to the electric current in the body.

Meg: Should you even be going away then, if it’s that dangerous?

Mum and dad have been in an accident. It’s alright. They’re fine but I need you to stay here. Be safe and I’m going to go get Mum.

The fissure in the bottom center caused by
lightning that follows a couple to their car

What happens when a parked car is hit by lightning?
It flies straight up in the air

Paulie’s grimace is the physical representation of his personality

How is one of these people is unscathed?

Apparently lightning removes your head

Chewing the scenery with a googly eyed look of fear

Alien Invasion (2023)

After a long day at work, Lyra arrives home to find her friends waiting inside with a surprise party. How’d they get in? After a brief time hanging out, Phoenix declares the party they're throwing is boring and demands a drinking game. They decide to play Truth or Dare instead.

Phoenix is dared to go in the neighbors pool and he pressures the others to join him by using the taunt of the immature. He calls them chickens. 

The pool turns out to be indoors which makes this breaking and entering.  Leo tells his girlfriend to chill out since the neighbor said they could use the pool, but Lyra has mentioned multiple times she’s afraid the neighbor will come home and catch them.

After Phoenix disappears, the others discover he’s broken into the house by punching a code into the key pad. Turns out if you’ve a grunt in the military no keypad can stop you because the military uses the same code for everything.  The girls find the basement door is open and Phoenix in a basement lab playing with a giant egg.

When the home owner arrives unexpectedly, they are trapped inside. When he finds the egg is cracked, he provides exposition. The egg is from outer space and he stole it so the government wouldn’t use the creature inside.  How does no one suspect him since only a few people had access to this egg? He talks to alien soothingly until it murders him.

Lyra and her friends are stuck in the house and can’t get out, which is odd since our alien has found a way out to the pool to try to kill the couple who didn’t come inside. What’s amazing is that anyone survives. None of them are very bright. They split up, leave doors open when trying to hide and don’t make good decisions. When one girl finds a way in to try to rescue the others, she says they need to figure how to get out.  What about the way you came in? Why can the newly hatched alien figure out how to get into and out of the house, but there people who are familiar with doors and windows can’t?  Also how does the creature know how to open doors?

At the end Lyra sadly says everything is her fault for celebrating her birthday, which just make you wish she hadn’t survived.  The real culprit is Phoenix who took the dare to go to the pool, broke into the house, and then into the basement lab.  And when things went wrong he said don’t call the police because he’ll be sent back to jail if they find out he broke in. So if anyone should be blamed, it’s Phoenix.

Ridiculous dialogue

Ursa: Been a hard day at work?

Lyra: Every days been bad at the moment

Carina: I’m sorry that things have been bad at the moment

An egg? Like a pretty big dinosaur laid that.

I’m your friend.[said to dangerous alien]

It could be the government, a secret organization, or worse. 

The extravagant pool house 

Why be condescending about having a basement?

the egg from outer space

Ripley?

The alien who just hatched is bigger than a human

Banshee Chapter (2013)

James is researching MK Ultra, a program in the 1960s where the government experimented on people using the chemical DMT-19. Everyone who took the drug experienced the same phenomenon. 

When James discovers a contact who can provide him with the drug, he decides to take it while a friend films him.  He tells his friend if anything happens to him, to make sure his book gets finished.  At first everything is normal, but then James starts to hear noises.  The cameraman also hears the noises so seems it’s got nothing to do with the experiment.  But then James face gets distorted and he disappears. The cameraman is later by the police as he’s wandering around but he vanishes three days later.

Anne, who has been friends with James since college, wants to know what happened to him. She heads to his home and finds the police have not gathered evidence. His notebooks, his manuscript, and a tape on MK Ultra are all all within view.  She discovers the broadcast James heard can only be found in the desert on certain nights. So she heads out into the middle of nowhere to see if she can pick it up. When she does, she ends up scared of something in the dark.

When she finds Thomas Blackburns name, she calls about MK Ultra but he hangs up.  Anne goes to his house and gains entry with a ruse. But he’s not stupid and next thing you know she feels odd and he tells her he’s dosed her with DMT-19. Now Anne wants to solve the mystery before something happens to her, but odd things are starting to happen.

This movie starts slow, then I got really interested in it, but once Anne and Thomas started driving around, it slowed down again and I lost interest in how it ended. Blackburn is a Hunter S. Thompson figure, with some situations seemingly taken out of Thompson’s life.

 

The Final Terror (1986)

A group of forest rangers heads into the forest for a couple days to do some clean up, with plans to be picked by down river. Their driver is an odd guy, kind of menacing and screaming in their faces.  They think he’s a weirdo and refuse his advice of going to a different part of the river..

The first night around the campfire a story is told about a woman who escaped from an asylum and now lives in the woods and murders people. One of the guys scares the others and the driver decides to leave, which is just as well as they don’t like him.   

They wake the next day to find one of their group missing in what turns out to be a prank gone wrong.  After splitting up to search the woods, they regroup. But not only have they not found him, two of the others don’t come back.

As they becomes convinced someone else is in the woods, they make plans to attack a dilapidated cabin where they think their friends are being held.  They also formulate plans on how to catch the killer.  

This movie is different from many slashers in that the group decides to take action rather than splitting up and running away to save themselves.  They have a Vietnam vet in their midst which helps in their combat and planning, although he’s high on mushrooms he found in the cabin so he’s not at his best.

The amazing part of this movie is the killer’s camouflage.  The killer is in the shot but blends in with the rocks, trees and grass. You don’t know he’s there until he stands up or moves.   The movie also has some well known actors prior to their big breaks - Daryl Hannah, Adrian Zmed, and Rachel Ward. Heck, most of the cast is recognizable from other movies, even if their names aren’t.

Ridiculous yet accurate dialogue

"If you people want to survive this, you better start looking and thinking like a forest."

976-EVIL (1991)

After creepy teacher and coed serial killer Grubeck gets the ability to astral project, motorcycle bad boy Spike has a chance meeting at a diner with Robin, a coed who is also the police chiefs daughter.  The two team up to try to stop Grubeck from his astral projecting murdering ways.

I had a hard time getting through this one. It was fairly slow moving and never got interesting.  Their premise for stopping Grubeck is to lure his astral body away so that when they kill him physically, he’ll have no where to return. But wouldn’t that just keep him roaming indefinitely and mean he could keep killing whoever he wanted since he wasn’t on the physical plane?

Best cliched horror movie dialogue:

This isn’t funny anymore, guys.

Godforsaken (2020)

When Lisa sits up during her funeral, the mourners run from the church screaming. At first Lisa’s mother thinks it’s a miracle but after she gets closer, she shouts it’s not Lisa, at which point Lisa runs out of the church and disappears.

Chad was outside the church but ran inside to get footage of the chaos when he saw people stream out in a panic.He convinces his friends Katie and Dom this would be a great subject for a documentary.  He grew up in town and knew Lisa and her mother. 

Chad’s mother was the minister at the funeral but doesn’t want to talk about what happened. She tells him the town isn’t happy with the attention, but Chad ignores this and they go to see Lisa’s mom anyway. When no one answers, Chad walks in since the door is unlocked and he knows the family. When Lisa’s mom sees them, she angrily runs at them and chases them out.

After going to a bar to drink and insert themselves into the documentary, they head home. They stop to talk to wheelchair bound Chris who is on his porch. When Lisa shows up across the street, the group scatters but Lisa follows Chris into his home. After some shouting, Chad goes back to see if Chris is okay since that’s good footage for the documentary. Chris walks out claiming Lisa has cured him.

News of the cure spreads and people with afflictions start coming to commune with Lisa, who is in Chris’s parents dank basement and eating cats in payment. Everyone comes out happy and cured, other than the local priest, police and EMTs who comes running out and drive off in a panic.  The cured seem to be like a cult, putting up large symbols on their lawns and telling everyone to join them.  

Chad thinks they need to visit with Lisa to figure out what she’s doing. His mother decides she’ll do it since the local priest recently died in a horrible manner and she feels compelled to prove Lisa is not God.  But unlike the others who are cured by Lisa, Chad’s mom comes out a basket case, screaming, crying and saying Lisa is God. Chad wants to get his Mom help, but she says Lisa won’t let her go anywhere. This leads to a number of frustrating scenes where Mom tells him he doesn’t know what happened in there, but  she doesn’t expand on it and Chad doesn’t ask what happened. 

While it’s pretty clear that Lisa isn’t God, the latter part of the movie makes an abrupt change and switches course.  It goes from Chad and his friends doing a documentary on what’s happening to trying to survive those who support Lisa. Because everyone in town who’s seen Lisa seems hellbent on murdering those who haven’t.

The last twenty minutes of the film are filled with screaming. While it may be realistic for people to scream while being chased, it is annoying as hell to listen to in a movie. You just want them to shut the hell up and stop screeching. Also if people are trying to kill you, maybe don’t screech and yell since it will help them pin point where you are located.  

This is another film where someone is hides in the dark and doesn’t shut off the light on their freaking camera.  And when you’ve convinced yourself that must be the only way he can see in the dark, he turns on his night vision. AAAARGH!!  So first part of the movie was decent, but the last part was meh since there was never an explanation and it was just shaky cam and yelling. 

Ridiculous dialogue

Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention for one second? Chad is back!

Guys I think something went wrong here.

It’s all fun and games until a demon takes over the town

When she’s stabbed, they don’t call 911, try to stop the bleeding,
or attempt any first aid. They just cry and put a tablecloth over her.

The crossed eyes make this scene unintentionally funny

He’s hiding in the dark from lunatics trying to kill him,
 but does not turn off the light on his camera.

Last of the Grads (2021)

Emma and her friends are graduating soon which means it’s time for the senior bash.  The school has kids sign in and then they can dance, watch movies and spend the night.  Do schools really do this? It seems like a nightmare in liability and supervision, although it seems like there’s only one older teacher manning the sign in station and no one with the students.  The kids look too old for high school and if you told me Emma’s brown haired friend was playing her mother, I wouldn’t even blink.

While they refer to it as a lock in, these kids sure seem to be outside a lot.  That’s unfortunate since the Coast to Coast killer is in town and heading their way.  The police are around but they’re not that great since the one near the school is easily dispatched.  

The killer easily dispatches everyone he meets and walks into the building through an unlocked door. At one point, a student gets  water boarded but never tries to remove the washcloth. He’s got a free hand but he just bangs on the shower wall, rather than reaching up and pulling the washcloth off his face.

Part way through the movie, we started feeling like the movie was written by AI.  I guess it wasn’t, but there’s an odd feel to the dialogue at points.

Hell House III: Lake of Fire (2019)

After the disasterous Hell House and the other disappearances at the Abaddon, the building is scheduled to be destroyed. But rich guy Russell Wynn purchases it and plans to perform his hit play Insomnia in the building. It’s referred to as Faust with a modern twist, so you know he’s a snob.

Vanessa, the new host of Modern Mysteries, is invited to the hotel to film. She’s got behind the scenes access. So she’s excited to watch the cast and crew get ready and film on opening night.  

The cast aren’t concerned about the prior documentaries or creepy stuff that happened in the house.  Well, not until they start having unnerving experiences of their own. While one crew member leaves, another is convinced to stay by a huge pay increase.

They’re crazy to go into this building where everyone dies or disappears, but even more importantly, how are they’re doing a play in a house?  Will the actors move from room to room?  Does the audience follow them around and how will they fit in the rooms as the actors say their lines? How do they see the entire play and not just pieces of it? It doesn’t sound very appealing, but they are filming everything so maybe you’ll have to watch it online after you leave. And you can be sure they’ll charge you again.

As with everything that happens at the Abaddon, things go horribly wrong and people die. Stop going to this hell house!

Self aware dialogue

I haven’t seen the movie. Uh I don’t know. It seemed like one of those found footage films and it’s not really my thing.

Hell House LLC II: The Abaddon Hotel (2018)

It’s been two years since the deaths at Hell House. Other people have gone in to investigate, get views for social media, grab a souvenir, or for a dare. They’ve all disappeared.  Now Jessica and her team want to determine if the Hell House documentary is real or fake.

Jessica pressures Mitchell, the only member of the news team who didn’t disappear, into going in with her. She figures since he edited the film for the documentary, he would know the house inside and out. Jessica, Mitchell and a cameraman head in, while leaving Molly outside in case anything goes wrong.  Attention seeking psychic Brock and his cameraman show up unexpectedly and enter with them, but go off on their own once inside.

Jessica wants to go to the basement since there are supposed to be videos and photos in a fridge down there. Mitchell isn’t happy about this, but goes along with it.  Shortly afterwards Molly shows up asking why they called her in when she was clear she didn’t want to be inside. The problem is they never called her. Oh damn, that creepy house is at it again.   Oh Molly you and the rest of the crew are doomed.

This isn’t as good as the first film, but still good compared to most found footage movies. One reveal is footage of Alex from he first movie talking about how he lost all their money and Hell House is the way to get the money back.  So confirmation Alex is a jerk.

Ridiculous dialogue

I’d like to point out, and I think it’s important to clarify for the audience, that these four individuals who have gone missing were amateur ghost hunters. They were not trained professional paranormal investigators.  

Unlike other journalists, we film every part of our story from inception to publication. And we’re totally transparent. Everything is released once we’re published.

Hell House LLC (2015)

A reporter looks into the tragedy at Hell House, a haunted attraction where a number of guests and staff died on opening night.  She tracks down Sara, the lone surviving staff member, who agrees to an interview. 

Sara has never spoken to anyone about what she saw and reveals she has footage shot on opening night.  Some guests posted videos of opening night online, but the footage Sara provides has never been seen before. It includes the week leading up to the opening, as well as when things went wrong. Since this is a found footage film  you know things won’t go well for anyone.

The movie is done as if it’s a documentary. There are interviews with witnesses and journalists, varying video sources, and footage shot by the team reporting.  It’s creepy and unnerving, like when you think you see something move out of the corner of your eye or a shadow in a doorway.  The characters are mostly likable, and the one who’s a creeper is tolerable as long as he’s not talking about women. 

Unknown Visiter (2019)

Annie thinks someone is knocking on her door at night. Although her boyfriend Jeff is skeptical, he sets up a doorbell camera.  When he asks if she’s taking her meds, she gets angry and avoids the question. Well I guess we have our answer.

After she misses two appointments, her therapist calls to check on her.  Annie says she doesn’t want to go anymore because it hasn’t helped.  The therapist explains trauma is not resolved in two months, but Annie remains annoyed at her lack of progress.  No one shall ask why Annie keeps booking appointments if she has no intention of going. 

The first night with the doorcam someone makes poop handprints all over her porch. When Jeff asks about the footage, Annie says she doesn’t know who did it because they covered the camera with their hand. Jeff doesn’t question how someone could get up to the camera to cover it without being seen.

The next night around 2am, a woman in a nightgown rings the bell and says someone is after her and they took her daughter. Annie offers to call the police, the woman doesn’t want that and asks to come in. When Annie refuses, she asks for food. Annie agrees with the stipulation she leaves the porch. Once Annie comes out with a sandwich, the woman is gone

Contrary to her previous caution, Annie looks around, remains outside to call Jeff, and leaves a huge knife next to the sandwich. For someone who is scared, she sure spends a lot of time on the porch late at night.  And here begins the stupidity which involves a murder, disposal of a dead body, scrubbing the porch with bleach at 3am with the light on, and using a shower curtain for body disposal which will surely to be traced back to Annie.

This movie is shot from one angle since it’s the doorbell camera perspective.  You will be enthralled by the continuity as the sandwich disappears, reappears, moves on the plate and is possibly three different sandwiches masquerading as one.

Sandwich 1

Sandwich 1 and a knife appears

Sandwich 2 appears and knife moves to top left corner

Sandwich 3 appears and knife is gone

Sandwich and water disappear

Sandwich 3 and water reappear