‘Hell House LLC Origins: The Carmichael Manor’ (2023) Takes The Found Footage Franchise To A New Level Of Fear

Ghosts and stories of the paranormal have piqued the interest of the human race for centuries. The glimmer of hope that there is something on the other side, something beyond death, has made these stories that much more attention grabbing for all of those who enjoy them. There of course is the terrifying side of ghost stories that provide a chill down our spines, whether it is sitting around a campfire or watching them on the big screen. The feeling of something you can’t see peaking around the corner, over your shoulder or even standing behind you adds an extra sense of horror anytime the hair on the back of your neck stands up, making you want to glance behind you.

Recently I had the chance to feel all of these terrified feelings and then some when I got a chance to watch the newest addition to the Hell House LLC franchise with the 4th installment ‘Hell House LLC Origins: The Carmichael Manor’ from Terror Films. This movie stars Bridget Rose Perrotta, Destiny Leilani Brown, James Liddell, Gideon Berger, Cayla Berejikian, Victoria Andrunik, Searra Sawka, and Michael Caprioli. The movie is written/directed by Stephen Cognetti, who is responsible for bringing us the original 3 movies in the franchise. It is also produced by the very talented Joe Bandelli, Joe Dain, Jim Klock, and Angie Moyer. The synopsis for this movie is as follows:

“In 2021, a group of internet sleuths travel to the remote Carmichael Manor, deep in the woods of Rockland County, New York. It is the site of the infamous 1989 Carmichael family murders that have gone unsolved to this day. What they discover are secrets that have been hidden away for decades and a terror that has been lurking in the shadows long before Hell House.”

As someone who is not only a HUGE fan of found footage horror, but also a fan of the ‘Hell House LLC’ franchise, this movie exceeded all expectations. It has been awhile since I have seen something so scary that has made me want to look for a safe place to avert my eyes. This movie is not just scary, but it has a lot of immersive storylines to it that holds it’s own, but also links back to the classic ‘Hell House LLC’ movies before it. The story is very well written by Stephen Cognetti, who has always shown his true talents of writing haunted horror with the previous 3 movies in the Hell House LLC franchise.

The movie revolves around Margot Bentley (portrayed by Bridget Rose Perrotta), an internet sleuth looking to solve the cold case around the 1989 family murders that happened within the walls of the Carmichael Manor. She brings along her career driven girlfriend Rebecca Vickers (portrayed by Destiny Leilani Brown) and Margot’s troubled brother Chase Bentley (portrayed by James Liddell) to help film her investigation into this mystery.

Right off the bat I will say that this movie is beautifully cast. The newcomers Bridget Rose Perrotta and Destiny Leilani Brown completely took their roles, ran with it and went way above what was expected of them. They truly play off of each other in a way that would have you believe these two were dating before auditioning for the movie. Their beyond the average range of acting between themselves, the situations within the movie and their co-star James Liddell shows us that they will all continue to be amazing additions to the horror film industry for many years to come. Of course, not leaving James Liddell out of the loop with those great compliments mentioned about his co-stars, as he takes the role of the troubled yet ambitious brother of Margot to a level that makes you immersed in the story of the movie as much as Bridget and Destiny.

The foundation of the movie being that these are a group of people utilizing the ways of the internet “arm chair detectives” and getting a bit more than they bargained for really draws you into the story from the first few minutes of the film. Found footage has a way of sucking you into the story just enough to where you can feel that this might just be real (we all have ‘The Blair Witch Project’ and the police investigation tapes you could rent at your local Blockbuster shortly after it’s home release to thank for that). The movie is also beautifully shot in the way that very much reflects Stephen Cognetti’s talent not only as the writer of this movie, but also as the director. The Pennsylvania Manor used in this movie as the main location for the majority of the movie really is a character as much as the actors are. It houses (pun intended) the perfect amount of space to intensify the fear that Cognetti is building within its walls during the filming of the movie.

This was mentioned earlier, but I want to emphasize that this is by far the scariest one yet in the ‘Hell House LLC’ franchise. There are a few scenes that will be timed just right to make you jump, because you are already on the edge of your seat with the story doing an amazing job of drawing you in. There was a few scenes that made me jump a lot more than I thought I would involving a zoom call that Rebecca (Destiny Leilani Brown’s character) has with her boss and a few scenes that involve clown noses rolling down the hallway that were perfectly timed within the highest moments of fear in the story.

Fans of the franchise will not be disappointed with a number of nods to the first 3 movies that not only are nice little Easter eggs for those of use who have been fans since the beginning, but also some that involve some heavy parts of the plot itself. There are so many terrifying moments that will make you look back on the original movies but some that will make you that much more of a fan with this new one.

My only constructive criticism of this movie is that I wish it was longer. It didn’t feel rushed by any means, but being so heavily invested in the story that the end of the 98 minute run time of the movie left me wanting more. Thankfully, that was gifted to those watching the movie as there is quite the awesome stinger scene after the credits that I won’t spoil, but expect to be thrilled, terrified and gleeful at the future of the next chapter of the franchise. Here is hoping we get a special edition blu-ray with plenty of extra scenes.

‘Hell House LLC Origins: The Carmichael Manor’ from Terror Films will be available exclusively on Shudder October 30th. Be sure to check out my podcast ‘I Love Horror’ for interviews with actress Bridget Rose Perrotta, producer Joe Bandelli and an upcoming episode with actress Destiny Leilani Brown, as well as some other surprise guests from the movie. The ‘I Love Horror’ podcast is available on all podcast platforms. Subscribe to the podcast and follow the podcast’s Instagram page @I_Love_Horror_Podcast for more great guests within the world of horror movies.

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