‘This hotel has a long history of unexplained events..’
Hell House LLC followed hot on the heels of other existential ghost stories like Grave Encounters and As Above, So Below to act as a counter to the stilted and predictable Conjuring universe. Audiences love those films because they are sanitised and safe and boring. Hell House LLC is a runaway ghost train that is brutal and nasty and terrifying. Proper horror in other words. Along with the other movies mentioned, it was one of the few films of that era to actually make me feel frightened. Hell House 2: The Abbadon Hotel reunites original director Stephen Cognetti with original cast member Danny Bellini with mixed results…
So, the first bone of contention is the plot. We are introduced to Mitchell Cavanaugh (Vas Eli), supposedly a co-worker of Diane who went missing in the first movie, but confusingly, he is never mentioned in the source material. We also see the return of Alex Taylor (Danny Bellini) who is in the first movie, but his character motivations seem different this time around. This general air of befuddlement is unfortunate, because in terms of the scenes shot inside the infamous Abbadon Hotel itself, this sequel must be seen as a huge success.
The hotel is as labyrinthine and creepy as ever, and the fact that the location is actually used as a ghost house in real life is a chilling prospect. Cognetti wrings a hell of a lot out of a tiny budget, and there are some unforgettable moments throughout that stayed with me long after the credits had rolled. Unfortunately, the convoluted plotting and some shaky acting undermine all the good work that appears throughout, and Cognetti doesn’t quite stick the landing either.
Horror fanzine Bloody Disgusting described this sequel as a “well-intentioned misstep”, and it’s hard to argue with that assessment. There are some genuinely chilling moments, but Hell House 2 doesn’t live up to its terrifying predecessor.