Hi all!
Today I am going to be reviewing Hell House LLC Origins: The Carmichael Manor. As mentioned previously, I really want to make better use of my Shudder subscription, so I have decided to watch/review one film per month from the aforementioned spooky streaming service. This is the prequel to the Hell House LLC franchise. In this instalment, internet sleuths travel to the Carmichael Manor, site of the 1989 Carmichael family murders. There, they find a terror that’s lurked in the shadows long before Hell House LLC. Without further ado, let’s get into my honest thoughts!
WHAT WORKED:
This felt like the perfect return to form, found footage excellence. The last two Hell House LLC films have been so atrocious, it was nice to see the prequel come through. It had many chilling moments that slowly built up to a gory end. There was such a claustrophobic feel to the Carmichael Manor, I was internally screaming: “get out!” I think going down this route was a clever move for the directors. When in doubt, create an origin story. Also, I want to add that we got more information on the lore, but I won’t spoil it for you!
WHAT DIDN’T WORK:
My biggest gripe lay with the main characters. They were pretty insufferable. I definitely wasn’t rooting for them and consistently questioned their intelligence. I also don’t think their justification for holding a camera sometimes made sense.
OVERALL STAR RATING:
I gave it 3.5/5 stars. It was highly enjoyable and worth a watch!
Thank you so much for reading! Have you seen The Carmichael Manor yet? What did you think of it? I’ll be back to review another Shudder feature next month!
Peace & Love xoxo