Hell House LLC: Lineage (2025) marks the fifth and final installment in the Hell House LLC franchise. Writer and director Stephen Cognetti abandons the signature found-footage format in favor of a traditional cinematic style, promising this would be the scariest entry yet. For consistency, we used the same test subject from the original film’s monitoring session to determine, with accuracy, which installment truly delivers the most heart-racing experience.

SYNOPSIS:

After a near-death experience, Vanessa Shepherd faces nightmares in Abaddon. As mysterious deaths occur around her, she discovers her connection to the Abaddon Hotel, Carmichael Manor, and decades of unexplained murders.

Where We Monitored: Shudder

Test Subject: Leah

Age: 45

Gender: Female

Fears: Coulrophobia or Fear of Clowns

Resting HR: 60-65bpm

Walking HR: 80-85bpm

ANALYSIS:

The film opens with a dark, haunting carnival sequence and the reappearance of the now-iconic Hell House Clown. A simple forward-tracking camera move toward the clown was enough to spike our subject’s heart rate from a resting 63 bpm to 92 bpm within five minutes. Unfortunately, the overuse of the clown diminished its impact as the film progressed. As shown on the FearScale, each subsequent scare saw smaller heart-rate spikes, still hitting the 80 bpm range, but never matching the intensity of those early moments.

Dialogue-heavy scenes attempting to stitch together lore from previous films frequently brought our subject’s heart rate back to resting levels. Each time, it was up to another clown appearance to revive the tension, an approach that eventually felt repetitive.

FearScale Note: Several flashback sequences, while eerie, lacked real threat since the viewer already knows the protagonist survives. Without perceived danger, the suspense naturally drops.

Was moving away from the handheld found-footage format the right call? Our data suggests otherwise. The intimacy and immediacy of found footage tend to evoke stronger fear responses. For comparison, Grave Encounters, shot entirely in that style, remains one of our top ten most heart-racing films monitored, proving that format matters.

CONCLUSION:

In the end, Hell House LLC: Lineage delivers a tangled, lore-heavy story punctuated by only moderately intense scares. The once-terrifying clown loses effectiveness, and the attempt to weave together a complex backstory slows the pacing enough to keep heart-rate readings only slightly above average.

For those seeking a truly terrifying experience, we recommend revisiting the original Hell House LLC, where it all began.

Hell House LLC: Lineage (2025) : Burns an average of 213 Calories

Creamy Clown Cookie Cup : 313 Calories

How many Fear Calories did you burn watching Hell House LLC: Lineage (2025) ?  Let us know in the comments below or on Instagram, and Facebook