Tracing the Threads of Abaddon
In August 2025, Hell House LLC: Lineage was released, and with it came the gentle promise of the final installment in the haunted-Carmichael mansion saga, the conclusion of the haunted attraction mayhem of the past decades, and the closing of the chapter on the franchise. With the franchise rooted in the found-footage horror subgenre, it was able to provide some unforgettably frightening glimpses of the haunted “Abaddon Hotel,” the sinister legacy of the Carmichael family, and the painful intersection between the haunted house attraction and the actual nightmare. Lineage carries that burden, reopens some deep, festering scars, and (depending on who you ask) heals them or bleeds them painfully.
A Return, Remnants, and Revelation
Vanessa Shepherd (Elizabeth Vermilyea) lives in the town of Abaddon and is recovering from a near-fatal encounter, but is still tormented by visions and nightmares. She is plagued with psychic wounds and visions. Abaddon is a town in the shadows of the Carmichael Mansion. Strange, connected, and deadly events unfold. Deaths of people tied to the Carmichael Manor and Abaddon Hotel unfold. The old and buried murders are revived. The film interlaces strands from previous works—the old journaling, props, the haunted clown mask, and so on—but changes in style and tone, shedding the found footage only. In the press, Stephen Cognetti, the director, explained it as an evolution of the series from a lo-fi documentary style to narrative horror. He moved from the documentary aesthetic of horror to the narrative of horror. He walks the viewer through the psychowalk.
Unlike students, whose absence is felt in a meltdown, and the emotional aftermath, the survivors deal with unresolved legacies, trauma, and the abominable task of reconstituting an identity. Vanessa has guilt. The Carmichael children are haunted by their fractured, intergenerational trauma. Lineage wants to say the haunted house has a haunted lineage. Inheritance is a large part of it with the story of Lineage.
What Fans Expected—and What They Theorized
Anticipation was palpable prior to the release. Teasers which indicated the return of franchise characters—the Carmichael siblings and survivors of previous hauntings—suggested the return of “the scariest Hell House yet.” Fans came with checklists. The film must explain the original “why” behind the 2009 tragedy that launched the first film; it must resolve the loose ends and show the Abaddon Hotel’s true origin; it must close the loop, and give payoff to the long-time watchers.
Speculation has been prevalent. One popular theory suggested that the clown figure was a projection of the original Carmichael family patriarch and that Vanessa’s encounter years later meant she had the key to putting it to rest. Another theory suggested that the found-footage style was finished and this film would wholly transition into a standard horror narrative. And indeed, Cognetti confirmed the abandonment of found footage. One user articulated on Reddit:
“I am a huge Hell House fan… they are obviously very mixed in quality I will admit… With that being said I went to go see Lineage last night… I had seen all the hype… I wasn’t super impressed…”
Some fans speculated that the title Lineage suggested that the evil was not confined to a location, but to a bloodline, meaning the Carmichaels were just the tip of the iceberg. Others predicted a final gift, that this would be the last installment. And indeed, Cognetti has said there was pressure to make it feel finished. Yet, when the credits rolled, most people felt the story was not so much finished as it was put on hold.
Describing the End—or a New Beginning
What you may not know is this was the first Hell House film not to be shot in a found-footage style. This prompted a shift in production, cinematography, and even post-production. In Colour, Todd Osborne collaborated with Director Cognetti and Cinematographer Brian Keenan to manipulate in-camera look-up tables (LUTs) designed to desaturate the colour, deepened the shadows, and foreground the unnatural, eerie skin tones of the surviving characters. This was not a focus in the previous films, since the found-footage style mindlessly aestheticised the colour. This was a bold and, perhaps, controversial choice.
Cognetti said he originally envisioned the Lineage script as the middle part of a trilogy, so when the plans fell through (there was to be no sixth film) he had to rewrite to make this the final one. This meant cutting some sequences, rewriting some character arcs, and placing more responsibility on Vanessa and the Carmichael’s. The rewrite took about eight months. The result was a more mythical, heavier film with revelations spread throughout the runtime, which ultimately created the additional pacing problem. Critics have said the film ‘drags’ in places, despite the heightened visuals.
The filming took place in the Scranton, Pennsylvania area in late 2024. The team worked during the night, traveling to filming locations until 1 or 2 a.m. Each night, they filmed at an abandoned drive-in. Cognetti remarked on the benefits of filming in the area. The extras were local horror fans, and according to him, their enthusiasm was palpable. On Reddit, fans point out how the film shifted in tone, style, and production philosophy—becoming more cinematic and less guerrilla in nature.
Unresolved Questions and Alternative Endings
Many fans noticed that Lineage seems to be more about opening threads than closing them, which might be due to the franchise’s insistence on legacy. One example is the retcon of lore with Mitchell Cavanaugh being Vanessa’s brother. One Reddit user noted, “I thought it was supposed [to] be the last entry but the ending A.) didn’t resolve anything and introduced a new location… and B.) ended on a reveal that Vanessa’s brother is Mitchell from the second one.”
This created a buzz about alternate-ending theories. Some fans theorized that a version exists in which Vanessa confronts Mitchell, or the original Carmichael patriarch appears in a closing scene. Others believe that a theatrical trim was made for runtime purposes, and the streaming version will have an extended sequence where the found-footage crew reassembles in Tully’s house. While there is no official information about the cuts, Reddit threads overflow with speculation.
Other conjectures: perhaps the franchise is beginning to expand into the larger “Abaddon” universe. “Abaddon” is no longer location bound but rather a chain of haunted location. When a feature length ‘Lineage’ is not filmed in the ‘found footage’ style and still retains the beacon title suggests that perhaps something is changing. This is also where some people expressed the sentiment that ‘Lineage’ was more boring or less scary than its predecessors due to the lack of intimacy that the ‘found footage’ style brings. others enjoyed it more than the old.
Perspectives of the Director and the Community
Cognetti also takes the mixed feedback in stride. He notes in an interview:
“The first aim of focus in the script is fear. If there is no scare then it is not worthy of addressing to me. I really appreciated the newness. I hate the semblance of repetition. Stepping away from the ‘found footage’ style was a way to bring something new to the ‘Hell House’ universe.”
Although there is the pressure of franchise closure, fan ‘closure’ was more of the film’s ‘evolution’ that is most necessary to stop stagnation. On social forums, producer Joe Dain of Terror Films Releasing engaged directly with fan backlash, issuing a post asking for “constructive feedback” and reminding audiences the film was built for the theatre-experience. Many called the move PR-tone deaf; others appreciated the transparency.
After-Horror Echo
When the lights returned, the film had already garnered its share of critics and defenders. Its Tomatometer stands at 29%, a disappointing rating given the film was positioned as the grand climax of the series. Some users on Reddit were particularly vitriolic in their assessments:
“Bad in and of itself. … every scene moved in slow motion.”
“Lineage was so boring! … They were just trying to cram too many storylines in to answer too many questions but forgot to make the movie interesting.”
Of course, there are defenders as well:
“To me, it’s not even the worst of the series … it was made specifically for fans of the series.”
And there’s the question that remains stuck: Is it really the end? Given the new mythology and loose ends, many are justifiably hopeful of another installment. For now, however, Lineage serves as the shift—the homage and the departure—of a franchise that began with found-footage intimacy, now pivoting towards traditional cinematic horror. For fans that have been with the series since the age of the old haunted house, it’s an evolution—and for those looking for the rest of the story…
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