Hell House II: The Abaddon Hotel Review (2018)

Synopsis

Hell House LLC II: The Abaddon Hotel follows some new individuals who investigate the mysterious events at the Abaddon Hotel, the haunted site from the first film.

My Thoughts

Hell House LLC II: The Abaddon Hotel attempts to follow up on the success of the original Hell House LLC, but unfortunately, it does fall short in capturing what made the first film so compelling.

The biggest issue I had with this film is that it attempts to explain too much of the unexplained, and that in turn, then takes away from the strength of the first film.

I obviously understand why they would want to do that, but the first film worked really well because you didn’t know much and they didn’t try and explain it too much either, and the more that is explains, the less interesting it becomes.

In the first film we had a constant sense of dread while watching it, and this dread was built up over time and we had a really good mystery element to it, and it worked.

The Abaddon Hotel shifts focus a bit, and rather than doing what worked in the first film, moves more into just trying to explain things and for me, this one was less interesting and less intriguing, and didn’t work as well at all.

While I obviously understand why they wanted to explore the backstory behind these supernatural events, it’s obviously a natural progression for the sequel, but it just isn’t done very well as I said.

The supernatural elements of the film become far less interesting, and it ventures more into predictable horror, and the more we learn about the story of Tully, the less interested I became.

The new characters introduced as well are not as good, and come across as a bit dumb. They are fully aware of the dangers that exist, yet they enter incredibly unprepared and I for one was not as invested in these characters as I was the original lot.

On the more positive side of things though, Hell House LLC II still delivers some satisfying moments of horror, with some moments that will probably get you, and even though the storytelling is weaker in this entry, if you liked the first film, this sequel will still have some moments that will please you.

While the movie does not reach the same heights as the original, or anywhere near it, it’s still quite a fun watch for fans of Hell House LLC, as it does provide some insights into the story behind the hotel, I just don’t think it was done that well.

Good Points

Atmosphere: This sequel still manages to get you at times and if you liked the atmosphere on show in the original, you will get pretty much more of the same here, but maybe not as well done.

Some Good Scares: There are a handful of moments that will make you jump, and much like in the first film, this is done pretty well.

Continues The Story: Of course a natural progression for this sequel was to delve deeper into the mystery, and even though I am not sure it works too well, for fans who wanted to delve deeper, they will be pleased to find out more.

Bad Points

Loses Its Edge: One of the biggest issues with this sequel is that it tries to explain too much. The first film thrived on ambiguity and the fear of the unknown, and it all loses its edge and becomes more predictable.

Weaker Acting: While the first film had solid performances, this sequel suffers from some weaker acting, and it takes away from the immersion a bit.

The Characters: The characters also felt dumber and more naive, despite knowing what they were getting themselves into, and it’s hard to imagine entering this situation pretty much unprepared, and this makes them feel less like real people.

Is It Worth Watching?

I was disappointed with the follow up, I was expecting more but I still got some good moments out of it and would still recommend fans of the first Hell House to watch it, but the quality drop is fairly noticeable, but despite the flaws, it was OK I suppose.

Hell House II: The Abaddon Hotel on IMDB
Hell House II Trailer

Where To Watch

Shudder

Director and Cast

Director – Stephen Cognetti

Main Cast – Vasile Flutur, Jillian Geurts, Joy Shatz, Dustin Austen, Brian David Tracy, Kyle Ingleman, Amanda K. Morales, Alice Bahlke, Laura Frezner, Danny Bellini, Tom Sibley