Director:
George Ratliff
Hell House is one of the most even-handed documentaries to address religion. Filmed in Cedar Hill, Texas, the movie focuses on one pentecostal church's annual Halloween production. The camera follows the event from planning, to production, to execution.
The filmmakers did a great job of creating a multi-faceted view of what goes on. They follow different families, show us some examples of the church's service, allows individuals to address the audience directly, and give you a thorough look at the community without seeming too invasive. The director takes a backseat entirely and lets the actual events speak for themselves. You won't find pretentious edits, pompous antics, or sanctimonious commentary.
It is the kind of film that can be enjoyed by different people for drastically different reasons. Those who support Trinity Church and what they do are likely to enjoy a behind the scenes perspective. The documentary shows a struggling family fall back on faith (yet still call paramedics), a young girl describing her views on dating, and an explanation of speaking in tongues.
Those who are appalled at the exploitative and depraved nature of Hell Houses will be shocked by how casually they're handled. There is an overjoyed celebration of landing the "abortion girl" role as well as a description of the blatantly racist founding of the pentecostal movement.
And those who enjoy a good laugh will appreciate stupidity of enormous proportions. From trying to name the "official" date rape drug, to people speaking their "love language to the Lord," to their occult scene pentagram.
The one detracting factor is not the fault of the filmmakers, but of the people the scene involves. There is a small section of an argument between one of the people running the Hell House and a pack of ignorant kids. These kids are the only real voice of dissent to be found in the movie, and they could not have done worse. Granted, they were just in the right place at the right time, but they don't do logic any favors and serve largely to validate the church's view of the outside world.
Hell House is a very good documentary about a very interesting subject. It demonstrates exactly what goes on to put together such a shocking and extreme production in a highly unbiased manner.
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