| Director | Stephen Cognetti |
|---|---|
| Budget | $25,000 |
On October 8th, 2009, an unexplained tragedy occurred at "Hell House", a haunted house attraction in the fictional town of Abaddon in upstate New York. During the tragedy, 15 people, including nearly all of the staff, died in what authorities declared a severe malfunction.
An investigative documentary team consisting of leader Diane Graves, cameraman Jonathan Miller and editor Mitchell Cavanaugh finds rumours of supernatural activity behind the tragedy. The crew tracks down the sole surviving Hell House staff member, Sara Havel, who provides them with behind-the-scenes footage. Sara's footage documents the company's arrival at the dilapidated Hotel Abaddon in Rockland County as they set it up for Halloween. CEO Alex plans the attraction's layout to culminate in a scene in the basement of an actress chained up, about to be sacrificed to a cult.
They hire several local scare actors, including Melissa, who shares with Alex and cameraman Paul that the hotel is rumoured to be haunted. Expert interviews report that the hotel was originally constructed by alleged cultist Andrew Tully, who chose the location because the town shares its name with Abaddon, a demon who guards the gateway to hell. In 1989, a young mother and her daughter disappeared while staying at the hotel. Though Tully was cleared of their disappearance, the hotel's reputation was ruined, and Tully hanged himself shortly after.
The Hell House team experiences several supernatural events, including a clown mannequin moving on its own, shadowy figures, and Paul and Sara seemingly being possessed. Despite concerns, Alex insists on opening the attraction on schedule. As the hauntings escalate, Paul considers quitting. Later that night, he disappears after being assaulted by a spirit. The next day, the crew finds Paul in the basement in a fugue state. Tony, the staff technician, quits after Alex continues to push forward. However, Mack convinces him to stay for Alex's sake.
Hell House opens to a large turnout but quickly goes awry. In the basement scene, Melissa is suddenly and brutally killed by a shadowy ghost cultist, causing a stampede of guests. In the chaos, Tony is killed trying to save Melissa. Mack and Sara find each other in the panic and flee to the attic, where they find Alex hanged. Sara flees as Mack is surrounded and killed by shadowy ghost cultists.
In the present, Sara asks for a break and provides them with her room number, 2C. She also suggests that the crew enter the Abaddon Hotel. Soon after, Diane and Jonathan attempt to leave a message for Sara at the reception, but are informed that nobody named Sara checked in and that room 2C doesn't exist. Diane and Jonathan decide to visit the Abaddon Hotel site. Mitchell stays behind to catalogue Sara's footage. He discovers footage after Mack was killed, where a possessed Paul kills Sara before slitting his own throat.
Diane and Jonathan break in to see the aftermath of what unfolded that night, ignoring Mitchell's calls. They go to the second floor, where they see a room labeled '2C'. When they enter the room, they find Sara sitting with her back to them. Diane and Jonathan try to flee but are attacked by a ghoulish Sara and two other shadow cultists.