Hell House LLC: Lineage ending explained: What is the link between Carmichael Manor and Abaddon Hotel?

Hell House LLC: Lineage is the fifth film in Stephen Cognetti's horror franchise. Cognetti wrote, directed and produced it under Terror Films, released with Shudder as the streaming partner. It is the first entry to use traditional narrative filmmaking instead of found footage. The series began with 2015's Hell House LLC, a mockumentary about a haunted attraction that killed 15 people on opening night at the abandoned Abaddon Hotel in Rockland County, New York.

Lineage had a limited theatrical release on August 20, 2025, and began streaming on Shudder on October 30, 2025. The story follows Vanessa Shepherd, the sole survivor from Hell House LLC III: Lake of Fire. Two years later, she is haunted by visions of the demonic clown. The death of her friend Bobby brings her back to Abaddon. She teams up with researcher Alicia to investigate connections between the hotel and Carmichael Manor through family history and cult artefacts.

Cast includes Elizabeth Vermilyea as Vanessa Shepherd, Searra  Sawka as Alicia Cavalini, Mike Sutton as Father David,  Joe Bandelli as Hell House LLC Clown, Cayla Berejikian as Catherine Carmichael, and Victoria Andrunik as Margaret Carmichael. Gideon Berger as Patrick Carmichael, Bridget Rose Perrotta as Margot Bentley and Bo Bogle as Bobby Hopewell in a supporting role.

The ending reveals that Andrew Tully, the hotel's founder, started a satanic cult that spread to the Carmichael family through marriage and rituals. The hotel and manor are linked by this shared bloodline and curse.

Hell House LLC: Lineage ending explained the link between Carmichael Manor and the Abaddon Hotel 

The movie is set in 1990 at the Rockland County Fair. It follows a man who enters an amusement game booth and is locked in when the walls close in. A clown mannequin comes to life and attacks him.

In the present, Vanessa lives with PTSD after surviving the events of Lake of Fire. She sees the clown in visions and struggles with daily life. Her therapist and friends try to help.

Bobby, a fellow survivor, dies suddenly. Vanessa returns to Abaddon for his funeral. She contacts Alicia, who has researched the Carmichael Manor case from Origins. They meet and review documents showing murders and disappearances tied to both locations.

Vanessa visits the burned hotel ruins. Locals avoid her, but Alicia finds records about Andrew Tully, the hotel owner who ran a cult in the 1970s. Members used clown masks in rituals. The Carmichael family is connected to Tully through marriage.

The women investigate separately. Vanessa has more visions. Alicia discovers artifacts like red balloons and clown figures moved from the manor to the hotel.

They reunite at the Carmichael Manor site. A priest joins them. Ghosts appear, including past victims and cult members. The clown attacks. Alicia burns cult items and Vanessa fights back. The manor catches fire and collapses. The ending remains ambiguous and leaves fans at a massive cliffhanger without any explanation.

The ending shows the curse is tied to bloodlines. Andrew Tully founded a satanic cult at the Abaddon Hotel. The Carmichael family became part of it through marriage and rituals. Artifacts and descendants carried the evil between the hotel and the manor.

All victims across the films are connected by ancestry to Tully or the Carmichaels. Burning the artifacts weakens the physical link but does not end the spiritual curse. The final scene indicates that the evil continues.

How Hell House LLC: Lineage connects the franchise

• Hell House LLC 2015 film: The haunted attraction activated the hotel's curse.
• Hell House LLC II: The Abaddon Hotel explored the cult's ongoing presence after the first tragedy.
• Hell House LLC III: Lake of Fire: Attempted to destroy the hotel but spread the evil.
• Hell House LLC Origins: The Carmichael Manor: Showed the Carmichael family origins in the 1950s.
• Hell House LLC: Lineage: Links both sites through Tully's cult and bloodlines.

Stephen Cognetti said in a io9 interview:

“I am done with Hell House, but that was never to be misconstrued as the story being finished. And I think that was where a lot of confusion came in when people saw the ending of Lineage [during its theatrical run]. I think they were expecting something more wrapped up. For people that are going to see it on Shudder for the first time, just know that not everything is going to be wrapped up into a nice bow at the end.”

He added-

 “I’ve had so much fun making [the Hell House LLC movies]. It is my intention to stop making them, not for the story to end.”

Reviews for this last movie in the franchise are mixed. Some praise the lore connections and clown scenes. Others criticise slow pacing and too much talking. The average score is around 40%.

Fans can watch Hell House LLC: Lineage streaming on Shudder, Prime Video and AMC+.

Stay tuned for more such updates!