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When ID announced the new specials, series, and seasons premiering this October, Hell House wasn’t among them. Turns out, that was for good reason. It’s not new. But it was new to me, and I might’ve missed it altogether if not for a “The Streaming Doesn’t Stop” newsletter from discovery+. Perhaps you subscribe and recently received the same one.
If not, it primarily highlighted Ghostober programming, including “Frights to Come” like The Haunted Museum: 3 Ring Inferno and Eli Roth’s Urban Legend. But there were also several other subsections with highlighted shows, including “Number of the Feast” and all the Halloween-themed Food Network programming, a “Shock Docs” section featuring the most recent releases from that franchise, and “The Cryptozoo” with shows that investigate monsters and such.
But it was the “Horror IRL” section that caught my eye for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, the titles, which, in addition to Hell House, included Very Scary People and Your Worst Nightmare. But, second, because these days people freak me out way worse than anything paranormal. The things some people think to do to each other…and, worse, actually do never cease to horrify me.
Anyway, Hell House‘s cover wasn’t all that appealing, but since it was a show that I’d never heard of before I wondered what it was about. Did it have anything to do with a popular horror movie of more or less the same name? (That is to say, Hell House LLC.)
So I clicked to find out and here’s what I discovered.
About Hell House
Here’s the series description from discovery+:
Focusing in on homes that have witnessed harrowing crimes. Bouts of unexplained insanity that ended in bloody rampages, mysterious disappearances, strange “accidents” and murder after horrific murder… all within one home’s four walls.
Apparently, it was released in 2015 and only contains three episodes. (I guess “only” is a good thing considering the subject matter is houses haunted by murders committed within them. However, there are definitely more than the three cases of this kind that Hell House could’ve covered.)
Anyway, the stories are told through a combination of reenactments, narration, and first-person accounts. Speaking of episodes, let’s take a quick peek at each of them. Once I did that’s why I added it to my list and gave the first one a try. It was a little over the top, but overall well done. If it hadn’t been so late and I hadn’t been so tired, I would’ve probably binged the entire thing in one sitting.
Hell House Episodes
Episode 1: “Murder Mansion”
It’s not there anymore, but a house built in 1975 in Libertyville, Illinois, was the scene of more than one murder. The first happened when the house’s owners, Bruce and Darlene Rouse, were shot dead in their bed one night. Afterward, the mob turned it into an illegal gaming house. That’s when a man believed to be an informant was murdered.
Episode 2: “House of Lost Souls”
This episode focuses on a house in Louisville, Kentucky, whose dark past includes a doctor who experimented on patients, and separate disputes between a landlord and tenant as well as two lovers that also resulted in murder.
Episode 3: “Greystone Murders”
The Greystone Mansion and its grounds in Beverly Hills, California, became a public park as well as a popular filming location. It’s been in everything from music videos to TV shows and movies. However, in 1929, it was also the site of a murder-suicide involving the mansion’s owner, Edward “Ned” Doheny.
Check-In
Have you ever seen this docuseries before?
Courtney Mroch is a globe-trotting restless spirit who’s both possessed by wanderlust and the spirit of adventure, and obsessed with true crime, horror, the paranormal, and weird days. Perhaps it has something to do with her genes? She is related to occult royalty, after all. Marie Laveau, the famous Voodoo practitioner of New Orleans, is one of her ancestors. (Yes, really! As explained here.) That could also explain her infatuation with skeletons.
Speaking of mystical, to learn how Courtney channeled her battle with cancer to conjure up this site, check out HJ’s Origin Story.
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I don’t believe I’ve seen this docuseries, but maybe… the Kentucky doctor who did experiments on people who couldn’t stand up for themselves sounds familiar.
I’m willing to bet the doctor house episode was the subject of other shows too, so that could also be why it sounds familiar?