Movie review
Margot Bentley runs an online group that studies unsolved crimes and strange places. In 2021, she takes her girlfriend Rebecca and her troubled brother Chase to Carmichael Manor in the woods of Rockland County, New York. The family who lived there was killed in 1989, and Margot wants to learn what happened while recording the visit. The group finds old films, clown figures, and signs that the murders are tied to the evil linked to the Abaddon Hotel, so the visit becomes a fight to survive.
The clearest woke element is the relationship between Margot and Rebecca, who are presented as a couple from the start and remain two of the three main characters. The film also places a black woman in one of those lead roles, but it does not turn race, sexuality, or representation into a lesson. Rebecca's job, Margot's obsession, and Chase's mental health problems create personal tension, while the horror comes from the house, the cult, and the clown. The story uses the couple as ordinary people facing danger, not as part of a political campaign or modern social debate.
Community feedback
Was our 20% Woke rating accurate?
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Hell House LLC Origins: The Carmichael Manor.
Woke representation / casting
Margot and Rebecca are a prominent interracial lesbian couple. The film also makes both women central to the investigation, while Chase is the only main male teammate. The present-day New York setting makes this casting believable, and the movie does not market it as a diversity statement.
12%
Woke political dialogue
Not present. The dialogue deals with the murders, the haunted house, the cult, and family trouble. It does not push a current political or activist cause.
0%
Identity-driven story themes
Margot and Rebecca are a lesbian couple, and their relationship is part of the main group through the entire investigation. The film shows their work, arguments, and fear without making sexuality the cause of the haunting. The central story is still a cold case and a supernatural attack, so the identity theme stays mild.
24%
Western institutional / cultural critique
Not present. The film shows a rich family, police questions, and a remote estate, but it does not make a modern critique of social institutions, gender roles, or Western culture.
0%
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant. The film adds original characters and new lore to the Hell House LLC setting. It does not change an established character or real person for identity reasons.
0%
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
A few online viewers treated the lesbian couple as a forced identity choice. One Reddit comment mocked the movie with a joke about making the lead character gay, and a Shudder member review called the pairing a token LGBTQ choice. The comments were isolated, while most public discussion focused on scares, plot holes, and Margot's behavior.
10%
Creator track record context
Stephen Cognetti has no documented activist or DEI record in the available creator information. Jim Klock made a documentary about race and minority representation in policing. Joe Dain produced an LGBTQ coming-of-age film, and Joe Bandelli has said diversity and inclusion shaped his artistic outlook. No director or actor interview coverage framed this movie around identity, empowerment, or representation.
15%
Production
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