Hell House

Hell House, which Trinity Church of Cedar Hill, Texas, erects each Halloween, is not your typical haunted house with bogeymen, ghosts, or goblins. Instead, congregants attempt to scare patrons straight...to the Lord, that is, with hellish dramatized morality plays featuring graphic recreations of botched abortions, the ravages of AIDS, substance abuse, and family violence. This riveting, nonjudgmental documentary follows the planning and production of the 2000 edition, "Hell House X: The Walking Dead" (which would attract more than 12,000 customers), as we observe brainstorming sessions, the auditions (one of the plum roles is that of the suicidal date rape victim), rehearsals, and construction of the sets. Then, it's showtime, complete with ghastly demons showing non-believers that their evil ways will lead to "constant torture and everlasting pain." The film does not take potshots at its subjects (who make Ned Flanders on The Simpsons look like a heathen), nor does it comment on the disturbing strain of intolerance that exists at the foundation of Hell House. Instead, church members speak to the camera about their faith, and their mission to "reach the lost" (and, over the years, out of 75,000 attendees, 15,000 have converted or recommitted). Highly recommended. [Note: DVD extras include a 15-minute “This American Life” audio clip of a radio broadcast with Ira Glass; director George Ratliff and cinematographer Jawad Metni's 13-minute 1999 short doc “The Devil Made Me Do It” (the basis for the film); a brief award ceremony segment featuring the presentation of best suicide scene; and the deleted scene “Demons.” Bottom line: a solid extras package for a powerful documentary.] (K. Lee Benson)