The word "boo" takes on a whole new meaning after experiencing the shot on video documentary Hell House. Based in Texas, The Trinity Church puts on the multi-themed Hell House haunted attraction each October, just as they have for the past 10 years. In this time they've seen about 75,000 visitors, and have had about 15,000 conversions. Yup, you heard me correct, conversions. Please allow me to explain, and if you decide not to read on; well, you'll be heading straight to HELL.

Most people put on haunted houses to try to scare the living shit out of you and then laugh about your fear behind your back (and maybe make a few bucks). The Trinity Church has a different spin. They put on the Hell House to try to scare the shit out of you and then convert you into joining their church. Depicting scenes of date rape, family abuse, abortions and death caused by AIDS, Hell House chronicles the entire process from brainstorming meetings, to auditions, right up until opening night (curtains everybody). The documentary is presented in a complete linear fashion, with some participant interviews scattered throughout for good measure. At one point we're even invited into the home of one of the organizers. We witness this single father serve scrambled eggs to his 4 or 5 children on paper plates for breakfast as his youngest son goes into a seizure! Just as he calls for help, the youngster comes out of the seizure, and you better believe it was the will of Jesus Christ that brought him out of it. Yeah, I guess so.

To say that Hell House is disturbing would be an understatement. To see 14 year old girls jump in glee and exclaim, "I made it, I'm the abortion girl!" or "Hooray, I get date raped after a rave!" is quite odd (you'd think they'd just made Varsity). These scenarios aren't the only disturbing factor here. The wild inaccuracies in each scene are truly frightening. These people are trying to teach morals based on inaccurate assumptions about just about every "taboo" subject they touch on. Don't go to rave's cause somebody will slip you a date rape drug (the problem is they don't even know the name of the drug). There's an occult scene that has a Star of David scrawled on the floor, Mazel Tov! If you're gay, you'll die of AIDS, no ifs ands or buts! Yup, that sounds about right. Other highlights include a school shooting (using a real gun with blanks no less!) and I have to get back to the aforementioned rave one final time for being one of the LAMEST you have ever seen, complete with a non-threatening "demon" spinning records, oye vey!

The moral of the story according to the church is that you're going to hell no matter what you do, unless the church tells you to do it. The church's constant worst-case scenario syndrome is a brainwashing tool, plain and simple. The problem is that it actually works sometimes. The last room of the house is a final plea for redemption as they give you the option of praying for your sins with a counselor in the next room. Maybe it's just me, but I'll be damned if a 9 year old in a black monks robe, and a cheap rubber skull mask from Halloween Adventure is gonna make me kneel down in prayer.

Hell House is quite often funny, but I fear it's funny for all the wrong reasons. Believe me, I'm not here to bash anybody's religious beliefs, to each his own. It's these radicals with their wacky ideals, and single-minded views that really scare me. It's one thing to have beliefs and faiths because without hope, where would we be? It's another thing to have uneducated misguided views. Hell House scared me. I wasn't scared by the ghosts and demons on the in side of the house, but the one's on the outside.

Thumbs up.