Hell House

George Ratliff's 2001 documentary follows the Hell House staged every October by a church in Cedar Hill, Texas. In this walk-through theatre, built as an alternative to Halloween, teenagers act out scenes of abortion, drugs, homosexuality and suicide; visitors move from room to room and come out at the end in a prayer room. Ratliff's choice is to withhold comment: the camera sits in rehearsal meetings, casting sessions and family kitchens, with no voice-over. Rather than judging the content of the show, the method also makes visible the sincerity of the people building it, and that is where the film's real tension comes from. Some of the scenes are uncomfortable to watch. Who it's for: viewers curious about American evangelical culture and observational documentary. Who it's not for: anyone wanting an explicit critical position, or avoiding staged depictions of abortion, suicide and sexual violence.