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Caroline Knous
Dr. Toole
REL 1003
30 November 2015
Hell House
1. The “Hell House” is an amusement set up every year at the Trinity Church in Cedar Hills,
Texas. The Hell House is designed to portray a plethora of the ills and sufferings of the world in order
to modify society's behavior to avoid sin. Willing teens audition to take part in this frightening
attraction not only for the attention of the ten-thousand visitors, but also to portray their dedication to
their faith. Acts considered sins such as doing drugs, being homosexual, having an abortion, and
committing self harm are acted out graphically for visitors on specially designed sets. Jim Hennesy, the
pastor at Trinity Church discusses the scare tactics implied by the Hell House. Their goal is to scare
guests to avoid a life of sin and eventually go to Heaven. Jim and his family are active participants at
the Hell House, working to create the most realistic sets and props possible. Jim's daughter is even
selected to participate in the Hell House as “abortion girl” in a scene displaying the dangerous
aftermath of committing the sin of having an abortion. At the end of each group performance, she
“went to hell” for her actions while those who praised God and looked to him for help in their time of
need went to heaven. The presentation shows guests what will happen if they live a life of sin.
The documentary shows the preparation and presentation of the Hell House, yet it also subtly
shows the relationships and values in the Christian religion. The participants in the Hell House
interviewed note that they have decided to abstain from sex until after marriage. Jim's daughter and her
boyfriend share similar values in the sense that they have both also agreed to wait until marriage to
have sex. The families presented in the documentary represent a very strict practice of Christianity.
Because of this, they dedicate months to preparing an event that will forever shock it's guests. The

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House depicts these horrific scenes with the hope that citizens will relate to the events portrayed on a
personal level and know not to make the same mistakes that the actors make. However, the result is
rather conflicting. Due to the strict beliefs of those running the Hell House, some aspects come off as
offensive to guests. Shown in the documentary, some guests who were also christian but do not practice
as strictly found offense in stereotypes that are ignorant of mental disorders, homosexuality, and
suicide. The guests try to explain that the aspect of free will versus God's desires must be noted, but
Jim insists that the Hell House is primarily based on the church's interpretation and designed around
the benefit of the guests. However, the question arises: Is this too much? Will people follow God
because they are scared?
2. Based on the texts utilized in this course, I can assume that if theorist Emile Durkheim were
to walk through the Hell House, he would most definitely not approve. Durkheim, otherwise known as
the “father of sociology” believes that “religion is a unified system of beliefs and practices relative to
sacred things...which unite into one single, moral community” (Pals 106). Because of this, he believes
that the actions of the individual are meaningless in comparison to the actions of the “clan” or society.
In regards to the Hell House, it is likely that Durkheim would shame the graphic scenes and the
conclusion that the individual who commits sin deserves to be punished eternally. Durkheim presents
the idea that “the soul is the clan within” (Pals 101). The actions of each member in the society is
based on the good of the whole, not the individual's wants and desires. Also, the morality of the Hell
House is significantly lacking. The ignorance in regards to stereotypes based around sexuality, mental
disorders, and depression imply that certain members of the society deserve to die if they commit sin.
Durkheim would argue that regardless of the sin committed by the individual, the actions of the society
or group as a whole are what matters. The Hell House also puts a large spotlight on afterlife. When
each actor dies, they either go to Heaven or Hell. Durkheim believes that “while individuals die, the
clan lives on” (Pals 101) implying that the death of an individual lacks significance because the

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ideologies and morals of the clan 'live on'. The Hell House contradicts this in putting emphasis on the
individual's afterlife rather than how the society could have helped the individual thrive and make
wiser decisions 'based on the sacred'. Durkheim would likely disagree with the concept of the Hell
House and note that the clan works to create a society based on morality and because of these societies,
no individual action has significance (and certainly not enough significance to sentence someone to
death as portrayed in the Hell House).
Theologist Eliade, however, might be more likely to agree with the ideologies surrounding the
Hell House. Eliade's work is based primarily on the differentiation between the sacred and the profane.
The 'sacred' is “the sphere not of society, but of the supernatural” (Pals 272) while the 'profane' is
“realm of ordinary human life” (Pals 272). The Hell House is entirely based around how the
experiences in ordinary life dictate the response in the sacred. Differing from Durkheim, Eliade sees
the actions of the individual to hold the significance. In the house, the individuals are in ordinary
(profane) situations in which they make a poor decision. Immediately following, the supernatural
(sacred) God reacts, punishing those who have made mistakes. Because Eliade believes in the power of
the sacred to dictate all actions and results, he would most likely agree with the ideas in the Hell House
that imply that the individual's actions and fates are driven by the sacred. Likewise, theologists like
Otto who believe primarily in the power of the sacred might agree with the severity of the Hell House.
These ideas differ from Durkheim who believes in the power of the society in conjunction with the
influence of the sacred rather that the all-powerful supernatural sacred that dictates all aspects of life
and afterlife.
3. The Hell House utilizes fear to completely shock guests into a life void of sin. For some, this
might be an effective method of teaching, yet for many this experience is very detrimental to their faith.
Just as every individual has a different method of teaching that helps them to learn best (hands-on
work, reading, writing, etc.), each individual learns dedication to their faith in a unique way. For some

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such as those that participate in Trinity Church, the best method of teaching is using this 'scare tactic'.
The Hell House uses intense graphics and, essentially, threats to scare visitors away from committing
sin. However, many guests are offended by the assumptions by the church that such a wide variety of
situations will lead to sin regardless of the individual's actions. The church's goal is to shock
individuals who are currently in an infected culture and attempt to turn them away from sin. Although
seemingly harmless, the frightening aspects of the Hell House might be a bit much for some visitors.
One reason why this tactic might not work could be the fact that the severity of the message is too
much and turn visitors off to the religion. However, the scare tactic might work on some people if they
can personally relate to the presentation on a deep level and use the message in the Hell House to
improve their own lives.
One goal of the Hell House is to make every scene as realistic and lifelike as possible. This is so
that any guest could personally relate to the events taking place and hopefully be able to solve their
own problems with the power of God as seen in the House. For example, there might be a newly
pregnant woman were going through doubts on whether or not she should have an abortion. According
to the faith, abortion is a sin punishable by eternity in Hell. When she sees this reenacted in front of
her, she might find the extremities to be helpful in guiding her towards the 'right' decision. Those who
are lost and looking for help in tough times often turn to religion. Although very dramatic, the Hell
House provides a variety of situations that occur in real life in society and how the wrong decision in
each could lead to eternity in Hell. Even if the individual does not believe thoroughly in afterlife, the
concept of what is right and what is wrong inevitably crosses their mind. The actors who make poor
decisions in their scene are prompted to do so by the devil. This visual causes guests to fear making the
wrong choice. This could work to influence guests to want to be destined for Heaven and disregard the
nags of the devil in their time of need. Despite the extreme and vivid scenes, the Hell House could
connect to people on a personal level that thoroughly impacts their life decisions.

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There are some things, however, that are forced upon an individual so vehemently that they are
completely turned off to the idea. The Hell House implies that any situation that might not be
dangerous to those who make smart decisions will inevitably result in sin regardless. Visitors take
offense when the House makes implications that ignore mental illness, depression, and sexuality
confusion that are real issues in society. All of these are ordinary issues that could impact one's
decisions in a situation. Rather than shaming the individual, it would be more productive to help those
in need and guide them to salvation. The House says that if an individual is in the wrong place at the
wrong time, they will make a wrong choice and they will die and go to Hell forever. This extreme
outcome is a turn off to most guests who find this punishment extremely severe and unforgiving,
making it seem like there is no salvation for sinners. A crucial aspect of Christianity is forgiveness
(through confession) and the House fails to note this as closely as they should. Because the Hell House
makes it seem like the religion is based around sin and consequence, Christianity is not presented in a
very attractive manner. Although some individuals seeking help in situations similar to those acted out
in the Hell House may find guidance in the extreme scenes, most find the House to be a turn off to the
Christian religion only showing the negative side rather than what good God could do to save sinners.
4. Q1: Which is most effective: positive reinforcement or negative reinforcement? If the
Hell House had presented God as the narrator rather that the Devil how would the
scenes/meanings be changed?
Q2: Is this a good representation of Christian beliefs? If not, what aspects of Christianity have been left
out and how does this alter our reaction to the Hell House?

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Works Cited
Pals, Daniel L. Introducing Religion: Readings from the Classic Theorists. New York: Oxford UP,
2009. Print.

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Works Cited
Pals, Daniel L. Introducing Religion: Readings from the Classic Theorists. New York: Oxford UP,
2009. Print.