Hell Hall (often called Hellman Hall, DeVil Manor and the DeVil Place, and originally known as Hill Hall) is the former manor home of Cruella de Vil (and home of the DeVil family) located at Withermarsh, in Suffolk, England.
History[]
There was originally going to be a castle and was built in 1898, later abandoned in 1920. However, this never came to fruition when the first De Vil went insane and vanished. The house got its name from many chaotic parties. Cruella de Vil took up residence at Hell Hall with her henchmen Horace and Jasper Badun. After her defeat, it was bought by the Dearly family.
Appearances[]
Novels[]
In the original books, Hell Hall is said to look like "an ugly face". Backstory suggests that the DeVil who originally owned it, when it was named Hill Hall, rented it to build it into a castle, but it is said to have gone mad before it came to fruition. Word says that when a mob came after him, he took off into the night with some claiming he had taken the form of a demon. Horace and Jasper sleep on mattresses in the lounge and spend most of the day watching television. The Dearlys buy the manor once the Dalmatians return, and it is renamed back to Hill Hall.
In Descendants: Isle of the Lost, it is implied that Hell Hall already existed on the island or was rebuilt per Cruella's request. The basement holds unused dog supplies and crates with the now-gone fashion empire of the De Vils. Cruella forces her son Carlos to live in her fur coat closet, treating him like a slave.
In Disney Villains: The Essential Guid, it is stated that the roof has a gaping hole that lets rain pour in, the outside walls are covered with woodworm, and that the windows have not been cleaned since 1872.
Animated films[]
In One Hundred and One Dalmatians, the property is only referred to by name from Sgt. Tibbs, claiming to have heard puppy barking at "Hell Hall". In the movie, Horace and Jasper bring Pongo and Perdita's puppies along with 84 more puppies bought from the pet shop to stay for the evening.
Not much is mentioned about the backstory of Hell Hall, but Colonel does bring up that nobody has lived there for years, and there were rumors about the mansion being "haunted, or bewitched, or some such fiddle faddle". This de Vil mansion looks like its counterpart in the novel, but unlike the books, the Radcliffes/Dearlys do not move there in the second film, instead preferring a farm. The late owner only appears in a portrait painting inside the living room.
The interior of the mansion clearly shows the degradation and decay as much as the outside. Ragged curtains, crumbling doors, dust sheet-covered furniture, a towering suit of armor, eerie silence and cracked drywall all create a foreboding atmosphere that would deter any intruder. Due to its decayed state, the manor' structure appears to be very sensitive to damage and loud noises, as seen when Cruella after threatening to call the police on Jasper and Horace slams the door so hard that it caused the wall to crack and a piece of dry wall ceiling to fall on Horace. This is seen more prominently when Horace after getting his rear set on fire runs him and Jasper into a wall, causing the ceiling above to collapse onto them.
Live-action films[]
In the 1996 film 101 Dalmatians, the place is called De Vil Manor. It is where Horace and Jasper harbor Pongo and Perdita's puppies along with 84 more puppies purchased from the pet shop. Later, after all the other Dalmatian pups have escaped, Skinner enters the mansion and notices Lucky, who was the only pup left behind due to being asleep while the others escaped. When Skinner attempts to grab Lucky, he is bitten in the behind by Kipper, enabling Lucky to escape.
The Dearlys later purchase and reside in the manor, giving it a Dalmatian color theme.
Television series[]
In 101 Dalmatians: The Series, Hell Hall is omitted and replaced by Villa de Vil, located next to the Dearly Farm. The house has a more castle-like appearance and is enormous. Whilst the main halls and rooms are shown to have red walls and checkered flooring, it contains a vast number of rooms such as Cruella's office, a couple of bedrooms, a basement, an enormous wardrobe, a laboratory, various bathrooms, a gym, a sauna, a dining room, a family portrait gallery, kitchen and lounge.
The exterior has a lawn covered with multiple of statues and a swimming pool in the shape of Cruella's face.
Video games[]
In the video games, Hell Hall is referred to as "DeVil Manor".
In 101 Dalmatians: Escape From DeVil Manor, Wizzer and Patches escape from the library and explore the rooms, trying to find an escape route. These rooms include a foyer, a hallway, a kitchen, a dining room, Cruella's childhood bedroom, a master's suite (with bathroom), the bedroom of Cruella's Nanny, and a drawing room. If Wizzer and Patches make too much noise, and can't find a hiding space in time, Horace or Jasper throws them into the game room. This room offers one method of escape, along with a pipe from the roof (which you can gain access to via the attic). Once Cruella is defeated, Roger and Anita move into the manor.
In 101 Dalmatians: Animated Storybook, the first time that the player sees the manor is during the "Twilight Bark" page, where if they click it, an ominous moon rises and bats fly from it. Players can then help Kipper unlock the gates to the manor by deciphering the animal noises to type in the password. Once inside, Kipper and the players search for the puppies, searching old bedrooms, the library and attic, looking for clues that the puppies give, unlocking secret passages along the way. The pups sing a song, "Up The Stair," whilst inside the manor.
In 102 Dalmatians: Puppies to the Rescue, Sgt. Tibbs is sent by the Colonel to guide Domino and Oddball through the area. Horace Badun is dozing by the television, which will show a screenshot of a newspaper from the "animated film" if you bark at it. Tibbs sabotages the clock to make a loud noise that would wake Horace, before the player Dalmatian leads him under the chandelier, which Tibbs proceeds to drop on him. As the pup explores the manor, they can find hidden rooms behind portraits or push the desks to make them move.
Other appearances[]
Hill Hall also appears in the book Descendants: Isle of the Lost, where it is stated to be on the Isle of the Lost, either having been there already or rebuilt there at Cruella's request.
Mal is able to convince Carlos to throw a frat party there for the other students of Dragon Hall while Cruella is away on a spa trip.
It is claimed that Cruella forces Carlos to sleep on a lumpy mattress in her dressing room, which is accessible through her fur coat closet. There's also another door which Carlos uses to bypass the bear traps security system.
Carlos also uses the basement, filled with many canine items from Cruella's plans, as his lab to conduct experiments, such as trying to get through the barrier that leads to the Auradin.
Trivia[]
- It is unknown whether or not Hel Hall was Cruella's childhood home, or if she bought it when she grew up. As it is is referred to "the Old DeVil Place" it can be assumed that Cruella's family has lived in the house for quite some time, with possibly many generations of DeVils living there.
- In the video game Escape From DeVil Manor, it seems to claim that Cruella did live in the manor when she was younger, as you can find her in Nanny's room, with a portrait of a younger Cruella, and even in Cruella's child room, where it seems to suggest that she possibly tortures animals in her youth as well.
- Hell Hall was probably given its name due to the last name of its inhabitants ("DeVil") As the Devil lives in Hell, it is only fitting that the DeVils live in Hell Hall.
- It is inspired by Greys Hill in Sible Hedingham, Essex.
