Bell from Hell - original title: La Campana del Infierno and also released as A Bell from Hell, The Bell from Hell and The Bells - is a 1973 Spanish horror film directed by Claudio Guerin Hill and starring Renaud Verley, Viveca Lindfors, and Alfredo Mayo. On the final day of shooting for Bell from Hell, Claudio Guerin fell or jumped to his death from the central bell tower constructed for the film.
A young man is released from an asylum and returns home for revenge on his aunt and her three daughters, who had him declared insane in order to steal his inheritance…
“Though it adheres to the commonly used plot devices of vengeance and family inheritance, the story is still well written and kept interesting thanks to the quirky dynamics of the young, mischievous, and darkly humorous protagonist, John. Whether or not viewers end up liking him, John is still an entertaining, multidimensional character, a man-child that’s part hero and part villain.” At the Mansion of Madness
“The repeated imagery of the village church’s new bell, which is being hauled to town and installed as the lurid events of John’s saga play out, work so well as a metaphorical motif that when it moves from a symbol to an actor in the events, it’s quite a shock. Other shots use extreme close-ups of beautiful objects in the foreground to obscure the sordid stuff going on behind it–such as thelovely, vivid red roses pushed right up to the camera as, behind them, John completes the crime for which he was incarcerated. Fascinating, beautiful stuff, and always with a storytelling purpose. When a movie’s scenery is as much fun to look at as the focal action, you know the director is an artist.” Mad Mad Mad Mad Movies
“Quite accomplished and filled with the kind of ethereal dread that foreign fright flicks often excel in, it’s not hard to see why fans and critics have generally gravitated toward this scurrilous story of insanity and revenge. But this is hardly a flawless film. Indeed, A Bell from Hell suffers from the equally bizarre circumstances under which it was made. In the end, what Guerìn intended, and what is up on the screen never seems to effectively gel. Consequently, what should have been a violent slice of madness-mired vindication is frequently too dreamy and disjointed for its own good.” Bill Gibron, DVD Talk
Watch the film online:
IMDb | We are grateful to At the Mansion of Madness for a couple of the images above.
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