"A BELL FROM HELL" (Chilling Classics 50 Movies Pack, #6)

A BELL FROM HELL

Original Title:
La campana del infierno

Alternate Titles:
Bell From Hell / The Bell Of Hell / The Bells

German Titles:
Ein Toter lacht als Letzter / Ab in die Hölle / Die Brut des Satans

Spain / France, 1973
Director: Claudio Guérin,
Juan Antonio Bardem (uncredited)

8/10

Wow, this movie pack is starting to get really, really awesome! "A Bell From Hell" is another excellent, but sadly completely forgotten Spanish horror flick (like "The Murder Mansion" or "The House That Screamed").
It's a bizarre and totally unique blend of Arthouse Drama and Gothic Horror; gripping, visually stunning and slightly disturbing.

The plot revolves around a greedy aunt and her 3 daughters who try to drive a young man insane for money reasons - but the young man knows to fight back and plans revenge.

I'm not hugely familiar with the history of Spain during Franco's dictatorship (1939 - 1975), but according to many articles and reviews on the web, the movie is some kinda portrayal of that harsh era - and yeah, the movie is full of scenes that show an unsettled, almost disturbed and fairly ruthless nation, especially the unpleasant sequence where a few men try to rape a young girl.

The movie is pretty slow, but at no time boring, thanks to the powerful direction, the fabulous build-up of the plot, the mesmerizing cinematography, the expressive imagery, and the fact that there's nearly no music playing in the background. Only a few intriguing string / organ parts and the recurring use of a haunting version of "Frère Jacques".

Highlights: the awesome acting [stand-outs: Renaud Verley ("The Blood Of Others") and Viveca Lindfors ("Creepshow", "The Exorcist III")], the hilarious hoaxes (fake eyes, faked rape, fake arm cast...), the bee swarm, the basement and the nerve-wracking finale.

Overall, a magnificent piece of 70s Euro cinema - highly recommended to oldschool horror buffs!

By the way, "A Bell From Hell" was the last film of director Claudio Guérin who sadly died on the last day of shooting. He fell (or jumped) from the bell tower which was constructed for the film.

 

 

Imdb