A young man named John is released from a mental asylum on parole, and vows revenge on his aunt and cousins who had falsely accused him of being insane in order to cheat him out of his inheritance. Well, that description barely scratches the surface of what lies in wait for the curious viewer of this obscure psychological horror.

The film begins with ominous shots of the titular bell – a recently restored church bell which is being returned along the long and winding roads on the back of a horse-drawn cart. Throughout the film, we see the bell’s progress to it’s eventual destination, the town’s church tower. But what is it’s significance in the film? Watch and find out!

Our protagonist is John, just released from a mental asylum and plotting murderous revenge on his aunt and her three daughters. We know that he’s planning murder because he goes to an abattoir to learn how to slaughter animals, telling the foreman that he’s learnt all he needs when he quits a few days later (By the way, the scenes in the abattoir are not for the squeamish as they do feature real animal slaughter).

John is an enigmatic character who is able to blend back in with his aunt despite the animosity between them. The film spends a lot of time exposing the dynamics between them, which unfortunately hurts the film’s pacing. However we are treated to many scenes of John acquiring various artefacts he plans to use – some of which are very perplexing indeed, as the viewer isn’t privy to his plans.

The Bell From Hell has a rather slow pace, but it is packed with atmosphere and a real sense of foreboding. The film’s coastal location gives the film an interesting look, as a lot of scenes by the cliffs are shrouded in mist and fog. That fog is utilised best when John tells a spooky story to a visitor to his aunt’s house, a tale which has an excellent punchline.

The finale of the film is fantastic, and veers into a direction that you just will not anticipate, adding a layer of Edgar Allan Poe–like macabre terror to the proceedings. In addition, the way that ending is presented, allowing the viewer to imagine both the inevitable and the impossible at the same time, is quite different to any other film I’ve seen.

The Bell From Hell benefits from it’s own obscurity when watching it. Having no fore-knowledge of the film or familiarity with the cast meant I had absolutely no idea where it would lead. The film was directed by Claudio Guerin. It was unfortunately to be his last, as in a macabre twist, Claudio died on the last day of shooting, falling from the bell tower featured in the film!

Review by Mike Parkin