La campana del infierno

I saw this movie when I was about 10 years old on an episode of Shock Theater that aired in Georgia. That would have been in the late 70's. I was at an all-girl slumber party, and the last one awake when it came on TV. Talk about a creepy mix of midnight horror at the age of pre-teen sexual awakening. This movie has stuck with me all these years, and has to be one of the more oddly erotic horror movies that I've encountered. I remember John's bedroom being painted red and having a very erotic, yet unhinged feel to it. And the parts with the girls tied up; I was mesmerized. Maybe it just touched the deranged part of myself. ;o)

This is a true unique creepy movie of the early 70's. No Hollywoodtrash, pure sickening. Scene's at an abattoir, incest, rape and that with no blood and almost no nudity. Excellent how this movie takes you to the end, a bit slow the first half but then suddenly it all start moving in the Italian way, sometimes it made me remind of 'The beyond'. Beautiful filmed and great performances. Weird how an open door and some fog combined with "frere jacques" can make your flesh creep. If you can stand animal cruelty search the full uncut of this one, I can't tell if the DVD release is uncut. You will stick until the end...

I saw this film several times on the late night local movie when I was a kid back in the 70's. With a title like 'A Bell From Hell' you would expect the worst, but it is actually a highly entertaining little Spanish horror film. The plot concerns a man returning home from an asylum bent on taking revenge on those that put him there. These revenge scenes are both horrific and comical-sort of in the tradition of "Dr. Phibes" and "Theatre of Blood"-minus the great Vincent Price! Still, the performances are above average and the plot has not one sleepy moment in it...and watch out for the ironic twist of a finale-you won't see this one coming! Not to be missed-if you can find it.

This mythical film "La Campana del Infierno" (The Bell Of Hell) is a psychological thriller more than a Spanish Fantaterror film. Brilliantly directed by Claudio Guerin , resulted to be a damned picture , specially when turned out to be his untimely swan song since he died by mysteriously fall or jumped to his death from the central bell tower constructed for the movie and being eventually completed by distinguished fellow Juan Antonio Bardem . This near-legendary Euro-Cult item deals with an insane inmate of an asylum (Renaud Verley) is released and returns home for vengeance on his aunt (Viveca Lindfors) and her three daughters (Maribel Martín, Nuria Gimeno, Christina Von Blanc) who had him declared crazy in order to take his inheritance . The young man punishes his aunt and three daughters , with bees and hooks . Who will escape the terror ? . The most shocking horror of all time is finally here ¡

Thrilling as well as elegant film that contains suspense , intrigue ,cutting-edge set pieces and some terror elements . In 1973 Guerin produced and directed this French-Spanish film titled Bell from Hell (La cloche de l'enfer in France), a horror story , highly valued in its period . Guerin in a penetrating style makes a highly appropriate and bright filmmaking , he invite us into an active participation of a cruel game in which the protagonist seeks a peculiar vendetta . A few elements well developed he manages to create a mysterious atmosphere , a mixture among magical dreamlike scene of three sisters entry through the fog, and, of course without giving up a certain amount of cruelty and eroticism ; adding a touch fantasy . Interesting , suspenseful story and screenplay well written by prolific Santiago Moncada . Atmospheric as well as evocative cinematography by Manuel Rojas , filmed on location in Noia, Padrón,Betanzos ,Coruña, Galicia, and Estudios Roma, Madrid, Spain (interiors) . Very good support cast such as Viveca Lindfors , Tito Garcia , Erasmo Pascual as a priest and the extraordinary participation of Alfredo Mayo as a lewd old man , among others. Strange as well as adequate musical score by Adolfo Waitzman .

This very hard to find motion picture was stunningly directed by Claudio Guerin , realizing a personal staging . He had previously directed shorts , documentaries and his first film titled ¨House of the Doves¨ with Carmen Sevilla and Ornella Muti . However his sad and mysterious death cut his promising career . As he died in an accident during the filming of his second movie . In Noya church had built a second bell tower attached to a passage of real wood . Preparing a complicated plan, Guerin wanted to jump from the catwalk to a cantilever of the church, but lost his balance and fell into the void from twenty meters high ; died before reaching the hospital . Distinguished director Juan Antonio Bardem completed filming the last sequence about 7 minutes .

For much of the time this is a most effective and perverse little horror but there are wayward moments and I am not convinced by the ending. However we have to remember that the poor director died after a fall from the infamous bell tower on the last day of shooting so probably didn't have too much input himself after that! As with much European shock/horror of this period the plot is a little lacking but this one has a most unusual look and feel constantly surprising us as we witness the past and present of a lad who may have been forced into madness by his mother's sister so she could keep the inheritance for herself and her three daughters. Well, all four of them are treated to some tasty revenge before the final denouement and if it doesn't all make complete sense it is a good ride with more than the odd reference to youth disaffection of the time and the lingering effects of Franco who was to live one more year.