The Bell from Hell
- Year: 1973
- Country of origin: Spain
- Genre: Horror, Thriller
- Director: Claudio Guerín, Juan Antonio Bardem
- Length: 106 min
Film Synopsis
The Bell from Hell (1973) follows a young man recently released from an asylum who returns home to exact psychological revenge on the relatives who conspired to have him committed. As his elaborate pranks grow increasingly cruel and deadly, the boundary between sanity and sadism dissolves. This macabre psychological horror blends gothic atmosphere and morbid irony in Claudio Guerín’s chilling study of madness, control, and retribution.
Critical Perspective
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For those who think that Spanish exploitation consists only of Paul Naschy monster mashes or a Jess Franco mind meld, I give you A Bell from Hell, a slow-moving but nevertheless fascinating film about greed and dysfunctional families. … Moody, evocative, depressing, A Bell from Hell is not a fun experience, but there is a richness behind its melancholy as the film says a lot about family relationships.
Danny Shipka, Perverse Titillation: The Exploitation Cinema of Italy, Spain and France, 1960-1980 (McFarland, 2011)
The Bell from Hell Blu-ray & DVD editions
See which disc extras are included across selected editions.
| Disc Extras | Severin BD-ALL/US 2026 | Pathfinder DVD-1/US 2005 |
|---|---|---|
| Audio Commentary by Kat Ellinger | ||
| Audio Commentary by Author Chris D. | ||
| Audio Commentary by Rod Barnett and Robert Monell | ||
| Censorship and Curses - Interview with Dr. Álex Mendíbil | ||
| Alternate Spanish “Clothed” Scene | ||
| Alternate Spanish Opening and End Credits | ||
| Stills Gallery | ||
| Film Essay by Author Chris D. | ||
| Filmographies: Director Claudio Guerín, Uncredited Director Juan Antonio Bardem, Writer Santiago Moncada, and Actors Renaud Verley, Viveca Lindfors, Alfredo Mayo and Maribel Martin | ||
| Theatrical Trailer | ||
| “Luciano” - Directed/Co-Written by Claudio Guerín |
Edition and Packaging Notes
- Severin’s Blu-ray is included in the “Exorcismo: Defying a Dictator & Raising Hell in Post-Franco Spain” box set with Far from the Trees (1972), Creation of the Damned (1974), The Devil’s Exorcist (1975), The People Who Own the Dark (1976), Battered Flesh (1978), Faces (1978), The Priest (1978), Triangle of Lust (1978), Sins of a Nympho (1979), Dimorfo (1980), That House in the Outskirts (1980), Bloody Sex (1981), Supernatural (1981), After… Part One: Can’t You Be Left Alone? (1983), After… Part Two: Tied Up and Tied Up Well (1983), Morbus (1983), Poppers (1984) and Exorcismo: The Transgressive Legacy of Clasificada ‘S’ (2024). It contains a 168-page booklet.
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Collector’s guide
Compare presentation quality and explore notable disc extras across selected editions.
| Editions |
Pathfinder DVD 2005
|
|---|---|
| Extras | Audio Commentary by Author Chris D. Pathfinder DVD |
| Alternate Spanish “Clothed” Scene Pathfinder DVD | |
| Alternate Spanish Opening and End Credits Pathfinder DVD | |
| Stills Gallery Pathfinder DVD | |
| Film Essay by Author Chris D. Pathfinder DVD |
Notes
- Spanish subtitles are provided for scenes in English not on the Spanish track.