MovieChat Forums > La campana del infierno (1974) Discussion > Surprisingly Good, and Worth Watching

Surprisingly Good, and Worth Watching

posted 14 years ago by gnolti
5 replies | jump to latest

I first saw this on TV as a kid, and hated it -- except for the eyeballs part. That suggests that there was more to the movie than someone under the age of 21 could possibly appreciate, as I've discovered on my first re-viewing.

Sure, it's run of the mill giallo, and probably a forerunner of torture porn, but I've seen MUCH worse. Roland Vernay is mesmerizing as a menacingly charming psychopath, almost as layered and nuanced as Joseph Cotten's Uncle Charlie in Shadow of a Doubt or Anthony Perkins' Norman Bates.

Guerin's fusion of Hammer gothic and contemporary hip keeps the mood appropriately off-kilter and unpredictable, just like his protagonist.

There, daddy, do I get a gold star?

[–] thrillkiller-1 14 years ago

Where was the torture in this? Where was anything in this? PG-13 skin. No torture. No sex. No wicked imagery. He wasn't a charming psychopath because he didn't fool anyone.

He's no Uncle Charlie to be sure.

And,if I remember right,he doesn't even kill anyone in this film. He ends up being killed. How lame is that?

Liquor & Whores,Bitches!

I Kill Kids!

[–] gnolti 14 years ago

You're taking my post too literally. (Are you a literal minded person by any chance?) My reference to torture porn was incidental; I was mainly thinking about the final scene in the dungeon, with the women chained up. I associate dungeons and chains with torture, even though nobody was actually tortured.

How can you say he wasn't charming? No, he was no Uncle Charlie. (Again, I didn't mean the analogy literally.) He had obviously once charmed his female cousin, although she was no wise to him. He managed to fool the Viveca Lindfors character, at least until the eyeball scene.

Posts like mine were and are simply intended as spraying ideas out there. I'm not trying to annoy or provoke people. You apparently disliked the film; but then, I don't know what your standards for films are. Personally, I thought the fact that nobody actually got killed BUT Verley is the opposite of lame, and an ironic twist, given the build-up. But who knows? Maybe you prefer people to get killed in your movies. I like twists.

There, daddy, do I get a gold star?

[–] thrillkiller-1 14 years ago

Well, I had read your post and thought that you were giving a accurate description of the film. There is nothing wrong with having a literal mind. But that's just me. I do admit that Verley being killed by those he was trying to kill is a good twist. I guess I just wish that it was handled better.

And the Doll/Robotron? What was that about? He made that in prison. To take his revenge after he was gone? Where did he get the foresight that he wouldn't be around for long?

I didn't like the film. And I don't think we got the original version either. Maybe next time we'll agree on something.

Rise of the Footsoldier - 2007

Phantom of the Opera - 1998

Neverwhere: Door - 1996

Dead Snow - 2009

Exterminating Angels - 2006

Tuvalu - 1999

Night Junkies - 2007

Antibodies - 2005

House of the Sleeping Beauties - 2006

Grace - 2009

Black House - 2007

Flower and Snake - 2003

The Minus Man - 1999

Alucarda - 1975

Lost Souls - 1980 If you dare!

Dead Girl - 2008 If you dare!

This is me,etc.

Liquor & Whores,Bitches!

I Kill Kids!

[–] cappolis 11 years ago

The original Spanish version has 13 more unites which were cut fou US viewing.

[–] polysicsarebest 11 years ago

Love this movie yo.

-
Shuji Terayama forever.