The Mark of the Bell Witch

Director - Seth Breedlove (The Mothman Legacy, The Bray Road Beast)

Starring - Adrienne Breedlove (CF3: Cult Fans, Films, and Finds), Amy Davies (Momo: The Missouri Monster), and Aaron Gascon 

Release Date - 2020

Genre - Documentary

Tagline - "Behind the haunting, beyond the legend, lurks the horror"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection)

Rating (out of 5):

     A few years ago I was invited to attend the premier of Small Town Monster's The Mothman of Point Pleasant.  Point Pleasant is a few hours from me and I was very excited to go check this one out.  From that point on I was a fan of STM and I've collected all their releases up to today.  A few weeks ago they releases their newest documentary The Mark of the Bell Witch.  I needed it for my collection but I was also very curious about this one.  I'm not very versed on the Bell Witch but I have been interested in it since I heard about it on the Weird Darkness podcast.  Once I got it in I had to check it out and I was not disappointed.

     The documentary examines and tells the story of the Bell family in Tennessee that was harassed by an entity.  The documentary looks around some of the rumors, the historical significance it has on the area, and the legacy of the family after the events.

     I've seen and reviewed several documentaries and series from Small Town Monsters by this point but I have to say that this one is probably my favorite release to date.  The look of the production and the topic really pulled me in.  As I stated earlier, I'm not really versed in the Bell Witch so I was really interested in hearing more about the subject after listening to the Weird Darkness podcast.  Breedlove and company really delivered with this one and I can't wait to see where they take us next.  The interviews in this one are very informative in regards to the subject.  STM interviews several local historians and locals which gives great insight and different looks into the subject.  Some even go as far as to give different versions of the tale as they've heard it over the years.  For someone, like myself, that knows very little about the subject this was very entertaining especially seeing how stories change over time.  With that being said, I would have loved to hear some interviews from local skeptics.  I fucking love when a documentary takes an unbiased approach to a subject and delivers interviews on both sides of a subject so it would have been cool to see that here.  The topics in this one are taken in a chronological approach which is the best way to approach a story like this.  Each topic moves from one to the next in a timely manner and in order that they occurred.  It works and the interviews we get for each topic only makes the pacing and education on the subject that much easier to take in.  Finally, the editing in this one is absolutely fantastic.  The transition from subject to subject and very smooth with chapter cards to explain each topic discussed along with reenactments that were very entertaining.  I've said it before and it's worth saying again, if Small Town Monsters made a movie it would be absolutely phenomenal.  Overall, The Mark of the Bell Witch is my favorite Small Town Monster's release to date.  It's informative, chilling, and beautifully shot.  If I would have watched this last year it would have been on my year end list.  It deserves your attention.