Friday, November 20, 2020

The Mark of the Bell Witch by Small Town Monsters: Suspenseful, Spooky, and Spectacularly filmed.



To say "The Mark of the Bell Witch" is a "spooky docu-horror with moments that cause to you spill fried rice everywhere" would be an understatement, but we're gonna roll with it.


Seriously Folks, Fried Rice EVERYWHERE.

Date night in the remote, spooky mountains of Western North Carolina means traveling to civilization and enjoying a bit of modern luxury. Like Crab Rangoon, and Small Town Monsters!


Small Town Monster knocks it out of the paranormal-park yet again with a cinematically beautiful and well-paced documentary that elevates STM above others in the genre.

We simply cannot not get over how well this movie was filmed by an indie, not-of-hollywood production company. The camera work pulls the viewer into the intensity of experiences had by the Bell Family. And just when you get immersed in the story, the storyline gives way to surprising visual/audio effects jump-scares.

One thing we both appreciated about this film is that it's completely different from the narrative we were taught. Greg and I grew up in Virginia, so we were both inundated with a strong history of Colonial/Pioneer America while in school. As Coastal Virginians, every October in Elementary School we were taught the history of the Salem Witch Trials, the Witch of Pungo, and a brief history of the Bell Family's experiences. If your history teacher was feeling extra frisky, you'd learn about the spooky stories of ghost lights and witches in the Dismal Swamp and Back Bay along the VA/NC border. 

While the Witch of Pungo was cast in one light (social and puritanical issues of the time resulting in the "WitchDuck"), the Bell Witch story was taught as a menacing unknown experienced by pioneers exploring west-ward. Despite modern times, the Bell Witch was taught as a parable against expansion, the consequences of wronging your fellow settlers, a foreboding tale about slighting the wrong neighbor.

Small Town Monster's allows local historians to spin a new, different story of the Bell family events. One not clouded by cultural and social overtones of the time. A variety of experts dig into unknown details of each family member, pokes holes in familiar storylines, and visually explores the Bell Witch region. As always, Small Town Monsters dances ever so gently along the edge of forming a conclusion for the viewer. 

This documentary illuminates other possibilities, a film that still raises questions. A story that will lead you to Adams, TN to explore the Bell Witch history for yourself.


Watch the Preview for "The Mark of The Bell Witch"



Pre-Order "The Mark of the Bell Witch" for yourself on Small Town Monster's website HERE:

https://www.smalltownmonsters.com/shop/bellwitchdvdblura




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