The legend of the Bell Witch is one of the most famous ghost stories in American folklore. It has captivated people's imaginations for over 200 years and continues to be a topic of fascination and debate. The story revolves around the Bell family, who lived in Adams, Tennessee in the early 19th century. According to the legend, John Bell, the patriarch of the family, encountered a strange creature while walking in the woods one day. This creature, known as the Bell Witch, was said to be a vengeful spirit with supernatural powers. After this encounter, the Bell family began experiencing strange and terrifying phenomena in their home.
‘Haunting’ based on Tennessee legend
She had a bucket of pig’s blood dumped over her head in “Carrie,” was locked away in an insane asylum in “The Ring Two” and watched helplessly as a ghost dragged her daughter by her hair in the new movie “An American Haunting.”
No wonder Sissy Spacek is a little squeamish about horror movies.
“I think young people get a particular thrill out of scaring themselves to death. I personally don’t get it,” Spacek, 56, said during a recent interview. “But maybe it’s because I’m older, and there are so many frightening things in the world. I’d rather have some escape.”
“An American Haunting” is the latest in a box office frenzy of horror movies — and maybe the most unusual.
It’s based on a well-documented haunting of a family of settlers along Tennessee’s Red River in the early 19th century. According to legend, a spirit haunted the Bell family between 1817 and 1821, taking particular delight in tormenting John Bell and daughter Betsy.
The entity identified itself as the “witch” of Kate Batts, a neighbor with whom John Bell had experienced bad business dealings.
The events began as strange noises and then escalated: Bed covers were pulled off and pillows tossed to the floor; family members were kicked and slapped and their hair pulled; the spirit sang hymns and quoted scripture; and John Bell was poisoned and killed.
Many claimed to have witnessed the occurrences, and in 1819 Gen. Andrew Jackson — four years after he defeated the British at the Battle of New Orleans and 10 years before his presidency — paid a visit to the farm. After some weird goings-on, Old Hickory reportedly said, “I’d rather fight the entire British Army than to deal with the Bell Witch.”
Residents all have storiesToday the little town of Adams, where much of the Bell farm remains intact, keeps the story alive with plays and tours and an exhibit at the local museum. The town’s welcome sign, about 30 miles northwest of Nashville, shows a witch in a black cape and pointed hat riding on a broom stick.
Whether they truly believe the legend or just enjoy the attention, many residents say they’re convinced it’s true.
“Most everybody around here has at least one Bell Witch story,” says John Mantooth, who works at the Adams Antique Mall, a collection of antiques booths, tea room and cafeteria inside an old school building named for the Bell family.
As if on cue, a woman shopping within earshot comes over and begins sharing something that happened to her on a warm day about 40 years ago while she and her young children were reading about the legend on a marker near where the Bell family is buried.
“As we stood there the coldest, iciest wind came up,” says Melba Smith of Edina, Minn., who grew up in nearby Guthrie, Ky. “It was very strange. I still get goose bumps whenever I tell the story.”
Dozens of books and articles — some well over 100 years old — have been written about the Bell Witch and other movies have been made about it, but none for widespread release like “An American Haunting,” which also stars Donald Sutherland as John Bell and Rachel Hurd-Wood as Betsy Bell.
The movie comes as horror films are doing frighteningly good business. Since last fall, at least nine spooky films — including the ultraviolent “Hostel” and “Saw II,” “The Fog,” “When a Stranger Calls,” “Silent Hill” and the spoof “Scary Movie 4” — have topped the box office.
Spacek, who hasn’t done much in the genre since playing a troubled teenager with telekinetic powers in the 1976 screamer “Carrie,” said one of the things that drew her to the role of John Bell’s wife, Lucy, was the air of authenticity.
“The fact that it is a legend and has been so documented intrigued me, particularly with someone who became president,” she said. “But even if it wasn’t a documented story, even if all these books hadn’t been written about it, I thought it could stand on its own as a film.”
Director Courtney Solomon spent several days in Tennessee researching the story and wanted to film the movie in Adams, but despite the rolling tobacco fields and wooded hollows, couldn’t find a place where utility poles didn’t mar the scenes. He ended up shooting in Romania, where another period piece set in the South, “Cold Mountain,” was made a few years ago.
Solomon creates an eerie landscape of dark woods and prowling wolves and stays close to the legend. But he bookends the old story with a contemporary one to imply that the Bell curse continues.
If you’re contemplating a trip to Adams to investigate for yourself, consider this: While researching his film, Solomon was struck by how many people there think something is still awry around the old Bell homestead. Locals claim you can’t take a picture there without it coming out foggy.
“At least 15 people told me stories about things that happened to them or to a close family member or friend,” he said. “It’s amazing that it has lasted this long.”
Review: “The Mark of the Bell Witch” by Small Town Monsters
Transparency Notice: I am in this movie. However, I do not receive monetary compensation based on its sales.
December 20, 2020 marked the 200th anniversary of the death of Tennessee farmer, John Bell, allegedly by the hand of a malevolent entity called the “Bell Witch.” The saga of Bell’s tragic death and the sinister grasp of terror that his family was forced to endure has evolved into one of America’s greatest supernatural legends.
Days before the somber anniversary of Bell’s passing, Ohio-based film company Small Town Monsters released “The Mark of the Bell Witch,” a supernatural, docu-horror movie that focuses on the Tennessee version of the legend between the years 1817 and 1821.
In early 2020, while discussing my involvement in the film with writer-director Seth Breedlove, I remarked that most Bell Witch-related shows use the same worn-out approach to tell the same old story, and that I am constantly asked whether anyone will ever “get it right.” A few months later, Small Town Monsters got it right.
“The Mark of the Bell Witch” takes a historical approach by relating the earliest stories in their original form, providing true-life reenactments that depict genuine human fear rather than thrills or frills, and placing the stories along a well-thought-out storyline that intertwines the story with expert commentary while keeping a solid pace and maintaining the logical order of events. The film is divided into well-transitioned chapters that advance the story in such a way that viewers can digest the story as it unfolds.
Small Town Monsters cemented their historical focus by allowing Bell Witch researchers and related subject-matter experts to peel back the layers of time and provide depth, context, and perspective throughout the production. This approach, which is arguably one of the film’s strongest points, helps viewers to understand not only important details and developments that have surfaced, but also how the legend came about, how it has evolved, its cultural effect on the region, and its place in American history and folklore. Many previous film interpretations have lacked value because they required researchers to simply tell the story and do nothing more. Conversely, by allowing researchers to come full circle and discuss their findings on camera, Breedlove and his crew have added significant value and validity to their production.
Of particular interest to me was the interview with African American local historian, John Baker. He is a treasure trove of information about the area’s African American history, including slave ownership and how it likely had an impact on the Bell Witch legend. All too often, certain families and groups are omitted from Bell Witch-related productions, although their stories and perspectives need to be heard. Kudos to Small Town Monsters for seeking Mr. Baker’s input and perspective in the making of this film.
It is also noteworthy that “The Mark of the Bell Witch” is unbiased. With the Bell Witch being such a controversial case, well-balanced research and interpretations are hard to find. Small Town Monsters presents the legend in a clear, open fashion, without trying to prove or disprove it. Viewers are left to draw their own conclusions. Bravo!
Lauren Ashley Carter’s narrations are impactful and on point, performed with perfect timing and absent hesitation or distraction. Small Town Monsters made highly effective use of paradox in selecting Lauren as the narrator. Her voice and tone make the perfect counterpoint to the terrifying subject at hand, cutting a mark that runs deep. I was also impressed with the storytelling and historical analyses provided by Heather Moser, a classics professor and researcher at Small Town Monsters. Her research is spot-on, and she articulates her findings very well. Her professional demeanor is second to none.
The actual Spirit, played by producer Adrienne Breedlove, looked intense and downright creepy, just as how I would picture “Old Kate.” A lot of careful thought and planning obviously went into the Spirit scenes and character.
The other actors, Amy Davies (Betsy Bell), Aaron Gascon (John Bell, Jr.), Thomas Koosed (John Bell, Sr.), Grayden Nance (Drew Bell), and John Bell’s hair-do, did an awesome job as well. Their wardrobes were accurate to the period being portrayed, and their acting realistically portrayed how the Bell family likely reacted when faced with their unwelcome “visitor.”
The filming, scene compositions, still shots, audio, and overall production quality are of a class that is typically reserved for household name companies with huge budgets. One of the biggest things I noticed during onsite filming was the crew’s passion for getting the job done right; they all share a sincere interest and did everything it took to make a high-quality film. Well done.
With “The Mark of The Bell Witch,” Small Town Monsters have brewed up a perfectly blended concoction of history, folklore, expert input, and reenactments, to create what is, in my opinion, the best Bell Witch film interpretation to come along thus far.
The Mark of the Bell Witch (2020)
Alongside the Borley Rectory haunting, the story of the ‘Bell Witch’ (or the ‘Tennessee demon’) is one of those stories which made a big impression on me when I was a child, something I first encountered in a ‘mysteries of the unexplained’ compendium and which I’ve reflected on ever since with a mixture of fascination and horror. But just what is it about this story which has given it such longevity? Such reach? Documentary film The Mark of the Bell Witch (2020) both explores the story and attempts to answer that question, and it makes for an engaging watch overall.
The film itself starts with the deathbed scene of John Bell in 1820, a gentleman farmer whose family had for years been apparently afflicted by a peculiar kind of haunting. It’s chaptered – every independent film seems to be chaptered these days – but the film goes back to the birth of the phenomena, from the knocks and rapping which the family first noticed, to the appearance of strange animals on the farm and then the disembodied voice of what came to be known as ‘Kate’, an entity which could apparently discourse on scripture with members of the community, as well as taking an active interest in the activities of the family. There really isn’t a story quite like this, in the sense that the Bell Witch haunting seems to draw in key supernatural tropes but then builds on them, extending them in ways which seem completely implausible. The ‘witch’ is by turns a poltergeist and an omniscient being, a recognisable ghost which behaves like ghosts are renowned to do, and then again the phenomena also encompasses cryptids, the whole ‘Indian burial ground’ folklore and notions of a generational curse. Describing all of this we have a range of local experts, authors and folklorists who offer insights as to how the story has survived and thrived as part of the fabric of Tennessee culture.
The film is decently-edited, blending interviews with period re-enactments (which largely work well, one curious wig notwithstanding), illustrations (contemporary and modern) and photos, which contribute towards the sense of place which is a vital plank of the film overall. There’s some narration too, with some accounts written by members of the Bell family being read aloud. In a nutshell, there’s plenty here to keep the attention and a few scenes worthy of a horror film. The film’s dispassionate treatment of its subject matter actually makes it very unsettling, actually, and it is still a scary tale. Some of the scenes – the point in the story where the Bell family reported hearing choking and gurgling at the foot of their beds, for example – are genuinely unpleasant; how could they not be? All of that being said, I do feel that the film’s attempts to really get under the skin of what makes this legend so enduring isn’t wholly there, and there is still a great deal of scope to explore it further. For instance, there are so many contemporary accounts of people visiting the farm and conversing with the ‘witch’ herself; was this a mass delusion of some kind? How did people at the time account for it? There are still questions to explore, and whilst the film does touch on these, there are still some points where I would love to know more.
However, regardless of the fact that The Mark of the Bell Witch doesn’t quite get to the heart of the story, it’s a diverting watch nonetheless and it was certainly interesting to hear it being explored from a folklorist perspective, as it is here. If you have an interest in the legend, then you could do far worse than give this film an hour and a half of your time.
Historical Fact and Legend in The Mark of the Bell Witch
Almost everyone is familiar with the movie The Blair Witch Project which revolutionized the found footage subgenre. The Blair Witch is not as terrifying to viewers now as it was upon its release, in part because promotional marketing claimed that the film’s actors were missing and that the film was actually recovered from their attempts to document the Blair Witch legend in the woods of Maryland. Since The Blair Witch Project was released in 1999, there have been five supernatural and/or found-footage horror films released based on legends of the Blair Witch in Maryland and the Bell Witch in Tennessee. Now, Seth Breedlove and Adrienne Breedlove have added to this legend’s cinematic legacy The Mark of the Bell Witch , a documentary that strives to contextualize the prominent legend in folklorist interpretation and historical fact.
Contrary to what you might expect, the Bell Witch was never an actual woman accused of witchcraft, at all. Instead, the legends of the Bell Witch refer to an extreme haunting experienced by members of the community of Adams, Tennessee, in the early 19th century and most particularly by the family of John Bell. So, the Bell Witch was perceived as a supernatural entity, who incidentally often had the name “Kate” attributed to it, for reasons that are explained in this documentary. In written accounts of the haunting, the entity is referred to using many names, such as goblin, demon, and devil. The documentary explains that anything supernatural was considered a “witch” at the time, and this happens to be the name that stuck: “Bell” for the family who was tormented by the spirit and “Witch” for the uncanny power and intelligence of the spirit who many people in the community came to witness and interact with.
The Mark of the Bell Witch outlines the history of this extreme haunting through dramatic reenactment, historical documentation, and retellings of the lore complemented with artistic depictions. What makes this documentary retelling so valuable is the pedigree of the scholars, local history experts, authors, and enthusiasts it interviews. In addition to many notable local historians and enthusiasts whose views are incorporated into the retelling, the accounts of history and folklore scholars and a few paranormal researchers underpin the trajectory of the documentary’s narrative. Much of the depiction of the legend is also dictated by the written account of the haunting recorded by Martin V. Ingram in An Authenticated History of the Bell Witch .
In addition to The Mark of the Bell Witch ’s chilling dramatic retellings of the major events that made the haunting famous, it is also careful to outline the historical context of the time in which the hauntings took place and to consider the psychological effect that these circumstances had on the community that experienced the haunting. For example, it examines the culture of people whose lives and commerce were centered around a river, which is in the documentary compared to something like New Orleans river culture. More importantly, it examines the context of westward expansion, slavery, and peculiar natural disasters that took place leading up to the haunting.
Historian John Baker effectively contextualizes the history of slavery in Tennessee which frames the class and community structure of this community in the early 19th century. Unlike the expansive and nominally aristocratic plantations of the southeastern coast in the 19th century, slave-owning white families in these more western communities were poorer, usually owned around ten enslaved people or less, and more often than not worked alongside them. This economic circumstance that was by comparison poorer also inflicted the wretched evil of family separation upon enslaved people more frequently than in more expansive plantations.
This contextualization is very important in that it is a key element of the framing of the community consciousness that espoused the Bell Witch phenomena, but also more particularly because it frames the experiences of an enslaved man owned by the Bell family, Aberdeen or Dean Bell. Experts interviewed in the documentary explain that many of the early accounts of supernatural phenomena were reported by Dean. Because Dean’s wife was owned by and lived with another family in the community, Dean was forced to travel at night to visit with her, and he reported intense, inexplicable supernatural phenomena while traveling in the dark woods on his own. The documentary divulges the details of his reported experiences, and in addition to their frightful elements, they reflect the heartbreaking pain experienced by enslaved people throughout early American history.
Dean’s story and all the other detailed accounts of the Bell family’s encounters with the Bell Witch are encapsulated in sections designated as chapters throughout the documentary. Standout elements of the legend that the documentary explores include shapeshifting animals such as large birds and black dogs, possessions of members of the Bell family, interactions with the intelligent entity, and general poltergeist or extreme haunting activity.
The legend of the Bell Witch is peculiar in that the entity eventually was able to speak aloud and converse with the family and with members of the community who came to witness this ability. The documentary outlines how the entity’s presence began as pervasive scratching and knocking that tormented the family, then escalated to disembodied whispers, and finally emerged as a disembodied voice that seemed omniscient in that it could tell people what was happening at any given moment around the community.
The legend and its documentation also reflect that the entity had relationships with different members of the Bell family. It liked some of the family, but it hated the daughter and especially hated the family’s father, John Bell. The entity claimed that its desire was to kill John Bell, and after John Bell fell ill and eventually died during the haunting, witnesses reported that during his funeral, the spirit was present, hanging from treetops, laughing and taunting the dead man as the community tried to bury him.
The Mark of the Bell Witch portrays these and more detailed accounts of the family’s experiences during this extreme haunting, including claims that the haunting was a hoax perpetrated by the Bell family and an account of Andrew Jackson’s visit to the Bell family farm and his experience with the entity, which is corroborated by historical documentation. The documentary also touches on the impact that the legend has on the modern local community. Local historians report that the effects of the legend are taken very seriously today—although many in the community are skeptics and nonbelievers, many people believe the legends and attribute disasters to the Bell Witch.
This documentary offers not a supernatural tale neatly encapsulated within a plot or replete with the modern horror conventions but instead an exploration of the real legend that has inspired so many supernatural films. It is a documentary for the historically-minded, but once the elements of the story begin to sink in accompanied by snippets of dramatic and artistic depictions of the tales, you will, if you are like me, find yourself looking over your shoulder. With its careful handling of the historical fact of the Bell Witch legend, the documentary gives you the sense that the Bell Witch knows it is popular, and it is listening.
After this encounter, the Bell family began experiencing strange and terrifying phenomena in their home. They heard unexplained noises, such as knocking and scratching on the walls, furniture moving on its own, and invisible entities slapping and pinching them. The Bell Witch's presence seemed to be especially focused on John Bell and his daughter, Betsy.
The entity would often torment them relentlessly, leaving physical marks on their bodies and even pulling Betsy's hair and slapping her in front of witnesses. Over time, the haunting intensified, and word of the Bell Witch's presence spread throughout the community. People came from far and wide to witness the phenomena for themselves, and the legend of the Bell Witch grew. It became known as one of the most malevolent and vindictive spirits ever encountered. As the years went by, the Bell Witch's grip on the family tightened. John Bell's health deteriorated rapidly, and he eventually died under mysterious circumstances. The Bell Witch claimed responsibility for his death, stating that she had poisoned him. This led to speculation that the haunting was not just a supernatural occurrence but also a case of murder. The legend of the Bell Witch has been passed down through generations, with numerous accounts and retellings adding to its complexity. Many believe that the Bell Witch was the spirit of a woman named Kate Batts, who had a feud with John Bell before her death. Others see the haunting as a classic poltergeist case, fueled by the energy of Betsy Bell. Skeptics dismiss the entire story as mere superstition and folklore. Regardless of the veracity of the events, the Bell Witch legend continues to captivate and intrigue people today. It has inspired books, movies, and even a musical. The Bell Witch is more than just a ghostly presence in a small Tennessee town – it has become an enduring part of American folklore, forever etched in the collective imagination..
Reviews for "The Bell Witch: From Parlor Room Tales to Pop Culture Phenomenon"
1. John - 2/5 stars - "I was really disappointed with 'Mark of the Bell Witch'. The story felt disjointed and lacked a cohesive plot. The characters were underdeveloped and their actions didn't always make sense. The scares were predictable and failed to create any real sense of fear. Overall, it just didn't live up to the hype for me."
2. Sarah - 1/5 stars - "I cannot express how much I disliked 'Mark of the Bell Witch'. The acting was horribly overdone, making it difficult to take any of the characters seriously. The jump scares were cheap and excessive, lacking any real suspense. The dialogue was cheesy and the storyline lacked originality. It felt like a poor attempt to cash in on the success of other supernatural horror films. I do not recommend wasting your time or money on this one."
3. Alex - 2/5 stars - "I was hoping for a genuinely chilling horror experience with 'Mark of the Bell Witch', but unfortunately, that's not what I got. The pacing was all over the place, with slow buildup that never really paid off. The scares were minimal and lacked creativity. The attempts to incorporate paranormal elements felt forced and contrived. Overall, it just felt like a missed opportunity to create a truly terrifying film."
4. Emily - 2.5/5 stars - "While 'Mark of the Bell Witch' had potential, it ultimately fell short for me. The initial premise was intriguing, but it quickly became repetitive and predictable. The characters lacked depth and made questionable decisions that were difficult to overlook. The special effects were mediocre, failing to deliver any real thrills. It had a few redeeming moments, but ultimately, it failed to leave a lasting impression."
5. Mike - 1/5 stars - "I found 'Mark of the Bell Witch' to be extremely boring and uninspired. The story lacked originality and felt like a cheap imitation of other supernatural horror films. The attempts at creating tension and scares were feeble at best, with predictable jump scares and clichéd paranormal elements. The film simply failed to hold my interest, and I found myself counting down the minutes until it was over. Overall, a major disappointment."