Welcome to episode 62 of The Horror Double Bill, the podcast where each week we pair two movies to create something greater than the sum of their parts.

This week we are attending two family reunions, at which the return of prodigal children exposes secrets, lies, madness, and murder.

First up, we have Paranoiac! from Hammer Studios in 1963. This was directed by Freddie Francis and stars Janette Scott, Oliver Reed, Alexander Davion, and Sheila Burrell.

Then we follow this with a return to Spain and A Bell from Hell, from 1973. This was directed by Claudio Guerín Hill, and stars Renaud Verley, Christina von Blanc, Viveca Lindfors, Maribel Martín, and Nuria Gimeno.

Along the way, we’ll be discussing Hammer’s move from horror into the world of the psychological thriller, the attempted fraud which loosely inspired Paranoiac, the career of director and cinematographer Freddie Francis, why there’s no such thing as a cursed movie, the tragic death of Claudio Guerín Hill, and much, much more.

Recommendations

A Taste of Fear (1961)

Dr Terrors House of Horrors (1965)

Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny & Girly (1970)

Tales that Witness Madness (1973)

The Imposter (2012)

References

Hammer Films: An Exhaustive Filmography by Tom Johnson and Deborah Del Vecchio

The Films of Oliver Reed by Susan D. Cowie and Tom Johnson

https://historyproject.org.uk/interview/freddie-francis/

https://historyproject.org.uk/interview/jimmy-sangster/

https://bloody-disgusting.com/editorials/3717782/paranoiac-was-one-of-hammers-very-best-mini-hitchcock-thrillers-hammer-factory/

https://horrorcultfilms.co.uk/2016/05/docs-journey-into-hammer-films-60-paranoiac-1963/

https://eofftvreview.wordpress.com/2021/02/26/paranoiac-1963/

https://brightonmuseums.org.uk/discovery/history-stories/the-tichborne-case-a-case-of-identity-fraud/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tichborne_case

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paranoiac_(film)

Paranoiac - blu-ray from Final Cut Entertainment.

A Bell from Hell (4k release Severine Films 2025)

https://www.cineymax.es/perfiles/191910-perfil-de-claudio-guerin

https://criticalia.com/pelicula/la-campana-del-infierno

https://elpais.com/cultura/2018/07/06/actualidad/1530878062_733421.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bell_from_Hell

Sex, Sadism, Spain, and Cinema by Nicholas G. Schlegel.

Instagram: @thehorrordoublebill

email: thehorrordoublebill@gmail.com

youtube: @thehorrordoublebill

artwork by Justin Parker (IG jpkr_illustration.com)