Filmfandave Robert Shaw, Martin Landau, Stella Stevens and Telly Savalas star in this spaghetti western mystery drama about a Mexican-revolutionary- turned priest (Shaw) who becomes haunted by his past when a mysterious vengeful white woman (Stevens) arrives in the isolated desert town he is residing in. The woman has returned to seek revenge against her husband's killer years ago, and for reasons unexplained, she knows that he must be in town. Savalas plays Don Carlos, a sadistic town bandit leader who gets in the widow's way as he tries to threaten her stay in the town. Matters become complicated when the Colonel (Landau), Shaw's revolutionary comrade now a military officer, and his men, returns to the town to search for a fugitive named Aguila – the same man wanted by the mysterious widow. Who is this mysterious Aguila? Will the widow get her revenge? What will happen to the townsfolk, who have been terrorized for years by Don Carlos and his henchmen? And what will happen to the Priest? A Town Called Hell is a slow-paced but quite interesting spaghetti western. Some subplots are not resolved, which leave viewers scratching their heads, like what happened to Don Carlos? What made Shaw become a priest and live in the same town where he ruthlessly killed the town priest? Who is the real Aguila? Despite these unanswered questions, the film is still worth a look especially if you like Shaw, Landau, and Savalas.

classicsoncall If the movie leaves you somewhat confused the first time around, you might try fast forwarding through it a second time like I did to pick up the pieces. That might clear up a a thing or two, but you'll still have to put up with some of the unresolved issues the flick has to offer. Most notable of these is the fate of Telly Savalas' character Don Carlos. In keeping with the erstwhile religious backdrop of the story, Don Carlos is crucified and left hung out to dry after being shot by one of his own henchmen. But what ever became of him - did he die? Interestingly, Savalas' entire screen time in the first half of the movie was played shirtless, but it did look pretty hot out there.There's a great scene of Stella Stevens in one of the Priest's (Robert Shaw) dream-scape recollections, that of an angel of death bearing a dagger. It's too bad nothing ever came of that tidbit. Alvira (Stevens) arrives in town seeking the one who murdered her husband, tricked out as a coffin sleeping vampire wannabe. But again, the astonishing symbolism is allowed to fritter away to nothing, even after someone offers - "Now do we kill the witch girl?"One thing for sure, the movie never goes where you think it might. Martin Landau appears as a Colonel on the trail of the mysterious revolutionary Aguila/the Eagle, and with the help of a blind man, identifies Robert Shaw's Priest as the one who killed the man in the Montes grave. The Priest concocts a story for Alvira Montes that he helped her husband kill himself so his name would live on as a martyr for their revolutionary cause. I say concocts, because if you study the flashback scene with the young and hairless faced Shaw, a man who looks like Alvira's husband in a picture shown earlier simply dies from bullet wounds, and quite unceremoniously at that. I'm open to other interpretations however.If the picture wasn't surreal enough, you'll find yourself going 'huh?' right as it breaks into a party scene to the tune of "The Battle of New Orleans". It's not Johnny Horton's voice, and it's got additional lyrics compared to the commercial version. Dropped in where it is makes it seem like a mid film intermission.But hey, if you're not in too serious of a mood, you might have some fun with this one, even as it teeters precariously on the traditional spaghetti Western fence. I can say this at least with some certainty, it's the only movie I've EVER seen where a character picks his nose on screen (a Mexican near the beginning of the film). The title of the movie would probably have been better served up as one of Clint Eastwood's spaghetti classics, but "High Plains Drifter" sounds a whole lot cooler.

marc-366 This film starts in spectacular fashion as a gang of rebels gun down the entire congregation of a church, young and old, including the priest. The barbaric nature of this opening continues throughout "A Town Called Hell".The majority of the movie is set in the Mexican town of Bastardo, which is under the leadership of Don Carlos (Telly Savalas). A hearse arrives at the gates, with an empty coffin and two passengers - Alvira (Stella Stevens), a blonde widower clothed in black, and her mysterious unnamed companion (Dudley Sutton). She is searching for the man that killed her husband, and offers Carlos gold if he will hand over the guilty man - who she believes to be named Aguila.The town priest (Robert Shaw), who we immediately recognise as one of the leaders of the rebels that carried out the massacre in the first scene, appears to have a knowledge of Aguila's identity. When the town is overrun by the army, also looking for Aguila, the Colonel (Martin Landau - the other rebel leader from the prologue) threatens to execute all the town unless the identity is revealed. The Colonel advises the Priest that he swapped sides, as the army provided better rewards than the rebels could ever offer.Much of the film centres on the strained relationship between Shaw and Landau's characters. Shaw's whiskey guzzling priest is particularly well played and likable, with a guarded past that is revealed throughout the film. Albeit a fairly short lived role (facing execution by one of his own men about half way through the film), Savalas' character is very enjoyable to watch, both calm but merciless. There are also small parts for Spaghetti regulars Fernando Rey and Aldo Sambrell.Whilst the film is pretty barbaric throughout, with the town's inhabitants showing little honour or mercy for their own kind (just ask Don Carlos!), it also has a dark and mysterious feel - particularly well portrayed by the widow and her mute protector.It is fair to say that I am often sceptical of a film's worth when I find a copy in a bargain bin or for £0.01 on ebay. I purchased "A Town Called Hell" for a single penny on ebay, and therefore thought it was likely to be a lesser western, and became even more sceptical when I discovered its British involvement (oh me of little faith, but I couldn't picture my homeland creating a western successfully). I was pleasantly surprised to find a well thought-out movie, with a well developed (if sometimes confusing) plot, and some great character acting. Well worth a view.

Coventry An early 70's western, entirely financed in Europe (more particularly Spain) AND starring Telly Savalas as a sadistic crook?? Yes, please! It already starts out terrific, with a merciless massacre of an entire town by vile looking bandits. Without knowing why, you see how women, elderly people and even a priest get butchered in a small church! What an intro!! The story continues with eerie images of how a young beauty (Stella Stevens) lying in a hearse is driven into the same town by a deaf-mute gunslinger… The coffin she brought with her is reserved for the person who killed her husband, but she still has to find out who that is. "A Town called Hell" is a western in the purest sense of the term. It's rough and ugly looking, the unbearably hot climate reflects through the screen and it's filled with despicable characters that cannot be trusted. Everyone in this town (also referred to as "Bastardo") betrays everyone and the smallest conflict is resolved with a gunfight. Telly Savalas is excellent as the bandit without a conscience, but even the whiskey-addicted priest (great role for Robert Shaw) and the greedy colonel (Martin Landau) are prominent madmen. As the story develops, "A Town Called Hell" becomes very complex and messy and it's likely that you'll be more confused than satisfied when it ends. Yet, it remains fascinating because the character drawing is disturbing like you've never seen it before in a western. This definitely isn't a movie for the squeamish, as the camera zooms in on vile hangings and nasty bullet wounds every five seconds. Too bad that most of the editing and elaboration is so bloody awful; otherwise this would have been a most wanted gem among western fanatics.