“I expect it’s Christmas. Always upsets me. Auntie…Auntie, don’t you ever wish that you weren’t…what we are?” – Kim Novak, Bell, Book and Candle (1958)
October 13th, 2024.
It was the morning after I visited my old college town (Athens, Ohio) for the first time in two years. I ended up crashing on a friend’s couch when I couldn’t bear to leave yet, even though I intended to drive home the night before (I always have an overnight bag, so no worries). My friend’s dog pounced on the stuffed ghost toy I brought him while I opened my Instagram to share some photos of an always-stunning Athens autumn. The very first thing I saw was an image from a film I did not recognize. It was of a woman with short blonde hair and intense eyes, peeking over the top of a cat’s head. I had to know where the image was from and opened the caption. The film was Bell, Book and Candle (1958), which I immediately added to my watchlist based on that single image. I watched it after I went home, finding out right away that it is set during the holidays. I had not decided on this year’s holiday horror film at that point. Since it was so different from other films in consideration, Bell, Book and Candle became the one.
It’s a snowy Christmas Eve in 1950s New York. Gillian (Kim Novak) is a young witch who owns a shop where she sells items collected from her world travels. The story begins with her talking to her cat (slash familiar) named Pyewacket about how she is feeling stuck in life. She wants to meet new people and experience new things. Her upstairs neighbor, Shepherd (James Stewart) comes home at that moment and passes her shop window. She sets her sights on him.
Shepherd comes downstairs to use Gillian’s phone. Gillian’s Aunt Queenie Holroyd (Elsa Lanchester) enters the shop. She implores her niece to come to The Zodiac, a (literally) underground night club, to celebrate Christmas Eve with her family and friends. She invites Shepherd as well. When Shepherd leaves the shop, Queenie tries to convince Gillian to try casting a love spell on him, even just for practice. Both Queenie and Gillian are witches, but Gillian has lost interest in the craft and makes her aunt promise not to practice in the apartment building or pressure her into doing magic.
At The Zodiac, Shepherd arrives with his fiancée, Merle (Janice Rule). Merle happens to be a college acquaintance of Gillian’s, and they did not always get along. Gillian, her brother Nicky (who also practices magic), and Queenie leave The Zodiac for the snowy streets in the middle of the night. While Nicky (Jack Lemmon) practices turning street lights off with his powers, Queenie and Gillian discuss the repercussions of pursuing Shepherd (including Gillian losing her powers if she falls in love). At Gillian’s apartment, they exchange gifts and try a spell with an artifact Gillian receives. The spell produces a jet of green flame, which Shepherd sees through the window as he arrives home. He runs inside to help; the family quickly puts out the fire and try to act natural. Queenie and Nicky leave soon after to give the neighbors some time alone. When Shepherd tells her that he and Merle are getting married on Christmas Day, Gillian summons Pyewacket and starts humming a love spell while focusing on Shepherd. It works instantly. In their whirlwind romance, Gillian’s cosmic interference creates unexpected problems for them both.
Bell, Book and Candle may not be a “Christmas horror movie,” but it is a unique combination of vintage holiday themes and dark magic. It has all the charm of a classic Christmas movie with an almost-modern edge of witchcraft and women’s empowerment. Like most horror films I love, this movie became known to me out of nowhere and ended up inspiring me in unexpected ways. Plus, one of the main characters is a cat (a cat played by twelve different cats in real life, fun fact).
Until next time,
Jordan
By Night 