Actor Tobin Bell isn’t afraid to face demons, but he doesn’t like it.
The 77-year-old is best known for portraying John Kramer/Jigsaw, the antagonist of the “Saw” horror film franchise. But in one of his latest movies, he’s dealing with religion, demonology and law enforcement in Mexico to help put a stop to a series of terrorist attacks against children in the Spanish-English language horror film, “Belzebuth.”
The film is available via AMC’s Shudder streaming service and was released On Demand and on DVD and Blu-ray earlier this month.
Bell plays Vasilio Canetti, a former Vatican priest who discovers the Messiah is walking the Earth in the form of a child named Isa. He said it was director Emilio Portes’ enthusiasm and vision for the character that drew him to the role.
“Emilio has a very strong visual sense and he’s very artistic in a way, almost like a painter, and when he showed me his storyboards, he just had a very specific idea about the physical look of Vasilio Canetti,” Bell said during a recent phone interview from his home in Los Angeles.
Bell’s character is covered in tattoos, including images of upside-down crosses, which typically wouldn’t be appropriate for a priest. However, the character is trying to get in good with the evil forces hunting the Messiah.
“It was an amazing journey in a way, because the film is just so fascinating in that it marries the age-old tradition in that country of demonology with more modern religion and there’s such a mix of that there,” Bell said.
“There are many locations in the film where that’s evident, including the icon room [a space filled with religious symbols, statues and more], which was a pretty damn scary place. We spent days in there and I found it interesting, having been raised in a pretty religious Catholic household, to have the opportunity to rub shoulders with traditions that way predate Christianity, that go back to the Aztecs and the Mayans.”
As far as facing down demons, Bell said he’s intrigued by demonology and possession, but he’ll take a hard pass on dealing with any of it off-script.
“Demons possess innocence,” he said. “So you’re not actually seeing that person, you’re seeing an occupied spirit which, yes, is fascinating. Do I love it? No! It’s scary stuff! But it’s visceral and that’s the reason people go to horror movies, because they’re visceral and it’s not something you can intellectualize. It either grabs you or it doesn’t.”
The film, which is in Spanish with subtitles and English, also stars Tate Ellington (“Shameless,” “The Brave,” “Straight Outta Compton”), Joaquín Cosio (“Gentefied,” “Narcos: Mexico,” “El Candidato”) and Giovanna Zacarías (“Drunk History,” “El Candidato”). Bell said he spent three weeks in Mexico City and Mexicali filming the movie and was thrilled to be able to immerse himself within the culture and educate himself of the history, something he says is a big perk of the job.
Several years ago, Bell was afforded the opportunity to film a movie in Bangkok, Thailand with a Chinese and Thai crew and he was eager to soak in the culture and history. He had a similar experience filming “Belzebuth” in Mexico, which included shoots in historic locations. And on off days, they did things like throw a big paella cast party at actor José Sefami’s home.
“When you get the opportunity to travel to cities outside of the country … it’s a revelation,” Bell explained. “The artists in Mexico, down to the make-up and wardrobe, they have a huge respect for film and I was mightily impressed with that and we got to spend time at the Churubusco Studios, which is a historic studio in Mexico City and a historic stage, so that was amazing, too.”
Bell hasn’t been doing much these days as he’s quarantining at home. As a member of the Motion Picture Academy, he’s been waiting for some best picture screeners to arrive at his doorstep. He’s also a die-hard Yankees fan and since he’s really missing baseball he’s kept entertained by re-watching the 2019 World Series playoff games via the MLB archives.
“I’ll be candid with you, I’m desperate for baseball,” he said with a slight laugh. “Baseball is what makes the world go round for me.”
