Book eight in Unnerving’s Rewind or Die series comes from Lisa Quigley, best known as one of the hosts of the Ladies of the Fright podcast. Hell’s Bells marks Quigley’s debut novella and it is a doozy. We’re introduced right away to a cast of teenage girls who are remarkably easy to keep track of. This may sound small, but I often find myself struggling to keep multiple characters straight when they’re thrust upon me all at once. Quigley does a great job of establishing personality traits and quirks so that the reader is able to settle in and enjoy the storytelling, rather than being confused. The characters are developed and fleshed out in a way not often seen in a 140 page novella.

At the time I was reading this book, I also got sucked into a three-part episode of This is Horror with the author. The subject matter presented in this book, namely themes of Christianity, devotion, satanic panic, and the like stand on their own, and are investigated in complex, yet real-life ways. This book would have captivated my attention regardless, but hearing the story of Quigley’s early life tied in so much with her fiction. I don’t believe you need to read an author’s interviews to get their work, but for me, the podcast was the perfect companion piece to the book.

As I’ve mentioned countless times, well at least 7, the Rewind or Die series sets out to give us a literary version of B-movie horror. The reader goes in expecting to have a good time and be entertained. You may not expect to leave with existential questions, but hey, it could happen. There was one matter presented regarding history being written by the winners that has had my brain going for days since I finished this book in two sittings. I think most of us can agree with that concept, but I never thought to apply it to religion. 

Most of the story is told over the course of a very short period of time. While it works, it felt different to me. I’ve developed this idea of a novella following the characters and events over a certain period of time. When it mainly gets packed into a few hours, the narrative has to work outside of a traditional manner. I don’t mean this to sound like a complaint, because in reality it lends the book a unique way of working, but some readers may find it strange.

Lastly, I couldn’t very well write a review of this book that left out the music. The allusions to Queen and Freddie Mercury, both direct and indirect, give this book that nostalgic feel that has worked in all the strongest entries in this series. Quigley leaves the reader with earworms for days. I can wholeheartedly recommend this book to fans of satanic panic lit, character-driven horror, and Bohemian Rhapsody, because after all - Beelezebub has a devil put aside for me.