""One day in each century, it is said that Satan walks amongst us."" ""To the God-fearing, this day is known as Black Sunday."" ""In the 17th century, the Devil appeared amidst the people of Moldavia."" ""Those who served him were monstrous beings,"" ""...avidly thirsting for human blood."" ""History has given these slaves of Satan the name of 'Vampire'."" ""Whenever they were caught, they were put to a horrible death."" ""Princess Asa of the aristocratic Vajda family was one of these."" ""She was sentenced to a witch's death by her own brother."" ""Before the moment of death, the brand of Satan was burned in her flesh."" "Asa, daughter of the House of Vajda, ...this High Court of the Inquisition of Moldavia has found you guilty." "I, as the second-born of the Princes of Vajda, ...and as Grand Inquisitor, here condemn you." "And as your brother, renounce you, ...forever severing the ties that bind us." "This inquisition finds you not only a servant to Satan, ...but a High Priestess to him." "May God accept not only your soul, Asa, ...but that of your serf Javuto, who you forced to do your bidding." "Cover up her face with the mask of Satan." "Nail it down, ...so that the fire and flames may reduce her to ashes." "And may her dust be carried by the wind, ...obliterating her existence for ever." "No... no!" "Listen, my brother." "It is I who renounce you." "In the name of Satan, I place a curse upon you." "Go ahead!" "Killing me doesn't mean it's over, ...because you will never escape my curses, nor those of Satan!" "The unchained elements of the Prince of Darkness are lying in ambush." "Beware and hear me, O, Prince of Vajda!" "My revenge will strike down you and your accursed house." "And in the blood you give your son and his son and his son, will I continue to live immortal!" "They will restore to me the life that you will take from me." "And I..." "I shall return to torment and destroy throughout the nights of time." ""As if by command of the Devil himself,"" ""...the sudden fury of the elements extinguished the purifying flames."" ""The terror-stricken people ran in panic from that cursed place."" ""And all that long and dreadful night, church bells tolled..."" ""...to keep off the spirits of evil."" ""In the chill dawn,"" ""...the body of Princess Asa's serf Javuto is covered with earth..."" ""...and buried in unconsecrated ground,"" ""...amidst murderers and suicides."" ""The body of Asa the witch is placed in the tomb of her ancestors,"" ""...forever more to be called by that foulest of names: 'Vampire'."" "Ho, there!" "Driver!" "How much farther is it to the crossroads at Mirgorod?" "A little further ahead, sir." "Did you hear that, Professor?" "If we stop at Mirgorod, we won't be able to get to Moscow by this evening." "It doesn't matter." "We can spend the night at the inn at Mirgorod." "Good salmon and excellent vodka!" "Then tomorrow we'll get to the convention." "But we'll miss the opening address." "Professor Blistanov of St Petersburg will be there, ...and Dr Steiner of Vienna." "You've been a doctor for how long?" "Three years, Professor." "My first convention." "When you've been at it for as long as I'm practising, ...you'll be quite ready to be late at this sort of doctors' convention." "Coachman!" "Stop!" "Now, please take this path." "I know it'll be shorter." "That road's dangerous." "They don't use it any more." " Don't tell me the witch is there!" " Oh, but she is!" "I fought through the whole war against Napoleon, sir, ...and I speak the truth." "I'd prefer to meet face-to-face 100,000 French soldiers than to risk meeting the witch." "Well, this will make you hurry, I think, should you meet a ghost." "Take the forest road!" "Do you hear that wailing?" "It's nothing, just the wind in the birches." " What's happening?" " The branches!" "They're moving!" "That one reached out and tried to choke me." "More than likely, you're choking on that vodka." "Now go on, will you?" " Why is he in such a hurry?" " Oh, the size of my tip, I fear..." "Oh!" "Oh, what a mess!" "Dear heaven!" " Of all places to break down!" " Is it serious?" "No, no." "Fortunately, it just slipped out of the socket." "I'll fix it as quickly as possible." " Good." " A few minutes." "It certainly is very strange, this forest." "Do you hear that?" "Yes." "It's coming from there." "There's the answer to the mystery." "Just the wind in the pipes of a broken organ." "Agh!" "My lords, are you all right?" "It's nothing at all." "Continue with your work." "Perhaps our coachman knew what he was talking about." "Legend has it that they lived on human blood, ...and that unless they were destroyed according to an ancient ritual, ...unknown to us, they might yet live again." "Ah, come now, Doctor!" "These superstitions are deeply rooted in the people." "Black Sunday's a day of terror for them." "They swear vampires appear on that day." "Science hasn't solved every riddle, my young friend." "Nothing remains of the ancient Princes of Vajda but the dead shadows of their former glory." "I think the Vajdas have all disappeared, ...and with them went the history of ancient Moldavia." "Andre, come here." "Look." "I found the witch, you see?" "Her face is enclosed in a bronze mask and she wears for eternity, her true face, the face of Satan." "Why is there a window?" "They feared the witch might try to rise again, ...and placed a cross visible to her to stop that happening." " Incredible!" " My lords!" "Can you hear?" "Where are you?" "If you want to get on, you should come and help me." "Besides, I don't like staying alone." "It's dangerous here." "Go and help him, Andre." "I want to have another look around." "Frankly, I prefer it up there." "I should aid that poor man." "Professor?" "Professor Kruvajan, what happened?" "Why did you shoot?" "I'm all right, I guess." "That monster attacked me." " It's a good thing I killed him first." " That's very strange." "Usually bats shy away from human beings." "Let's get out of here." "Let's get outside, Professor." "It'll be best to get started on our way if you're all right." "Wait." "What are you doing?" "The body is still intact after two centuries." "Look, you've cut yourself." "You're right." "I didn't noticed when it happened." "Just a drop or two of blood, that's all." "Somehow, she might be waiting for us." "Come on." "It's late." "Who are you?" "Why are you here?" "I am Doctor Thomas Kruvajan, and this is my assistant." "Dr Andreas Gorobec." "I was walking in the park when I heard a shot." "What happened?" "I killed a large bat down in the crypt." "You must excuse us for taking the liberty of entering the chapel." "We thought it was only an abandoned ruin." "We had no idea that anybody was..." "It's so strange and mysterious here." "Everything is ruined now." "My father, Prince Vajda, refuses to repair even this chapel." "He maintains that there's a curse on this place." "My lords, the wheel is repaired." "We can go now." "All right, we're coming." "Excuse us, Princess, but we must proceed." "We still have to travel to Mirgorod." "We are spending the night there." "If you don't mind, I won't say goodbye, ...because perhaps we will meet again." "Yes." "I trust you will spend a good night at..." "Mirgorod." "Fallen in love, have you?" "That sadness in her eyes." "Professor, look..." "Ah!" "Take it as a souvenir." "Listen." "Like a voice breaking off." "I can hear it." "Father, I couldn't find any deer tracks today." "There are wolves." "There can't be at this season." "It's too late." "What could it be?" "The painting has changed!" "Constantine, Katia!" "Look!" " What is it?" " Father!" "That painting." "It's different, I'm sure." " What makes you say that?" " I saw it move!" "Father's right." "I can see it, too." "Katia, you've always been enthralled by that strange old painting." "How do you explain it?" "It holds danger for me." "Something alive about it, something mysterious about the eyes." "They're vulture's eyes, somehow." "Now, I'm afraid to go near it." "Katia!" "If I knew you felt that way, I'd have had it destroyed." "Let's not speak of it." "Oh." "It's very cold." "It's freezing." "Somehow, a chill comes out of that fireplace that penetrates everything." "Why don't you get some sleep, Father?" "You look so tired." "No, dear." "I'm not tired." "It's something else." "It's late." "Go on." "I'd rather stay alone." "Good night." "Good night." " Good night, Prince Vajda." " No, wait, Ivan." "You have been in this house for years." "Yes, sir." "I was born here." "You know what today means?" "Yes, you know about the curse that falls on this castle." "Two centuries ago today, ...two of our ancestors were killed for serving the Devil, ...Princess Asa and her accomplice, Javuto." "On that Black Sunday, they donned a mask of Satan." "A hundred years later, again on Black Sunday, ...an earthquake partially destroyed the ancient chapel and Asa's tomb was found split open, ...as if she had tried to escape, to complete her revenge." "In fact, on that night, ...Princess Macha was mysteriously murdered." "So lovely, Macha." "She resembled Asa." "She was only 20, imagine." "Like my Katia." "Katia has the identical face!" "It's as if the witch granted her own beauty to her victims before killing them." "It's this resemblance, ...this terrible revenge of Asa's on Black Sunday that terrorises me." "You mustn't be afraid, my lord." "The cross will protect you." "And if what you said is true, ...these monsters hate the sacred symbol of Christ." "Be sure it's beside you and you'll be safe." "Yes, you're right, Ivan." "It's only that today is Black Sunday and I'm greatly disturbed." "Better drink that, my lord, to quiet your nerves." "It's the mask!" "The Devil's mask!" "It's a warning to me." "Maybe we fall." "But you can't win." "You fear the sacred symbol of Christ." "My turn!" " Everything all right, Doctor?" " Yes, thank you." "You were right, Professor, to stay here at Mirgorod." " I feel I could conquer the world." " And you'd begin with the castle." "A little more to drink and you'd be waking Princess Katia." "An excellent idea!" "Another little drink or two and that's exactly what I'd like to do." "You're better off going to bed." "I've heard princesses are most easily conquered in dreams." "Besides, we must get up early tomorrow." "I guess you're right." " I'll tell them at five." " No, no." "It's all right." "I'll do it." "I want to take a little walk and then to bed." " Goodbye." " Good night." "And watch out for bats!" "Hey!" "Watch your head!" "No!" " Why do you always carry on like this?" " Don't make me go out there now." "You know there's nothing for you to be afraid of." "Excuse me, sir, but did you ever see a girl afraid to milk a cow?" " She finds courage to play outside." " Your mother's right." "But the cows are near the old haunted cemetery." "You have nothing to worry about." "They can't hurt you." "You heard what the gentleman said." "Right away!" "Take your pail and don't dawdle!" " I've been waiting half an hour." " I'll go, but tomorrow I won't." "I'm here now." "Rise, Javuto!" "Javuto!" "Rise!" "Javuto!" "Quiet, Irina." "Be good, now." "I'm not afraid when I'm with you." "A storm's coming." "Quiet, now." "No!" "Oh, Father!" "What is it?" "No!" "No!" "No!" "No!" "Father, please speak to me." "What's the matter?" "We must find a doctor." "At the inn." "Today, I visited the chapel and I met two doctors." "They're at the inn at Mirgorod." " Ivan, go down and wake up Boris." " Here I am, master." " I heard the noise..." " Go to the inn." "Get one of the doctors that's staying there." "At once!" " Dr Kruvajan!" " Yes?" "I'm sent by Princess Vajda." "Her father is very ill." "She begs you to come to the castle." "I'll go, but I must tell them at the inn." "You won't need to." "They know about it." "They told me that you were out here, Doctor." "Ah." "Very well, then." "Hey!" "Wait!" "At last, you're here!" "I've been waiting for you." "I need you again." "Just a few drops of your blood brought me to life." "All of it will give me the strength to accomplish my vengeance." "Look into my eyes." "Look into my eyes!" "Kruvajan, embrace me." "You will die, but I can bring you pleasures mortals cannot know." "Let all your blood course through my veins, so that I may live again!" "And you will be one with me." "We will live by night and die with each dawning." "You shall bring her to me and through her blood, I shall live for ever!" "Father." "Father." "Why isn't Boris bringing them?" "He's been a long time." "He'll be back any moment now." "The Devil!" "The Devil is waiting!" " Why does he say that?" " He's delirious." "No, only the crucifix can save us." " Don't leave me." " What is it?" "Does the Prince need me?" "I'm so grateful to you for coming to help us." "I'll take a look at him." "Wait outside." "Doctor, what's wrong with him?" "Nothing serious." "I think it's best to leave him alone." "We were asleep when all of a sudden we heard him scream." "When we found him, he was lying here, ...holding this cross as though holding back some horrible apparition." "Take it away!" "It'll irritate him." "Something like that can remind him." "Our eternal sleep has been broken." "You gave me life." "Now you, too, will rise." "I will bring you a fresh young body, she who is cast in your image." "And you will be beautiful once more." "Through her blood, your destiny will be fulfilled." "Once again on Black Sunday, ...the master orders us to do his bidding." "For the next hundred years, her blood will keep you living." "Get some sleep, Constantine." "Father has retired now." " No, Katia." "I'm all right." " I shall stay." "Go, both of you." "Oh, but how those dogs keep howling!" "Can't you try and stop them, Ivan?" "Certainly." " Constantine, I'll stay here." " I..." " I'll call if I need you." " Well, if..." "What's the matter?" "Quiet, now." "What is it?" "I feared you'd fallen asleep." "I'd advise you to retire." "I'm sure your father is better." "But you're leaving soon, aren't you?" "No, not at all." "Not as long as the Prince is ill." "He seems to be quiet now, don't you think?" "Yes." "I'm sure he'll have a restful night's sleep." "You needn't worry any more." "Go and get some rest, yourself." "You must need it." "Doctor, it's so good of you to stay with him." " If you need anything, call me." " I am sure there will be no need." "Your room is over there." "Sleep well." " Good night." " Good night, princess." "Dr Kruvajan?" "Dr Kruvajan?" "No, Katia!" "Don't go!" "Katia, no!" "Don't look, Katia!" "No!" "Professor?" "Dr Kruvajan!" "Dr Kruvajan?" " Your friend's already left." " Left?" "Last night, they called him to the castle, Prince Vajda's." "They say the Prince was taken very ill." "He's been gone all night." " I wonder why he didn't take me." " He didn't want to disturb you." "My daughter saw him get in the coach they sent to fetch him." " Could I have a horse?" " Right away." "Come with me." "Look out!" "If you run around here, you'll upset my basket." "Hey!" "Excuse me." "Would this be the way to the castle?" " Yes, sir." "The road going uphill." " Thank you." "Oh!" "I told you not to play around here!" "Look out!" "Be careful, children, or you'll fall in, too." "Oh!" "Where's it going?" "Look!" "Dr Kruvajan?" "Dr Kruvajan?" "Who are you?" "What do you want?" "I am Dr Gorobec." "I heard Dr Kruvajan was called to the castle last night." "Yes, we sent for him." "We wanted him to attend my father, who was ill." "I hold the doctor responsible for my father's death." "It's simple." "If he hadn't left my father alone, he might still be alive." "I don't know where he is." "I think his behaviour is quite incomprehensible." "You're right." "It's unexplainable." "But I assure you, I am much more bewildered than you are." "I've known Dr Kruvajan for many years." "I don't understand." "Something serious must have happened, I am sure of that." "Why has he disappeared?" "When I left the inn, he still hadn't returned." "He hasn't returned?" "Please, come up." "It's Boris, that's for sure." "But what happened to him?" "Do you think it's murder?" "There is no blood on him." "Good lord!" " Ah..." " Katia!" " Get her to her room." " Yes." "Show me the way." "Get some water in here." "His face is terrible." "It's marked." "Those empty eyes." "It doesn't look like Boris." "It's the Devil, that's who." "As though they made Boris into the Devil." "Speak no more about it." "They're so upset, I don't think we should tell them about the body." " Ivan!" "What's happened?" " They found a body, my lord." " They say it's the coachman." " Boris's body?" "Yes, Your Excellency." "You should see how he looks." "His eyes are popping out of their sockets, as if he's seen Satan himself." "Where is he now?" "We brought him into the sacristy." "The priest will prepare things." " You, now!" " I, sir?" "Yes." "Come here." "Your mother says you saw the carriage that fetched Dr Kruvajan." "Oh, yes, sir." "Of course I did." "After I got the milk, I heard a noise, so I hid in the bushes." "But it wasn't Boris who drove the coach, then." "Because I'd know Boris anywhere." "I wanted to go." "I was afraid, since the man was a stranger." " Are you sure?" " I never saw him before, sir." "I'm going to the village to see this man's body." "You come with me." "I want you to tell me everything that you can remember of last night." " It's very important." " Certainly, sir." "Everything I know!" "Go on." "That's all, now." "Go on to your houses." " That's the man!" "Look!" " What man?" "The man who came last night to get Dr Kruvajan." "The one I saw." "That's him, my lord." "That's who it was!" "I was hiding and the moon shone on his face." "Whose face?" "It's the imagination of a child." "This man has been buried for over two centuries." "Please stop all this or I'll go mad." "Be calm, now." "I'm going to the village, then I'll be back." "Try to keep up your courage." "Why don't you stay here tonight with us, Doctor?" "Yes." "Yes, please do." "We'd all feel so much safer." "Boris was killed in the same way as the Prince, ...but it's very strange, Padre." "As though a beast attacked without tearing the flesh apart." "I am a doctor." "I'm devoted to science, but..." "And this strange behaviour of Dr Kruvajan." "It doesn't seem possible that a man such as he could abandon a patient and disappear without saying anything." "On my way here I stopped at the inn to seek Dr Kruvajan." "It's unbelievable!" "The innkeeper's daughter insists that the man pictured in the portrait is the same as the driver who came to call for Dr Kruvajan." " I'm at a loss." "It's beyond me." " The man in the portrait, you say?" "Yes, the one hanging by the fireplace." "An old canvas, a few centuries old." "A painting of a man in black with a silver griffin on his chest?" "Yes." "Why?" "Black Sunday." "Oh, Father." "The Prince's son would like you to prepare the funeral." "Yes, very well." "Everything will be ready for tomorrow." "Find her." "Help!" " Help!" " What is it?" "Katia?" "Help!" " What's the matter, Princess?" " There's someone hiding in my room." " Where?" " Behind the curtains." " Come!" " Ivan, go downstairs." "Over there, behind that curtain." " There's nobody there." " You must have imagined it." "No!" "I saw it through the mirror." "I saw a hand." "You don't believe me." "I tell you, Constantine, I saw it, I saw it..." " I'll get something to quieten her." " Katia, don't cry." "Professor Kruvajan, it's you!" "You frightened me." "Where have you been?" "What's happened?" "I've been looking for you all clay." "Your hair!" "Your face!" "For your sake flee, Andre." "Don't begin to get mixed up in this thing." "As you didn't come to the inn, I brought your luggage." "It's over there." "And look!" "I thought I'd try to decipher the inscription on the icon you found." "Professor!" "Krug!" "Brug!" "What happened?" " Their throats." " They're bleeding, poor things." "Come now." "Quickly!" "Carry everything into the main hall where the coffin will be set up." "Take this." "Easy, there." "He fled in terror, this Dr Kruvajan?" "The moment I showed him that." "He disappeared without any explanation." "It's very difficult to find the right translation for these old Cyrillic inscriptions." "I'll try to find the key, though it's difficult." "If I can take it, I'll compare it with some texts I have in the library." " Take it with you, now." " Father?" "My sister has suffered so much from these terrible things happening." "I would appreciate it if you would help to convince her to leave the castle." "I tried, but it was useless." "It was the only way I could think of to put out the fire, my lord." "I don't understand." "What can be hidden behind here?" "Doctor!" "Ivan was putting out a fire that started in a tapestry." "He ripped through the portrait." "Look." " Be careful." " I can't see a thing in there." "It's a secret passageway." "Then my father wasn't delirious." "His last words were "the Devil's waiting" and "the man in the portrait"." "This is where I found the dogs with their throats cut, ...where Kruvajan disappeared." "Let's go in." "You stay here, Ivan." "Make sure the door doesn't close." " Keep your eyes open." " Yes, my lord." "It's the same girl as the portrait near the fireplace." " The witch in the crypt." " How did you know about her?" "I saw her when Kruvajan and I discovered her body in the chapel." "Wait a minute." "Yesterday, this tomb was intact and the woman..." "She looks as though she's never been dead." "Look!" "She's breathing." "We're in the presence of a mystery that defies reasoning." "I must talk to the priest." "Don't leave Katia alone." "I'll get back as soon as possible." "Go that way." "You'll get to the stables quicker." "Ivan!" "From what you tell me, there can be no doubt." "We are faced by the unleashed powers of the demon." "The ancient words on the icon explain exactly what we must do." "We must find the grave of the man in the portrait before sunset." "Father!" " Yes?" " The mask of the Devil." "I've seen it before, on the face of the witch." "What I feared is happening." "We'll find him buried here." "Look!" "A freshly dug grave." "Open the coffin." "It's Kruvajan." "But last night..." "he was still alive." "I saw him." "No, he was already dead." "But it's impossible." "He moved, he spoke to me." "Then he ran away." "Sometimes, you see, Satan plays tricks, ...even with the dead." "You see?" "There is the proof." "We must let this poor soul rest in peace, Doctor." "How is that possible now?" "A stake through his eye." "As the inscription said." "It's finished, ended, the spell." "Poor Kruvajan." "We must take action." "Everything is clear now." "The witch had transformed your poor friend into a slave of the Devil." "By day, he's dead." "By night, he charged to perform the rites of Satan." " Then the Prince, too?" " Yes." "But now the danger is..." "the witch may return to life." "But how?" "By possessing the body of a young woman." " Katia!" " Yes." "You must get to Katia now." "She's in danger." "You must pierce the eye of the witch, as I did to the doctor." "Do you understand?" "First, I'll exorcise the body lying in my sacristy." "And then I'll join you." "Constantine?" "Ivan?" "Ivan?" "Constantine?" "Are you playing a joke?" "Are you all gone?" "Help!" "Help!" "Help!" "Constantine!" "Andre!" "Where are you?" "Constantine!" "Father, help me!" "Please help me, Father." "I don't want to be alone." "I am so afraid." "Father?" "Father." "Father." "You mustn't call me that." "No more can I be that to you." "The prince of evil and darkness has parted me from you, and all I feel is a thirst for blood." "No!" "Constantine!" "Ivan!" "Open up!" "Revenge is yours finally, Asa, and you will be free, at last." "Katia!" "Constantine!" "Where are you?" "Katia!" "Constantine!" "Katia!" "You didn't know that you were born for this moment." "You didn't know that your life had been consecrated to me by the Devil." " But you sensed it." " Oh." "You sensed it, didn't you?" "That's why my portrait had a strange meaning to you, ...why it frightened you." "You felt that your life and your body were mine." "You felt like me because you were destined to become me, ...a useless body without life." "The love that young man had for you could have saved you." "He might have brought help for you, but I was stronger." "Now you will lead such a beautiful life of evil and hate in me!" "No!" " I'm all right." " Constantine!" "Don't worry about me." "Save Katia." "If you love Katia, ...save her from the... witch." "Katia!" "Katia, you're all right, thank heaven." " I thought she'd done you harm." " Yes, she wanted to kill me." "Quickly, Andre, do something before it's too late." " There she lies." " Yes, yes, you're right." "We must destroy her for ever, and I know what must be done." "Don't look, Katia." "It's horrible, but I must do it." "But this is your cross." "It's yours, Katia." "But it's impossible for a witch to bear the touch of it." "Why is it on her?" "Put it on." "No, I am not your love." "Your love is dead." "She has been finished for ever." "Yes, my revenge has been completed." "All her family has been destroyed." "All!" "Look at me." "Look into my eyes." "Yes, your friend Kruvajan did it." "Like him, lose yourself deep in my eyes." "You, too, can feel the joy and happiness of hating!" "Look!" "Father, she is the witch." "She is, I know it." "She is transforming herself into Katia." "Don't let her escape!" "Pray." "Pray to him." "Father!" "Katia." ""The Lord has answered our prayers,"" ""...for he will conquer the powers of darkness for ever.""