"Key doesn't work." "Government-issued." "What'd you expect?" "Somebody's gonna have to break in." "Great." "Parole violation." "...on official U.S. orders yet." "You won't be the first." "Got it." "All right." "Now this place has promise." "What more could you want." "There's sheets on the furniture and the cemetery in the back yard, and cobwebs on the lampshades." "All right, all right." "Lance, why don't we get the generator started, and where's the basement?" "Well, there should be a door somewhere... over there." "Where do you want the phones?" "Any of the rooms." "We won't have a line out until tomorrow." " Great." " Wanna go home, Wanda?" "Don't forget, Whitaker did see something..." "...something that drove him out of his mind." "Alex Whitaker was nuts, man." "Period." "That's what we're here to find out." "Wanda, can you help me with this?" "I thought I heard something, some kind of groaning." "Come on, it's an old place." "It was following the track of the weather." "No, it was something else." "It was some kind of flapping or something." "It was really strange." "Hey, don't start getting spooked on me already." "At least wait 'till I get everything set up, all right?" "OK." "What do you want me to with this?" "In the camera'd be nice." "First law of paranormal investigation:" "Check for hollow walls where the very normal can hide." "According to this, the walls are filled with passageways some only a few feet wide." "That would explain the... uhh... measurements are slightly off." "This whole place is." "It was built by an eccentric old woman who fancied herself a mystic." "Listen to this:" ""I was told of the hill's mystical aura by a fascinating Egyptian and so I built my hotel here as a haven for all spiritual wayfarers who long to escape this imperfect, worldly plane."" "Goddamn!" "Excuse me, I'm lost." "I'm looking for Scarab Hill." "Wrong road." "I know." "How do I get to the right one?" "Mr..." "You there!" "What do you want?" "She wants the hotel." "What for?" "You got this hooked up yet?" "Boy." "That's gonna stop 'em." "Stop what?" "Some critters've been getting here and chewing up the hogs." "Killed one of the mules too." "Tore her head all up." "Ate her brain." "Animal mutilations?" "Maybe it's a cult?" "Are there any Satanists in the area?" " Don't know nothing about no cults." "Where'd you say you was goin'?" "Scarab Hill." "It's near Bodega Bay." "Get back on the highway, turn left at the crossroads and if your luck runs out, you'll find the place." "My luck?" "You know what's good for you, you'll stay away from that hotel!" "They say Satan's got a suite of rooms in there, and brim- stone comes out of the chimneys at night, and it smells like roasted entrails." "You ever smell roasted entrails, lady?" "They're always the last to burn." "All set." "Well, I sure hope these things work." "All right." "Can we still cover all the areas that we wanted?" "Well, we got more cameras than monitors, so the views were all over." "Though what it needs is still set-ups We got a good chance of catching any funny stuff." "That's what I love about the agency..." "...money's never an object." "Yeah, unless we have to ask for it." "Come on, lads." "Paranormal research is only funded to keep a small segment of the public amused." "The enquiring mind types." "The government wasted no time instigating this study." "We're not here to keep anyone amused." "What we call reality is the illusion." "That's what's amusing." "Did you know that?" "What, I'm sorry?" "You won't hear their voices on that, my dear." "They will come to you when you open your mind and heart." "They're not here to frighten us." "Do you think you can capture the darkest secrets of the universe on these tiny televisions sets?" "Science can only give you facts." "Truth comes from feeling." "Camille, could you make yourself useful?" "I thought I was." "I'm gonna make some coffee." "Wanna give me a hand?" "Of course." "None for me, though." "I don't drink coffee." "Yeah, I know." "I read your column." " Chamomile tea." " How thoughtful." "Little Shirley MacLaine." "What's she doing here?" "Camille is eccentric but no fraud." "I'm just hoping she might tune into something a scientist wouldn't." "This is a lot better than university food." "I've forgotten how good a home-cooked meal could be." "Whose home?" "I felt inspired in the kitchen." "Such wonderful old appliances, and all just..." "left here." "The last owner had no heir so the state assumed title." "I'm afraid a great violence was done here." "The taint of unholy fury has been absorbed by every particle of this place." ""The taint of..."" " Isn't it a little melodramatic even for you?" "Exactly how did the owner die?" "A horrible death." "Her brain was extracted." "Through her nose." "As in Egyptian mummification?" "Her death came to the attention of one of our junior researchers." "His investigation uncovered the disappearance of an entire group of psychics that were working here." "That led us to Alex Whitaker." "Alex was the only one of the psychics who survived whatever happened here." "In an asylum." "Afterwards, he had terrible seizures... premonitions." "Completely schizophrenic, of course, but there was something about him that..." "The cross of prophecy is indeed a heavy burden." "But one that you will cheerfully drop if a hefty pay check rolls your way, right?" "You're referring to my column in "The Inquiring Planet," I assume?" "Yeah." "I love those predictions:" ""Do those alien medics ever give our race a sex change?"" "Patrick!" "If I've had to occasionally compromise my gift to pay my bills, Mr. Bramwell don't judge me, until you've tried the same." "Please excuse me." "Why did you do that?" "You deliberately attacked her." "I don't know." "Maybe I just I had too much wine." "Sorry." "Sorry." "It's all right, Paddy." "You're tired." "Why don't you go to bed?" "He can't handle alcohol, the trait he inherited from our father." "I'm sorry, sis." "Tell me what's in the news?" "An account of a suicide committed here 50 years ago." "Andre Toulon?" "Toulon." "I took a picture of a grave out back with that name on." "Who is that guy?" "Apparently, he was a great puppet master." "He escaped Germany during the war." "This article says that the Nazis followed him here but he shot himself before they could catch him." "I wonder what they wanted." "He was probably just smuggling stuff inside of his puppets." "They did want something." "He made sure that no one could force him to reveal it." "But this proves that Alex wasn't just raving." "It confirms Toulon's connection to this place." "Oh god!" "I saw them!" "Two of them." "What, Camille?" "No taller than that." "In my room." "Like horrible little demons." "One had a knife." "What happened?" "Camille saw something upstairs." "Lance, go get the camera." "No, don't go up there." " Don't worry about it." "We'll be back." "I know the difference between what I saw and these ridiculous dolls." "Of course you do." "Nobody's suggesting any different." "But you don't believe me?" "It's not important whether we believe you or not." "We need proof, Camille, you know that." "You'll all have proof soon enough." "I know I'm already shaking." "Why?" "Do you know something we don't?" "It's just a feeling, but I've learned to trust them." "I'm afraid we're all in danger as long as we remain in this house." "I'm leaving tonight." "You can't be serious?" "I am." "And I suggest you do the same." "What do you want?" "What are you trying to tell me?" "Please." "Speak to me." "I understand, but to leave all of her things behind she must have been more upset than I thought." "Of course." "And please let me know as soon as you hear from her." "Good bye." "He said it's not unusual of his mother to take off like this." "I told you." "He said she hangs out in some ashram with her crystals." "I don't know, I just feel so responsible for her leaving." "You're not responsible for anything." "She's just loony, Carolyn." "Relax." "Something to keep your eyes open." "Very romantic." "What time is it?" "Almost one." "How's the show?" "Well, It's not gonna win any rating sweeps, that's for sure." "Well, if there is something there, it doesn't look like it's gonna play in the cameras for us." "Thanks." "I thought you went to bed hours ago." "I couldn't sleep." "Every little sheep that jumped over a fence landed under a horny ram." "So when's your shift over?" "Three." "You shouldn't watch TV in the dark." "It's bad for you." "It strains your eye muscles." "You should give them a rest and strain another muscle." "So, where are you going at three?" " Straight to bed." " Oh." "But it's a double." "Well, it's a date then." "What?" "What is it?" "That door wasn't open." "Oh my god!" "Come on!" "Patrick!" "Patrick!" "Oh my god." "What?" "I can't..." "I..." "It was this..." "Patrick!" "Get that thing out of here!" "Carolyn?" "This thing is completely self-contained." "Just gears and wood mostly not even any motors." "It's amazing." "It must run chemically somehow." "Off this fluid." "Do you mean an artificial life force?" "Yeah." "A morphic genetic response is..." "...it can't be possible." "I'd say that Patrick led us to an incredible scientific discovery." "Maybe one of the most important finds of our time." "What is this thing?" "It's gotta be subject to physical laws." "I am Eriquee Chaneé." "Please excuse my abrupt appearance but your presence is equally unexpected." "We're investigators from the U.S. Office of Paranormal Claims." "I'm Carolyn Bramwell." "We thought that this hotel was was deserted?" "You thought wrong, my dear." "I've resided here for decades." "The hotel was left to me at the demise of its unfortunate owner." "There are no records." "I distrust public records." "...and there are quite a few to back up the government's claim on this property." "You'll have to come up with some proof." "Where've you been all this time, Chaney?" "In Bucharest." "Endeavouring to do something about this." "You haven't been in the house at all before this?" "I only arrived an hour ago." "You know what that is?" "No." "My heart is not attuned to the merriments of children." "Please allow me to extend my hospitality for as long as is necessary for your studies." "I must insist on one condition, however." "You must respect the privacy of my personal quarters." "But now..." "I must rest." "I do not have the strength of the more fully intact." "I shall look forward to seeing you all in the morning, and we shall become better acquainted." "Well, somebody at the university sure screwed up this time." "Not necessarily." "First thing tomorrow, we'll check his claim on the hotel." "Gee, this place is becoming a regular resort." "Let us hope this one's a little more normal." "Miss Bramwell?" "Yes." "I'm Michael Kenney." "We spoke on the phone." "Oh." "Of course." "Please." "I hope you have an open mind, Mr. Kenney." "Are you always this cryptic?" "When I tell you what happened last night, you'll think I'm crazy." "Try me." "My brother was killed." "Murdered." "You're serious?" "Quite." "And this is his killer." "But how could this toy..." "I don't know." "But Camille might have seen this thing before it killed..." "If only we had believed her." "I don't mean to be rude, but this is hard to believe." "You can talk to my assistants." "We have it on tape." "God, I'm so sorry." "Is there anything I can do for you?" "No." "Well, I guess I'll just go check the hotels in town and see if anyone has seen her." "I'm sure she's fine." "Yeah, I hope so." "Will you be all right?" "Yeah." " I'll let you know what I find out." " Ok." "Listen... why don't you wait till morning?" "I know you've been driving all day." "We have plenty of rooms." "Yeah, I guess she should be back." "All right, thanks." "I'll go get my bag." "Quit tossing'." "I told you to go somewheres else, if you gonna do that." "You may think you got the powers of hell on your side." "...but you don't know who you're dealing with." "No need to keep our presence a secret any longer." "We must keep the lighted window for our little companions, so they can find their way home." "I hope their harvest was a success." "Soon soon you will regain your full strength." "Und then we shall all be our old selves again." "It's been cooked!" "It's useless." "You must learn to utilize your talents more conservatively." "Where's the woman?" "So... another lost." "Yet you are right to hunt outside for what's needed here." "Too much suspicion has been aroused already." "But no more of this." "Each time you fail, the result is more delay." "And you get all weaker with each passing hour." "The digeneral lobes you bring me and the timeless secrets of Osiris will once again animate the lifeless." "But we have only a short time left to distil the new fluid." "Then then, think of it another half-century as Toulon's miraculous stringless marionettes!" "And now, back into the cabinet." "After decades, the scarab has summoned you to this unholy place, and we are together again my enchanting wife." "Margaret calls to me." "No." "It is a lifeless magic idol." "Its rigid stare congeals the blood of men." "I see the breast she yielded the blessed body I enjoyed." "Fool!" "It is make-believe." "Your blood-guilt overfloods the land." "Avenging spirits hover, waiting, lying in wait for the blood-drenched killer." "Faust, you are condemned." "I am honoured by the presence of the renowned puppet master Toulon as is all of Cairo." "Accept my condolences for your recent misfortune." "We were told you had... something to show us." "The most sensational secret the sands have revealed since the unholy desecration of Ramses' tomb." "Look." "It's horrible." "Its design reflects my taste." "I offer you only its secrets." "I have no need of them." "The artificial enchantments of your marionettes belong to the last century." "Already the electrical marvels of the present cast a cruel light upon their deficiency." "Now, with the loss of your most famous attraction..." "I'm an artist, not a sorcerer." "The inattention of the children at your displays indicate they would prefer the latter." "And, with your charming new wife it would be a tragedy if you would be forced to take up the life of a shabby carnival player." "Andre, we might consider..." "Think of the children." "Yes, think of them." "Think of the children." "Do it for the children." "You're up early." "If I'm not up by six, I feel the day's wasted." " How did you sleep?" " All right, thanks." "You didn't hear anything unusual?" "No, I'm afraid not." "Anyway, thanks for putting me up for the night." "Michael, please let me know if you find anything about your mother." "Oh, of course." "In fact, if you'd like to come along, you're more than welcome." "I'm sure you could use a change of scenery." "Oh, I'd like to, but I really... can't." "No, maybe I will go." "There is something that I need to check." "Good morning." "I'm pleased to see that you've risen early." "An old habit, I'm afraid." "And a good one." "My wife used to say that if she rose after six she felt the entire day had been lost." "Really?" "This day certainly has not been lost on you." "...in its new-born gold, you seem more than ever like..." "Like?" "Excuse me, I don't think I've had the pleasure." "I'm sorry." "Mr. Chaneé." "This is Michael Kenney." "Please, excuse my discourtesy, Herr Kenney, but ...my hands are a source of constant pain..." "My health these days is... precarious." "Maybe you shouldn't be smoking?" "Ja, I suppose it indicates a weakness of character but I do really intend to stop in my own time and you, young man, should be most careful with your motorbike." "Especially with my lovely guest here." "We shouldn't want to see her injured or yourself unhappily maimed or disfigured." "Charming guy." "What is it he meant by calling you his guest?" "He claims this place belongs to him." "That would explain the empty parking, huh?" "What happened to him, anyway?" "Was he burned?" "He hasn't said but I have a feeling it's even worse than that." "Don't be late for supper, honey." "We're having a great roast for your daddy." "Be careful, baby, do you hear me?" "Die, Nazi scum!" "Come out of there, you coward!" "Cool!" "Wow!" "Do you know who I am?" "I'm the big star of the movie." "I'm Indiana." "And this is the set." "What do you think of me now?" "What happened to your hand?" "Did somebody cut it off?" "What's under there?" "So do something." "I'm the director!" "Do what I say!" "Move!" "Can't you get up?" "Come on." "Do something." "Now." "Come on." "Is that all you can do?" "Anything?" "No, nobody's seen her yet." "If Cheneé does own the hotel, he isn't found in any records." " Is he lying?" " Maybe." "One thing's for sure." "His arrival coincides both with your mother's disappearance and death of your brother." "And you think he's mixed up with that?" "I have no proof, just an idea that somehow, he's involved." "Yeah, well." "I've got another idea." "I wanna show you something." "I don't remember the last time I did this." "It's not found under any microscope." "What do you do, Michael?" "I write." "Predictions?" "No." "My mother and I are very different." "I write Westerns." "Cowboys?" "What I know about the real West wouldn't fill half a page, but I've always loved wide open spaces." "I've seen so little myself." "I grew up as a competitor pushed myself into a government job, because I wanted the structure." "Maybe I need to rethink it all." "Do something meaningful instead of putting scientific tags on nightmares." "But I brought Patrick into this, and I've gotta find out what happened." "All on your own." "You have learned well." "Oh my poor Jester." "You need the fluid and we have so little left." "Patience." "I'll soon complete your new brew." "But you you saved me from a half-century of nightmares." "That infernal sleep was not the dreamless escape I'd longed for." "But you brought me back to Elsa." "I promised her, she would return from death." "From apparent death." "Murder?" "My Elsa?" "Ha!" "I knew they could not rob me of her forever." "You will be repaid rewarded by becoming your old selves again for another half-century." "Then how happy we all shall be." "We took a vote and decided that you need to rest." "I can't, not until I solve this thing." "Well, it's almost eleven o'clock." "I didn't realize it was that late." "Michael found a bottle of brandy, and he hates to drink alone." "So, I'll take over here, ok?" "Where's Lance?" "He's getting his beauty sleep." "I'm gonna wake him up at two." "Go on." "Take a break." "No, don't wake him up." "Stay here till midnight, and then I'll come back down." "You sure?" " Yeah." " Ok." "Hi." "Hi." "What did you find?" "Oh." "This fantastic high-tech sound system with all the latest." ""Always"" ""I Wanna Be loved by You", "What Wouldn't I Do for That Man?"" "After-dinner liquor, mademoiselle?" "Yes." "Thank you." "To mysteries solved and happier days." "Do you dance?" "Not since my prom." "I am..." "I'm terribly self-conscious." "It's all right." "Would you like to?" "I realize this might not be the best time..." "Michael, as a matter of fact, it's a perfect time." "Then please grant me the request of this dance." "The music has stopped." "Easily remedied." "Do you remember this song?" "Yes, it's an old standard." "It was Elsa's favourite." "My late wife." "May I cut in?" "It's your prerogative." "Etiquette's curious concession to the impossibly ill-mannered and impatient." "My hero." "Oh, that's too bad." "These things are hard to come by now." "You'll excuse me." "I wanna have a look in his rooms." "Hey, look, get that idea out of your head right now." "Michael, I still feel that somehow he's connected to everything that we can't explain." "I don't care." "This guy could be dangerous and if you suspect him of anything at all, we should go right to the police." "We need some proof." "Uh-huh." "No way." "It's too risky." "All right, if you don't wanna help me, I'll just..." "Goddamn it, Carolyn, please stay away from his rooms." "Please?" "I just feel so alone." "Let yourself go, Carolyn." "Can't you see you're not alone?" "Marvellous." "You've returned so soon." "Perfect." "We now have almost enough." "We do not have much time." "Our work must be completed tonight." "You have been very patient." "Always waiting for the appropriate moment to harvest fresh human material." "Never taking the easy way with animals or the already rotting dead." "What amusing creatures that would make you." "No one except the woman who calls herself Carolyn will escape." "As for the stupid young man with the vain hope for her heart you, Torch." "You will deal with his burning desires in the most appropriate way." "All spiffy clean?" "Yep." "Come on." "Don't take it personally." "No, it's ok." "I'm used to guys hosing off afterwards." "Good night." "Where're you going?" "The only time I wanna feel somebody tossing and turning in bed is when I'm helping them." "And I need to check on Carolyn cause I took off at twelve, before she came back." "What?" "You mean there was nobody down there when you left?" " Well, she said that..." "Christ!" "I'm going down there." "Let's face it, Wanda what happened to Patrick's our fault." "We found the killer." "We found a killer." "Jesus, Wanda." "Ok, look, I'll go down." "It's my fault, ok?" "They have waited for decades." "They did just for you, Elsa." "No, my love." "It was more than chance that brought you here." "Please, Mr. Chaneé..." "No need to prolong that charade." "My real name is Toulon." "Andre Toulon." "Then you must remember yourself as Mrs. Andre Toulon." "Frau Toulon." "I've forgotten how it is to feel the cold." "You must be chilly in that shell of flesh." "That will be remedied momentarily." "Do you remember this?" "We got it in Cairo." "I was able to have it sent here by your friends in Berlin." "That was before they informed on us there." "Linen royal mummies' wrapping will keep you warm enough for the little time you have left." "Just like it kept the princess warm for centuries." "You cannot imagine what it was like." "For decades I waited in the foulest of graves because of my promise to you." "And now Elsa..." "Look..." "Elsa?" "Now, Elsa?" "Carolyn!" "Mother!" "The puppets they knew how to bring me back after the Nazis killed my Elsa." "They needed me." "They were growing weaker." "And they used the last of their fluid to revive me." "But then then I saw you." "It made it made all my suffering worth it." "No!" "No, I am not Elsa." "Even if such a thing were possible, I'm not her." "Andre, she's dead." ""Even if such a thing were possible?"" "What do you think I prove?" "I was able to watch you all you vile trespassers." "I know how to get into things give them life temporary life..." "Well no more ghostly games of trick or treat." "Tonight we take up residence in our permanent new bodies." "To us." "You see how easy it can be?" "Only a moment of pain and then... immortality." "All will soon be glorious." "You filthy swine!" "You brought me animal brains!" "Animal brain." "Well I'll just have to make the best of it." "You see, I must keep my promise to Elsa." "Your hard work has not been in vain." "Of course, you may wither into dry wood but you've given me back my wife." "Carolyn!" "Here, Michael!" "Here!" "Hurry!" "Are you still afraid?" "But we must make you drink, sweet Fraulein." "We cannot waste our fluid, mein Frau." "Only a single goblet remains." "Stay back, fool!" "Come back with that!" "Michael!" "Elsa, stop!" "Come back to me!" "Do you need to go back to the office?" "No." "It's all cleaned up." "Now I just wanna get as far away from all this as I can." "They have the tapes." "Let someone else come up with the answer." "I wanna know the answer." "What happened to the puppets?" "How was my mother's body moved to the attic?" " Why was her throat slashed so long after we..." " Michael your mother's there." "If somewhere there is something that walks it isn't her anymore." "Should have taken a left at the crossroads." "All right." "Don't rattle your cage." "We'll be there soon enough." "The Balderston Institute for the Mentally Troubled Tots and Teens." "Good therapy for the little brats." "We'll have lots of fun." "And if anyone sees anything unusual well, who'd believe a bunch of institutionalised delinquents?" "All right, back to the crossroads." "We have children to enchant."