"The spirits of the Underworld can steal or eat a person's soul." "Such a soul can subsequently return." "A person's soul can take two forms:" "If during his life the person worshipped the Gods, his soul would join the Gods after his death." "If the person led an evil life, though, his soul would also be evil." "That evil soul would return to Earth and devour not only himself but also those around him." "The Gods have taught us these things." "This film is based on true events." "The Cursed Place (subtitles by Contello)" " Egor..." "Egor..." " What?" " Do you love me?" " Why are you asking?" " I just want to hear you say it..." " I love you." "You only say it when I ask you to." "I wish you'd say it more often..." "and not only when I'm asking you to." "But you're always asking me to..." " Shhh!" "He's waking up." " Let him." " Egor..." " What?" "I have strange dreams." "About what?" "I dreamed that some terrible person was coming... a ghost..." "And he was talking to me..." "He was saying, "Come with me..."" "But I didn't go." "He was trying to drag me into the darkness." "I woke up and I've just been lying here..." "I couldn't get back to sleep." "I even don't feel sleepy anymore." " Just a dream." " I don't think so." "Remember how when we came here in the fall that old man prayed for us?" " He was just some senile old guy." " That's not true!" "What about everyone who came here with us?" "They still refuse to come back." "Except Ivan and his wife." "Annie, are you okay?" "Listen, people will start coming soon." "We've got cable now." "And they said the phone is going to be hooked up before long, too." "A little patience." " Egor?" " What?" "What do you think she's doing out there by the lake?" "I don't know." "She was out there yesterday, too." "Strange that she hasn't come over to talk with us." "Why?" "Why do you think she hasn't?" "Let her do her thing." "She's probably just thinking about the past." " Egor." " What?" "I'm getting worried for some reason." "All our friends live in the village." "All their children go to kindergarten." " And we..." " Okay, that's enough." "We've already talked about this." "And what would people say?" "Ivan and his wife get here tomorrow." "They said they were coming in five days." " They're coming tomorrow?" "!" " Tomorrow." " Egor..." " What?" "They call this place "the Cursed Place."" " Do you think that's true?" " People love to talk nonsense." "And you believe everything they say." "Once everyone who used to live here suddenly moved away." "Why?" "In Soviet times, everybody was forced to move into villages." "You're being stubborn." "In the '30s some people set up a farm here and then they suddenly moved." "They say it was ruined." "Okay..." "I'm going to check the mare." "She's probably going to foal today or tomorrow." "Hopefully it doesn't frost." "You're not going in?" "Come on, he's woken up." "Come on, go already." "Go inside." "I'll be back soon." " Egor..." " Go inside." "Go!" "EGOR!" "Egor..." "Egor!" "What?" "!" "Where'd the mare go?" "!" "The stallion's here, but no mare." "Strange." "The fence is intact." "The gate's closed, too." "I hope no one's taken off with her." "How strange..." "Hmmm... bizarre." "I've got to find her..." " Annie!" " What happened?" " The mare's gone." " What are you talking about?" "The gate's closed." "The fence is intact, too." "Someone must've come in the night and taken off with her." " It's really weird." " Come on... who'd travel thirty kilometers just to come here?" "It's spring." "There are a lot of hunters around." "As if we've got a lot of thieves here." "Maybe that old woman saw something." "Go and ask her." "Yeah, good idea." "Make some tea;" "I'll be right back." "Interesting." "Could she know something?" "Come on... go ask her." "Strange." "Where did she come from?" "And dressed so well." "Maybe she was born here." "That's probably why she came." "Like last night... just puttering around." "Okay..." "I'm going." "I can do it." " Hello." " Hello." "I... we lost a mare." "This morning, when I checked on her, she wasn't there." "Last night she was, though." "You..." "Oh, and the fence is intact  and the gate's locked up tight." "It's like she simply vanished." " Ah... that's why." " What?" "That's why I had that dream." "It was a premonition..." "Okay, but... did you hear anything?" "Or maybe see something?" "No, no..." "Why me...?" "!" "Somebody must've let her out on purpose." "Well, I've got to go and find her." "Wait for a little while." " It's better if you don't look." " What?" "Why?" "Let things take care of themselves." "What are you talking about?" "Didn't anyone tell you about this place?" "Well, I was told some things..." "But it's only rumors" "And you're not hiding something from me, right?" "I was born here." "I grew up here." "A long time ago... right after the Summer Festival, right before haymaking...." "Something really strange happened." "There was an old man named Nippy." "His boat, which he'd left on the far side of the lake, suddenly shot back to this side." "Some invisible ghosts had moved from the far side of the lake to this one." "After that, all hell broke loose." "The ghosts went to the farm and tied all the cows' horns together." "The cows bellowed like crazy." "When people sat down at the table, the ghosts would throw horseshit at them." "They started stealing food." "I was only eight or nine." "I still remember how my parents, my father and mother  they threw hot ashes all over the barn." "And someone suggested  if we could cover the ghosts with flour and shoot them, we could kill them." "They tried everything, but nothing worked." "The chairman of the farm even came here in person." "He traveled ten kilometers to the shaman." "A shaman named Tobokh used to live out there, all alone." "Somehow he convinced him to come and commune with the spirits." "The shaman talked with the spirits for three straight days  and somehow got rid of the ghosts." "The shaman said that this place had long been called cursed." "And if only our ancestor - who was honorable shaman - was triply praised after his death, this land would have had a Guardian." "But the Reds have not allowed to perform the ritual and the ghosts started the terror." "That's how they came here." "And the old man, when he communed with the spirits..." "He told to make a serge, a sacred hitching post" "And after that he said that he chased away all ghosts that he could" "But the powerful ones he couldn't without the shaman costume and drum." "He'd only chased them off and he pointed to those dead trees and said  that the ghosts had only gone to the other side and would come back soon." " Which trees?" "Those ones on the shore?" " Yes, those ones." "So you're saying the mare was taken over there?" "Yes." "How is this possible?" "This is the end of the 20th century." "This is the age of electricity, technology, and TV." "How is this possible?" "Fine;" "I'll check it out." " By the way, what's your name?" "I'm Egor." " You can call me Oloksos." " Oloksos, you here for the summer?" " Yeah, exactly." " If you're afraid, why come?" " I'm old." "My kids have grown up." "My grandkids have grown up." "They all left." "They're all adults." "Think about this:" "At the beginning of the madness, people started dying." "Everyone left." "When my mother died  I didn't have any reason to come here anymore." "My kids managed to stay away, but I kept coming back." "I want to meet the ghosts and ask, "Why are you doing this?" "!"" "So here I am, sitting in front of you." " We spent the winter here." " Looks like you plan to breed horses." "When people asked, I said no one wintered here..." "In the summer, cows do graze and people mow grass for hay..." " But you'll spend your winters here." " Yeah, we will, but..." " My wife doesn't like it." " Of course not." "Young people -- you know." "All right, Oloksos, I'm out of here." "I've got a horse to find." "Hold on..." "Egor..." "Egor... it's better if you don't go." "This is too weird." "No can do." "There's no other choice." " Ivan and his wife get here today." " And what if they don't?" "The road's bad." "They said five days." "Couldn't they get here on the tractor?" "Don't worry." "Go talk to Oloksos." "Wait a little while." "I'll be back soon." "And now the other arm..." "Good." "Now let's zip up..." "Now we go outside and baby sits while mommy works." "My baby is the sweetest!" "Come on, hug mommy!" "Take your bottle." "Come on." "It's warm out." "Sit till I'm done." "Mommy has a lot of work to do." "She has to get some firewood, cook some food..." "And baby will sit." "Here are your toys." "Take your bottle." "Cutie pie..." "Annie..." "Annie..." "Come here..." " Come here..." " What is that?" "!" "There it is again!" "What...?" "!" "What is this?" "!" "What's going on?" "!" "What... is this...?" "!" "Hmm... where to look...?" "I wonder where she's disappeared to..." "And what about that story the old lady told?" "How could this have happened?" "The paddock closed, the stallion there -- but where's the mare gone?" "Could someone have let her out on purpose?" "But... that doesn't make sense." "Not a single footprint." "Strange." "That old woman..." "Could she have done it?" "No, no..." "Baby musn't cry..." "Soon Uncle Ivan will get here with his wife, Martha." "Don't you hear me?" "!" "Don't cry." "They're bringing goodies!" "Oloksos " " Oloksos -- what's that sound?" "!" " Don't be afraid, don't be afraid..." " What's going on?" "!" " What is it?" "!" " Don't be afraid." "Just go inside." " Oloksos, I'm afraid!" "Don't leave!" "Come inside with me." " Okay, fine." "Let's go." "Let's go." "All right... time to check over here." "Oh!" "There she is!" "Yep:" "Mine." "Christ, she's foaled!" "It's a girl." "Well, I found her..." "Hunh... how did she get in there?" "Weird." "She climbed in there?" "Weird..." "How'd she get in there?" "!" "I've got to get her out." "Wow." "Not even any hinges." "MINE!" "MINE!" "MINE!" " Egor hasn't come back yet..." " Come on, calm down, Annie." "Maybe something bad happened..." "Annie, don't worry so much." "Try to think positive." "He'll come back." "Oloksos... did you hear a tambourine playing in the daytime?" "Yes." "When I was young I used to hear it, too." "The old folk were afraid, so they didn't talk about it." " Oloksos, what is that...?" "!" " Stay calm." "Just some noise." " Annie, don't be afraid." " Oloksos..." "Annie, do not be afraid." "If you get scared, we're done for." " Who's on the roof...?" "!" " Calm down." "No matter what, we have to look fear in the face." " Don't be afraid, Annie." "Calm down." " Somebody's up there!" " Calm down, dear, calm down." " Someone's walking up there!" " The light's gone out!" " Hold on." "Get a candle." " Okay:" "Here's a candle..." "Hurry!" "Light it!" " Calm down, Annie, I'm lighting it..." "There's someone up there!" "They're walking around." "My baby!" "My poor child!" "Look..." "Annie, open the door!" "Egor's back!" "Ghosts everywhere!" "They took the mare!" "Did Ivan get here?" "No, he didn't come." " Oloksos, what do we do?" "!" " Calm down." " Go outside, give them a cow and a horse." " No way!" "I'm not going out there!" "Then go start a fire." "Annie, bring some pancakes and butter." "Egor, where is the food?" "[recites a prayer, seeking protection from the Spirit of Fire]" "They're asking for a person." "They won't go away otherwise." "Egor, I'll go." "What, Oloksos?" "!" "Maybe we should wait a little bit." "We can all make it." "No." "I'm an old woman." "I'm going, and that's that." "These beasts, which ate my parents, have been waiting a long time for me." "Just fate, I guess." "Live in peace." "This horror will be over soon." "All right, I'm off." "I've come..." "Mama...?" "!" "Mama...?" "!" "Is that you...?" "!" "Just... shadows?" "!" "That's all you are?" " Egor." " What?" "Where'd our Oloksos go?" "The postmortem stated that Oloksos had died of a heart attack." "After the incident, Egor and Anna moved to the village with their child." "A year later, a new family settled the land." "The name "the Cursed Place" was soon completely forgotten." ""Open the way to the Gods!" "Take the Path of the Sun!" "Let it be!""