""In the 17th century, Satan was abroad on the Earth..."" ""...and great was the wrath against those monstrous beings,"" ""...thirsty for human blood,"" ""...to whom tradition has given the name of 'vampires'."" ""No appeal for pity or mercy availed."" ""Brothers did not hesitate to accuse brothers..."" ""...and fathers accused sons..."" ""...in the frantic attempt to purify the Earth of that horrible race..."" ""...of blood-devouring assassins."" ""But before putting them to death,"" ""...human justice anticipated divine judgment..."" ""...by burning into the flesh of those damned ones..."" ""...the brand of Satan."" "Asa, daughter of the House of Vajda, ...this High Court of the Inquisition of Moldavia has declared you guilty." "I, the second-born son of Prince Vajda, ...as Grand Inquisitor, do condemn you." "And as your brother, I repudiate you." "Too many evil deeds have you done to satisfy your monstrous love for that serf of the Devil, Igor Javutich." "May God have pity on your soul in this, your final hour." "Cover her face with the mask of Satan." "Nail it down!" "May the cleansing flames reduce her foul body to ashes so that the wind will obliterate all trace of her existence." "No... no!" "No!" "Griabby!" "It is I who repudiate you, ...and in the name of Satan I place a curse upon you." "Go ahead, ...tie me down to the stake, ...but you will never escape my hunger, nor that of Satan!" "The unchained elements of the powers of darkness are lying in ambush." "Beware, Griabby!" "My revenge will strike down you and your accursed house, ...and in the blood of your sons and the sons of their sons I will continue to live, immortal!" "They will restore to me the life that you now rob from me." "I shall return to torment and destroy throughout the night of time." ""As if by the Demon's command,"" ""...the sudden fury of the elements extinguishes the purifying flames."" ""The terrorised people run in flight from that cursed place."" ""And for all that long night, the church bells toll..."" ""...to keep away the spirits of evil."" ""When the wrath is spent,"" ""...the body of Javutich is covered with unconsecrated earth..."" ""...in the burying place reserved for murderers."" ""And the body of Asa, the witch, is placed in the tomb of her ancestors."" "Coachman!" "Coachman!" "How much further to the crossroads at Mirgorod?" "Six or seven versts, my lord." "Did you hear that, sir?" "If we stop at Mirgorod, we'll never reach Moscow by evening." "It doesn't matter." "We can spend the night at the inn at Mirgorod." "Good smoked salmon and excellent vodka!" "We'll still be in time for the congress tomorrow." "But we'll miss the opening address." "Too bad." "Dr Blistanov of St Petersburg will be there, and Dr Steiner of Vienna." "How long have you had your degree?" "Three years, Professor." "I've been with you for two." "When you've been in the profession as long as I have, ...you learn to take all the speeches at these conferences with a grain of salt." "Coachman!" "Stop!" "Ho!" "Take the forest road, it's shorter." "It's full of holes." "No one uses it." "I understand." "You're afraid of the witch!" "It's not so easy to frighten me, ...I fought through the war against Napoleon, ...but to tell you the truth, ...I'd rather find myself face to face with a cursed Frenchman than than meet up with a ghost." "This will help you to forget all about ghosts." "Here you are!" "Come on, now, let's get going!" "What's that wailing?" "It's nothing, just the wind in the trees." " What's happened?" " The branches of the tree, sir." "That branch reached out and tried to choke me." "Try not to choke yourself with that vodka." "Now, get a move on!" "Why is he in such a hurry?" "Well, between my tip and his fear..." "Oh, what a mess!" "Dear heaven!" "Dear heaven, of all places for this to happen." " Oh!" " Is it serious?" "No, no." "Fortunately it just slipped out of the socket." "I'll have it back in no time." " Just a minute." " Good." "It certainly isn't very cheerful here." "That weird sound." "It's coming from there." "Let's see what it is." "There!" "You see?" "It's just the wind in the pipes of this broken-down organ." "What's happening, my lords?" "It's nothing." "Continue with your work." "More than a thousand years of conflicts, hates and loves all reduced to dust in these tombs." "Nothing remains of the ancient princes of Vajda but the dead shadows of their former glory." "The history of ancient Moldavia is carved in these stones." "Andre, come here." "This is the witch of the old legend." "See this bronze mask?" "One was always placed over the face of a condemned witch so she would wear for all eternity her true face, the face of Satan." "Why is there a window?" "They feared the witch might rise again and maintained that a cross visible to her through the glass would keep her nailed down forever." " Incredible!" " My lords!" "My lords, where are you?" "Someone had better come and help me with this wheel." "Please don't leave me all alone in this infernal place!" "He's frightened to death." "Go and help him." "I want to have another look around." "Frankly, I prefer it outside." "Not only is there no air in here, but it's also a little gloomy." "Professor?" "Professor Kruvajan, what happened?" " Why did you fire?" " Look here." "That monster attacked me for some reason." "That's very strange." "Usually bats shy away from human beings." "Let's get out of here, Professor." "We'll be better off outside." "Otherwise the coachman will be convinced that he's right." "Wait." "What are you doing?" "Still intact after two centuries." "Oh, you've cut yourself." "You're right, I hadn't noticed it." "It must have been a splinter of glass." "Just a drop or two of blood, that's all." "Those empty eyes seem to be looking at us." "All right, we'll go." "Who are you?" "What do you want?" "I am Professor Choma Kruvajan and this is my assistant." "Andre 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, ...but we thought it was an abandoned ruin." "We wanted to satisfy our curiosity." "It's all so strange, so mysterious here." "Everything is going to ruin." "My father, Prince Vajda, refuses to repair even this old chapel." "This place, in his eyes, is a curse." "My lords, the wheel is repaired." "We can go now." "All right, we're coming." "Please excuse us, Princess, but we must go." "We still have five versts to go to Mirgorod." "We are spending the night there." "If you don't mind, I won't say goodbye to you." "Perhaps we will meet again." "Yes..." "I trust you will spend a good night at..." "Mirgorod." "Well, spellbound?" "What sadness in her eyes." "But look..." "Ah, a souvenir of the witch." "Like a voice breaking off." " What's that?" " Wolves!" "That's why I couldn't find any tracks of wild deer today in the forest." "No, it seems to be something else out there." "Those are not wolves." "The griffin moved." "Constantine!" "Katia!" " What is it?" " Father!" " It wasn't painted like that." " What?" "It was alive before." "Now it's dead." " What are you saying?" " I'm certain." "Father's right, it wasn't in that position before." "Katia, that portrait has always had a strange effect on you." "I wonder why." "It's like a flame that can't escape." "There's something alive about it, ...something different about the eyes, the hands, ...as if it were hiding something." "Sometimes I'm afraid to go near it." "Katia!" "Maybe Constantine is right." "I must have been dreaming." "We'll say no more about it." "How cold it is!" "A chill seems to come out of the fireplace tonight that penetrates into my bones." "Why don't you get some sleep, Father?" "Your eyes are tired." "No, my eyes aren't tired." "My spirit is." "You two go to bed now." "I want to be alone." "Good night." "Good night." " Good night, my lord." " No, wait, Ivan." "You've served in this house for many years." "I was born here, sir." "Today's the feast of St George." "You must know the legend of the curse that was placed on this castle." "Two centuries ago today, two people were executed for practising witchcraft." "Princess Asa and her accomplice, Prince Javutich." "And to their faces was nailed the mask of Satan." "A hundred years later, again on St George's Day, ...an earthquake destroyed only the ancient chapel, ...and the witch's tomb was found split open, ...as if Asa had tried to break out to accomplish her revenge." "In fact, that same night Princess Macha died mysteriously." "Macha was beautiful, the very image of Asa." "She was just 21 that day." "Like Katia." "And Katia is her living image." "It's as if the witch tormented her victims with her own beauty before killing them." "And it's this resemblance, this repeating of Asa's vengeance that terrorises me." "I'm afraid, Ivan." "You mustn't be afraid, my lord." "The cross will protect you." "Even if what you said is true, ...these monsters are terrified by the sacred symbol of Christ." "Always have it near you and you'll be safe." "Yes, you're right, Ivan." "It's the atmosphere surrounding this cursed day that has upset me so." "Drink your toddy, sir, before it gets cold." "It's death!" "I've just seen death!" "It's a warning, Ivan." "I won't be afraid." "They won't win." "They cannot win against the symbol of Christ." " Everything all right, sir?" " Yes, thank you." "You were right, Professor, this vodka is great." "Right now I feel as if I could conquer the world." "Starting with the castle." "If I'm not mistaken, someone there made quite an impression on you." "An excellent idea!" "Another little drink or two and that's exactly where I'd go." "You'd be wiser to go to sleep." "Mysterious princesses are more easily conquered in dreams." "Besides, we must be up early tomorrow." "You're right." " Er..." "I'll tell them to call us at five." " No, no, don't bother, I'll do it." "I'll take a little walk and then tell the innkeeper." " All right." "Good night." " Good night." "And watch out for bats!" "Watch out for your head!" "No!" "No, no." " Why do you always carry on like this?" " I don't want to go." "Who do you think should go?" "Me, with all I have to do?" "Oh, excuse me, sir, but isn't it shameful that a big girl like her is afraid to go to milk the cow in the barn?" "Your mother is right." "She didn't say that the barn is beside the old haunted cemetery." "You mustn't be afraid of the dead." "They sleep soundly." "Hear what the gentleman said?" "I'm coming!" "Hurry." "I'm busy." "Get a move on!" " I've been waiting for a half-hour." " I'll go tonight, but tomorrow I won't." "Hello, Irina." "Rise, Javutich!" "Javutich!" "Rise!" "Javutich!" "Be still, Irina." "Be still." "Are you frightened, too?" "Oh, it's a storm." "Be good, Irina." "No!" "Father!" " No!" "No!" " Father!" "Look at me, Father." "It's Katia." "Look at me!" " We must find a doctor." " But where?" "At the inn." "I met two doctors today in front of the chapel." "They said they were staying at Mirgorod." "Hurry, Ivan!" "Go down and wake up the groom." "Here I am, Master." "I heard someone scream." "Go to the inn and get one of the doctors." "At once!" "Yes, Master." " Dr Kruvajan!" " Yes?" "Princess Vajda has sent me." "Her father is very ill." "She begs you to come to the castle." "I'll come, but first I must tell them at the inn." "You won't need to." "I've already done so." "They told me there where I could find you." "Ah." "Very well, then." "Hey!" "Kruvajan!" "Kruvajan!" "I've been waiting for you." "I need you again." "Look into my eyes." "Look into my eyes!" "Come closer!" "Just a few drops of your blood brought me to life again." "All of your blood will give me the strength to accomplish my vengeance." "Come!" "Kiss me!" "My lips will transform you." "You will be dead to men, but you will be alive in death." "What's keeping Boris?" "He's been gone so long." "He'll be back any moment now." "The griffin, the man in the painting..." " What's he saying?" " He's delirious." "No, no, only the crucifix can save us on this day of the damned." "Did you send for me?" "I'm so grateful to you for coming." "My father is delirious." "I'll take a look at him." "You may go now." "What's wrong with him, Doctor?" "Nothing serious." "He's just had a slight shock." "We were asleep when all of a sudden we heard a frightening scream." "When we came in, he was trembling with his arm outstretched, ...holding this cross to keep back some horrible apparition." "Take it away!" "He mustn't see it." "It might provoke another attack." "Our eternal sleep has been broken." "You were able to do it." "You tore me out of the earth that weighed heavily on me." "This time you are not alone." "I will bring you her body." "She will be your victim." "She was born for this fate." "She is your living image." "Destiny has its way, Asa." "In her you will live again, ...speak again and smile as she does." "We'll live once more, as we used to." "Get some rest, Constantine." "Father is sleeping quietly." " No, I'm not tired." " Go, both of you." "I will stay here." "Oh, dear, those dogs keep howling so!" "Ivan, try to quiet them." "Yes, my lady." "You go." "I'll stay here." " But if..." " I'll call you if necessary." "All right, then." "What's the matter?" "Shh... quiet now!" "What is it?" "I thought you'd fallen asleep." "Why don't you go to bed now?" "I'll stay and watch over your father." "But aren't you leaving Mirgorod at dawn?" "It doesn't matter." "I can stay the night here." "He seems to be much calmer now, doesn't he?" "Yes." "You'll see 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, I don't know how to thank you." "Please call me if there should be any change." "I am sure there will be no need." "Your room is across the corridor here." " Good night, and thank you again." " Good night." "Katia!" "Katia!" "Katia!" " Poor father!" " No!" "Dr Kruvajan!" "Dr Kruvajan!" "No, Katia!" "Don't go!" "Katia, don't..." "Don't look, Katia!" "Professor Kruvajan!" "Professor Kruvajan!" "It's Andre." "Your friend has already left the inn." " Left?" " Last night." "He was called to the castle." "It seems that Prince Vajda was suddenly taken seriously ill." "He hasn't come back yet." " I wonder why he didn't take me." " Maybe he didn't want to disturb you." "My daughter saw him get in the coach that came from the castle to pick him up." " Could I have a horse?" " Right away." "Come with me." "Be careful!" "If you upset the basket, I'll fix you!" "Say!" "Excuse me." "Is this the shortest road to the Vajda castle?" " Yes, sir, take the one going uphill." " Thank you." "The current's stronger down here." "Oh, please!" "I told you not to play around here!" " The shirt's fallen in the water!" " There it is!" "A shirt!" "Oh, how am I going to catch it?" "Watch out or you'll fall in the water, too!" "There it is!" "It's getting closer." "There it is!" "Who is it?" "Dr Kruvajan!" "Who are you?" "What do you want?" "I am Dr Gorobec." "I heard that Dr Kruvajan was called to the castle last night." "Yes, that is correct." "We called him to attend my father, who had a sudden attack of shock." "We left the doctor alone with him, but he went away." "If he hadn't left my father alone like this, he might still be alive." "I must say, I don't understand your colleague's strange behaviour in this case." "You're right." "I don't know how to explain it, ...but I assure you I am much more surprised than you are." "I know Professor Kruvajan very well." "I don't understand." "Something serious must have happened, I am sure of it." "It's very strange." "When I left the inn, he still hadn't returned." "He's not there?" "Please, come up." "Merciful heaven, it's Boris, the groom from the castle." "I want to see!" "Let me by!" "That's who it is." "Poor Boris!" "He looks terrible." "How did he end up here?" "The river." "Can't you see he's dead?" " Ah..." " Katia!" " We must take her away." " Yes." " Where is her room?" " This way." "Quickly, some water." "The features of his face are changed." "They are not human." "It's like the face of Satan." "It made me sick to see it." "It's as if the Demon had devoured him from the inside." "Shh." "Don't talk so loud." "Maybe it's better not to tell them." "They're stricken by their father's death." "Ivan!" "What's this all about?" "They've found Boris's body, my lord, down by the stream." "Boris's body?" "Yes, Your Excellency." "You should see how he looks." "His eyes are popping out of their sockets, his teeth are bared, ...and his hands are clenched." "Where is he now?" "We carried him into the sacristy." "The parish priest is with him." " You there!" " Me?" "Yes." "Come here." "Your mother says you saw the carriage that came to fetch Dr Kruvajan." "Yes, my lord." "I saw it as I was coming back from the barn." "I heard a noise, so I hid in the bushes." "But it wasn't Boris who was driving the coach." "I know Boris's face very well." "It was a stranger." "At least, I've never seen him before." " Are you sure?" " Oh, yes, my lord." "I'm going to the village to see Boris's body." "And you come with me, but remember, you must tell me everything you know." "Do you understand that?" "It's very important." "Certainly, sir." "I'll tell you everything." "Go on." "So long, now." "Go on to your houses." "Go on." "That's the man!" "Yes!" "That's who it is!" "The man who came last night to get Dr Kruvajan." "I swear it, my lord." "That's the man." "I'm certain." "I could see him clearly." "The moon was shining on his face." "Whose face?" "Enough of this child's fantasies about a portrait of someone who's been lying dead for centuries, ...or else we'll all go mad." "Calm yourself, Princess." "I must leave you now, but I'll be back." "And try to be courageous." "We'd be glad to have you stay here with us tonight, Doctor." "Yes." "Please do, we'll feel so much safer." "It's incredible." "He died in the same horrible way as the Prince." "The wounds on his neck look like the work of a wild beast, ...but one who punctures the flesh without tearing it." "As a doctor I have complete faith in science, but..." "And this strange behaviour of Professor 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 passed by the inn, but no one had seen him, ...and the innkeeper's daughter insisted today that the man in the portrait at the castle is the same as the driver who came last night to fetch Professor Kruvajan." "It makes my head spin." "I don't understand." "The man in the portrait, did you say?" "Yes, the portrait hanging near the fireplace." "An old 17th-century painting." "A painting of a man in black with a silver griffin embroidered on his chest?" "Yes." "Why?" "Nothing." "Nothing." "Oh, Father." "Prince Constantine would like you to prepare the funeral for tomorrow." "Yes, very well." "Everything will be ready for tomorrow." "Go!" "Help!" "Help me!" "What is it?" "Katia?" " What is it, Princess?" " There's someone hiding in my room." " Where?" " Behind the curtain." "Come!" "Ivan, stand guard in the salon." "Over there, behind the 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, but I tell you, Constantine, I saw it, I saw it..." " I'll get her a sedative." " Katia, don't cry." "Professor Kruvajan, it's you!" "You frightened me." "Where have you been?" "What happened?" "I've been searching for you all day." "Your hair!" "Go away, Andre." "Far away from here." "Don't get involved in things that don't concern you." "Since you didn't come to the inn, I brought your luggage here for you." "Look, I was just trying to decipher this inscription." "Professor!" "Krug!" "Brug!" " They're bleeding to death." " Yes, and I think I know who..." "Come now." "Quickly!" "Carry everything into the salon where the coffin will be set up." "Take this." "Easy, there." "And he fled from you in terror?" "Yes, the moment I showed him the icon he disappeared without any explanation." "It's very difficult to find the right translation for these old Cyrillic inscriptions." "The important thing is to get the key word." "If I take it with me, I'll compare it with some texts I have in the library." " I'd be so grateful to you." " Father." "As you know, my sister's been suffering terribly from these shocking events." "I'd appreciate it if you could urge her to leave the castle." "I tried to convince her, but it was useless." "She said it would be disrespectful." "Princess Katia." "I hope I'm not intruding." "No, I just feel so desperate and alone." "I understand, but you mustn't despair." "You must always have faith in yourself, in life." "In life?" "What is my life?" "Sadness and grief." "Something that destroys itself day by day, and no one can rebuild it." "Here is the very image of my life." "Look at it." "It's being consumed hour by hour like this garden." "Abandoned to a purposeless existence." "If the hand of man abandons this castle, ...or even this Earth, ...there is no reason why you should do likewise with your life and your youth." "Go far away from here and you will be happy again, Katia." "Forgive me if I call you by name." "And remember that I'll always be ready to help you." "You're very kind, Andre, ...but today everything seems so hopeless." "I feel a sense of terror, a presentiment of death, ...of being destroyed by something that's inside me." "How I wish I had your faith, your strength." "You mustn't give in to despair." "I know it's hard for you, ...but even here in this garden the sun will reach into the darkest corners and chase away the shadows of the night." "Andre, help me." "I beg you to help me." "Thank you." "Without you I wouldn't have had the courage to go on." "In moments like this it's difficult to..." "find the right words, but when this is all over, Katia..." "Thank you, Andre." "Thank you." "It was the only way I could think of to put out the fire, my lord." "Strange." "I wonder what can be hidden behind here." "Doctor!" "When Ivan was putting out a fire that had started in a hanging he ripped through this canvas." " Look." " Be careful." "It's pitch-black inside here." "A secret passageway." "Then my father was not delirious." "And his last words were "the silver griffin" and "the man in the portrait"." "This is where I found the dogs with their throats slashed, ...where Kruvajan disappeared." "Let's go in." "You stay here, Ivan." "Make sure the door doesn't close." "Don't move." "No, my lord." "It's the same girl as the portrait in the salon." "The witch in the crypt." "How did you know about her?" "I saw her when Dr Kruvajan and I visited the abandoned chapel." "Wait a minute." "Two days ago, this tomb was intact, and the witch..." "She looks as if she had just died." "Look!" "She's breathing." "We're in the presence of some unnatural mystery." "I must talk to the priest." "You return to the castle." "Don't leave Katia alone for a moment." "Go out that way, you'll get to the stables quicker." "Ivan!" "Ivan!" "From what you tell me, there can be no more doubt." "We are faced by the unleashed powers of the Demon." "The ancient words on the icon explain exactly what must be done." "We must find the grave of Javutich..." "before sunset." "Father!" " Yes?" " Look, the mask of Satan." "Like the one I saw over the witch's face." "It's just as I had feared." "We'll find him buried here." "Look!" "A freshly dug grave." "Open the coffin." "It's Dr Kruvajan." "But..." "last night..." "he was still alive." "I saw him." "No, he was already dead." "But it's impossible, Father." "He moved, even spoke to me." "Then he ran away." "Sometimes Satan, with his capacity of doing evil, ...even plays tricks with the dead." "You see?" "This is the proof." "Now we must find a way for his poor soul to rest in peace." "Yes, but how?" "The inscription on the icon indicates the only way." "The spell is broken." "Poor Kruvajan." "We must take action." "And quickly, for now it is all clear." "The witch had transformed your friend into the slave of the Devil." "Dead during the day, but alive by night, ...so he could carry out Satan's nefarious orders." " Then the Prince, too?" " Yes." "But now we will have to make haste, ...for the witch may regain her life completely." "How could she?" "By possessing and entering the body of a young woman." " Katia!" " Yes, Katia." "Hurry back to the castle." "It's late." "Before the sun goes down, go to the crypt and pierce the left eye of the witch." "Go now." "I will do the same to the body of Boris, which is still in the sacristy." "And then I'll join you." "Constantine?" "Ivan?" "Ivan?" "Constantine?" "Where is everyone?" "Where have you gone?" "Help!" "Help!" "Help!" "Where are you?" "Help!" "Constantine!" "Andre!" "Help me, Father!" "Please help me." "Don't leave me alone with all these horrors." "Father!" "Father?" "Father!" "I am no longer your father." "My blood is no longer your blood." "The spirits of evil have rent that tie between us forever, ...and an accursed poison flows in your veins." "No!" "Constantine!" "Ivan!" "Open up!" "At last your vengeance is at hand, Asa." "Now you will be free forever." "Katia!" "Constantine!" "Where are you?" "Katia!" "Constantine!" "Katia!" "You did not know that you were born for this moment." "You didn't know that your life had been consecrated to me by Satan, ...but you sensed it, didn't you?" "You sensed it, didn't you?" "That's why my portrait was a constant temptation to you, ...why it frightened you." "You felt 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." "You might have been happy together, but I was stronger and now you shall enjoy a beautiful life of evil and hate in me." "No!" "Constantine!" "Don't worry about me." "Save Katia." "Don't lose time." "Save Katia... from the witch." "Katia!" "Katia, thank heaven..." "that I've arrived in time." "Yes, she wanted to kill me." "Quick, Andre, do something before it's too late." "I couldn't do it." "Quickly." "Yes, yes, you're right." "We must destroy her forever, ...and I know how it can be done." "Don't look, Katia." "It's horrible, but I must do it." "But this is your cross." "Katia!" "How is it possible?" "I understand." "Come." "No!" "No, I am not your love." "There she lies, dead." "Forever." "Forever." "My vengeance is complete." "All of her family is destroyed." "All!" "Look, Andre." "Look into my eyes." "Yes, look at me the way Kruvajan did that night and, like him, lose yourself deep in my eyes." "Don't you feel the joy and the beauty of hating?" "Look!" "She..." "She is the witch." "Don't be deceived by her face." "Look at her body." "She is transforming herself into Katia by draining her life's blood." "Take her!" "Two centuries ago, ...a storm prevented the flames from destroying her wicked soul, ...but today her innocent victims have broken the spell of Satan." "Why?" "Why was Katia taken away from me, Father?" "And she is dying with Katia's beauty." "Katia..." "My life is finished too now." "How can I ever forget her?" "How can I resign myself?" "I will never find peace." "Look, her young body... destroyed." "Father!" "Katia." "Katia."