"The year 1872... and the nightmare legend of Count Dracula extends its terror... far beyond the mountains of Carpathia... to the Victorian metropolis of London." "Here in Hyde Park... the final confrontation between Lawrence Van Helsing... and his arch enemy, the demon vampire Dracula." ""Man, that is born of a woman..." ""hath but a short time to live, and is full of misery."" ""He cometh up, and is cut down, like a flower..."" ""he fleeth as it were a shadow, and never continueth in one stay."" ""In the midst of life we are in death:"" ""of whom may we seek for succor, but of thee, O Lord..." ""who for our sins art justly displeased?"" ""Thou knowest, Lord, the secrets of our hearts..." ""shut not thy merciful ears to our prayer..." ""but spare us, Lord most holy, O God most mighty..."" ""O holy and merciful Savior..." ""thou most worthy Judge eternal, suffer us not, at our last hour..."" ""for any pains of death, to fall from thee."" ""I am the resurrection, and the life, sayeth the Lord..." ""he that believeth in me..." ""though he were dead, yet shall he live:"" ""And whosoever liveth and believeth in me..."" ""shall never die."" "Still at it?" "Outrageous." "Shocking." "Charles, I asked you to invite one or two of your friends, but really!" "These are not my friends." "I've never seen any of them before in my life." " All I did was to invite the Stoneground." " Well, for God's sake, get rid of them." " Animals." "That's what they are." " They just barged in." "You're quite right, love." "They are animals." "And they're worse than animals." "They're antisocials." "Charles, do something." "Sure, Charles, feel free." "What do you do?" "Sing?" "You know why I like you?" "'Cause you remind me of my father." "Police, please." "Don't look now, but Charlie baby's going to call the fuzz." " Wow." " They'll put him through to Chelsea Police." "By the time they've logged the call, radioed a car..." " Six minutes." " Seven." "It's Friday night." "Five." "They're pretty sharp." " Eight minutes." " What?" "King's Road's crawling tonight." "It'll take them that to cut through the traffic." "The whole idea, baby, is that we get out one minute before the fuzz get here, right?" "Well, my guess is: four minutes from..." " now!" " Eight minutes." "Just hold on." "All right." "Fifty-seven, fifty-eight, fifty-nine." "Three!" "Fuzz!" "Come on." "Look at that." "You can't depend on anyone these days." "Four and a half minutes." " You know, it is all rather a bore." " Let's cut out and find something better." "Right." "Everybody move!" "Come on, Johnny." "Goodbye, Johnny." "Peace, man." "Eight minutes." "The fuzz was there in four and a half." "We'd have got busted if we listened to you." " Why not?" " Or were you?" "You mean you wanted to get us lumbered?" " I thought you were looking for kicks." " Outside." "We are outside." "Listen, man, are you taking me for a twit?" "It was a tired scene, Joe." " Okay?" " What's that supposed to..." "Where are all the new experiences?" "The new happenings, then?" "Okay, Johnny." "Where?" "Something new, yet as old as time." "I wonder." "What?" " Great." "Can I have a Coke?" " Sure, darling." "I wonder whether you're ready for it, my angels." " Ready for what?" " What are you talking about?" "Something way, way out." "Tell us!" "Come on, Johnny." "A date... with the Devil." "A bacchanal with Beelzebub." "But it sounds wild." "It's Sunday supplement stuff." "Ouija boards." "Crystal balls." "Is there anybody down there wishing to talk to anybody up here?" "It's for you, Sapphire." "That gig went out with miniskirts, you schlep." "It's rubbish, anyway." " Is it?" " Yeah." "Now, children, all sit in a circle and hold hands." " Don't knock it unless you've tried it." " Have you?" "Well, they do say it's dangerous." "Don't they?" "Yes, I believe they do." "Now wait a minute." "Let's get this straight." "You're talking about black mass and that sort of jazz, right?" "Yes, that sort of jazz." "Yeah, well, if we're gonna do this, who knows the ritual?" "Anyway, you need a desanctified church, don't you?" "St. Bartolph's." "It's a church due for demolition." "About a mile from here, down on the embankment." "So why don't we give it a whirl?" "You really think it will work, Johnny?" " No harm in trying." " Isn't there?" "Come on, Jess." "It could be a giggle." "Fellows?" "Okay, but if we do get to summon up the Big Daddy with the horns and the tail... he gets to bring his own liquor, his own bird, and his own pot." "Yeah, well, I don't know, Johnny." "Come on, Bob." "You're not going to chicken out now, are you?" "I didn't say that." " Now, if everyone else..." " That just leaves Jess." "Come on, love." "It's only a giggle." "Good." " So when do we meet?" " Tonight." "The Feast of Belphegor." "It's significant." "And what time?" " Midnight." " When else?" "But for Pete's sake, a black mass." "I mean, honestly." "Jess, I'll tell you exactly what's going to happen." "Joe will turn up with a few bottles of beer, Gaynor will bring something to eat... and Greg will have his guitar." "And it'll turn into a little singing, with maybe a little loving on the side." " Then the fuzz will turn up." " And we'll be turned out." "We'll end up back at the coffee bar." "Drinking their lousy coffee at 20 pence a cup." "He's supposed to be an authority on it, isn't he?" " Who?" " Your granddaddy." "Didn't he write a paper on demonology or something?" " Look, he's an anthropologist." " Now you told me." "All right." "I just thought you might get some background stuff." "That's all, love." " I wouldn't waste his time or mine." " All right, Jess." "There's no sweat." "All right?" " Don't be late." " Okay." "See you." "Anyone at home?" "Mrs. Donnelly?" "I'm starving." "Grandfather?" " Jessica." " Hi." " What are you doing in here?" " Just browsing." "This is my place of work, not W. H. Smith  Son." "Here we go." ""Treatise on the Black Mass"?" "What do you want with this?" "Just a quiet bit of mind blowing." "Jessica, this is not a subject to mess around with." "These are scientific works." "You can buy that sort of stuff in almost any shady bookshop in Soho." " I think it's all kinky." " What's that?" "Weird, man." "Way out." "I mean, spooks, hobgoblins, black magic." "All that jazz." "It seems to me that you delight in deriding anything... that is not on your particular wavelength." "Our family, Jessica, has a tradition of research into the occult." "To us, it has been a serious, lifelong study." "Okay, but it's not one of my hang-ups." "Jessica, wait." "I've a lecture to prepare for tomorrow... but it shouldn't take me more than a couple of hours." "I'll be finished by dinnertime." "As it's Mrs. Donnelly's day off, we might eat out together somewhere." " Maybe go to the Pontevecchio?" " I'm sorry." "Are you going out again tonight?" "With that gang of yours?" "We like to call ourselves a group, Grandfather." "Just a group of friends, you know?" "Same age, same interests, same language." "Can't you bring them here, let me meet them?" "You really missed your vocation, you did." "You could have made the big time as a comic." "Bring them here to this mausoleum?" "Grandfather, look, if it makes you feel any better..." "I'll admit something to you." "I've never dropped acid, I'm not shooting up... and I'm not sleeping with anybody just yet." "The full extent of my wild ways... stretches to half a pint of lager now and again." "No one here." "Maybe they've called it off." " No." "They'd have sent word." " Bob, let's give it a miss." "Come on, darling, do us a favor." "I mean, at least let's have a look around." "There's nothing else to do, is there?" "Or is there?" " Where's the hole?" " Careful." "There we are, Jess." "Come on, before some nosy cop nabs us for loitering with intent." "Intent to what?" "Rob a grave?" "That was Burke and Hare's thing." "The operative word is "yuck."" "Now, that Johnny... he really is a joker, isn't he?" "Yeah." "Something else again." "Look, mate, you start talking to yourself, and as far as I'm concerned, the part..." " What is it, Bob?" " It's nothing, Jess, nothing." "Come on, give." "What's so interesting?" "It's just someone's lousy sense of humor." ""To the memory of..." ""Lawrence Van Helsing."" ""Born July 12, 1814." "Died September 18, 1872."" "Just a coincidence, Jess." "No." "Lawrence Van Helsing, my great-grandfather." "1872, a hundred years ago, that's when he died." "A hundred years ago to the day." "Johnny Alucard." "I'll push his bloody face in." "Come on, Jess." "Let's get out of here." "You bloody idiot." "All right." "Don't get your knickers in a twist." "It was a gag." " That was a gag, too, I suppose." " What?" "Lawrence Van Helsing." "Related to Jessica." " Yeah?" " Yeah." "How was I to know?" "I haven't read any good tombstones lately." " Jess." " I'm all right." "I'll take you home, love." "The whole gig was a nothing idea, just like you said." "Okay, Jess, you know, so I made a boob." "I mean, man, did I make a boob." "I'm sorry." "I just wanted to frighten you a little." "I did, didn't I?" "Kick me on the head." "I don't mind." "Kick me, I like it." "But you got to stay." "Johnny's gone through an awful lot of trouble, poor fellow." "And he's done such a grand job in there." "And he likes you so much." "And it's wild." "But you got to come inside." "Come on, what do you say?" "Go on, kick his head in and let's get on with it." "That's my girl." "Love you." " Are you sure, Jess?" " Yes, sure." ""Rest in final peace." Why "final"?" "Come on." "Hi." "You finally made it." "Good evening." "Welcome to the Sabbath, my children." "Cheers." "Look at the shrouds Johnny got us." "Was it you that chose this place?" "Only site available." "Did you know about that grave out there?" "'Cause if you did, you got a pretty sick mind." "What grave?" "That grave belongs to a namesake of Jessica's!" "Bob, cool it." "It's all right." "Come on." "Johnny, let's go." "Yes, let's get on with it." "I'm getting cold." "All right, no fooling around." "This is for real." "Close the Devil's circle." "Dig the music, kids." "Let it flow into you." "Relax." "Give yourself up to it." "That's it." "Now you've got it together." "That's it." "Let it go." "Feel it happening... like a great ocean gathering you up... like the silken shrouds of death." "I call on Andras..." "Grand Marquis of Hell, Provoker of Discords... and upon Ronwe, Demon of Forbidden Knowledge... and upon Behemoth..." "Arch Devil of the Black Delights." "I call upon Asmodeus the Destroyer... and Astaroth, friend of all the great Lords of Hades." "I call upon the many names of Prince Satan..." "Beelzebub and Lucifer." "I demand an audience with His Satanic Majesty!" "Lower demons, support me." "Come, Mammon, Urobach..." "Leviathan, Belphegor..." "Lord Balberith and Verinne." "Hear me." "Rosier, Gressil, Sonneillon... and Oeillet." "I made a pact of blood with you... the baptism of the walking dead." "Come to me, Carreau, Carnivean... and Count Dracula!" "I call to you in your dark, eternal caverns." "Hear me!" "I call on Jessica Van Helsing!" "No." "They have asked for the rite of baptism by blood." "They have chosen you to help me, Jessica." "Don't be frightened." "There's nothing to fear, I swear." "No." "I'll give you undreamed of power, I promise you." "No!" "Me, Johnny, me!" "I'll do it!" "Me!" "For pity's sake, don't." "Laura!" "An ancient rite... performed before the dawn of time." "You who witness it... must swear before the name of the Devil... to keep it secret." "A curse on anyone who utters a word... of what they have seen." "By the 6,000 terrors of hell..." "I baptize thee!" "Wait!" "Come away, Jessica." "It's you he wants." "Quickly." " Help me!" " Wait!" " I can't move!" " Wait!" "I can't move!" "Come on, Jess." "Please!" "Help me!" "Jess!" "But, Bob, what about Laura?" "Never mind about Laura." "Come on." " We can't just leave her behind." " Joe, Greg!" "Wait, Jessica!" " Bob!" " I can't find the place we got in." "Jess, come on." "Come on, Jess!" "Master." "I did it." "I summoned you!" "It was my will." "No." "Jess." " Okay, so Johnny went too far." " Too far?" " It was revolting." " Well, Laura was smashed." "You know what happens when she touches that stuff." " She can't handle it." " Bob, she was not that smashed." "Okay, so we'll go to the Cavern tomorrow." "Usual time." "Laura will be there." "A bit drained, but she'll be there... and I'll have a few words to say to Johnny." "We should have gone back for Laura." "No, we shouldn't have gone there at all." "I did phone up Bob's pad." "He and Jess made it okay... but he doesn't know what happened to Laura." "Maybe we ought to do something." "What?" "Call the fuzz?" "No, we can't do that..." " 'cause they'll ask me personal questions." " So you've got secrets?" "Look, don't you think we're pushing the panic button for no reason?" "Johnny gets his kicks out of scaring people." "Just for the record, with me, he succeeded." " Who knows where he lives?" " He never did say." " You're a sight for sore eyes, man." " Is Laura with you?" "No." "I thought she was here with you." " No one's seen her." " Or Johnny." "Maybe they've eloped." "No, Johnny never fancied Laura that much." "If he'd planned on skipping with some bird... it would have been with Jessica." "No, it wouldn't." "Well, I'll tell you this for nothing." "Nobody is getting me back in that bloody churchyard in a hurry." "It was sick, man." "I mean, the whole thing was..." "Look, let's drop the subject, shall we?" "Yeah, right." "I want to forget about it, just forget about it." "Come on, quick." " Hi, folks." " Hi, man." " You finally made it." " And where have you been?" "Railway station." " Railway station?" " Well, sure." " What for, Johnny?" " Took Laura to meet the Ramsgate train." "Ramsgate?" "The 10:40 from Victoria." "Don't you remember?" "She goes down to Ramsgate every month." "She cons her parents for the rent and the allowance." " Don't you remember?" " I don't." "I seem to remember she lives someplace like Watford." " That's what I thought." " Ramsgate." "What are you all on about?" "Look, about last night, you've got some explaining to do, mate." "Hysterical, wasn't it?" "Boy, you were all flying high." " Let's do it again sometime." " You just have to be kidding." "No, Anna, I don't think he is." "Got you all going, didn't I?" "Why, you should have seen your faces." "You were really living it." "Then when the blood started to flow..." "Yes." "Tell us about the blood, Johnny." "That was the clincher." "Got you worried?" "Simple." "The secret lies right there." "Used on the TV and the movies." "It's called a blood capsule." " Bloody hell." " Wow." "That's it." " It's all a load of hokum." " That's very clever, but what about Laura?" " She was in on the act right from the start." " Yeah?" "It looked like real blood to me." " And it was revolting." " Was it really a gag, Johnny?" " What else?" " Thank God for that." "You believe him?" "I mean, it was too way out to be real." "Wasn't it?" "It still looked like real blood." " And all that weird noise, Johnny?" " Sound effects on a tape recorder." "You saw Joe turn it on." "Yeah, it could have been the way he said." "No." "I'm not convinced." "You're about the most gullible bunch I ever set my eyes on." "You left your clothes behind." "I can't believe it." "You really thought I was spooking up old Beelzebub?" "Wait till Laura hears about it." "Right." "I'm going for a drink." " I'll settle the bill." " Do I owe you for that?" " No." "It's on me, Joe." " Thanks, mate." "Bye-bye." "See you, baby." "Tata." "Okay, so I'm forgiven." "Look, I had some really rough nightmares because of you." "In Technicolor?" "You ought to lay off that stuff." "Okay, so I'm sorry." "Am I forgiven, Jess?" "Sure." "Look, just to show I'm sorry, I've got two tickets... for the Jazz Spectacular at the Albert Hall." "You can't buy them for love nor money." "They're like gold dust." "Lucky bitch." "I'd sell my soul to get my hands on those." "No one has to sell their souls." "Not just yet." "How about it, Jess?" "Open invitation." "Drop it, Johnny." "I'm taking Jess to the pictures." "That's how we're playing it tonight, mate." "See you." " Okay, angel, you can come." " Wow." "Happened sometime last night." "Cause of death?" "Difficult to say without a postmortem... but the whole body's been shockingly mutilated." "Work of a maniac, I'd say." "Must have gone completely berserk." "Sexually assaulted?" "Until I've made a proper examination, that's anyone's guess." "It seems as if someone's tried to drain the whole body of blood." "It's a grim setting." "Body mightn't have been discovered for weeks." "Crude attempt to bury it." "Lonely place, yet right in the heart of London." " Could be a cult murder." " I beg your pardon?" "Cult murder." "Had a spate of them in the States some time back." "Yes, but as I recall, there wasn't this sort of mutilation." "Sergeant, I want an ident on this as quickly as possible." "Righto, sir." "Your boys have been saved some trouble, anyway." " What?" " She was already wearing a shroud." "So you fancy going to the pictures tonight?" " What do you want to go and see?" " I don't mind, darling." "There's a good one on at the Essoldo." "Laura doesn't come from Ramsgate." "I'm sure of it, Bob." "Look, will you just forget it, Jess?" "You know, Gaynor was right." "She comes from Watford." "Just forget it, will you?" "And..." "That ident on the victim, sir." "Easier than we thought." " We've got her prints on record." " She had some form?" "Illegal possession of drugs about four months ago." " "Laura Jane Bellows."" " Chelsea bird." "She lived off the King's Road, Moore Street." "Right." "Let's have a comprehensive list of her friends and associates." "Her circle." "Let's get a complete picture of her movements up until last night." "Came from Hatfield originally." "Someone better inform her parents." "According to Chelsea, she moved around in a pretty tight group." "Sort of fringe people." "All fairly young." "Names?" "There's a list there." "This is a note of some of the people she was involved with... when she was lumbered on the drugs charge." "Fellow called Gregory Pullar... another girl called Anna Bryant..." "Robert Tarrant, Gaynor Keating." "Yes, I thought this one might interest you, sir." "A lass called Jessica Van Helsing." "Van Helsing?" "Her grandfather's Professor Lorrimer Van Helsing, London University." "He helped us once." "Yes." "That extortion mob." "Money by blackmail." "Something to do with witchcraft, some cult or other." "Yeah, he's a bit of a specialist in that sort of thing." "Witchcraft, a cult... churchyards." "Yes?" "Murray here." "Well, I'm sorry, the press will just have to wait." "No, nothing yet." "No, I'll issue a statement just as soon as I have more information." "Gruesome bastards." "They love this sort of thing." "Sells papers." "Sergeant, I think I'd like to go and talk to Professor Van Helsing... and his granddaughter." "Is this your place, Johnny?" "Come in for a bite." "Poor place, but it's mine." "It's really fantastic." "Like it?" "Yeah." "You've even got taste." "Sit down and make yourself comfortable." "They were all zonked when they recorded this." "Aren't they always?" "Inner sanctum, baby." "Food, music, wine: now." "Playtime:" "later." "There are some smokes in the box." "Help yourself." "It just seemed that this might be a starting point, sir." "You've helped us in the past, and there are aspects of this case... that might interest you professionally." "From what you've told me, Inspector, all this seems to be a little outside my scope." "This particular sort of ghastliness is not really in my line at all." "The mutilation of the girl's body was very thorough." "Almost ritualistic." "Rather puts one in mind of those cult murders... they had in America some time back." "You remember?" "They referred to them as demonic." " Demonic?" " Well, that's how the press put it." "Yes." "Some youngsters." "I remember." " You think this could be a cult killing?" " Could it?" "Is there some cult that goes about slaughtering its victims in this way?" "You're the authority." "Well, mutilation could be the work of some homicidal pervert." "The cults we're plagued with in this country are far less violent." " Cigarette?" " No, I don't." "Thank you." " Sergeant?" " No, thank you, sir." "Of course, there was that business on Hampstead Heath... but then that was a case of sadomasochism, as I recall." "My sphere of interest concerns the occult." "Psychophenomena as related to history." "I don't see how this business fits in with that." "The postmortem findings were rather interesting." "There are signs which indicate that as the girl was dying... her body was drained of blood, and that's the part that really worries me." "Why would anyone do that?" "Unless it was some sort of ritual... some bloody ceremonial rite." "You see, sir, that's one of the reasons I started here." "I have struck a cord, haven't I?" "Is there a group who specialize in this sort of thing?" "London's a very cosmopolitan city." "Are there some people who get their kicks this way?" "No, not people." "A person?" "That postmortem, it might be significant." "Yes?" "Those mutilations, around the neck?" "Mostly." " Does that mean something?" " It could." " Could indicate." " What?" "That the killer was trying to obliterate the real cause of death:" "Vampirism." "You're joking." "You dismiss the possibility?" "Don't know." "Been a policeman too long." "I don't know." "My grandfather died fighting a vampire." "The most terrible, the most dangerous vampire of all time." "But before that, he collected proof." "Positive proof." "No, there is nothing ludicrous about it." "He was a scientist." "His evidence was conclusive." "There is evil in this world." "There's dark, awful things." "Occasionally, we get a glimpse of them... but there are dark corners, horrors almost impossible to imagine... even in our worst nightmares." "There is a Satan." "Of course." "Otherwise we wouldn't need a police force, would we?" "Exactly." "Professor, I don't know what I expected to hear when I came here today." "But not this?" "No." "You think I'm a crackpot." "No, I don't." "So what was the other reason you came here for?" "I beg your pardon?" "You wanted information from me." "You've got that." "Earlier, you said it was only one of the reasons why you came to see me." "I want to see your granddaughter." "I beg your pardon?" "Your granddaughter." "Jessica Van Helsing." " But why?" " To ask a few questions." "In heaven's name, about this?" "Yes, sir." " But she's not involved." " Vaguely." "What do you mean "vaguely"?" "There is a link, a very weak thread." "For God's sake, no." "No, you must be mistaken." "Late visitors." "Cops." "Do you want me to come in with you, Jess?" "No, it's all right." "Watch what you say." "Be careful." "You know what I mean?" "Of course I know what you mean." "Maybe I better come in with you just to see what they want." "No." "Good night." "I'll be at Joe Mitcham's place if you need me." "Okay." "Jessica, will you come in here, please?" " I'm very tired." " It's important." "Jessica, this is Inspector Murray, police." "Grandfather, what have you been up to now?" " He wants to talk to you." " About what?" "About last night, Miss Van Helsing." "Specifically, about your movements last night." "Who you were with, what you were doing." " Is something wrong?" " Just answer the questions, please." "I don't know." "Tooled around with the group." "The group?" "Names?" " What is this?" " Please." " The usual crowd." " Jessica, please." "Greg Pullar, Joe Mitcham, Bob Tarrant, Anna Bryant..." "Gaynor Keating." "Laura Bellows?" "Yes, as I recall, she was with us for a while." "Where did you go?" "I don't know." "Just around, I suppose." "Specifically." "I wish somebody would tell me what this is all about." "Murder, Jessica." "That's what all this is about." "A ghastly, horrible, obscene murder." "You mean Laura?" "Yes, Miss Van Helsing." "Laura Bellows." "Jessica, where were you?" "Down by the embankment." "An old empty church." "Unhallowed ground." "And what happened there?" " And that's the last time you saw her?" " Yes." " Inspector..." " But she was alive then." "I swear to you, she was alive." "She called out to us." "She was alive." "Well, if I know the youngsters of today, there'll be none of them in bed yet." "I wonder if you could tell me where I might find them now, Jessica?" "At the coffee bar?" "No." "Most of them will probably be around at Joe's." "Joe Mitcham's place." "Joe Mitcham." "Yes, I think we've got his address." "Inspector, I think my granddaughter's had enough." "Yes, that's right." "All right, Miss Van Helsing." "You should give her a sleeping pill or something." " Yes, I will." " Thank you." "You don't think she's implicated, do you?" "She's involved." "Implicated, I really don't know." "Kids do such crazy things." "Try and talk to her and if you can find out anything more, let us know." "We may call upon you again for advice." "Yes." "In the meantime, it might be best if you kept her home for a while." " Good night, sir." " Good night." "Good night, sir." "Any chance of a cup of coffee and a cheese roll, sir?" "I'm starving." "Don't know if they're serving coffee and cheese rolls at Joe's party." "But I'll see what I can do for you." "Let's get over there and find out what they are doing... before it's all over." "It's going to be a bit heavy going, sir, don't you think?" "Trying to interview a bunch of kids while there's a party going on?" "I'll bet you £1 to a pinch of shit... that there's a little piece of hash somewhere at that party... and if there is, I've got them." "Means I can hold them." "If I can hold them, I can talk to them." "And I'll settle for that, for the moment." "Jessica, put the phone down." "Don't try and warn them about the police." "It won't help matters." "Do you want to talk, or would you rather go to bed?" "I told him all I know." "There's nothing more to talk about..." " and you're not going to start, are you?" " I want to help." "I don't know what happened." "There, there." "Tell me about that boy, Johnny." "He's just one of the group." "He joined us a few months ago..." " and he seemed to sort of take over." " He joined you from where?" "I don't know." "Met him at a party one night." "No, I honestly don't remember." "That surname of his..." "Alucard?" "Surprises." "You're full of surprises." "Come on." "A disciple of Dracula." "Oh, my God." "She is not the one." "You have not learnt to obey." "She is not the one!" "But, Master, you promised me." "I promised you nothing." "I'll get her." "I swear I'll get her." "God, Johnny, no." "Jessica, what is it?" "It's all right, Jessica." "Jessica, you're all right now." "Now, what was it?" "All right." " That's all right." "You're awake now." " It was horrible." "The nightmare's over." "No." "I don't think it is." "Master, I did it!" "I brought you here!" "I released you!" "In return, I was to be given the power!" "Now I demand the power of immortality!" "You demand?" "I have returned to destroy the house of Van Helsing forever... the old through the young." "You and your line... have been chosen." "I'll find her, but it would be easier if I was given the power." "Now, I beg you!" "Afterwards, I'll get rid of her afterwards!" "God grant I can find your strength." "God grant I destroy this devil." "I still subscribe to the old idea that Sunday should be a day of rest." "Do old ideas rest comfortably in an open mind, Inspector?" "In a case like this, Professor Van Helsing, I have to keep an open mind." "I'm prepared to listen to any theory put forward by anyone." "Even a crackpot like me?" "I don't consider you to be a crackpot." "I'm impressed with your background and qualifications." "I don't dismiss your argument out of hand." "But?" "But you try telling my superiors... that there's a vampire walking the streets of London." "You try telling them these murders are anything but..." "Murders?" "You said "murders."" "Two more bodies were found this morning." "One of them, the girl Gaynor Keating, in Hyde Park." "Another friend of your granddaughter's." "Mutilated?" "Not so much as the first girl." "They discovered a second body earlier, a woman called Marjorie Baynes... discovered on Falstaff Road, within sight of St. Bartolph's Church." "Go on." "What do you mean go on?" "I've told you." "Was she mutilated?" "No." "The only marks on Marjorie Baynes' body were..." "Two puncture marks in the neck... about here." "Correct?" "Yes." "You see?" "No, Professor Van Helsing, I don't see." "I'm just a plain, run-of-the-mill copper." "Put me up against a villain, I'll run him down." "Thief, con man, thug, murderer." "Sooner or later I'll nobble them, because that's what I'm trained to do." "I know the way they work, I know the way they think." "I know what makes them tick." "But this..." "This is something else again." "Three murders in two nights and a bunch of spaced-out teenagers... as my only suspects." "A bunch of kids whose way of life is as foreign to me as..." "As that of a vampire?" "And who knows about vampires, for God's sake?" "I do." "I've spent all my life studying the subject." "And have you come across one, I mean here and now?" "This is London." "This is the 20th century." "Vampires are the living dead." "They have no lifespan." "Not as we use the term." "Like the phoenix, they die, only to live again." "A hundred years ago there was proof... positive proof of one living in this city:" "Dracula." "There is a legend that he was buried somewhere in Chelsea... probably by one of his disciples... possibly at St. Bartolph's... in some desanctified corner." "If the stake was removed from his heart... he might walk again." "Excuse me." "Yes, Murray here." "Yes, there's nothing we can do, is there?" "Just keep tabs on them, that's all." "Yeah." "The kids, we had to let them go." "An army of angry parents and lawyers descended... and bailed them out." "They'd be safer in jail." "I do not believe, Inspector... that this is a random manifestation of vampirism." "I do not believe that my granddaughter's friends... were chosen by the monster by pure coincidence." "There is a pattern here... and the key to that pattern is this boy you're still searching for..." "Johnny Alucard." "Incidentally, if you write his name backwards it spells Dracula." "Silver bullets and cloves of garlic." "Silver bullets are impractical, and garlic is not 100% reliable... but it is true to say that the monster abhors silver... silver of any kind, especially, for instance, a silver-bladed knife." "There is also a theory... that a vampire may be destroyed by being immersed in clear running water." " Clear running water?" " Yes." "Fortunately, some things do work." "A vampire attacks for two basic reasons." "Now, firstly, it needs human blood to nourish itself." "Secondly, it will attack to curse its victim... to make him or her like itself, the living dead." "This monster is strong again." "It has drunk blood." "Now it will infect others." "May have infected others already." "Unless it is stopped, it will continue to infect others." "Please, let me help." "Professor, if any of my superiors had been listening... to what you've just said, they'd have you certified." "If they thought I was going to take any notice of it, they'd have me certified." "Are you going to take any notice, Inspector?" "Let me put it this way..." "I don't know who killed those three women... but officially, I'm putting it down to the work of a criminally insane killer." "And unofficially?" "What do you want me to do?" "For a start, take the police guard off St. Bartolph's." "Is that wise?" "It may be the site of Dracula's grave." "If it is... he'll need to return to it instinctively each night... just before the dawn." "I think he was trying to get there last night." "At least we know he was near Falstaff Road." "All right." "And let me know the moment you find Johnny Alucard." "Don't let your men arrest him." "Have him followed, and let me know immediately." " Now that coffee bar." " I'm sorry, Professor." "The Cavern coffee bar will have to be closed down." "The drug squad will insist." "They have evidence that it's being used as a distribution center for pot and LSD." "That's a pity." "It may have been a good starting-off point." "Never mind." "Let's just hope I'm right about St. Bartolph's." "I just hope you're wrong about this entire business, Professor." "I wish I was, Inspector." "I wish to God I was." "You there, Johnny?" "Hi, Bob." "I've been waiting for you." "Is Jess Van Helsing in, please?" " Who wants to know?" " Bob?" "It's all right, Mrs. Donnelly." "Bob's a friend of mine." "But how should I know?" "Your grandfather said..." "It's all right." "Bob, what's been happening?" "Thank you, Mrs. Donnelly." "Jess, all hell's busted loose." "You heard about Laura." "Now they found Gaynor the same way, very dead." "Where's Johnny?" "I mean, that guy must have blown his cool but good." "Anyway, they've got him now." " Where?" " Down at the Cavern." "Crazy gook just walked in there as if nothing had happened." "He must be around the twist." "Anyway, the other kids are down there now... going over statements and things... and they thought you ought to go down there, too... so they sent me around for you." " To go there now?" " Yeah." "I've got the car outside." "Just a moment, young lady." "It's cool, really." "I'll be back very soon." "Why don't we go in the front way?" "It's full of geeks and newspapermen." "There's no one here." "What's going on?" "Bob." "No." "No!" "Let me go!" "No!" "No, Bob!" "No!" "Wait!" "She's not for us." "She belongs to the Master." "He commands." " Hello?" " Hello, Mrs. Donnelly." "This is Professor Van Helsing." "Everything all right?" "Can I speak to my granddaughter?" "She's not here, Professor." "She went out some time ago." "A young fellow came to call for her." "Said he was a friend." "Went out?" "Did they say where they were going?" "I did just happen to overhear." "They said something about a cavern." "Professor, are you still there?" "Jessica?" "Oh, my God." "Jessica." "I'm sorry." "I was..." "Professor Van Helsing!" "I've been looking for you everywhere." " Who are you?" " Anna Bryant." "I'm a friend of Jessica's." "I phoned you just now and your housekeeper said... neither of you were there and then she said something about the Cavern." "Do you know where Jessica is?" "Your housekeeper said she'd gone to the Cavern." "No, she's not there." "I drove round there, then I spotted you running away from the place." " What is it you want?" " Is Jessica missing now?" " Yes." "Now, if you please..." " if she's in any danger..." "I believe she's in the gravest danger, and I'm wasting time." "She could be with Johnny Alucard." "She could be, but no one knows where he lives." " I do, Professor." " What?" " But the police said none of you knew." " Yes, I know." "I didn't tell them." "I didn't tell anyone, but I went there once, for kicks." "He was so weird." "Yes, I know where he lives." "Will you give me his address, now, please?" "Where is she, Johnny?" "Where is my granddaughter?" "Where's Jessica?" "I don't know what you're talking about, man." "Anyway, who are you?" "What are you doing here?" "I want my granddaughter back." " I don't know what you're on about!" " Don't you?" "You better leave me alone, man." "You had better tell me what these are for." "Can't you guess, Professor?" "A wedding, man!" "Aren't you going to give the bride away?" "Sunrise, Johnny." "You should be back in there." "Take them out." "Please, take them out!" "You're too late." "Tell me where Jessica is." "Bastard!" "Turn it off!" "Please!" "Turn it off!" "Where's Jessica?" "You'll never find her!" "You can rot in hell!" "Where is she?" "You'll never find her!" "He said it was the first flat under the archway." " Johnny Alucard?" " Yes." "But your granddaughter, Professor." "We called your home." "Dracula has her." "Somewhere out there, that obscene devil has her." "This is his revenge, a revenge stretching over the years." "A diabolical vendetta against the kin of Lawrence Van Helsing." "My grandfather." "He wants to sate his hatred in this way... by making my granddaughter into the creature he is." "By making her into one of the living dead." "A vampire." "You said he'll make for St. Bartolph's, eventually." "In the name of heaven, Inspector, keep away from that place." " We must do something." " It's daylight now." "You wouldn't find anything there." " Hold tight, sir." " And tonight?" "Give me one hour there, alone." "Just one hour, as the sun sets." "Keep clear of the place for that one hour." "I should get this looked at at St. Stephens, sir..." " before you do anything else." " Yes, of course." "There." "Put your hand there." "That's it." "Apart from your theory, there isn't any reason for me to go there." "There are other leads I could follow." "Thank you." "But we'll be looking in there later on, Professor." "As you wish." "Thank you." "Jessica." "Dear Jessica." "Thank God." "Jessica?" "Jessica, darling, I can't wake you from this." "Nobody can, except him." "I have to leave you for a little while, but it won't be for long." "Not for long." "Count Dracula!" "Look on me, Dracula." "Look on me... and remember." "You would play your brains against mine?" "Against me, who has commanded nations?" "Jessica, don't go near him!" "In God's name, don't touch him!" "In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost!" "Grandfather, I'm sorry." "Put this around your shoulders." "All right, Jessica." "Come on." "There." "That's all right, Jessica." "English"