Enter if you must. Just push that **.
And knock like a woodpecker
and it just hammers right through my brain.
You knock like a man with a big boom, boom, boom, and I'm fine,
but this little birdy, tippie, tappie, tippie, tappie is like to make my eyes
pop out of my head.
Come on in and sit by the fire where I can see you.
My eyes are not so sharp any more.
Mrs. Carnation?
Depends on who ask.
My name is Edward Ralston.
Handsome man.
You are Mrs. Carnation.
The necromancer?
Been many long years since anybody called me that.
- But you are she? - Let's say I once was she.
Madame. I'm in desperate need of your help.
I cannot help the likes of prosperous young gentleman like you!
But I was told you could raise the dead.
Well, you was told wrongly.
- You cannot raise the dead? - I will not raise the dead!
Not even for so comely a gentleman as yourself.
Madame.
I have just come from the funeral of my beloved wife, Samantha.
A lovelier and more vibrant woman you could never hope to meet.
You're sure your wife is all you said she was?
Let her go with God,
and lie in peace.
I cannot help you.
But you hold the power to bring her back to me.
- And yet you refuse! - It's for your own good.
And for my own.
- I'm all used up! - And why not?
Why would you help us erase my grief?
Why would you not bring back the woman I love to me?
Have you heard the story of Ernst Haeckel?
What does he have to do with this!
Oh, young sir. He has everything to do with this.
If I tell you my story and you still wish your
beloved Samantha brought back from the dead,
then I would gladly grant you your wish.
Do you mean that?
If you love is so great,
then yes!
I will bring your wife back to you.
No love is greater. I swear to you!
We shall see!
Now...
Sit with you back to the fire and I shall tell you my tale.
It hurts my neck to look up at you.
Well...
Ernst Haeckel...
was a medical student in Massachusetts.
A cocky young man. Thought he knew it all.
Do go on.
Well, this was some time ago,
50 years, or more...
A more naive age.
Not so filled with...
answers...
... as today.
It is man laid out in his final inglorious chapter.
Devoid of his soul, all that is is left is flesh.
A machine without power. A mere husk, an empty vessel.
Only God in his wisdom may grant life and take it away.
So, you, my young charges are the instruments of God's will.
And it is up to you to serve him well.
What has God to do with man?
Ahh, our young heathen.
Well, why don't you tell me and the class all about it, Mr. Haeckel?
Man and woman fornicate to create life.
Accident, disease, or old age take it away.
Your God has nothing to do with it.
He is our God, Mr Haeckel, not my own, and he has everything to do with it.
There is no man without God!
I am a man without God, Dr. Hauser.
Well, you may think so, sir, but you are wrong. There is no life without God.
I take it you're unfamiliar with recent experiments in Germany,
which have proven otherwise.
I am well aware of the tales of Victor Frankenstein, Mr. Haeckel.
And they are fairy tales. Wishful thinking.
Scripture tells us that the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away.
God gives us life and once he takes it away, it is gone for good.
And you believe that there is no life after death?
Oh, I believe in an afterlife, sir, but not in the reanimation
of the human corpse.
Then what on earth do you celebrate every Easter Sunday?
This is an entirely different matter, young man.
God may resurrect. Man may not.
And I believe that you are wrong, sir.
What you believe is entirely of no consequence to me my young free thinker!
Why don't you tell it to our poor Mr. Willaby here?
I can prove it, professor.
Oh, I'm sure that you can inseminate, Mr Haeckel, much as that might distress me.
But it is God and God alone who grants us the spark of life.
No, Professor.
I mean that I can give life to the dead.
Well, I shall very much like to see that.
I imagine that you should.
This unfortunate young woman
died of consumption just over a week ago.
How did you acquired her body?
- Does it really matter? - It matters a great deal, young man.
And how does the University acquire its cadavers?
From accredited legal sources.
Your father is a pious and wise man, Mr. Haeckel.
Surely he does not approve of this blasphemy.
You know nothing of my father!
My father approves of the truth.
I've been following the notes of the German scientist quite specifically.
And I've been able to harness the electrical power of the lightning.
My challenge is then
to channel that power
through these copper ropes
and into the body, and thereby ignite the spark of life.
This girl shall live again.
Now...
Watch this!
Well ..
It appears divinity is still a long ways off for you, is it not Mr. Haeckel?
Quiet!
May God forgive you, sir.
I'm so sorry.
Hello, Chester.
Good evening, sir.
How fare is your father, the elder Dr. Haeckel?
I hope that his condition is better.
- He is not well, Chester? - Not well at all.
Well, please give him my best wishes and salutations for me, will you sir?
Oh, my!
Is that...?
Still dead, eh, Mr. Ernst?
You're lucky I'm here.
Got some good beef with me tonight!
Pneumonia. Just last night.
And a real bargain at $10.
Not tonight, Chester.
Money is tight, isn't it Mr. Ernst?
Always! A thousand, a hundred, even ten dollars.
I've failed.
The key to life after death is still beyond my reach.
Well, chin up, sir. You're a young man.
You'll surely figure out the mysteries of life and death
before you shuffle off this mortal **, right?
I'm in no mood for sarcasm, Chester.
Sarcastic?
- Me? - Yes, Chester. You.
Well, if it's life after death you seek,
should you not speak with a necromancer?
They place their faith in magic and the supernatural.
I believe in science. Not fairy stories.
Well, Mr. Haeckel,
I'm a simple uneducated man.
Science and magic seem one of a kind to me.
I saw Montesquino, the necromancer, down to the park of a weekend.
And his magic seemed pretty scientifical to me, young sir.
He made the dead rise!
But as I said,
I'm not so sophisticated as you.
But I think that we should be careful when we talk about necromancers.
Why should we be careful talking about a little English prick
who preys upon our women?
Good Lord! He practically steals form their purses!
- Claiming he can raise the dead. - And how do you know he cannot?
- Why you and not he? - Science, Chester.
Not balderdash.
I believe the evidence of my eyes, young master.
And I saw what I take to be proof
that such crafts as this Montesquino professes are real.
I should not dismiss it out of hand!
Perhaps you should see for yourself.
What is the line between life and death?
Between darkness and light, between existence and infinity?
I am here to tell you,
that the dead can live again!
I possess that mystical secret,
held until now only by the secret shaman of Zanzibar.
It came to me at great cost,
and it is a power that I do not use lightly.
With power comes responsibility.
For each life I grant,
takes a year off my own!
But because of the sacred trust I hold,
it is well worth it!
I sense disbelieve among you.
Young man.
I gather an educated man such as yourself,
would require proof of such a proclamation.
I would indeed, sir.
And what would convince you of my powers?
Not this side show, Professor Montesquino.
I ask you again, son.
What proof will you require that I tell the truth?
Nothing less than to see the dead revive before my own eyes.
And you shall have it, young man.
Behold!
Death!
This miserable cur is dead, is he not?
Quite dead, sir.
Behold.
Life after death!
You do believe your own eyes, don't you young man?
To resurrect a simple beast, is not nearly so taxing as bringing back a human being.
A man with a soul.
Compared to that, this is merely a parlour trick.
Man... is far more complex.
Are you saying a dog doesn't have a soul?
I am, young sir.
Professor Montesquino?
Yes, my good man?
My wife and I...
We lost our little girl to diphtheria in the summer.
She was about 3 years old.
We wondered... if you could...
- Do you have a hundred dollars. - Oh, no sir. No where near.
So how much do you think a year of my life is worth?
I wouldn't know, sir.
I should say it's worth more than a hundred dollars.
Could you get a hundred dollars?
Well, we were hoping that as a good Christian,
you might find it in the goodness...
I'm sorry.
Find the $100 and... I'll bring your little girl back to you.
I regret I'm not a charity.
And now,
who would like to have their late bereaved loved ones
back in their arms again?
What about you, young man?
Montesquino?
The young doubting charmers. A good evening to you, sir.
- And to you. - I was delighted to see you.
I'm having my supper.
Perhaps you can return in the morning.
My name is Ernst Haeckel.
I am a medical student at the University.
And I wish to enquire of your ways.
A man of science.
Well, perhaps a boy of science.
I'm absolutely thrilled to meet you, Mr. Haeckel.
But I'm not here to instruct you.
My knowledge came after many years of intense instruction.
With great risk to my life and limb.
I am willing to take risks.
Are you indeed?
The costs are greater than a bottle of whiskey.
I know you do not believe in my ways.
That you think that necromancy is tripe.
- A side show for the gullible, huh? - Is it not?
The dog. An excellent trick.
You threw your voice, did you not?
And the movement of the dead dog...
some sort of puppetry I'd wager.
You would, won't you?
Surely necromancy cannot be real.
Well, if you say it cannot,
then it cannot.
Who am I to question the likes of such a...
a brilliant educated young man like yourself?
- So you would not even argue with me? - No, sir. I do not.
I'm tired. I need sleep. Sweet dreams, young man.
And thanks for the bottle.
Mr. Haeckel?
What is it?
I am told it concerns your father.
Thank you.
My dearest master Haeckel,
your father's illness is taking a turn for the worse.
His malaise has turned much more serious.
And the prognosis is not optimistic.
He may only have a matter of days remaining.
He wishes to see you before he passes.
Sincerely, Dr. Alfred Harwell.
Life.
And death.
And one day...
I shall make you live again.
Jesus!
My deepest apology, young sir. I did not mean to cause you fright.
You startled me!
It would not be good for you sleep here tonight.
This an open road. I have every right to stay here if I wish to.
Of course you do. I did not say the right was not yours. I simply said...
it would not be wise.
My apologies.
I'm cold, and tired and hungry...
- I meant no insult. - None taken.
I am Walter Wolfram.
A pleasure to make your acquaintance.
My name is Ernst Haeckel.
I'm traveling to Windsor. My father it seems...
... very ill.
I live nearby. I can offer you a warm dry bed,
a proper fire, some hot potato soup.
An offer I cannot decline.
Many thanks to you, sir.
Why do you think it's... unwise for me stay in this place?
You are a young man.
I have no doubt you do not fear the workings of this world.
But believe me when I tell you there are nights,
when it is good... not to sleep next to a place where the dead are laid.
- The dead? - Aye.
Their home.
The necropolis.
I am a medical student. I do not fear the dead.
Then I suppose you are a lucky man.
Come.
It is not much, but it is warm and dry.
Elise?
Elise, this is Ernst Haeckel. He will be staying with us tonight.
Mr. Haeckel. This is my wife.
Elise.
It is a great pleasure to meet you.
Elise, get Mr. Haeckel some wine.
He has burdened with the cruelty of the elements for several days.
Mr. Haeckel is on his way to Windsor.
- The father is ill. Maybe dying. - I'm sorry.
- I hope not dying. - I apologize.
Of course, I have misunderstood.
The young man is a student at the University.
- What do you study? - Medicine.
I'm studying to be a physician.
You'd save your father's life?
Yes. Yes, I hope so... among others things.
Mr. Haeckel needs more wine, Elise.
Of course.
She is lovely, isn't she?
She is a very charming woman.
Oh, she is much more than that, Mr. Haeckel.
And it would not inflame me for you to say so.
I know what you're thinking.
How can I, an old man with a small farm,
deserve this lovely young lady as a wife?
- I thought nothing of the sort. - Liar!
Sir, I beg...
I do not take offense. Let me just say this.
The ways of love are mysterious.
Are you a married man, Mr. Haeckel?
No, sir. I'm quite unattached.
- Are you in love? - Not at present. No.
Have you ever been in love?
I have not had the pleasure... or the time.
Elise!
The young man has no time for love.
Yes.
Bring us more wine.
And join us.
I believe I've had enough wine.
Nonsense. It is no substitute for love,
but it will warm you on a cold wet night.
Right, Elise?
You have never known love?
Only fleetingly, I'm afraid.
Better fleetingly than not at all, right?
Mr. Haeckel is a fine looking young man, is he not, Elise?
Yes. A very handsome man.
The most eligible of bachelors.
A shame.
Surely you have experienced physical love.
Have you not, Mr. Haeckel?
I'm sorry, sir, but your question breaches propriety.
Let us just blame it on the wine, shall we?
I'm feeling very tired, sir. I should like to go to bed, if you don't mind.
Of course not. Elise!
Make up the bed for Mr. Haeckel.
Good night, sir.
I hope you will be comfortable here.
I'm sure I will be. Thank you.
It's certainly better than under an old oak tree in the rain.
What are you looking for?
You are such a lovely woman, Elise.
I must go now.
Thank you for coming.
- It's all there. - Right.
Make sure he has had enough before you put him down.
I don't want him waking and crying for you after you are gone.
Why don't you stay?
It's been a foolish year... and I cannot take it any longer!
Enough.
Mr. Wolfram?
What is it that troubles you?
Well my friend, I cannot begin to tell you.
Would you prefer that I leave you alone to your tears?
No!
I do not want you to go out after her.
Now.
The man...
who came to the door.
Who is he?
His name is Montesquino, Dr. Montesquino. He is...
an acquaintance.
And... a friend to your wife?
No! Is is not what you surmise...
Elise has no interest in the company of Dr. Montesquino, believe me.
Nor on any visitor in this house.
- Sir, if you mean... - Do not concern yourself.
I took no offense at the looks you gave my wife.
How could you not? She is a beautiful woman.
But let me tell you, my friend.
You... could never... satisfy her.
Neither of course, could I!
When I married her, I was already too old to be her husband to her...
in the... truest sense.
But you have a child.
The boy...
... is not mine.
And where is the father?
I'm afraid he's dead!
Then you are a very noble man.
I am guilty of many things, but I have never been accused of nobility.
She still loved her husband. Still does to this day.
No other man could ever fulfill her.
I've met this Dr. Montesquino.
He claims to be a necromancer.
- The man is a charlatan. - The esteemed Dr. Montesquino,
... deals in the science which I do not profess to understand.
But man is not a charlatan.
Have you paid this necromancer?
So that Elise could talk to the dead man who fathered her child?
And now Montesquino is going to play you some... miserable trick on the poor Elise!
To make her believe that she is... talking to a dead spirit.
It is no trick, **.
What the man does is real, I'm afraid to say.
Which is why you should stay here until it's over and done with.
It is nothing you should ever...
Listen to her!
Better not...
Well, she is in pain! I'm going after her.
She still loves him.
Haeckel?
Listen to me, Haeckel. Elise, she has a sickness.
She had it when I first met her.
What did I know! I loved her.
I sold everything I had to try to... to grant her this...
I want to make her happy!
Well, she doesn't sound very happy now.
- No, it's not what you think! - And what do I think, old man?
You don't know what it is. And it is... Oh God! Please come back to the house!
I said no! I'll not have her molested by that man!
- You don't understand. - Nor do I want to.
We couldn't begin to satisfy her! Neither of us!
So you hired Montesquino to savage her?
Jesus, man!
Stop! I'm begging you.
Stay away from the necropolis.
Bastard! What kind of a husband are you?
I beg you, cease, Mr. Haeckel.
You are stepping into another world you should never enter!
Good Lord!
I recognize this pitiful cur.
Poor beast.
Put the poor beast out of its misery.
- Die, damn you! - It is already dead, Haeckel.
- You cannot kill it again. - That's impossible.
No. The filthy beast is dead.
So do you see now?
You have no idea of the horrors that await you here.
All the more reason to go to your wife.
All the more reason to stay away.
What kind of a man are you?
You actually paid this Montesquino
to bring back your wife's first husband from the dead!
You poor fool!
Give me the musket.
Are you not coming?
I dare not enter the place where Montesquino performs his dark magic!
So be it.
Elise!
Bastard!
Ah, the young **... comes to save the maiden fair, no doubt.
What have you done to her, damn you?
Not to her, young man, for her.
Go. See for yourself.
I warned you!
- You knew this was happening! - Of course I knew.
I fear this is the only way she is satisfied.
What is she?
A woman.
A woman in love with a dead man.
No natural woman could endure that!
- Stop! - No, Haeckel!
She is not to blame.
Montesquino?
I am not to blame either, sir. I merely did as I was paid to do.
Whatever you did to start this, undo it.
I cannot, sir.
Make it stop! I command you, or I'll shoot you dead!
I cannot!
Do it...
Elise?
Please Elise.
You should come home now.
Elise?
Please come home with me.
Elise!
Elise...
Montesquino?
What does it take to make this stop? What are the words?
No words.
How do we make it stop?
When the sun... comes up.
- Is there no other way? - No...
- No other way. - Tell me, you bastard!
Good morning.
- The storm has passed, hasn't it? - It has.
Elise?
Yes?
- Last night... - Hmm. Last night...
- At the necropolis... - Yes...
At the necropolis.
- Walter... - I know... is dead.
He was old...
He was always...
kind to me.
Old men aren't the best husbands.
As long as you don't want children.
This isn't Walter's boy.
He doesn’t look anything like Walter.
But he looks just like his beautiful daddy.
See?
Would you like to hold him?
Please...
Hold him... please.
And that, my handsome friend,
is how young Ernst Haeckel finally found the love he sought.
That's the most horrible tale ever told!
Is it?
That the woman would have carnal knowledge with the dead.
Your story is impossible. It is an affront to God!
So say you...
Mr. Ralston...
May I assume that you could not be happy to have your wife
returned under such circumstances.
That you, do not love your wife that much?
My wife is a spirit.
- Not the body that holds it. - Just so, kind sir, just so!
I can return the body, but...
I hold no guarantee for the spirit!
***
There is no God in this simple home, sir.
No God at all...
What is that sound?
What is that horrible sound?
How do you know horrible sound?
How did you come to know this terrible tale?
Sweet darling! We were just talking about you.
Montesquino taught me so much...
I should always be deeply in his debt...
Give me, little darling.
Come to mommy, sweetest. Time for supper!
Oh darling!
Gentlemen ! We have a very handsome guest,
who claims to love his wife as much as we love one another.
Mr. Ralston.
You boys can just wait?
Until the baby's fed.
Then we can all... play.
Together!