[THEME MUSIC PLAYING]
Oh.
Honey, it's family hour. There must be something on.
Oh, wow!
Candy critters!
MAN: Oh!
Oh, great! It's Monsters, our favorite show.
Ssh! It's starting.
[MONSTER LAUGHING]
[CREAKING]
[ORGAN MUSIC PLAYING]
[CLOCK TICKING]
MASON: Burke, I think she's worse. [KNOCKS ON DOOR]
BURKE: Good God, what did you expect?
Dragged from her hospital bed in the middle of the night.
Exposed to every stinking filth infested alley in the foulest part of town.
And for what of all things?
BURKE: A faith healer! MASON: Shh!
BURKE: Mason, the man who owns this house
made his fortune by feeding off off human misery and ignorance.
How could you even think of bringing her here?
MASON: You may be right.
But I saw the look in my wife's face before she died.
Now I see the same look in my daughter's face.
She's all I have left.
And you can't save her, can you?
If science can't save her then she is in the hands of God.
That's not good enough for me.
[KNOCKS ON DOOR]
Is this the house of the feverman?
My name is Mason.
Timothy Mason.
It's my daughter, you see.
Please, I've got to see him.
She's dying.
You must pay first.
Not enough.
James? No, Mason.
Not for this. Not one cent.
Damn you!
MASON: Hold on. Wait, wait, wait.
My wedding ring.
That's gold.
Not enough.
Wait. Wait, please...
That's silver.
Solid silver.
[UNLOCKS DOOR]
MASON: That'll be where the feverman does his work.
You seem to be quite an expert.
And what exactly is it
that he's supposed to do in there?
He fights the fevers in there.
He's got the crystal.
He could call the sickness out.
MASON: It's true, James.
My grandfather used to tell me about the feverman.
The fever crystals...
They could cure the fevers when nothing else would work.
The fevermen have been around for hundreds of years...
Maybe thousands.
And you genuinely believe that?
FEVERMAN: Why shouldn't he?
[MUSIC PLAYING]
MASON: Are you the feverman?
It's my daughter.
[SPEAKING FAINTLY] Hmm.
Oh.
Oh, the poor little angel.
FEVERMAN: Well, let's...
see what we've got here, shall we?
Here.
[GIRL GROANING]
[GROANING]
No.
[CHUCKLING]
That's a right nasty one, isn't it?
[GIRL GROANING]
Timothy, she belongs in a hospital.
Timothy.
You take that little lamb from here now,
and you might as well go straight to the undertakers.
You are on of the most despicable things I have ever set eyes on!
Despicable?
And what does that mean?
It means something low.
Like dirt.
Excuse me? Have we met before?
BURKE: No.
The name is Burke.
Doctor Burke.
[CHUCKLING]
[SARCASTICALLY] The name is Boyle.
Mr. Boyle.
You must be quite a keen observer, Doctor.
Most people get to know me quite a bit
before they reach that conclusion.
MASON: James.
That's enough.
Mason!
Please.
Should I take her inside?
By all means.
Take her in. Take her in.
Vox clamantis in deserto.
[ORGAN MUSIC PLAYING]
BURKE: Mason, don't do this!
Don't let this trickster rob you.
He speaks for himself.
Not for me.
MASON: James, perhaps you'd better go.
BOYLE: Would you like a drink, Doctor?
[CHUCKLING]
It's the finest whiskey available.
I always try to pamper myself whenever I can.
MASON: Mr. Boyle...
Don't worry Mr. Mason,
I'll be with your daughter in just a few moments.
No, thank you.
Let me tell you something, Doctor.
I'm a proud man.
And the people that make use of my services, despite the
humble conditions and surroundings,
they're proud.
And when you're proud,
gratitude can be a terrible burden.
That's why I charge high.
When they pay my prices for a life,
there's no need to be grateful.
I'm grateful to no one.
And no one's grateful to me.
You charge high and pay high,
and you'll die content.
Please. Mr. Boyle, we're ready.
But I'm not.
MR. BOYLE: I swear,
you fellows are dressed most elegantly,
and you talk all elegant,
but your manners leave a great deal to be desired.
I'm having a conversation here,
and you're interrupting,
and that is very rude, Timothy.
I'm sorry, Mr. Boyle.
Of course, whenever you're ready.
Can't you see? He's just playing games with us, Mason.
He wants to see us crawl.
Not a bit of it, Doctor.
I just want the simple respect
that every working man craves.
MR. BOYLE: I think I'm ready now, Timothy.
[GROANING]
[WATER SPLASHING]
Do you ever pay back your high prices, Mr. Boyle,
if the cure doesn't take?
I don't quite follow you, Doctor.
If the patient dies, do you give the money back?
Unlike you medical fellows,
my cure has to work.
Because the first time I fail...
The first time I fail,
it will surely be my last.
When I fight a fever, Doctor,
if I don't kill the bloody thing it will take us both.
Feverman and patient together.
And in case you're interested,
that's a great big old sickness in your little girl.
A great stinking grandmother of an infection.
Come on now, boys, out you go.
[MELANCHOLIC MUSIC PLAYING]
[GROANS]
But since you raised the question, Doctor...
Do you give back the money when your patients die?
No?
MR. BOYLE: How despicable.
Well, we'll talk about it later
when I've finished with your little girl.
[CREAKING]
[LOCKS DOOR]
[BREATHING HEAVILY]
[GROANING]
[RUMBLING]
[SCREAMING]
Mason, for the love of God, put a stop to this!
BURKE: Can't you see, you're being made a fool of?
You can't genuinely believe it. I know you can't.
No.
I believe in it because I have to.
Because it's my daughter's only hope.
My only hope.
Mason, don't you see?
Men like Boyle make their fortunes of that kind of hope.
He's not in the business of curing the sick!
His stock and trade is pleasing lies.
[THUDS]
You there.
You must know from the sounds,
how it's going?
Sounds like Mr. Boyle said,
"A big slippery one."
[THUDS]
[TENSE MUSIC PLAYING]
[THUDS]
[UNLOCKING DOOR]
MASON: James!
I'm sorry, I can't let this go on.
No. If you open that door you'll kill them both.
Is that what you're afraid of?
Or of seeing the truth?
[CLANKING]
[SQUEALING]
[GROWLING]
Damn you, you fools!
[SCREAMING]
[GROWLING AND SNARLING]
[MR. BOYLE SCREAMING]
[GROWLING]
[SNARLING]
[GROWLING]
[SNARLING]
MASON: No!
[GIRL SCREAMING]
[GROANING]
MASON: No!
Katherine?
[KATHERINE GROANING]
[YELLING]
[BREATHING HEAVILY]
MR. BOYLE: Aah!
Mr. Boyle, my daughter?
MR. BOYLE: The fever is back inside her.
Burke!
I swear to you, if my daughter dies...
I didn't say there wasn't any hope, Mr. Mason.
You go on upstairs,
and Mrs. Pierce will make you a nice cup of tea.
Uh-huh?
The doctor and I will stay down here and discuss the matter.
Now go on.
Now, Doctor...
Let's speak plainly, one man to another.
I'm dying,
and so is she. And you are to blame.
How could I? It's a simple fact.
Now, you're full of brave talk,
but are you really prepared to make good your mistake?
Make good? How?
BURKE: It's impossible!
Me
fight that thing?
That horror?
Wait.
Guns.
I'm disappointed in you, Doctor.
You're a hypocritical hypocrite.
It's all very well to divulge your life to healing.
But it all appears in a different light
when you have to put your life on the line, doesn't it?
If I don't,
she'll die?
Yes.
[BREATHING HEAVILY]
I suppose...
I suppose I owe it to you.
No.
Oh, when I'm done with you you wont have to worry about owing me anything.
Just remember what I said.
"Charge high and pay high,
and you'll die content."
What do you want me to do?
Pick it up.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING]
Now put it on.
The chain is broken.
Mr. BOYLE: Don't worry about that.
Just touch the broken ends together behind your neck.
[BREATHING HEAVILY]
MR. BOYLE: Here, have a drink.
No, I don't.
Take it!
It'll calm you down and maybe it will loosen you up a bit.
[TENSE MUSIC PLAYING]
[EXHALES]
Now, listen close, James.
Fever's are big and strong,
but they're stupid
and awkward.
They know how to attack,
but they're no good at defending themselves.
Remember that.
And remember,
that this one's got a wounded arm.
All right?
All right.
Now, go over
and kneel by her side.
[CHUCKLING]
Now cup the crystal in your hands.
MR. BOYLE: It vibrates, doesn't it?
Like it's moving? Can you feel it?
Good.
It does that when the sickness is close.
The more you feel it, the bigger the sickness.
Now...
Move your hand slowly down to her legs.
That's it.
And back onto the head.
[GIRL GROANING]
Now, very gently,
touch her between the eyes.
[SCREAMING]
[GROWLING]
Come on, Doctor.
Mix it up. Mix it up!
[THUDS]
[GROANING]
Kick! Use your feet.
[GROANING]
Show a little cunning.
[GROANING]
That's it. That's it.
[SQUISHING]
That's the way.
[GROWLING]
MR. BOYLE: You got it.
Give it to him.
That's it, that's it, that's it.
[GROANING]
Now squeeze.
Squeeze!
Die! Damn you! Die!
There.
That wasn't so bad, was it?
[DOOR OPENS]
KATHERINE: Daddy? MASON: Oh, thank God.
MASON: Thank God.
It doesn't come off.
KATHERINE: I want to go home now, daddy.
And nothing will take it off unless you're dead.
Or dying.
BURKE: Mason, wait for me.
MASON: I...
I think not.
BURKE: Please, just wait a minute!
Then I wont use the damn thing.
That's what I thought I'd do when I got stuck with it.
The trouble is...
Each time you don't use it you sort of...
You sort of fade away.
Remember, James,
charge high and pay high, and you'll die content.
Now I'm content that, uh,
that the price has been paid for my life.
MRS. PIERCE: Another customer.
Now, then, you just get this down.
And I'll handle the rest.
I always handle...
[LAUGHING] I always handle...
I always...
She's such a sweet little angel.
She's a sweet little angel.
Requiescat imparte.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING]
[THEME MUSIC PLAYING]