I've hit it.
Open it.
I beg you to reconsider, Dr. Sutton.
If you wanna be something more than a perpetual graduate student,
you'll open the casket, Reg.
You know the legends better than I do.
This can only spell disaster for all of us.
For the last time, Reg, open the casket.
DR. DR. SUTTON: Hand me the magician's book.
There's a card.
Read it.
"He who takes this book from me
"takes with it a curse
"of eternity."
It's the magician's curse.
It's meant to scare you.
Yeah, well, it worked.
Hand me the magician's book.
I can't!
I won't.
Pity. You had a promising academic future.
The book, Reg.
Professor!
* You said you wouldn't Hurt me, baby
* But then you said goodbye
* Well if that Ain't hurting, baby
* I'd hate to see you try
* Now you've come Crawling back to me
* And you're down On your knees
* And you're begging me For forgiveness
* Crying baby Baby, please
* That's all right
* Just go ahead and cry
* That's all right, baby
* 'Cause we just Said goodbye
* Now go ahead and cry
* Oh
Thank you! Thank you for coming out tonight.
The usual?
JOHNNY: Sinclair, single malt, neat.
Hey.
It's funny. I've never seen you drink
anything stronger than spring water.
What's up?
This is my dad's drink.
Sinclair, single malt.
He wouldn't drink anything else.
Everything seemed fine yesterday.
What's so different about today?
Today is his father's birthday.
Oh, God. Johnny, I'm sorry, man. I wasn't even thinking.
How do you know that?
We have a common friend who's told me a great deal about you.
Yeah Who would that be?
I believe you know Dr. Walton.
Yeah. Doc.
He helped me after my accident.
The lightning. I know.
You seem to know a lot. Who are you?
I'm Trudy Thorpe, Walton's research assistant.
The doctor's currently on a world lecture tour, stuck in Romania.
TRUDY: Care to join me for a drink?
We have a matter of grave importance to discuss.
We'd love to.
Um, it's a confidential matter, I'm afraid.
If you need anything, you just shout.
Excuse me.
It was a great show.
We don't get that kind of soulful music in Cambridge.
What brought you all the way out here from England?
Do you believe in magic, Johnny?
TRUDY: Have you ever heard of a book called the Necromancer's Tale?
JOHNNY: No. Sounds like fiction.
TRUDY: It isn't entirely fiction.
It was written by a man calling himself the "Lord of Magicians."
His name was Andre Barzun.
Barzun's book purportedly contained fragments
of an original Sumerian manuscript.
This manuscript was thought to be lost
around the end of the first millennium.
Destroyed by the Catholic Church.
But it wasn't.
At least one copy survived the Inquisition.
Barzun's was the first hint in over a thousand years
that a powerful Sumerian magic rites might still exist.
REG: You, of all people, know the power of this book.
Once opened, the death gate tide will sweep the entire world.
You'll never be able to close it.
You underestimate me.
As a scientist,
you'll be throwing away everything you've ever sworn allegiance to.
Truth, natural law, the universal order.
I didn't fail them. They failed me!
I won't fail her.
Sutton's wife, Lucy,
was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor.
For the past four months, she's been bedridden.
Four days ago, according to Reg,
her round-the-clock nurses was sent away,
and Reg wasn't allowed to see Lucy anymore.
No one was.
[DR. SUTTON CHANTING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE]
I summon thee. Rise!
Rise! Rise!
Are you trying to tell me that Sutton is trying to use this book
to raise his wife from the dead?
Yes.
And you think it's possible?
Yes.
My love, is it really you?
Winslow?
You're... you're alive.
I'm... I'm...
You're alive.
It worked. It truly worked.
The old magician did have the secret of necromancy.
Of everlasting life.
What's a university student doing with a bullet in his chest in an open grave?
It's the curse.
What curse?
The old magician's curse.
Andre Barzun, Lord of the Magicians.
A dark sorcerer.
I don't believe in sorcery and I don't believe in curses.
I'm guessing what killed this man was a .38 special.
The curse is real.
That is fact.
The bullet is only a symptom of this man's greed.
Fear of the lord is the beginning of knowledge.
And only fools despise wisdom and instruction.
I have seen the curse with my own eyes,
and I have ran away,
as have others before me.
You mean, this isn't the first time this gravesite has been dug up?
Neither the first, nor the last.
Treasure draws many.
Stolen waters are sweet.
And bread that is eaten in secret is pleasant.
But he knows not that the dead are there,
and that his guests are in the depths of hell.
Right.
You want me to try and get an impression from Sutton's mind.
It's vital that we learn if he's got the original manuscript.
And if he does, we must find it before he uses it.
The manuscript the book's based on
is a thousand years old.
Uh, 4,000, actually.
All right, 4,000.
And the world hasn't fallen apart yet.
If this manuscript does exist, and no one's sure it does,
it can't be as dangerous as everyone thinks.
Johnny, you, of all people, should know
that there are things that science can't explain.
The reason the book hasn't destroyed the world
is because it's been hidden by those who know its power.
But who's to say that it hasn't been used in some small way
to shape the course of history.
Remember, I can only pick up his thoughts if they're evil.
I'm well aware of your limitations, Johnny.
Yes
I don't know if you'll remember me, Dr. Sutton.
My name's Trudy Thorpe, and I'm...
Walton sent you, didn't he? TRUDY: Yes, actually.
Or rather, I was in the city and he asked if I'd pay my respects.
This is Johnny Domino.
The musician, yes.
My wife and I came to see one of your shows about a year or so ago.
Nice to meet you.
Please come in. I'm delighted to have the company.
TRUDY: Thank you.
I apologize for the mess.
The maid seems to have up and left us during the night.
Us?
My wife, of course.
Still warm.
TRUDY: Oh, yes, your wife. How is your wife?
I heard she was ill.
Yes, quite ill.
But she's had the most remarkable recovery.
Oh. Will she be joining us?
No. She's been resting all morning.
Her illness left her fatigued, I'm afraid.
Care for a brandy?
I'd love a tea, thanks.
Water will be fine.
Cream
TRUDY: Uh, no, thanks.
Thanks.
Oh, look at that.
Think nothing of it.
May I use your bathroom? Of course.
Upstairs, down the hall, two doors to your left. Thanks.
Whoa! You shouldn't sneak up on people.
It could be dangerous.
You have a strong heart.
Sounds positively delicious.
Don't be frightened of me.
You don't belong here.
You're not natural.
Dear boy, your concept of natural is about to change.
He's going to return the world to the Old Order.
He will give to the dead power over the living.
There's nothing to fear in the dead.
I kinda like it when the dead stay dead.
Rules change.
Life is wasted on the living.
DR. SUTTON: You find it all right?
JOHNNY: Yeah, I found it. We'd better go.
So soon?
Uh, yes. But thank you for seeing us, Doctor.
TRUDY: It's been a pleasure.
I couldn't get anything out of him. How about you?
You didn't by chance find Lucy, did you?
Oh, I found her. She looks pretty good for a dead person.
What?
So he does have the book, and he's already used it.
He's gonna use it again.
She said he wants to return the world to the Old Order.
I don't think she was talking about Sutton.
Then who?
I need to get Raleigh in on this.
He can research Sutton on the Internet.
We need all the help we can get.
Did she give you any clue?
She was beginning to make a point.
COMPUTER: Dr. Winslow Sutton,
Professor of Cultural Anthropology at Bay City University,
is the leading expert on the life and teaching of Bay City local Andre Barzun,
the self-proclaimed Lord of Magicians.
Dr. Sutton's forthcoming book traces the roots of the magician's sordid past
and examines his roles as the modern day messiah of cultural anarchy...
Okay, I got that info you wanted about the cemetery stiff.
What'd you find, Nance?
Okay, the guy was an anthropology student,
but he was working as a research assistant...
Wait, let me guess.
Dr. Winslow Sutton.
I guess that's why you have the corner office.
I think I should go pay this Sutton a visit.
I'd like to hear is views on the rotting infrastructure
and moral decay of contemporary society.
The what?
Okay, fine. We'll do this the old-fashioned way.
Hmm. Wrong season for planting.
TRUDY: Your father was a handsome man.
Rugged looking.
Would you like another?
Sorry.
Perhaps we should get down to business, hmm?
Uh, were you able to...
I was able to pick up bits and pieces from both of them.
Sutton and Lucy are gonna do whatever they're gonna do,
and they're gonna do it tonight.
That soon?
It's going to be difficult to prepare any kind of counter measure.
There's one more thing. When I picked up on Lucy's vibe,
it was like it wasn't her, it was her body,
but it was like another soul had taken her place.
Does that make any sense?
Perfect sense.
Dr. Walton always believed that...
in the normal death process, the soul is released from the body
and then moved on to the next level, but...
when the soul is tormented and refuses to acknowledge its own passing, it...
lingers on earth as a ghost.
Or worse.
You hear stories of zombies and ghouls,
and many occultists believe that it's these disembodied and tortured spirits
that enter a corpse, reanimating it,
but only for a very short time
before the body decomposes beyond any sort of function.
So the spells in this book make these things happen.
Yes.
Johnny! I've found that book, the Necromancer's Tale. You've got...
Hey.
Sorry about last night.
I wasn't sure if you were aware of Johnny's unique insight into the criminal mind.
We're partners.
Look, anyways, both of you, you've got to listen to this.
Okay, here it is.
"The gate may only be opened by a special ordinance
"and may not stay open beyond the hour of Tiamat,
"lest the abyss break forth upon the earth
"and the dead rise to eat the living,
"for it is writ, I will cause the dead to rise and devour the living.
"I will give to the dead power over the living
"that they may outnumber the living."
How's that for demented?
I'd call it disgusting.
"He will give the dead power over the living."
That's what Lucy said.
She must be talking about Tiamat.
I was afraid of that.
DR. SUTTON: We gather together, the light and the dark,
through the mist-shrouded mountains at the hour of Tiamat.
TRUDY: Andre Barzun believed that he was the incarnation of Tiamat
and that it was his destiny to return his rule.
So how do we stop him?
We'll find a way.
DR. SUTTON: I call to thee, ancient lords,
to hear me and fill this circle with your light.
Rise! Rise, Tiamat! Rise!
You can stop right there, Sutton.
Whoever you are, you can't stop them now.
LUCY: The ancient ones are already gathering.
You have to do better than that.
Rise, Tiamat! Rise!
ANDRE: Lucy!
I'm home!
Well done, magician.
It is an honor to serve you, Master.
But I had my reasons.
Yes, of course. You want immortality
so that you can die happily ever after with my daughter.
And who might you be?
I'm the one that's gonna put you back in your grave!
You're hardly in a position to threaten.
After all, I am the Lord of the Dead.
We're the living. You have no rule over us.
That is about to change.
You must close the gate.
If you don't, the dead will rise and devour the living.
Hurry! It's already begun.
What
The raising of the dead.
Oh, maybe we shouldn't go rushing in there.
Come on, this way.
Okay.
I am the incarnation of Tiamat!
I am come to give the dead power over the living as I promised!
We can't allow this, Lucy.
Even if it means we can't be together.
I won't be the cause of the death of all living things!
The living had their chance.
I've missed you, Daddy.
ANDRE: Now the dead are knock, knock, knocking,
demanding what is rightfully theirs.
I'm tired of this lunatic.
It's almost midnight, the hour of Tiamat!
Over here.
What the...
TRUDY: Who the hell is that?
That's Night Man, defender of the faith and evil's worst nightmare.
[DR. SUTTON CHANTING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE]
I'll take that.
You're too late.
It's midnight.
It's beginning.
You know how to use this thing.
We must close the gate.
We need the Spell of Banishings against Barzun
so that he won't reopen it tomorrow.
Here it is.
You're no magician, little girl.
Marduk, I call thee to this place of enchantment!
Hear me, Lord of the White Light!
I call thee!
I've had quite enough of your annoyances.
In my happy place. I'm in my happy place.
I think it's working.
It's working. Keep going.
Marduk! Marduk! Marduk!
The night is ours!
No!
The best magicians have the best memories.
The night may be yours, but the game is still afoot.
Stop them!
Are you all right?
I think so.
But I wasn't able to cast the Spell of Banishings.
He'll be back to reopen the gates tomorrow.
Only now, we won't have the ammunition to stop him.
All right.
If I were dead and walking around Bay City,
where would I go?
You guys looking for some action?
Honey.
Don't you know it's dangerous to be out on the streets this time of night?
Well, yeah, you know...
it could be very...
dangerous.
Thing is...
we just blew the last few bucks we had, so...
Yeah, but...
good for him.
I doubt that.
You don't have to insult me like that.
We don't need to know who you are.
MAN 1: Who are you?
First a PhD student, now a PhD.
It doesn't say anything else?
Three persons dead, another person missing.
This case just gets weirder by the minute.
And the two guys they found in Red Light... Yeah?
Same MO as the maid you dug up last night.
They had their hearts ripped from their chest cavity.
Looks like we may have a serial.
Want me to seal off the cemetery?
No, I don't think the families of these people would appreciate that.
I feel like I've got an aunt around here somewhere.
No, I'm guessing whoever did this got what they came for.
Yeah. A ten-year-old corpse.
Yeah. We do know that it's someone
with no appreciation for Renaissance art.
Or literature.
Your fever is getting worse.
The burns in your hands aren't getting any better.
I got to get you to a doctor.
It's no use.
It's magic, it's too strong to fight.
Here. Thanks.
JOHNNY: You have to fight it.
It's too strong.
Maybe we should call Doc Walton.
I tried, I can't get a hold of him.
What are we gonna do?
Trudy said that Barzun was probably gonna try that zombie-making crap again
tonight at the hour of Tiamat.
We'll have to stop him.
How? The book's gone,
and the only guy who can remember the Spell for Banishing
is the guy we're trying to banish.
We'll find a way.
Wait a minute, wait a minute. Maybe this'll help.
Trudy did say that some of this book came from the original text.
If this Lord of the Dead
were eventually gonna rise from his grave to destroy the living,
he wouldn't have written down how to destroy himself.
Probably not.
Fourth edition. Yeah, so?
So the first book was published in '69.
Right.
Trudy said that Barzun started as a white magician.
A good guy in the '60s and '70s.
When was this book published?
Uh, some time around '84.
Eighty-four.
He never would've written about black magic before the '80s.
So you think that each edition
chronicles his descent onto the dark side.
Yeah. Yeah, maybe.
We have to find the first edition.
Can I help you?
I hope so. I've been everywhere else.
I pride myself on carrying books
that other more modern stores do not.
I'm looking for the Necromancer's Tale.
You're in luck. We have several copies.
Good.
This is the revised edition. I need the first edition.
Ah.
Well, that is an order not even I can fill.
You see, it's quite a rare book, and quite valuable.
Do you know where I might find one? It's urgent.
Well, I do know of a man in Lisbon who might have a copy.
There's no time. It's a matter of life, more importantly death.
Did you say "a matter of death"?
Yeah. Who are you?
Only a humble custodian.
Can you help me?
The Lord Creator sent you to me.
You want the book. Why?
It'll sound crazy.
Try me.
A magician named Barzun who died over a decade ago
rose from his grave last night
and tried to raise the rest of the dead so...
So they could devour the living. Right.
And you need the Spell of Banishings,
that you might banish the old dark wizard once and for all.
How do you know so much?
I believed in Andre Barzun once upon a time.
And then I saw him plummet to the depths of hell,
and I heard him vow to bring back the ancient ones.
Then you can help. You can use the spell against him.
No. I've renounced the path that leads to destruction.
I walk the path of salvation.
The only other person who knows how to do this is dying because of Barzun's magic.
Yes, and she will die if you do not stop him.
The tasks have been given to you by the lords of light.
You must succeed,
or we're all doomed to eternal night.
The woman who's dying said,
"Not just anyone can use these spells.
"You have to know the fundamentals of magic."
True, but he that diligently seeketh after good,
procureth favor.
And he that diligently seeketh after mischief,
surely it will come unto him.
You have already passed the first and most important threshold.
Belief.
For the next eight hours, I'm going to teach you everything I can
but when the hour of Tiamat arrives,
you'll be on your own.
What took you? She's not doing so well.
You found it.
Yeah. Let's hope I can use it.
All right, let's go. We're almost out of time. No.
No, I'm doing this alone. You stay with her.
If everything goes right, the spell will break, so will her fever.
Yeah, but...
No. I'm doing this alone.
ANDRE: Great Tiamat, Serpent King of the underworld,
the hour of your greatness is upon you.
[ANDRE CHANTING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE]
JOHNNY: Marduk, servant of the light,
vanquisher of the dark lords,
hear me.
Remember the words. Damn it, remember the words.
Rise, Tiamat!
Remember the words.
Rise, Tiamat! Rise!
WOMAN ON RADIO: All available units, proceed to Flower and Main...
Right.
MAN: Run!
MAN: Get out of here, lady!
GRAVEDIGGER: Truth always remains in the heart.
We cannot forget the truth unless we choose to forget.
The words are there in your heart.
Time to join the dead.
I will not allow this!
Tiamat will not allow this!
Lord of the light,
vanquish this Barzun to the farthest reaches of your realm.
May he do no more evil in this world.
Restore equilibrium.
Restore the natural order!
Andre Barzun, I banish thee from this world.
Forever!
Welcome back.
Well done, Chosen One.