Original subtitles

Beyond life and...

perhaps death as well...

there's a vague territory...

that encloses its own secrets.

While some fill it with ghosts and invisible presences...

others sense only the unlikely...

has a possibility of being real.

Today, on 99.9...

discussing the controversial case of the unmiters...

we open a debate...

that questions the mystery in search of the truth.

Yes, who's calling?

Esteban Iglesias.

Where are you calling from?

- Valencia. - What is your opinion?

I belong to the Rational Alternative Association...

to Pseudoscience.

No excuses, Juan!

This is for weirdos like the guy that just called.

That's because of Lara's obsession to call everything...

a fraud.

That's our philosophy from the beginning.

- But we run out of themes. - And I out of patience...

like the management.

She's gone from Saturday to Tuesday. Where to next?

Out on the fuckin' street!

Find a solution or I can't renew your contracts.

It's nothing personal, Juan.

And now, a musical pause.

An almost ethereal theme for your nightmares.

- Fontana, this is for you. - What?

And this is for Lara.

Give it to her. She has no calls now.

Lara...

this is for you. It's been delayed a few days.

Thanks for the hurry.

Don't you start too.

Close the door!

Yes, who's calling?

Ismael.

Ismael, what cause are you going to defend today?

That all UFOs are a fraud.

Is that an assumption or do you have proof?

Because a specialized magazine has accused...

your group precisely of inventing...

obviously false stories...

to prove that nothing is paranormal.

They also call us fanatics and sectarian.

The best defense is to attack.

There's a lot of money behind that parapsychology stuff.

There are many cases in which...

the fraud is almost offensive.

Don't you agree, Lara?

- Can you hear me? - Ismael...

I hear you.

99.9 is most concerned about...

warning against gossip and superstition.

- Review the contents. - The contents!

You know what you're doing and Lara reaches the audience.

- But you're slacking. - Slacking?

- Juan. - What?

Someone from Jimena wants to talk to Lara.

- About what? - I don't know. He's weird.

- Take the next call. - There are no more.

Put him through.

Fontana...

it's someone from Jimena.

Lara, a fan of yours from Jimena.

What do you think, Lara?

Ismael...

I must hang up but, we appreciate your call.

And, you know, sweet nightmares.

Yes?

Hello?

Who's calling?

We're on the air.

Sol...

who called from Jimena?

He just asked for you, but said nothing else.

Lara.

- Lara, I have to talk to you. - Not now.

Luisa was here. Things are getting bad.

Listen, Juan, I said not now.

Lara.

What?

What's the matter?

Look.

I just found out Victor died two months ago.

Lara.

Lara.

When I touch your hand...

you'll wake up gently.

And you'll be very relaxed.

One...

two...

and three.

Are you all right?

María...

wake up.

Your taxi's waiting.

- What time is it? - It's late.

I fell asleep. I'm sorry.

- How is Quico? - He coughed a little.

- Did you give him his syrup? - That wasn't easy.

Here's the money for the cab.

Thanks and good night.

Good night.

Father Galiana, please.

Galiana?

It's me, Lara.

Fine.

Well...

I'm calling to tell you Victor is dead.

He had an accident in Jimena.

No.

It wasn't a car accident.

Right now...

I can't talk.

No.

I'm not all right.

I'll go see you.

Now do you understand?

Victor is terrified.

That explosion and those voices, what are they?

They are psychophones, voices of the dead...

that float in the air and can't rest in peace.

Some years ago I recorded...

very similar children's voices...

near Jimena...

in an abandoned village.

Look.

That bare patch...

that face sketched on the wall...

that broken chair.

That is an abandoned house.

Why would Victor be shooting there...

naked?

When Victor disappeared...

when you stopped seeing him...

he started to wander through places...

where paranormal activities...

had been discovered.

Then...

you saw him again?

Yes.

Why didn't you tell me?

He asked me not to.

He didn't want to involve you.

Involve me in what?

In what?

In his madness.

He came to see me on various occasions.

He'd ask me for material...

and then disappear.

He'd go...

come...

either by mistake or on purpose...

but, one day, he left behind...

a sort of agenda with his notes.

Unfortunately, I lost track of him.

May 17th.

Last night Lara, her parapsychology group and I...

made some strange recordings. They're called...

Instrumental Transcommunication.

They use untuned TV sets to capture on screen...

distorted images...

that they relate to beings from the beyond.

All I saw were oscillating masses of light.

But, in fact, they were ethereal...

disturbing.

I'm sick of those meetings.

They turn everything into statements of the beyond...

but I sense those images are produced by the human mind.

That's why I've had various hypnosis sessions with Lara...

trying to make her visualize an image...

as if it were on a TV screen.

She thinks it's an experiment for my neurology thesis.

If she knew I want to capture mental images...

record them...

and capture her thoughts...

she'd think I'm crazy.

July 4th.

I've stopped working with Lara.

She was too practical and...

her imagination wasn't creative.

I'll try someone more hallucinatory...

closer to delirium.

His mental deinhibition is exciting.

His luminescent fluctuations are very intense...

above all when he is very drunk.

I've rented a basement. No one must know about this.

July 15th.

Something truly extraordinary happened today.

He was so drunk that he fell asleep...

before starting the session.

After three hours...

intense fluctuations appeared on screen.

Through the electro I got from school I saw that...

they coincided with the...

delta waves produced by his brain.

That is to say...

the moment he entered the REM phase...

paradoxical dreams...

dreams with images.

Those images developed for about 20 minutes...

until the REM phase ended.

And then they appeared.

Those images were completely different and had...

nothing to do with the recorded fluctuations.

I've realized those images are produced when...

his vital signs start to decrease.

He was on the verge of an ethylic coma.

I didn't dare continue.

The REM phase is ideal for transmitting mental images.

It helps cerebral connection.

But, where do these forms...

that almost killed him come from?

How long have I been here?

5 or 6 weeks?

I've been prolonging his REM phase...

with electric stimuli...

and high doses of injected sedatives.

Monoformil-70 helps me to...

decrease his vital signs.

The images produced by his brain...

are easier to transmit.

I know it's dangerous.

August 18th.

He died at 3:20.

While his brain had electric and chemical activity...

the screen showed brutally precise images.

They lasted just 3 minutes...

but those images produced by a dead man...

are the greatest mystery of my entire life.

Lara, you're leaving?

Just for two days.

Luisa has called a meeting for tomorrow.

Make up an excuse for me.

Don't make it easier for her.

The program needs material, so I'm going to Jimena.

Step into my office.

Lara...

look at me.

I know you well.

That shadow in your eyes isn't your professional look.

You won't sort anything out by going to Jimena.

Look, Juan.

I've been waiting for news from Victor for over a year.

An explanation, his presence...

hating him, but not forgetting him.

And now I find out I'll never see him again.

And that all the excuses I had made up...

for his continuous absences are no longer valid...

because it was something much worse, and that excuses him.

I don't know what you've discovered...

but there's no excuse for leaving you with a child.

Forget him.

What do I tell Quico when he asks me about his father?

The truth.

What truth?

He cared shit for us, he killed himself...

he was crazy?

This morning I went to the police.

They said the case is closed, it was an accident.

But it's not closed to me.

Besides, I received this envelope.

Fine...

but just two days...

all right?

Do me another favour.

Call the coroner.

Find out the results of the autopsy.

Excuse me.

Are you closing?

Yes, why?

- Can I come in a moment? - Of course.

Wait, I'll open.

What a shame, such a beautiful place. What happened?

We all left little by little.

It was uncomfortable without water and electricity.

But we try to keep up its maintenance.

That's what I do with the cemetery.

- Come in. - Thank you.

Do any of these belong to the Gil-Linares family?

The biggest house.

Up there.

Excuse me.

Is anything wrong?

No, nothing, I got a shock from the gate.

What do you want?

Is this the Gil-Linares house?

Yes. Why?

I'm interested.

What is it?

She's interested in the house.

Aren't you?

Yes.

Lunch is almost ready.

I'm coming!

- Do you live here? - Back there.

We're the only ones left.

How could I get into the house?

Does anyone have the keys?

The owners.

- Do they live far away? - Yes, they do.

Over there.

On the other side of Jimena.

Good morning.

Hello.

Hello!

I'm sorry, I didn't hear you.

- Are you Lázaro Gil? - Yes.

The ostriches are over there.

Well?

Do you like the cage?

- A bit big. - Not really.

They can move around.

The less the better.

Those fuckers cost us 300 bills.

They should flock together and breed.

Don't be cruel, Petra.

Who, me?

Those fuckin' ostriches are ruining the house.

Can we do business with them?

I have no idea.

Aren't you from Avutasa? The veterinary?

No.

What do you want, then?

To ask about a friend of mine:

Victor Hernández, who died at the cemetery.

Did he come to see you?

What for?

To see the house you have up there.

What for?

He wanted a house in this area.

He liked the village.

It's closed down.

But, did he visit it?

My husband said it's closed down.

- Shut up, Petra! - Why the hell should I?

Haven't you anything to do?

I'm very Interested in seeing it.

It's of no interest.

It is to me.

All you see here is my home.

And that's my house too.

All the rest are fields.

Okay?

Would you like an apple?

For the road.

Thank you.

We're not bad people.

You don't know what we've been through.

Your friend told you about the faces, right?

Yes.

Damned the day she started to draw them!

See that boy?

I was pregnant when we left the house to live here.

I'm sure she cursed me, out of anger...

for getting her away from the faces.

That old lady's a witch.

Even with her in the asylum, we can't rest in peace.

Who do you mean?

My mother-in-law.

She had something to do with your friend.

He came a few times...

but they didn't talk much.

Dolores hardly communicates.

Is she very ill?

You man crazy?

There's no way to know for sure.

She has a slight personality disorder.

Could she lead a normal life?

Others live at home.

Did her family want to lock her up?

Get rid of her?

- I didn't say that. - Get her out of the way?

More or less, yes.

Ask them.

- May I smoke? - Sure.

I've heard there are drawings...

in Dolores' house...

some sort of faces.

Have you seen them?

No.

Could they have anything to do with her madness?

She was quite disturbed when she was forced to move.

She treats them as her children, with names and all.

The Weeper...

the Dwarf, the Bearded Lady.

Where does that delirium originate?

Last century, Dolores' old house was a brothel.

Some French soldiers killed...

the prostitutes that lived there...

and their children as well.

It was a massacre that ended in a fire.

After her husband died, Dolores found some...

calcinated bones in a wall in the wine cellar.

That night she thought about those women and children...

Anita!

...and dreamt they went to see her...

and asked her for help.

According to her, the 1st face appeared the next day.

Then more appeared.

You whore!

Pay no mind.

Do you think she drew them?

I only look after her mind...

and it's very creative.

She can also paint but...

according to her...

no one drew those faces.

They just appeared.

Follow me.

Why is she in this pavilion?

She asked to be with chronic cases...

but she's not dangerous.

She watches TV all day long.

Look...

that's Dolores.

Don't insist on the faces.

She gets a little nervous.

Good luck.

How are you, Dolores?

Hi.

I'm Lara.

What a shame.

They bleed so much.

Do you like to see that?

Dolores.

I'd like to talk to you about Victor.

Do you remember him?

A young man that used to come to see you?

Yes.

Maybe he came once...

or never.

He went to see your house.

He saw something that interested him.

Maybe the faces that are there.

Who are you?

A friend of his.

Lara.

Like on TV.

Did you know he died?

In the cemetery.

Look.

Once they're inside...

they can't get out.

He died in his family tomb.

You're not going to say anything, are you?

No.

I told your friend not to go to the house.

How are you, mother?

Who sent her here?

She came to me, but I got rid of her.

It was that tramp, Petra.

You never put her in her place.

Be careful!

Don't let her into the house!

Don't worry, mother.

Cover the back window.

Anyone can get through there.

Hi, could I have a beer?

Large or small?

- Small. - I'll see if we have any left.

Hi.

Hi.

- Do you want a glass? - No, thanks.

Where could I spend the night?

What?

- I mean a boardinghouse. - Here?

There's only one place where they rent rooms.

- Are you from the radio? - Yes.

- I saw your sticker. - How clever!

You have the gift of gab.

Not as much as you. Well, where is that place?

Pretty far.

Go up the slope and, after City Hall...

turn right.

After the fountain, turn left, and then...

It's on my way. I'll show you.

Okay.

- How much do I owe you? - Sixty.

I'll take it with me.

If Mauri comes in, have him bring me the Vespino.

Simon!

Simon!

He likes to be called "Simon" in English.

It's his thing.

He lived in England but...

he finally ended up back here.

Are you going to stay long?

No. A couple of nights.

Hi, Simon, this is Lara. She wants to stay here.

Hi.

Well...

first sign here...

in my registry.

It's a bit special.

Let's see which is your ghost animal.

Sign here.

- Here? - Yes, on that line.

Now we'll see what you really are.

Well...

I'd say you're an owl.

I am a bit of a night owl.

How would you like the room? Sunny, with a view?

With a bathroom? They're all vacant.

If possible...

the one Victor Hernández had.

He was a friend of mine.

The Saint Teresa room.

Come.

I'll light the stove.

- I'll take that. - Thank you.

It must be tough to manage this place.

He just cares about his house and his sculptures.

He's a bit of an artist...

but doesn't sell anything.

He gets by on a couple of weekend guests.

I'll turn the heater on. That's your room.

Thanks.

Julia, I'm going to take a shower.

- I'm expecting my boyfriend. - Hi, Julia!

Mauri, come here.

Lara, this is Mauri.

Hi.

Hi.

You've met?

Just a moment, this morning.

Thanks for everything, Julia.

What are you looking at?

- Yes? - It's me, Simon.

Come in, it's open.

- I've brought you blankets. - Thanks.

I'll leave them here.

Why are you dressed like that?

To hunt.

With so much work, I can only hunt at night.

You won't hunt many partridges at night.

Maybe not, but I always get a rabbit or a hare.

I'm a great hunter.

If you don't believe me, come see for yourself.

Here.

It's your friend's.

The police took the large knapsack, but left this one.

I don't know where to send it.

Simon.

Was Victor at your place long?

He went a few times. We got along well.

But we didn't talk much.

With some luck, tomorrow we'll have rabbit stew.

Is anything wrong?

Are you a relative of his?

Don't cry. Yesterday I noticed you were very sad.

How could he die up there?

Maybe he tried to jump over the wall.

Why? There are 3 passageways.

Maybe he was afraid...

of something.

See those flowerpots?

Two days ago...

Look.

Look.

It was under the dried blood.

Who covered it?

That poor family.

First they had them at home...

and now they're here.

Get out of here.

Go!

And don't you come back!

Is anyone there?

Hi.

Do you remember me?

Yes. What do you want?

Are you and your son the only ones who live here?

Yes.

Well...

I want to ask you about the night...

that young man died in the cemetery.

Did you hear anything strange...

like a shot?

- A shot? - From a shotgun, yes.

No, we didn't hear anything.

Are you sure?

Yes. And, even if I weren't...

there are many hunters. It's usual to hear shots at night.

That particular night.

I said I didn't.

I'm cooking. Get lost!

Wait!

Are you investigating Victor's death?

- Did you know him? - I saw him a few times.

There was a shot that night.

- Your mother said no. - She wants to avoid problems.

- What about you? - Shit, I'm talking to you!

Look, I've had a shotgun since I was 13...

and can tell when someone fires in a field...

or inside a house.

And that shot came from there.

Have you told the police about that?

What could I say?

That the house is haunted?

Mauri, a shot was fired in there that night.

Maybe it was Victor, or maybe someone shot him.

- This isn't unnatural. - The shot is the least of it!

There's something in that house...

that involves anyone who gets near it.

Something that drives you crazy.

It takes your willpower away.

It's something that kills...

and will keep on killing if no one stops it.

We who know, keep quiet...

because we all have something to hide.

What have you got to hide?

Let's go for a walk. I want to show you something.

I never go to Mass...

but, at times, I come here.

I like this silence.

I brought Victor here also.

Come.

See those candles?

People here offer them to Magdalena...

to keep love alive. It's a tradition.

Once in a while, I too light one for Julia.

And Victor...

lit one for you.

For you and your child.

Like this one...

like this green one.

You sent that package to the radio station, didn't you?

Yes.

Then you were in the house! What's your game?

I went there that night, after hearing the shot.

The door was open, so I walked in.

I could smell gunpowder.

I saw the tape on the floor, picked it up...

and ran out.

- Afterwards, I sent it to you. - Why?

To get you to come.

This is no case for the police. It's for someone like you.

Why didn't you tell me yesterday?

Why the mystery?

I didn't know if you were the right person.

But someone must put an end to all this.

Victor was very close, but he let himself get trapped.

By who?

By the faces.

The faces are scared, and protect themselves.

They don't shoot. Someone wants to protect that house.

- Lázaro... - It wasn't Lázaro!

- How do you know? - I just know!

I can't tell you anything else.

I'm afraid.

Drop me off here.

Julia is very jealous.

I'd prefer to avoid arguments.

Goodbye.

Mauri.

What?

If you decide to tell me more...

you know where to find me.

Hi.

Julia is outside...

in the shop.

- Where were you? - Down in Jimena.

- I had to repair an Opel. - So long?

- Julia, don't start. - Don't start?

You were with that broad from the radio.

Okay, I took her to the chapel. I was just being friendly.

I bet! Now, get your ass in gear!

Julia.

Julia.

Must we always argue like this?

Can't you see I love you?

Can't you see?

What did you talk about?

Nothing special.

Watch what you say.

Look.

I brought the key.

- Yes? - Lara...

I've been calling all day long.

I'm sorry, I forgot the phone.

How are you?

Fine, and you?

- Have you seen Quico? - Yes, this afternoon.

- Has he gotten over his cold? - He's just fine.

I spoke to the coroner.

And...?

Did you know Victor was a...

homosexual?

Yes, I knew.

Why?

They found traces of...

semen in the autopsy.

Prior to death.

Maybe that's why he was naked.

I've discovered something else.

Remember "El Guerrita", the bullfighter?

He and the real estate agent tried to buy the Linares house.

And they both died.

Two accidents in rather strange circumstances.

And they both stayed where you are now.

Thanks, Juan.

Lara...

I want you back here tomorrow.

Don't worry, Juan.

See you.

Simon.

Simon.

Are you crazy?

Do you know what you were about to do?

I don't know what got into me.

I love you more than you can imagine.

Simon?

- Hi. - May I come in?

Come in. I'm making tea. Want some?

No, I just want to talk.

Have a seat.

Sure you don't want any tea?

Tea and conversation go well together.

How's your room? You can change.

No, it's fine.

Simon, do you clean the rooms yourself?

I had employed women from here...

but, they weren't discreet.

- Any complaint? - No.

I've lost something.

An earring. Did you...?

A red earring? I found it in the yard.

It's in my shop. I'll get it.

I had already recycled it. I have an obsession for hair.

Have you seen the mammoth in the square? That's mine too.

What do you think?

It's not finished yet.

Disgusting, isn't it?

Your earring.

Is that Bugs Bunny yours too?

Sure you don't want a cup of tea?

Discretion isn't your favourite sport.

What relationship did you have with Victor?

The same as with you, but more relaxed.

How much more?

From what I saw in the basement...

you're a champ at what they call "bondage".

I mix pain and sex, but in private.

Not like those who whip...

themselves in public religious processions.

The only sport I practice is hunting.

You go hunting at night, near the Linares house.

How are you so sure?

Mauri told me.

The game in that house doesn't interest me.

When did you do Bugs Bunny, before or after his death?

Let's see if I've got it straight.

First I seduced Victor, but it got out of hand...

so I ended up killing him at the cemetery.

Then I made that symbolic sculpture so as not to forget.

Isn't that it?

I don't know what Mauri told you...

but I'm not that maniac killer you've invented.

Since you're acting like a cheap Sherlock Holmes...

I'll tell you I have an alibi.

It was my birthday.

We celebrated all night long.

Anyone can tell you.

Except Mauri...

because he didn't come.

I'll forget what you said.

You're upset about what happened to your friend.

What's more...

I'll do you a favour, even if you don't deserve it.

Victor...

was a tiger...

but he liked blue overalls...

mechanics' overalls...

and not "bondage".

And now, I repeat.

A cup of tea?

Mauri?

Mauri.

What are you doing in my house?

I'm looking for your son.

Mauri's not in. Look somewhere else.

Elsewhere.

That painting...

looks a lot alike the Gil-Linares faces.

Did Mauri paint it?

My son has nothing to do with that.

Julia paints them.

Why those faces?

Dolores filled her head...

with lots of crazy stuff.

She did and still does.

You know what happened to Victor, don't you?

See this?

It was left next to his body, like a calling card.

You sound like a nurse.

Which one is it, the Bearded Lady?

The Weeper?

The Repentant.

Who draws them?

Your son Lázaro, Julia?

No one draws those faces.

What are you concealing?

And what are you after?

To know what Victor wanted of you.

He wanted to steal them from me.

From your dreams?

Did he try to film them while you were asleep?

You don't know...

but Victor knew.

They move...

change their expression, go from room to room.

From the wall to the ceiling.

Even on the floor.

Hasn't it occurred to you that they're alive?

You think they're those women and children...

that died 100 years ago and are still alive?

That's what I thought when the dreams started.

But, when I realized they weren't...

they were trapped in the wall.

That's why they move.

The want to go...

disappear.

But I don't let them.

Who?

The faces?

No.

Them.

Who are they?

That I don't know.

Dolores...

did Victor's death...

have anything to do with them?

No.

Victor saw them.

You see?

They're a bit like us.

They're born...

live...

and die.

Yes?

- When did that happen? - Eat.

No, she hasn't been here.

Sure, I'll tell him.

Sure.

Good night.

- What is it? - Nothing.

Your mother's escaped.

I've changed my mind.

Meet me at the house of the faces.

Mauri.

Mauri?

Mauri.

See what you've achieved?

You made him talk too much.

What happened?

The same as the tuna fish.

Remember?

Once they're in the net...

they can't get out.

You're so pale.

Now close your eyes.

Yes, nice and clean...

nice and pure.

Raise your arms.

Listen, Julia.

I have to leave this house...

and they're going to be lonely.

Do you want them to be lonely?

That's why I'm bathing you.

Just as they've remained in the wall...

you're remaining in this water.

And now...

take a little piss.

You'll have to look after them, Julia.

No one must see them...

locked up in here.

I'll help you with this water...

and always tell you what you should do.

Even if I'm far away...

wherever I may be.

Out!

Out!

Get it out.

Get it all out!

Move it, girl!

Squeeze down here. Let it out of your cunt.

- I want him with the others. - Shut up and squeeze!

As if you were taking a shit.

Think about him.

Dream about him...

as if he were fucking you.

You're impossible.

They won't want Mauri.

They won't.

Don't let the fire go out.

There's no firewood.

Get that whore's chair.

You're awake, you bitch?

Poor Mauri.

- He was too handsome. - Shut up. Burn that chair.

I don't know why the hell he protected you.

Because he loved me. He blamed you.

That's why I bled him like a pig.

Come, lay down.

Come on.

That's it.

- Let go. - I want him with the others.

We'll see...

if they want a queer.

The whore's gone!

Come on, bitch, the contest isn't over yet.

Shut up! Get the adhesive tape.

I'll do that.

Now you'll know what's good for you!

This is how Mauri screwed your friend.

Here, in their presence.

Throw the quicklime into the pit.

And I...

with this little bottle...

told her to come...

with the shotgun...

and "boom".

Come on.

He was terrified.

He ran so much he was pierced like a chicken.

Mother...

what are you doing?

What's one whore more or less?

Mother, get out of here.

You're throwing me out?

Don't come any closer!

No?

Are you going to shoot me?

Drop that!

Some people sense other forms of life.

Some even see them.

They are mental constructions made of etheric substances...

the same raw material thoughts are made of.

They're weightless, like ideas...

capable of going anywhere...

and penetrate earth, sea...

and air.

They have the characteristics of a living organism:

a unicellular biological form...

with a nucleus, nucleolus and vacuoles...

and signs of an instinctive but primitive intelligence.

They are elementary forms of evolution from...

when the planet contained more gas than liquid.

They have an electric vitality that doesn't need our sun.

They can change their density, color...

shape and temperature at will.

Their presence has a psychotropic influence...

that is similar to animal magnetism...

saturating the nerve centers of those who sense them...

because they know our thoughts...

and act in accordance with our desires.

That is why...

at times, they're attracted to dreams...

and are trapped in other forms...

and we can't help them because, to us...

they are nothing...

or almost nothing.

Subtitles: LASERFILM Edward M. Ledden