Original subtitles

[WINDING UP TOY]

[CYMBALS CLANGING]

Tomorrow's Saturday, Mommy.

[RADIO PLAYING] Oh! No school tomorrow.

No, we're going swimming, aren't we?

Well, that's right, if the weather's nice.

Oh, it will be nice, nicer than it was in Yorkshire.

Rained all the time there, didn't it?

I thought you liked Yorkshire.

I did, but not for swimming.

Oh, Katie, would you tell your father breakfast is ready?

Daddy! Breakfast!

MAGNUS: Coming.

Told him. I heard.

Here, sit down and have your breakfast.

Can I have an apple? After breakfast.

Where's Daddy, honestly?

[SHOUTS] Daddy!

Your breakfast's ready.

I heard. Good morning. Good morning.

Oh, just coffee, please.

We're going swimming tomorrow. Are you?

Let him come, too, Mama.

JULIA: Katie, don't eat so fast.

You will come, won't you, Daddy?

Your mummy will take you.

But I want you to take me.

Katie, your father has things to do.

Not more important than swimming.

I think this is something you better deal with.

What is it? The bank.

They want you to sign a release on the interest in your trust fund.

Oh, my autograph.

Nice to be in demand.

Just your signature.

[COUGHING]

Katie, please.

It would help if you got it into the post today.

Katie, what's the matter?

Katie, you all right?

Here, drink this.

Christ, what's the matter with her?

She's choking.

There's something in her throat.

Magnus, she can't breathe!

MAGNUS: Katie! Katie!

Use your finger, try and get it out.

JULIA: She can't breathe!

I can't get it out. [CHOKING]

There must be something lodged in her windpipe.

Hurry up and call the doctor.

There's no time.

Damn it, she needs a doctor.

Katie! Oh, Katie!

[SOBBING]

We need a doctor quickly. My daughter's...

...an ambulance, we need an ambulance.

Don't die. Don't die.

MAGNUS: She swallowed something. I don't know...

I said, she can't breathe.

Oh, no!

The ambulance is on...

What are you doing?

Make a hole, get it out.

Quick. They're coming.

There's no time.

[DOORBELL RINGING]

[PANTING]

GOLDMAN: Good morning, Mrs. Lofting, and how are you today?

Fine. Good.

I've just been talking to your husband on the phone.

And he thinks it's high time you were out of here

and back in the world again.

Well, I told him, I thought you were well enough.

How would you like to go home today?

I think it would be the best thing for you.

Now that you're well, you must pick up your life again, Mrs. Lofting.

Your husband is coming to collect you this afternoon.

Sister will help you with your things and I will have a talk

with Mr. Lofting before you go. All right?

Well, Mr. Lofting, from our point of view, we're quite pleased with her.

Quite pleased with her indeed.

Thank you.

We got her back to a good weight.

She's beginning to communicate now,

she's taking a positive interest in things. It's all very encouraging.

Of course, we don't know

what the long term psychological effects will be

from a trauma of this severity.

You're very lucky to have Mr. Brudenell to see her through.

I take it you have made appointments...

Oh, yes. Oh, yes. He's suggested we have three sessions a week to start with.

Good. Good.

Well, I'll leave her in excellent hands.

Good luck to you both, Mr. Lofting.

Thank you very much, Dr. Goldman, I most appreciate it.

Not at all. Julia!

Julia!

Julia!

Julia!

Just go, please.

MAN: This is one of the better parts of Kensington, of course.

From a residential point of view.

Most of the properties on the other side of the Bayswater Road

seem to belong to the League of Nations nowadays.

Oh, yes. Mmm.

Of course, the market is very colorful.

But I think you'll find this a rather more civilized corner of the world.

Yes, it's a beautiful property, isn't it?

If I may say so, you're very fortunate to find it like this.

Lock, stock and barrel.

I was rather expecting it to go to Arab money.

Oh, yes, from the League of Nations.

Oh, could I have the key, please?

Oh, yes, of course.

Well, I hope you'll be very happy here, Mrs. Lofting.

Thank you very much.

Yes... Goodbye.

[SIGHING]

[GASPS] [CYMBALS CLANGING]

Thank you.

Do you want some?

Darling, it's very unfair of you to put us through all this.

Poor Magnus and I have been frantic with worry.

I'm sorry.

I felt it was important to find a house and get settled,

while I still have the courage to go through with it.

How is he?

He's desperate, darling.

I know my brother very well,

and I know he can be unfeeling at times,

but he needs you.

Needs me?

That's a side I haven't seen.

Please don't tell him where I am.

Darling, he loves you.

This will pass.

People have trial separations... No!

Things have been wrong for a long, long time.

Maybe, they were never right.

The fact that Magnus can't see that...

There's just no place to begin.

And now that Katie's gone, there's no reason to try.

I'm only asking you to be open-minded.

Lily, it's over, it's finished.

I've bought a new house, I'm happy there.

All right, darling.

Goodbye. Bye.

[CHILDREN SHOUTING]

Katie?

[PEOPLE CHATTERING]

[INDISTINCT CHATTERING]

Thank you so much.

Oh, no!

[DOG BARKING]

Who is it?

[EXCLAIMING]

[CRYING]

Oh, my baby!

Forgive me.

Forgive me!

[SOFT SQUEAK]

Magnus.

Magnus, I know it's you.

Get away or I'll call the police.

[PHONE RINGING]

MAGNUS: Hello, Julia?

Lily, how could you?

MAGNUS: Julia, now you listen to me.

I want you to leave that place and come home.

No. I am home.

Leave me alone.

MAGNUS: I've made it clear to your estate agent

that any contract you may have signed

will be subject to a doctor's approval of your state of mind.

Do you understand?

Julia?

[RINGING]

[GASPING]

Oh! My! I'm sorry. Sorry.

I rang the bell, but the door was open. So I just came in.

[CHUCKLING] Is it broken?

Oh, I don't know.

What are you doing with this?

Oh, this is a present for your new house.

Oh, it's beautiful. You shouldn't have.

I know. But it's been in the shop for months and nobody would buy it.

It's good to see you. And you.

I gather Magnus is not here.

No.

He knows where you are, though.

How do you know that?

Well, he rang the shop this morning in a fury.

Accused me of coming between you, influencing your mind.

Oh, Mark, I'm sorry.

I told him I thought you were doing rather well,

without any influence from either of us.

Do you think I'm right?

I think you're beautiful. Yes. Yes, I think you're right.

You can't expect Magnus to accept that.

Come on, show me your castle.

I think Magnus was prowling around the battlements last night.

[CHUCKLING] Oh, God! You better build a moat.

Come on.

Ta-da!

Oh, my God!

It's incredible.

Where'd you get all the furniture?

It was all here. I just bought everything.

You play? On that?

Ping pong.

[LAUGHING] Sacrilege.

Don't tell me, you do a great Liberace.

God! Do I?

[IN A NASAL VOICE] Thank you.

[LAUGHING]

[PIANO PLAYING] Ha! Who tuned this?

Beethoven.

MARK: How are you, anyway?

I'm fine.

Really?

Oh, oh, really.

Let's see. I'm happy.

Excited about everything being suddenly new, like all this.

And I'm more frightened than I've ever been in my whole life.

It's like stepping out on a window ledge

and feeling so alive.

Because all the time, part of you wants to jump.

Sometimes, I feel I've already jumped.

Come and see the bathroom.

Good God above! Who lived here before you?

Mae West?

I don't know.

And the bedroom's through there.

Oh, were you breeding orchids in here?

I switched it off. I know I did.

Maybe I didn't.

[EXCLAIMS] It's on now, all right.

That's been wired up wrongly.

Actually, you should have the whole house checked.

It's so old.

[WEEPING SOFTLY]

Sorry.

I just miss her so much.

[SOBBING]

You know I promised her.

First, you make me break the promise,

then straightaway you start spying on her.

Oh, Lily, you're a long way from the girl guides now.

I doubt that one small slip will darken your immortal soul.

Don't say things like that.

Well, what do you want me to say?

Oh, come on now, Lily, don't be so damn pious.

It may surprise you to learn that I'm fond of her.

I'm not fond of you

frightening her and bullying her back on to your side.

And what happens to us if I fail? If I lose her?

I'm going to get her back, any way I can.

And leaving her to dream away in that house of hers is not my idea of one of them.

I don't know. She's very determined, Magnus.

[CHILDREN SHOUTING]

Katie?

Mommy! Mommy!

What have you done?

What you wanna do that for, eh?

She touch you, Jamie?

You're some sort of a nut, are you? No.

Go on, you piss off. Piss off.

You come back here and I'll have the law on you.

Piss off!

[SOBBING]

[RINGING]

LILY: Julia? Hello.

This is Lily. Listen, I'm in an awful fix.

You remember the little monthly gatherings of mine?

Yeah.

Yes, we were all rather looking forward to our meeting tonight.

We have a new medium, a Mrs. Fludd.

She's rather good.

Well, my problem is that Mr. Piggott is having his house painted

and the whole place reeks of it.

So, it can't be there, as we usually do it.

I was wondering, if we could use your house.

Please say you don't mind.

Not just the meeting I was thinking of.

You did say you'd enjoy some company.

Did I?

Well, you did ask me to call you.

All right.

Will there be a lot of them?

Well, there'll be five of us, with Ms. Pinner and Mrs. Ward.

You're sure you don't mind?

That's very sweet of you. Shall we say 9:00 then?

Uh-huh, okay.

All right. Bye-bye.

So, what are we supposed to do?

We're supposed to join in, or what?

I don't know, I'm not gonna do anything.

I'd feel silly. [GIGGLING]

Just don't go to the door when the bell...

[DOORBELL RINGING] ...rings.

I've got to.

MARK: Ah! You must be the remarkable Mrs. Fludd.

No, no, no, this is Lily. Mark.

Oh, you're Lily? Sorry. Hello.

You must be the remarkable Mrs. Fludd.

How do you do? How do you do?

Come and sit down.

I hope our presence won't upset the spirits in any way.

Seven ain't a bad number.

Seven's a good number, but I don't know about

two new emanations within the circle.

We shall have to see.

It'll be rather a strain for her.

I think you should've said something, Julia.

Well, don't expect no transcendences or transformations, that's all.

Oh, I see. Right.

[DOORBELL RINGING] Oh, I'll get it.

Would you like to sit down?

Mark. Mmm?

Julia's in a rather fragile state.

I don't want you to complicate things for her.

Well, I hope it won't upset her

having all this business in the house.

JULIA: Everyone's in here. PIGGOTT: Thank you so much.

Ah, George! Excuse me.

My word! Much grander than our usual gathering.

How do you do? Lily.

This is a friend of Mrs. Lofting. Mark Foster.

They will be joining our circle this evening.

Oh, I see.

Oh! Mrs. Fludd. Hello, dear.

Well, I'll get some drinks.

Would you like to sit down?

JULIA: Sherry?

Do you think the others will be long?

Not if they can help it, dear.

Oh, mustn't keep the spirits waiting, eh?

[MRS. FLUDD CHUCKLING]

Don't mind him, dear. He might not know it, but he's receptive.

Pretty men are like that.

Oh!

[CHUCKLING]

You're a genius, Mrs. Fludd. You'd better raise your fees.

I don't take money, dear.

Money soils the gift.

Do take tea, though.

Oh, I'm sorry. I haven't any.

Would you like some coffee?

Coffee? No. That's caffeine.

Caffeine's a drug.

She's right.

[DOORBELL RINGING]

That'll be them. I'll get it.

We get to hold hands in the dark, Mrs. Fludd.

Of course we do, dear.

What if the spirits nick the silver?

Spirits can't do anything on their own, dear.

Not in the material way.

They have to have someone on this side for them to do it through first.

And if they do want something, it ain't normally the silver.

Julia! This is Ms. Pinner and Mrs. Ward.

They'll complete our circle this evening.

JULIA: How do you do? Good evening.

So kind of you to let us come here.

We should hate to have missed Mrs. Fludd's communication.

Now that we're all here, shall we begin?

Oh, I'm not... I'm just gonna watch.

Oh, but you must join in.

Mark, are you actually going... I don't mind.

I will if you will. You stay next to me.

She can sit next to me, can't she, Mrs. Fludd?

She can sit where she likes, dear. It's her house.

Someone here is having difficulty focusing.

Sorry, I can't.

MARK: Sorry, but it just is too much.

MRS. FLUDD: Close the circle.

Close it.

Close it.

Make your minds empty. Empty.

Quiet.

Empty your minds.

Let nothing enter. Nothing.

[BREATHING HEAVILY]

[MOANING SOFTLY]

MRS. FLUDD: No.

No.

Stop! No.

[CRYING] Stop. Stop! No!

Mrs. Fludd, are you all right?

Mrs. Fludd, what happened?

[WHISPERING INDISTINCTLY]

I'll get some water.

I think I'd like to go to the bathroom, if I may.

MARK: I'll show you where it is. Thank you.

MRS. WARD: I think it's a possession.

She's been possessed.

PIGGOTT: Surely not. What did you see?

I've never known her like this before.

She's always so controlled.

[SHAKILY] You must leave. Go away!

JULIA: Why? Leave the house.

Why? MRS. WARD: Did you say, "Go"?

Why? Terrible thing.

She saw something.

Something came into her and she saw it.

Perhaps I should get back.

You're not frightened, are you, George?

What are we going to do about it?

[WOMAN SCREAMING]

Ms. Pinner!

[SOBBING]

I can quite easily walk from here, thank you so much.

Good night. Mrs. Lofting.

I do hope Ms. Pinner will be all right.

Oh, Lily will look after her. She wasn't hurt badly.

No, I'll just say good night. Good night, Mrs. Fludd.

MARK: Good night, Mr. Piggott. Good night.

Oh, Mark, I'll walk Mrs. Fludd to her door. I'll be right back.

Mrs. Fludd!

I'll just walk you to your door.

Bloody old witch!

[LAUGHING]

JULIA: In here?

Here we are.

Would you like me to call someone for you? Do you have a telephone?

You must go away.

It's all right, I can stay for a few minutes.

No!

The house, your house.

You must leave it. Get out.

Why?

There's wickedness.

Bad things.

Mrs. Fludd, please, what did you see?

A child.

A child?

A little blonde girl? Mmm-mmm.

Mrs. Fludd, is that what you saw?

Mrs. Fludd, please! [MOANING]

Mrs. Fludd!

Hello, Mark, how are you?

Oh, hello, Magnus. How's things in the city?

The awesome wheels of capitalism still grinding smoothly?

Is there somewhere we can talk?

Why, is your umbrella getting wet? Oh, that's very funny.

I want to talk to you about Julia.

Yes, it did occur to me.

You've seen her, haven't you?

Oh, yes.

Then you know that she's not very well and that she needs help.

Uh-huh.

I know she's not with you. That's a start, isn't it?

Now look, I didn't come here to trade insults with you, so don't make me start.

Well, you didn't come to buy a lamp, either, did you?

Now, you just listen to me. My wife is a very sick woman and you know it.

Ever since Katie died, she's been completely self-destructive.

She's locked herself in that goddamn house

and she refuses to listen to reason from me or anyone else.

And I'll tell you something.

If it goes on much longer,

I doubt there's gonna be anything that anyone can do.

But just at this moment, I can. Is that it?

Don't think I like it.

Just come to the point, Magnus. What do you want me to do?

I want you to talk to her.

Since you seem to be the only person in the position to do so,

I'd like you to try to convince her that she needs help.

Whose? Yours?

No, not mine, a doctor's. I don't need a go-between.

Doctor's.

You don't mean the kind with a stethoscope

and the bathroom scales, do you?

And you would want to have a word with him about

the nervous strain she's been under for the past few months.

She's not dangerous, except to herself.

She's not responsible.

I don't think you're qualified to say what she is.

Jesus Christ! That's it, isn't it?

I'm right.

Poor Julia, on the brink of madness.

She's not responsible for herself or for anything else

and noble Magnus steps in to take the reins.

All legal and certified, particularly certified.

You son of a bitch!

You are a disgusting, devious bastard!

I mean, you'd eat shit for money!

Of course I've been trying to help Julia!

What do you think I've been doing for the last two months?

While you've been climbing over the roof,

trying to scare the living daylights out of her.

I'll tell you what I think you've been doing.

Oh, get out of here, Magnus!

Interfering bastard!

[DOORBELL RINGING]

[DOG BARKING]

Excuse me, sir, just a minute.

Oh, go away, will you? Now look...

Now look, I don't know what your business is here,

but if the lady isn't answering,

I suggest that you go away.

That lady happens to be my wife.

Yes, well, it still doesn't give you the right

to be prowling around here in this fashion.

I think you should leave.

Oh, really? And just what do you intend to do about it?

I shall go and call the police. Oh, Christ!

Now look, sir!

You really oughtn't to take the old girl too seriously, you know.

I don't think she was play acting.

Neither do I. I mean, she was a nice old soul.

She just gets taken in by her own imagination.

I don't know. Oh, come on!

The other old bird, falling downstairs at precisely the moment she did,

heightened the whole affair.

But she was really terrified, even when I got her home.

Yes, I don't suppose she told you with what, though.

Yes, she did. She said she saw a child.

You think it was Kate?

I don't know. I don't know what I think.

Maybe Magnus was right, maybe I am going crazy.

Are you sure you don't mind me staying?

No, no. Magnus said that?

It isn't just Magnus.

I keep feeling Kate.

In the house, in the park.

And I feel such hatred.

Why should Kate hate you? You tried to save her life.

If anybody's trying to upset you, it's Magnus.

Magnus? Mmm-hmm.

Why?

Because he needs you, he needs you to live as he does.

The longer you're away from him, living independently of him,

less chance he has at keeping you.

All he can do is make you so bloody scared

that you'll go running back to him.

Really.

Come on, it's late. Now to bed. Right.

Good night. Good night.

And thank you.

[COUGHING]

[CLANGING]

[RETCHING]

Julia?

Julia?

Julia? Julia?

[SIGHS]

[SIGHING HEAVILY]

[RUSTLING]

Julia?

Julia?

Julia?

I know you're here.

So this is a game of hide and seek.

It's over.

Listen, darling.

I'm not angry with you. You understand that?

You're frightening yourself, not me.

Now, stop playing games. I only want to talk to you, that's all.

Do you want me to say a password?

God damn it!

Will you stop acting like some kind of a lunatic

and come out of this stinking place?

When you gonna start acting like a grown woman,

instead of a twisted little child?

Okay, I... Listen, I'm sorry.

Do you hear me?

Whatever it is that you think I did to you, I'm sorry.

I just want to talk to you.

I can't do that very well with you hiding from me,

like I'm some kind of monster.

All right.

You play your games if you want to

and I'll come back with a doctor,

so he knows just exactly what I'm up against.

Do you hear me? Julia?

[GASPS]

Good morning. Hello.

Isn't it nice? Yes, isn't it?

I was wondering if you knew you had a visitor here last evening.

He said he was your husband.

My husband had words with him.

I thought I ought to tell you because as far as we could see,

he broke in here after that.

Oh.

Well, thank you for telling me.

Branscombe. Claudia Branscombe.

How do you do? I'm Julia Lofting.

Would you like to come in for some coffee, Mrs. Branscombe?

Claudia. I'd be delighted.

The pound's dropped again.

I'm so sorry about your husband.

Oh, he's quite recovered now.

Bit of a bruise on the elbow, nothing serious.

The excitement certainly doesn't seem to have done him any harm anyhow.

Your husband doesn't live with you?

No, no, we separated.

Remarkable how many couples are nowadays. I blame it on the pill.

I hope you don't mind instant coffee?

Not at all.

Have you lived in this neighborhood for long, Mrs. Branscombe?

Years and years. Ever since I was a girl.

Do call me Claudia. Claudia.

I always feel Mrs. Branscombe

makes me sound like some sort of cookery book or something.

Sorry!

Yes, I suppose I must be one of the permanent features of the street by now.

Nothing changes very much, except people, of course.

You must have known the people who lived here before.

Oh, goodness, yes!

My father bought our house about the same time they came here.

Makes me feel practically biblical.

What were they like? Who, dear?

The people who lived here before. Oh!

They were two sisters.

Dear little things, like a couple of garden gnomes.

They always seemed to me to be about 100 years old,

for as long as I can remember. [CHUCKLING]

Here's your coffee. Thank you.

Milk? Oh, I'm sorry.

Jeffrey won't have coffee in the house.

Really?

There was a most unfortunate woman here before that.

A Mrs. Rudge, I think.

Oh?

Not a very nice story, I'm afraid.

Why? What happened?

Well, as far as I can gather it,

she had a child, without any of the usual formalities.

She had a daughter.

Lovely little thing, by all accounts.

When the child died, she moved away somewhere.

And then the two little gnomes bought this place, for next to nothing.

She died?

Yes, I'm afraid so.

Why did she die?

She had an accident.

She swallowed something or other,

made herself sick and choked herself.

And then, she seems to have disappeared.

MARK: I think we're on a bit of a wild goose chase, you know?

Whatever Mrs. Fludd thought she saw...

I just want to know.

Know what? Whatever I can.

You don't have to come.

[CHILDREN CLAMORING]

Yes, who?

Is Mrs. Fludd here?

Why, who wants her?

I'm Julia Lofting.

Mrs. Fludd was at my house the other evening.

May I see her, please?

Oh, yeah. You is a social worker or something?

No. Thank you.

Aunty Rose? Mmm-hmm?

There's a woman here who wants to see you about something.

Hello, Mrs. Fludd. How are you?

What did you come here again for?

I'll get you a cup of tea, all right?

I need to talk to you.

Please? It's important to me.

The other night, you said you saw a child.

Mrs. Fludd, I had a little girl.

She died two months ago.

She was eight years old, her name was Katie.

She had blonde hair. Pretty...

No.

No little girl.

But you told me, you said you saw a...

A boy?

Little boy.

In the park.

[CRYING] All bleeding.

Going to die.

[CRYING]

What's the matter, Aunty Rose?

What have you been doing to her? Nothing...

Get away! Get off her! Go on, go on.

Leave her alone.

[CRYING]

They all know that you lost a child.

So, naturally Mrs. Fludd thinks she saw a child.

Now she finds out how upset you are

and she says she saw a little boy.

And now, you've listened to two grotesque tales,

which have got nothing to do with either you or Kate.

I can find out about the little boy.

What little boy? There is no little boy!

There's only some self-deluded old woman's gory fantasy.

I can find out if it's true.

Julia, leave it.

For your own sake, leave it.

None of your concern, in the first place.

It's my house.

Well, move, find another house.

No.

I'll get out here.

What?

Julia, what? Julia, where are you going?

[HORN HONKING]

Julia! Julia, where are you going?

Move the truck. Okay! Wait a minute.

This is March and April, for 1938.

It weighs a ton.

And there's a single volume for '39, if you need it.

[INAUDIBLE]

We'll be closing in 15 minutes.

Don't be frightened.

[KNOCK ON DOOR]

Yes?

Mrs. Braden, I spoke to you on the phone earlier.

I'm Julia Lofting.

Oh, no! Not me. Won't you come in?

Yes, thank you.

KATHERINE: I'm Mrs. Braden's companion.

Is it about Jeffrey?

JULIA: May I speak to Mrs. Braden, please?

Yes, of course. Such a terrible thing.

I've been with Mrs. Braden

since the tragedy happened, you know. Oh?

Yes. Police, the newspapers, so many people.

You're the first one for a long, long time.

Is Mr. Braden... He died, in the war.

GRETA: Come in, Mrs. Lofting.

I am Greta Braden.

Thank you, Katherine.

You wish to speak to me about my son, Jeffrey?

Yes.

There was a time when I spoke the truth and none would listen.

Many years have passed since then.

Now, why should you listen?

I found you. I came here to listen.

Mrs. Braden, I believe that in some way,

I'm involved with that, too.

What is it you wish to know?

I read of your son's death in an old newspaper.

I wondered, did they ever find the person who killed him?

Do you know what murder is, Mrs. Lofting?

It is an eternal crime.

The police arrested a man and executed him.

A simple man, a harmless vagrant,

who spoke with the children.

He was no more than a child himself.

He didn't do it?

Listen to what I am telling you, Mrs. Lofting.

I know what they did to my son in that park.

They tortured him.

They made his life a hell, because he was a German. They called him kraut.

Hun. They spat on him.

I know what they did to my son.

They mutilated his little body and they killed him.

They?

The children, Mrs. Lofting.

Pretty, English children.

Children?

I know their names.

Some have died.

None have prospered since that day.

As you may imagine, I have taken some interest in the course of their lives.

Can any of them still be found?

Yes, two are left.

I have their names.

You will go to them?

How do you know all this?

Katherine has been my eyes for a long time now.

She has many talents.

[CLOCK CHIMING]

They should not forget their crime.

[BELL RINGS]

Katherine will give you the addresses, if you wish it.

Goodbye, Mrs. Lofting.

Goodbye.

I'm looking for Captain Paul Winter.

I was told he worked here.

You'll find the captain just inside, madam.

Thank you.

[PIANO PLAYING]

She's very good, isn't she?

Yes, delightful.

[COUGHS]

Would you excuse me?

Yes, of course.

Why don't you try the tarantella, darling?

Good afternoon, madam. May I be of assistance?

Captain Winter?

Please call me anything but captain.

There's a dear. And who might you be?

My name is Julia Lofting.

I hear no bells. We haven't had the pleasure, have we?

No.

Could I talk to you for a minute, please?

Well, they are both in rapture.

What did you want to talk to me about?

Does the name Jeffrey Braden mean anything to you?

Yes, he was a little jerry kid I went to school with,

donkey's years ago. Why?

He was murdered in Holland Park, wasn't he?

Who are you?

Jeffrey's mother said that you and some other children

used to play with him in the park.

Jeffrey's mother is still alive?

Yes, I've been to see her.

She said that you and David Swift and...

WOMAN: Excuse me! Could I have a word?

I won't be a moment, madam.

Listen, I neither know nor care what Jeffrey Braden has to do with you.

But as far as I'm concerned, the past is as dead as he is.

Do you understand?

Now go away and leave me alone, whoever you are.

All right, do you remember anything about a little girl?

A little blonde girl?

I don't care to remember anything, ducky.

And you're being the tiniest bit boring.

Good day.

Ms. Pinner. Ms. Pinner, how are you?

Much better, thank you. Ms. Pinner, the other night,

you were frightened, weren't you?

No. Upstairs, in the bathroom?

No. What frightened you?

Was it a little girl? A little blonde girl, was it?

Nothing, I saw nothing.

[DOORBELL RINGS]

Come in. Oh!

Mr. Swift?

Now, where do you come from?

My name is Julia Lofting.

Are you Mr. Swift?

Same.

Is it Julia?

Why don't you come in?

You sit down.

Would you like a drink?

No, thank you.

What would you like then?

I would like to talk to you about...

About your childhood. [SNORTS]

That's it.

You're a psychiatrist.

Sort of roving door-to-door psychiatrist?

I live in Leicester Place. In Heather Rudge's old house.

Does that name mean anything to you?

Don't know if it does.

What do you know about Jeffrey Braden?

What do you know about him?

He was murdered.

Yes, he was indeed.

Mrs. Braden says that you and Paul Winter are the only ones left.

Winter?

Paul Winter?

Have you been talking to that old queen?

She says that you and he are the only ones left who knew him.

That's possible.

They hanged an old tramp for that, you know.

Mrs. Braden says he didn't do it.

Does she?

It's a bit late for that now, isn't it?

Did he?

Who did, then?

Where did you say you were staying?

In Heather Rudge's old house. Mmm.

Why don't you ask her?

Is she still alive?

Of course she's alive.

As far as I know, she is.

She's stark, raving mad, but she's still alive.

Where?

She was taken to a place down near Swansea when her daughter died.

She's been there ever since.

Her daughter?

Olivia.

You knew her?

Of course I knew her.

We all knew her.

What was she like?

To look at,

about the most beautiful thing in the world.

She could make you do anything. Absolutely anything.

She killed him.

She had a certain power over us all.

All of us.

Myself, Winter.

The girls, too.

I think we belonged to her.

She could make us do things for her.

Animals.

Each one of us had to kill an animal.

Mine was a cat, I did it with a stick.

We learned all about sex from her. In one way or another.

Jeffrey Braden?

Now, that was something she'd always wanted to do.

To kill a person.

To kill somebody.

The boy was half-German or something like that.

I don't know, she made it seem like a reason.

The older ones held him down.

And she stuffed grass in his mouth.

Lumps of earth.

And then she took off her coat

and covered his face

and pressed.

And when he was dead, Julia...

She had a little knife.

She opened up his trousers.

Dear God.

I was there and Winter was watching.

I don't think he has mentioned a word about it, from that day to this.

And you've never told anyone?

I told one person.

Mother.

Don't ask me whether she believed me or not.

When Olivia died,

after a while I was almost grateful.

It meant she could never know that I'd told or not.

Is that all?

Isn't there something else I can give you?

No. I better go.

No, I don't think you should. I think you should stay here,

and return my company. No!

Are you another crazy bitch, then?

If you go mouthing this about, they'll lock you up, you know!

[PHONE RINGING]

[SCREAMING]

GIRL: Mickey, come on.

[SCREAMING]

[PHONE RINGING]

MARK: Hello. Hello, Julia.

Oh, Mark, hello.

No, no, I'm sorry. I didn't hear it ringing.

I took a couple of pills last night.

You all right? Yeah, I'm fine.

Would you like to come over?

Come there. Why?

No, I...

All right.

[UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING]

Ah! Hi, how are you?

I'm okay.

So, where did you run off to?

Oh! Nowhere.

I went to the museum. The British Museum.

For what?

I, um...

I was looking for something.

Find it?

Mrs. Fludd was right.

There was a little boy, murdered just like she said.

The police hanged a man but he didn't do it.

She did it. Who?

The little girl in the house.

Her name is Olivia, she killed him.

What are you talking about? Mark, it's true.

And she's in the house now.

Julia, this is a child who has been dead for over 30 years.

It's crazy.

She is in that house. Believe me.

And I have to help her.

Help her, how?

I don't know. I don't know.

I'm going to Wales tomorrow.

Her mother lives there in a sort of home.

If I can just see her, maybe she can tell me something that will help.

Help you?

No, no. Olivia.

You said, "A home." Do you mean a mental home?

I'm going to see her. And you're not going to stop me.

All right, I'll go with you.

What for?

Just to be with you and listen to what she has to say.

No, no, that's all right.

When are you leaving?

I haven't decided.

I'll just have to be on your doorstep from dawn.

[SIGHING]

All right.

8:00 tomorrow morning. Okay.

I have to go now.

[SHARPLY] No.

[UPBEAT SONG PLAYING]

♪ You better come home Speedy Gonzales

♪ With that floozy named Flo

♪ Come on home to your adobe

♪ And slap some mud on the wall

♪ The roof is leaking like a strainer

♪ There's loads of roaches in the hall ♪

SPEEDY GONZALES: Hey, Rosita,

I have to go shopping downtown for my mother.

She needs some tortillas and chili pepper!

Oh!

[GROANING]

[MUSIC STOPPING]

[HUMMING]

[LAUGHING]

Mrs. Rudge, this is Mrs. Lofting. She's asked to see you.

Hello, Mrs. Rudge.

And I said, I'll take you along to the big room

and you can sit and talk in there.

Softly.

We don't get many visitors coming to see us these days, do we, Mrs. Rudge?

Make a nice change for you.

Have you got a magnificent problem?

MAN: That's all right, Mr. Terrance, just relax.

Excuse me!

There we are, then.

Don't you think everyone's going to be jealous,

having such a nice young lady coming to see you?

We are not all that lucky, are we?

Okay then? Yes, thank you.

I'll just leave you two alone for a little bit.

Thank you.

There's no need to be frightened.

I live in your old house, Mrs. Rudge.

Do you remember your house in London?

Since I've moved into that house,

things have happened to me which are difficult...

Hello. Hello.

Which are difficult to... To explain

because I don't understand.

Maybe you can help me.

May I ask you some questions?

Yeah.

Nice Mrs. Lofting,

come to visit the crazy women.

Look at them.

They don't mind, see.

You don't know where you are. [CHUCKLING]

I know about Olivia, Mrs. Rudge.

Could we talk about her for a minute?

I know how difficult it's been for you,

because my daughter is dead, too.

Dead? Not dead.

But... Sorry?

Look at me.

Look at me.

I am the one who is dead.

All safe and dead.

All safe and dead.

Have you ever seen evil, nice Mrs. Lofting?

I have.

I'm safe, though.

Evil is not like ordinary people.

Evil never dies.

She's not dead. Not dead.

You're not safe.

Why?

You killed your daughter.

No.

Oh, no. Oh, yes.

Oh, yes, you did. Like I killed mine.

That wretched, evil creature. I killed her.

She clawed and clawed and scratched.

And I put my hand over her mouth

while her evil life spumed away.

I killed her.

She choked!

She choked on her own wickedness.

A boy told me that...

I asked her.

I asked her.

She showed...

She laughed, she laughed.

I killed her.

You think you're safe?

Go away.

You're... You're not safe.

You shouldn't be here. Go away.

You think you're safe? Shit, you're not safe.

Go.

[MOANING]

[GASPING]

Hello.

My toy.

Sharp.

Come.

It's all settled.

Everything's right now.

Stay with me.

Stay with me.

Stay.

[CYMBALS CLANGING]