Original subtitles

[electronic sounds]

[dark electronic music]

[clattering]

[suspenseful music]

[thuds]

- Who's out there?

We don't want no trouble now.

[thud]

George, bring me my ax.

[thud] Hurry!

[thuds] [wood clunks]

Get the boys down in the hatch.

[thuds] Quickly, go on!

- [Wife] Quickly, get inside!

- Mommy, I'm scared. - Hey, hey, hey, shh.

Don't be scared, okay look, you gotta get inside.

You gotta be quiet, you mustn't make a sound.

You gotta promise me you won't make a sound.

- I promise. - Okay?

You'll be all right, okay?

- Go and hide, Lillie.

- I'm not leaving you, John.

- Come on, Lillian, go!

- John!

[gun fires] [John groans]

[yelps]

[gun cocks]

[gun fires]

[clattering]

[suspenseful electronic music]

[John groans]

[John groans] [blood splatters]

[footsteps clunk and squelch]

[muffled gun cocks]

[gun fires] [tense music]

[muffled footsteps clack]

[faint snarls]

[red man snarls]

[distant scream]

[dark electronic music]

- Stay close, Billy.

Billy!

Bill!

- Pa!

Pa!

[gun fires] [groans]

[door squeaks]

[dark atmospheric music]

- Shh, child.

You've had a terrible fever dream, child.

But you're safe now.

Safe with Agnes.

You look a little younger now you're awake.

Under all that stubble, child,

you must be no more than 20 years old.

No, you couldn't do no harm to no one.

Still, you had old Agnes dreadful frightened.

Thought you was somethin' else.

- My father.

- Shh, child.

Don't try to speak, there'll be plenty of time for chatter.

You just gotta get some rest now.

I've been sittin' here an hour just tryin' to patch up

that wound in your thigh there.

Tore clean through your iliotibial band.

Yep, it's gonna hurt bad

tryin' to walk any distance on that.

You're lucky old Agnes don't mind the company.

Here.

I've been savin' this particular bottle.

It's the strong stuff.

[dog whines]

It'll help numb your pain.

[Billy spits]

Sure does get pretty lonely out here, though.

Sometimes you just gotta do what you must to pass the time

on a black winter's eve.

Oh, my goodness, child.

Where are my manners?

It's been too long.

My name's Agnes.

You have to understand, child,

when someone creeps up your front door way out here,

the mind grows awful worried.

Guess I'm thankful it was only you.

Could've been the bitter end for old Agnes.

Lucky I keep my trusty rifle close by.

What were you doing way out here anyhow?

- Me and Father, we were hunting deer.

- Oh hell, child, there ain't no deer this far out.

Now, your father, he's still out there in that bitter cold?

- Probably looking for me.

- Well, child, he ain't gonna find you here.

It's already past sundown, see?

I ain't heard any fella come by.

You don't wanna get stuck out there in the dark.

That cold will freeze the blood in your veins

once the sun's gone down.

If them things don't get you first.

- You get the papers out here?

- No, child, I don't bother with any of that.

What goes on outside this cabin don't concern me.

- A radio?

- Well, I did have one once.

Guess it broke.

I'm no good at electronics.

Hell, child, the devil knows I'm not.

- Billy.

Call me Billy.

- Billy.

Sweet name.

Little Billy Goat Gruff.

Your mama read you that one?

I'm sorry, Bill, I'll just shut up and let you rest.

But not until you've had some of this.

It'll do you good to warm your bones.

There, there, Billy.

It'll be all right.

Mama Agnes got ya now.

Come on now, Billy.

There you go.

Come on now, just a few more steps.

[Billy grunts]

There.

There you go.

[Billy groans]

There you go.

You'll be much more comfortable here.

Warmest part of the cabin.

- Thank you.

- Oh, don't thank me, child.

I'm the fool who did this to you.

I'll be downstairs, you just yell out if you need me.

[dark electronic music]

[hums melodically]

King.

You know, some nights I've snuggled up with King

and just fallen asleep in his doggie bed.

Can you imagine if anybody came by and saw that?

- How long do you think it'd take for me to heal?

Well enough to get back into town, I mean.

- Well, as long as it doesn't get infected, you should

be all right to walk on that in maybe a couple of weeks.

But you just need to rest till then, your father can wait.

- Don't you have a radio or somethin'?

Just, most people do when they're this far out.

- Well, I'd have radioed for help,

if I did have one now, wouldn't I?

- Right.

- You just need to rest your sweet head, child,

and let Agnes take care of every little thing.

Nighty night, child.

- Goodnight, Agnes.

[dark electronic music]

[pants]

[screams] [ominous tones]

[muffled footsteps clack]

[gun cocks]

What are you doing?

- Oh, Billy.

You should get back into bed, you need to get some rest.

- You're expecting unwanted company?

- I guess I have something to tell you, Billy.

This'll all make a lot more sense.

Now, I didn't wanna say at first.

Hell, child, you were frightened enough, I'm sure.

But I need to tell you why you're really here.

That is to say, why I fired my rifle at you.

See them doors, front and back there?

See how I got them beams up against 'em?

That's to keep something from getting in here.

- Bears?

- Oh, Billy.

I don't mean animals.

I don't mean people.

Hell, you'll probably think me a lame-brain old cook,

but you'd be wrong.

It was about, let's see, 12 or so days ago.

On most mornings since, there's been a strange happening.

I wake up, come to the door,

and let King out to take a leak or whatever else,

and I fill these old lungs with that cold, icy air.

Except, on this day, I opened the door,

and there it is, the big long trail of footprints,

right up to the doormat, over to the window,

and then back out again into the forest.

It sure ain't often I get visitors,

so I thought it mighty curious

that someone would walk up to my cabin and then just go.

- I thought this place was abandoned, it looked like

it hadn't been touched in 50 years from the outside.

- Well, footprints don't stay long, Billy.

They were lost in the snow that afternoon.

Next day, though, I go to let King out

and can you guess what?

- More footprints. - Same thing.

Nobody knocks, nobody leaves a note.

Just takes a look in at me.

Hell, I'm on my own out here!

Could be anybody fixing to do something to me.

That's why I always keep my rifle close by since then.

I haven't had it loaded since I shot down a snowshoe hare

the size of a wolf last spring.

And there's something I still haven't told you, Billy,

about them footprints. - Oh?

- They're blood-red.

Every one of them.

Red like the devil with a fever.

- Agnes, nothing on this earth makes a red footprint.

- Who said it was of this earth?

- Just what is it that you think you've seen?

- Six days after these mysterious tracks, I'm out

in the snow, cuttin' wood for the fire, and I see it.

It chills me to the bone, the sheer memory of it.

Tall as a man, shaped like a man.

Had hands, feet, arms, legs, except it was naked.

Totally blood-red, not a single patch of skin on it.

Just sticky-red muscle and bone underneath.

- A man without skin?

- The red man is what me and King calls it.

It looked at me for a short moment

with its milky-white eyes.

I couldn't believe what I was lookin' at.

Yet, I couldn't take my eyes off it.

Then it staggered off between the trees.

I can still see those terrible eyes lookin' at me.

The terror won't leave my body.

I can just imagine the thing in the room with us

here right now, comin' on up behind you, child.

Comin' to take you off to whatever hell it crawled out of!

[screams] [intense music]

[pants]

King knows.

Don't you, King? [King whines]

I dare not let the poor thing outside.

- And so you thought I was that creature,

comin' by your window. - Oh, you bet I did.

I thought I heard my traps goin' off.

- That's your story?

- You just think I'm more cuckoo than a clock factory.

Don't you, child?

- There has to be a logical explanation, surely to God.

- All I know is, you sure stumbled into the wrong cabin.

[suspenseful atmospheric music]

[distant scratches on wood]

[distant scratches on wood]

[King whines] [scratches on wood]

- King.

Damn dog.

[King whines]

You wanna get outta here too, huh, boy?

[Agnes snores gently]

Come on, let's go.

[Agnes snores gently]

[dark atmospheric music]

[King whines]

Come on, boy.

Let's get outta here.

King, King.

Sorry, Agnes.

Looks like you ain't gettin' me.

King, King!

[grunts]

[grunts]

[wood creaks] [Agnes snores gently]

[pants]

[somber music] - God, King, no!

What did they do to you?

No!

King! [sobs wildly]

They got him!

I don't know how,

but they broke in here and took him from us!

- Oh, Jesus Christ.

I'm sorry, Agnes.

I woke up in the night, he was scratching.

I just let him out for a moment.

- You let him out? - He wanted to go.

- I told you, Billy!

I told you about those red devils.

You dog-killer!

He's dead because of you! [screams]

[grunts]

You dog...

- [groans] I can exp-- - Killer, Billy!

Killer, Billy, dog!

- I'm sorry, I'm sorry!

[Agnes grunts] [Billy groans]

- I'm sorry, Billy, that I ever let you into my home.

[sobs]

Oh, King.

King.

Oh, King, shh.

Oh, King.

You're sleepin' in a better place now.

My little angel. [eerie chime music]

You'll be waitin', waitin' with the rest of them.

Waitin' on up in heaven for mama to come on home.

Oh, King.

You were the only one that ever listened to Mama Agnes.

You were only one who ever kept old Mama Agnes' secrets.

You reminded me of mine and Daddy's little angel.

Before Mama came and took her from me.

And just look what happened to Mama.

[pants]

I'm goin' out for some fresh air.

You better get a new bandage on that, or it'll get infected.

[dark atmospheric music]

[dark electronic music]

- Billy!

Bill!

Answer me, son.

Please, Billy.

Just answer. [radio static crackles]

- [Man Over Radio] Any sign of the kid, over.

- [Father] Nothin' out here, Ruth.

Not a sign of him.

- [Ruth] We won't stop lookin' till we find your boy,

Mr. Cavanagh, you have my word.

- Where are you, Bill?

- Oh, Billy. [somber music]

Billy, child, why don't you come downstairs?

I've been callin' ya.

- I heard you, Agnes.

- Oh, Billy, I'm sorry.

I overreacted, I understand that now.

You weren't to know, child.

It's just that King was everything I had.

He was my only friend out here.

Now I've had time to calm myself down,

I know it was an accident.

- What the hell did that to him, Agnes?

- You believe me?

You believe this terrible thing's out there?

- I believe you.

- Oh, Billy, we've gotta stick together.

We've gotta keep each other safe.

Come on, Billy.

Come downstairs now, see what Mama Agnes has made for ya.

Tell me what it's like back home, child.

Tell me somethin' about your family.

- Father's a big part of the community back in town.

Likes to help people out, knows everything and everyone.

He's always chomping on a fat, old cigar.

Smells like him, too.

- Is that right? - He fixes up snow mobiles.

Mountain slides, that kind of thing.

- Uh-huh? - I do the same.

Well, I help out.

We don't have much money, you see, so,

I just do what extra I can. - He sounds like a fine daddy.

When I was little, we just had dogs.

I don't know how to use all that machinery.

I can fire a gun.

- Yeah, I know.

- That's about it.

Even for huntin', I'm more likely to use

those little traps my daddy taught me.

You should've seen the size of some of them

double-swing steels.

They went all rusted and broke, eventually, but they

were strong enough to snap the bone in the beast's leg.

That is, if it didn't chew it off first.

I used to collect the abandoned limbs

that I found caught in the teeth.

My daddy, he used them into little furry necklaces for me.

- And your mother let him show you all that?

- Mama wasn't around much after she left.

- Oh.

Mine, neither.

Actually, I don't know my mother at all.

And Father doesn't talk about it.

- That's sad to hear, child. - Makes no difference to me.

Father's everything I've ever needed.

- I just can't imagine how a mother could turn their back

on a boy like you, Billy.

- He said the cold made her crazy, so she moved on.

- Oh, now you've Mama Agnes to take care of you.

Show you that motherly love and tender care you never had.

- And you, Agnes?

How did you end up out here all by yourself?

You must have a family someplace.

- Sure.

I had that.

And two little girls of my own, little Susie and Sally-Ann.

I guess they never liked the cold, neither.

To me, this white hell has always been my home.

- So, you don't see them at all now?

- Oh, I see them.

Oh, I see them.

But they don't need old Agnes no more.

Hell! [chuckles]

That was some appetite you had.

- I haven't eaten since yesterday.

- Mama Agnes sure cooks a tidy stew.

- It's delicious.

- Well, I'm glad we put King to good use.

- What?

- It's hard enough to come by good meat out here.

Couldn't let him go to waste.

- You cooked the dog?

- Hell, he's as good as any other creature out there

that I'd have had to shoot down to feed us!

You're the one who killed him!

Old Agnes ain't stupid.

I don't see good meat go to waste, the devil I--

- You oughta told me first.

- I was afraid you wouldn't eat it.

You need your strength.

Hell, I can't manage it all by myself, Billy.

- I would've preferred to know, that's all.

- Oh.

No.

You're right.

I could've told you, I just didn't think.

Stupid.

Stupid, stupid.

Stupid, stupid.

Stupid!

Stupid.

Silly, stupid, very stupid, bad Agnes!

Bad, stupid Agnes.

Bad, bad, bad, bad, bad!

Listen to your father! - Calm down, stop!

[Agnes pants]

It was fine.

It tasted fine.

It was just surprising.

[vomits]

[vomits]

[muffled vomiting]

[dark atmospheric music]

[eerie tones]

[wood creaks]

[suspenseful music]

- Oh, butter fingers.

[eerie chime music]

[sighs]

- I stayed up all night watching you, Agnes.

Did you know that?

Obviously you don't.

Anyone sitting guard with a loaded gun in their hands

fearing for their lives does not sleep that easy.

Is the gun even loaded?

- What are you talkin' about, child?

- I just wanna know if your gun is loaded.

- You wanna know if it's loaded?

You think it isn't, Billy?

You think I dreamed up this whole nightmare-fantasy?

- Maybe I'm going a little stir-crazy here, Agnes,

but I can't decide whether you're playing games with me,

or whether you're simply not playing with a full deck.

- I knew it.

I just knew you'd think I was crazy.

When all I'm tryin' to do is look after you,

and care for you.

Hell, you're just like the rest of them, ain't ya?

Always pickin' on old Agnes.

Well, I didn't stand for it then,

and I ain't gonna stand for it now.

- Agnes, I just wanna talk.

[gun cocks] - Too late, Billy boy!

- Whoa, Agnes, stop, stop!

[gun clicks]

[Agnes laughs]

Course the gun ain't loaded!

But you knew that, didn't ya?

I ain't gonna blow my brains out while I sleep.

Got the bullets right here if I need 'em.

Agnes ain't stupid, you know.

You might think I am, but you're wrong.

[ominous organ music]

- Sweet Jesus Christ on a flaming cross.

Get your barf bags, boys.

This is by far the worst one yet.

- Is it Billy?

- Don't think so.

- It's old man Clark's place.

Look at the pictures.

- Hmm, little Sally-Ann.

Sweet angel.

[glass smashes] [somber music]

What in the Lord's name have they done to deserve this?

- I think I'm gonna be sick.

- Fellas, it's a bonafide massacre in this hell-hole,

but it ain't young Billy and it ain't Rus Cavanagh.

Gonna have to call in another one, Pete!

[retching]

Get someone out here to search this place

from tippy-top to bloody-bottom.

And see what we can find.

Ain't gonna be more than half a town left,

unless we end this manhunt A-S-A-P.

Chuck, open this hatch, will ya?

My crooked old back can't take the weight.

- What do you think's down there, old friend Ruth?

- There's a lot of blood here.

But no bodies.

Open her up.

[flies buzz] [Chuck groans]

- What's happened to them?

- Some twisted son of a bitch has taken their skin.

[ominous tones]

Taken their skin and gifted the rest to the maggots.

[ominous tones]

Fuck it, I've seen enough.

[dark electronic music]

[pot clangs]

- Dinner's almost ready, Billy boy.

- [Ruth] Rus, you out there?

You've gotta get back on the code I have you on.

Come on, answer, damn it.

[screeches]

[muffled screeches]

[tense music]

[Billy moans and pants]

- Billy! - Agnes!

- What're you doing out of bed, child?

- Agnes, it's right there!

- Red hell, it must've followed me back here, take my gun!

[thuds] - [moans] What does it want?

- I told you, child, it's after us.

But no, you never listened to old Agnes.

- Is that door gonna hold?

- Do you believe me now? - Yes, Agnes, I believe you.

Fuck, where are the bullets? [thuds]

- Oh, now you need bullets, now there's somethin' out there!

- Agnes, I'm not screwin' around here, come on now!

- Oh, you can't shoot down somethin' which is just

in Mama Agnes' crazy old head.

- Oh, Jesus, what does it want?

- I told you, child.

It's the red man.

He's finally come for the pair of us.

- Pass the damn bullets!

- Should've listened, Billy boy.

- I'm sorry, I'm sorry, you were right!

I should've listened to you.

You were right the whole damn time, you're not crazy!

- Good child.

[thuds]

Better hurry, Billy boy.

[thuds] [muffled shrieks]

He's gettin' in!

[thuds]

[gun cocks]

[Billy screams] [intense music]

[gun fires] [Agnes shrieks]

[water hisses]

[Agnes groans]

[Billy grunts]

[flesh squelches]

Get that thing, Billy!

[flesh squelches]

[gun fires]

[Billy moans]

[red man whines]

[red man snarls] [flesh squelches]

[Billy grunts and whines]

Kill it, Billy, kill it!

[gun fires] [red man screeches]

[Billy pants] [suspenseful music]

[flesh squelches]

[intense music]

[red man shrieks]

[gun fires]

[flesh squelches]

Go back to hell, you red devil!

[flesh squelches] [moans]

Kill it, Billy!

Kill it, Billy!

[flesh squelches]

- Billy!

[gun fires] [Agnes screams]

[Agnes laughs maniacally]

[dark atmospheric music] [hammering thuds]

- Agnes? - Nothin' gets out.

Nothin' gets in.

- Agnes, we can't stay here.

- You seen what's out there, Billy, you seen that red devil.

- Agnes, it's dead.

- But there'll be more of those things!

- How do you know that? - 'Cause Agnes knows.

- I've gotta get outta this cabin.

- Oh, you're not leavin' me alone with those things.

God damn it, we almost got ourselves killed!

- Agnes, it's over!

We have to get outta here. - Oh, no, you're staying put.

You're staying right here with me!

I'm keepin' you safe! - You're keepin' me prisoner!

- Go to bed, Billy.

You are upset and confused.

- I don't know if that thing really is

the monster out here, Agnes.

- You don't do as I say, then you might find out it isn't.

[bullet clacks]

[suspenseful electronic music]

You'd kill old Agnes in cold blood,

after all I've done for you?

- I'm gonna die in this cabin, Agnes.

I know that now.

I'm gonna die alone in this white wilderness.

And seein' as I don't know how much longer I have left,

I better do what my father dragged me out here to do.

[gun cocks]

There are no deer in these woods, you were right about that.

But I wasn't hunting deer.

- No, Billy, you're not like them, child.

- No.

But maybe I wish I was.

And maybe if I hadn't suffered this bullet wound to the leg,

you'd be long dead already.

Or maybe I would've starved to death by now.

Or frozen out there in the cold.

- It's not what you think, Billy.

- Stop it.

Let me tell you a story, Agnes.

Let me explain how I came to find you here.

Back in town, about two weeks ago, maybe longer,

we started to notice somethin' strange.

You see, Big Johnnie Carver who lives on the edge of town,

not as far out as the forest, but far out,

in one of those beat-up old shack houses,

he lives there with his family, a wife,

and two boys, I think it was.

Now, we don't see much them.

Except for, Big John comes into town

like clockwork every week to pick up his beer,

his paper and a copy of Cheeks Magazine.

Get those in special, just for him.

Guess it gets pretty lonely out there in the snow, huh?

Even for a married man.

- Sure does, Billy.

- So, one day I go in and I see there's

two copies of Cheeks Magazine.

You see, I would always notice 'em there since I was little,

and I say to shopkeeper Willard, "I see John Carver hasn't

"come by to pick up his jazz mags this past month,"

and Willard says, "Nope."

In fact, he says he hasn't seen John Carver

in near over a month.

So, they head out to Big John's shack.

Chimney's been smokin', so he's gotta be home.

And well, you wouldn't wanna know what they found.

Wouldn't even tell me, actually.

But they were real shook up.

I knew they'd seen something they couldn't unsee

and wish they never saw.

Even my pa, and nothin' gets him.

- Is that right, child?

- All I know is John Carver's dead.

Had been since the month before, probably as long

as that dirty magazine arrived on that shelf.

His whole family, too.

They found the youngest boy.

Jesus.

He couldn't have been any more than 10 years old.

They found him out in the snow, frozen stiff as a brick.

Poor little thing.

Now, what could make a boy run from his family,

and keep on runnin' till his legs froze solid

and he couldn't run no more?

- Child.

I wouldn't know.

- Oh, I think you might, Agnes.

Strange thing is, when they found John's family

massacred in that shack, Willard recalled seeing smoke

coming from the chimney all month long.

Somebody was home.

Somebody didn't mind stayin' around with just them corpses

for company for damn near an entire month.

Until not a crumb of food was left, or a twig of firewood.

- Well, it gets mighty lonely in the woods.

- This ain't even your cabin, is it, Agnes?

We came looking, a whole bunch of us.

Still are lookin', 'cause someone butchered that family

and they're still out here.

- And little boy Billy thinks he's found his killer.

You think it's me, don't you, child?

- Bitch.

I know it's you.

[gun clicks]

[thud] [groans]

Agnes, no!

[gun clicks] [Agnes laughs]

[ominous tones]

- You dumb boy.

You think Mama Agnes is some old fool, don't ya?

I seen those bullets under my mattress.

Just how long you been fixin' to shoot me dead,

I don't wanna know.

- Oh, just fuckin' kill me if that's what you want.

- Oh, I ain't gonna kill you, boy.

I just ain't one to refuse company.

But I am gonna have to take precautions,

because bad boys do have to be punished by their mama.

- Stop calling yourself mother, you crazy bitch!

- Crazy or not, you're stuck here with me!

And I will teach you to be a good boy to your mama.

- No!

[thud]

[moody electronic music] [fire crackles]

- Just smell that fur.

That's a fine smell.

You did say your daddy's cigars had a fine smell.

You were right about that, child.

Smells of home.

Bet you can't smell a damn thing.

Think I just about busted your nose.

But a boy must be punished if he misbehaves.

And I call fixing to shoot me dead in my slumber,

a misbehavior.

You only get as good as you give, child.

I calls it tough love, that's all it is.

- Tough love? - That's right, child.

- You better keep a close eye on that rifle, Agnes,

'cause I'm gonna find it tough not to love seeing your

fucking skull blasted right open the second you put it down.

- Is that right, Billy boy?

I wouldn't go makin' promises you can't keep now.

You ain't gonna be in no fit state to fire a gun

when Mama Agnes is done with her punishment.

Did I divulge I ain't smoked in about 10 years?

It's a little treat for Mama Agnes.

Just imagine all the things you can find

in the pockets of old coats.

Enough to tell you half the story of a man's life.

And look what I found.

My granddaddy had one just like it.

You recognize it, don't you, child?

Had you been able to smell the fur,

you'd have sooner recognized my new coat, too.

Ain't that right?

- Where did you get that? - Daddy would know.

But mama forgot to ask him.

- Where is he? [Agnes laughs]

What the hell have you done?

- What have I done to your daddy?

Well, Billy child, if you do recall,

you're the one who shot him in the head.

- Billy!

[gun fires] [Agnes screams]

- That's right, child.

He came all the way out here to find his little boy,

and what did he find?

Just old Mama Agnes out choppin' firewood

to keep young Billy boy warm and cozy.

- [sobs] No, no, no.

- Well, your daddy asked me if I'd seen his boy.

"Oh, I seen him," I said.

"I got him all looked after back up in my cabin."

- No, [sobs] no. - So I led him on up here.

- And when his back was turned, I smacked him!

One good hard one across the back of the head.

Now, I strip him down first,

so your daddy was out there in the cold,

hung up by the arms from that tall tree out back.

I tell ya, his skin had turned icy-blue

by the time I got to work on him.

His little pecker had shriveled right up

to the size of a walnut.

A little white walnut, and I did worry he'd be so numb

that he wouldn't feel the final job old Agnes had in store.

But I tell you, child, he felt my blade on him.

The screams comin' out of that man

were some of the finest I ever heard.

Made the hairs on the back of my neck stand tall.

Pretty sure that's what woke you up.

It was my daddy who taught me how to skin,

and ever since I was a little girl, I've always loved how

the skin would just peel away like a sticky glove,

slippin' off to reveal the beautiful red meat underneath.

You know, everybody looks different without their skin.

With nothing to hide behind.

No lies, no deception, just their true selves.

You start with the neck, a good clean slice.

Loosens things up a little.

Then you get your hands in there.

Then you hook your nails in. [Billy grunts]

And when you've had practice, like Mama Agnes,

you can pull it wide open in just two pieces.

It's a little rusty,

but you just ain't to be trusted with a firearm present.

That's why these ten little digits gotta go.

- God, Agnes, no, please, whatever idea you've got

in that crazy head, you keep it in there!

- We're gonna see to it that you don't have the physical

capability to shoot your Mama Agnes in her sleep.

- Please!

- And to do that, we gotta make some alterations,

to your body. - Oh, my God, Agnes, please!

Please stop, please, please! - Oh, hold still!

Come on, mama's got you now. - Please, no!

[sobs] - Hold still, Billy.

Hold still, hold still.

[bone cracks] [Billy screams]

Stop wrigglin' now, will ya? - Please!

- Hold still now, son! - Please, I'm begging you!

- It's all right, mama's got ya. - No, no!

- Mama's got you. [Billy screams]

Oh, there we go. - No!

- Oh, come on now, it's not hurtin'!

[Billy screams]

Hold still now, son!

Rise and shine, little sleepy head.

Oh, I know we haven't seen eye-to-eye

over the last couple of days,

but Agnes is gonna change that, I'm gonna make it up to you.

You'll see.

- Fuck you. - Oh, Billy.

That's no way to speak to your mama.

I bandaged you up real nice, see?

[intense music] [Billy screams]

- Oh, Jesus!

What have you done?

What have you done to my hands?

You stupid bitch!

- You will learn to say nice things to me!

Oh, it might take a little while, and it might cause you

a lot of pain and suffering, but we'll get there.

Either you take it fast and easy,

or we take it slow, hard and very painfully, child.

You choose. [Billy sobs]

Oh, Billy, you're just one big blubberin' baby.

I've seen men climb out of their own skins

before I've had time to finish cutting it from their bodies,

because they were savage and determined.

- You want savage, you just wait.

- You don't scare me, Billy, you goose!

You're here because I want you here with me.

People who scare old Agnes end up skinned alive!

[Billy screams] [glass smashes]

[screams] [intense music]

[grunts]

[laughs]

[laughs maniacally]

I just dare you to kill me, child, go on!

And we'll see who's gonna feed you and tend to your wounds.

You'll never make it back to town without freezing to death!

[laughs] You little sissy!

[laughs]

[Billy screams]

[clunk]

[Billy pants]

- Shut the fuck up.

[suspenseful electronic music]

[grunts]

[grunts]

Okay.

[grunts]

[radio static crackles]

Please, God.

Please, God, help me now.

Hello?

Is anybody receiving me, over.

Can anybody hear me?

My name is Billy Cavanagh.

I'm stuck out in an old cabin.

I'm being held hostage.

It's the killer, the one everyone's been looking for.

She's here.

- [Ruth] Billy, it's Ruth.

We're receiving you, but it's a weak signal, over.

- Oh, God, Ruth.

Jesus Christ, am I glad to hear your voice.

- Now, you just calm down, son,

and tell where you are and tell me what happened.

- You've gotta come and save me, Ruth.

I'm hurt, I'm hurt real bad.

Just head out way past Johnnie Carver's place.

About two miles dead-north, it's hard to find

'cause it's deep in the forest, but it's there.

It's an old cabin, it looks empty, but it's not.

- Slow down, we've got guys out now looking for your pa,

and some others that have gone missing.

- They're dead, Ruth, they're all dead!

She's killed them all!

- You're tellin' me it's a woman been doin' all this?

- I have her here right now.

- [Ruth] You just hang on in there, son.

- She's unconscious, but I don't know for how long.

[ominous tones] - Hello, Billy?

Everything all right, son?

We're heading out right now, Billy.

You're gonna be all right, just hold on tight.

[ominous tones]

- Poor little Bill.

Skinned against his will.

Watch his red blood spill.

Agnes gets a thrill.

[laughs]

- Who is that?

You let that boy go, damn you. [Agnes laughs]

We're go a lot easier on you when we catch ya,

if you leave that boy alone, do you hear me?

[suspenseful music] [Agnes laughs]

- You think you can outsmart old Agnes?

You're just like my mother.

Thought she knew better than me!

But she didn't know what Agnes and Daddy were up to.

Oh, no. [laughs]

But when she did find out, I took my gun,

and shot a hole in her head!

[gun fires] [Billy grunts]

[laughs]

I didn't mean to hurt our little angel,

but she was just so small and fragile.

She was born weak, she had problems, Billy.

Daddy said we shouldn't have done those things,

and it was all over, just like that.

[laughs]

[gun fires] [Billy grunts]

Daddy was so mad.

All Agnes ever tried to do was make him happy,

but he, he, he beat me!

And he sliced me all over and said he'd skin me alive

like he skinned his beasts!

[gun fires]

But I got him first, because nobody can outsmart old Agnes.

Not even you, Billy Cavanagh.

And if you don't do what I say,

I'll take your skin, just like the rest of them!

[bullet clacks] [groans]

[Billy grunts]

[gun fires] [laughs]

Now, them folks are gonna come by here real soon

and find us here, so you're gonna climb on in that hole,

and stay real god-damn quiet.

Or else I'm gonna put a bullet in your brain, child,

and you'll never see the outside of this cabin again.

[Billy groans]

[Billy screams]

[muffled groans]

[Billy grunts]

Get in.

Get out.

Be god damn quiet, Billy.

You keep god damn quiet or I'll blow your brains out.

You hear me?

One word!

[suspenseful music]

- It's darker in here than a bison's asshole.

- It's the wrong place, I told you it looked abandoned.

- Oh, shut up, Chuck.

- This is the place.

- It ain't even on the map.

- Exactly.

- Nobody's home.

- You're entirely right, it does look that way.

But you gotta learn to use your nose, Chuck, 'cause I can

smell somethin' that's tellin' an entirely different story.

Yep.

Still warm.

Boys, somebody's been stayin' here,

who don't want us to know.

Sweet heaven almighty.

That's a damn fine stew.

- Well, then all right!

- Don't get too cozy, fellas.

We're here to find Billy and put an end to this grotesquery.

[Billy pants]

[Chuck slurps]

So, this is where all the good meat's at.

- [chuckles] I'll say.

- Don't taste a pinch like Maggie's stew.

My poor wife can't cook a damn thing.

Never stopped her tryin', though,

and never stopped me appreciatin' what a sweetheart

she's been to me all these cold, long years.

[Chuck coughs and groans]

- Damn!

I don't think that looks like an animal's tooth.

- Boys, I think it's time we put the stew aside.

We might just have found Billy Cavanagh.

God damn it, Pete!

Hand me that radio.

Someone might just answer on this thing.

Billy, it's Ruth. - Billy, it's Ruth.

- Can you hear me, over. - Can you hear me, over.

- Hey, Ruth?

- What? - What?

[radio interference] [swelling ominous tones]

- Well, I'll be damned.

It looks like we're in the right cabin after all.

- Ruth, I'm down here!

[gun fires] [dramatic music]

[gun fires] [blood splatters]

[suspenseful percussive music]

[gun fires] [glass smashes]

[gun fires] [dramatic music]

[stew hisses]

[Ruth groans]

- Billy, get her gun!

Shoot her, Billy!

Kill this crazy bitch and get the hell outta here!

- Now, why'd you have to go and say a thing like that?

[Ruth groans]

[Ruth groans] [intense music]

[laughs]

- [Ruth] Choke on it, you fucking bitch!

[Agnes laughs]

[Billy grunts]

Get the fuck off of me!

- [Agnes] Give me that gun!

- You fucking bitch.

[groans]

Let go, you fucking old hag!

[Agnes and Ruth grunt]

Run, Billy, run!

[gun fires] [Agnes laughs]

- You're everythin' I have, Billy.

And you're everythin' Mama Agnes ever--

[gun fires] [blood splatters]

[Billy pants]

- And all I ever wanted was to see you dead.

[sobs]

[grunts]

[somber orchestral music]