1209 - February 11, 1971

[bunniefuu]

[eerie orchestral music]

NARRATOR:The great house at Collinwood in parallel time.

Stella has been found m*rder*d in the west tower.

And Morgan, to protect the family, has buried the body.

But on this night, Gerard Styles,

a townsman with psychic abilities has been hired

by Stella's brother Kendrick to assist in finding

his missing sister.

He is now leading him to the place where they are

to discover the truth.

Would you please tell me what this is all about?

Unless I am very much mistaken Mr. Young,

we are standing over the spot we have been looking for.

I still don't understand.

We are standing on top of a grave.

A grave?

GERARD: A rather unorthodox one to be sure.

However there is a body.

Oh no.

So Mr. Young, let us start digging.

[dramatic music]

[eerie music]

No.

No.

GERARD: I'm sorry, Kendrick.

I knew it.

The first time I went to Collinwood,

I knew something like this had happened.

I wanted so much to be wrong.

I wanted to believe everyone and go away and hope that

one day Stella would come to me with an explanation.

But I couldn't.

I had to stay.

Stella, Stella who could have done this to you?

Who?

I m*rder*d her.

Who else could have done it?

You believe I k*lled her too, don't you, mama?

Of course not, you mustn't think that, darling.

Yes you do!

You all do!

Why didn't you send me away?

Why do you keep me here knowing that I'm mad?

Melanie, please, please dear, please.

Mama, did I really go to Katherine's room with a Kn*fe?

Melanie, don't put yourself through this.

Then I did go into that room.

Please, Melanie.

And if I hadn't been stopped,

Katherine would be dead now too.

Wouldn't she?

You can't even answer me.

- Melanie. - Mama, what am I to do?

Melanie, I do not believe you are responsible

for Stella's death.

And you must believe that.

You must believe it for Julia, and for me,

as well as yourself.

Because if we hadn't locked Stella in that room,

she wouldn't be dead now.

So you see, you must protect us too.

We're innocent, yet terribly guilty.

Mama, you didn't m*rder her!

You didn't s*ab her to death!

I did!

You could be next, mama.

Do you want that?

Melanie, stop this.

Mama, I don't remember what I do.

You could be next.

Stop it!

Stop it!

Even if you did m*rder Stella,

you didn't mean to, you didn't know what you were doing.

You don't know!

Oh darling, I'm sorry.

I didn't mean that.

Mama, mama.

You do think I k*lled her.

And so do I!

[sobbing]

Mama, Mama I wanna die!

I wanna die!

Darling, I'm so sorry, I'm so terribly sorry.

[loud banging]

I'll be right back.

May we come in, Mrs. Collins?

MRS. COLLINS: I'd rather you come another time,

as you know we've had great sadness here.

I realize the time is not appropriate,

and yes I must insist.

May I be allowed to speak to you for a few moments?

MRS. COLLINS: Very well,

but only for a few moments please.

Hello, Melanie.

MELANIE: Hello, Kendrick.

Now then, what do you want?

It is about my sister.

She is dead.

I'm so terribly sorry Mr. Young.

Is there anything I can do?

Yes, there is.

May I be allowed to ask you a few questions?

MRS. COLLINS: Of course.

Melanie, I think you better go to your room.

If you don't mind, I would like Melanie to stay.

No, she's too upset over her father's death.

No, mama, I'll be all right.

But Melanie!

Please, I want to stay.

Gentlemen, will you come this way?

Please sit down.

Now then, how can I help you?

KENDRICK: I must be direct, Mrs. Collins,

will you tell us the truth now, all of it?

That implies that I didn't tell you the truth before.

I'm sorry, but that is what I suspect.

Mr. Young, I know sister's death comes

as a great shock to you.

But I have just lost my husband,

and I don't feel that this is a time to discuss the matter.

When you hear where we found Stella, Mrs. Collins,

I'm sure that you will understand that we cannot

believe the stories that you've told Mr. Young.

Stella's grave was found in the woods on this estate.

[sobs]

Mr. Young this is too much for Melanie.

We'll have to discuss this some other time.

MELANIE: Stella, Stella!

Melanie, I am so sorry.

I am so sorry it had to happen this way.

I wish I could have made it easier for you.

Please, Kendrick, please stop!

Melanie, please, listen to me.

More than anything I want your mother and your aunt

to be telling the truth.

I hope that both of them have had nothing to do with

my sister's death.

But that is almost impossible for me to believe now.

Melanie, please look at me!

You are the only one I can truly believe in this house.

That may be unfair but nevertheless,

if you tell me your mother's story is true,

that Stella left this house two weeks ago without a word.

If you tell me that no one has seen or heard from her since,

I will believe you.

It is true, Kendrick.

Thank you, Melanie.

Mrs. Collins, forgive me for disturbing you

and thank you for listening to us.

Goodnight.

Mr. Young.

Where are you going now?

I am going to the police, of course.

Of course.

I'll see you out.

That won't be necessary, thank you.

[sobbing]

Don't you dare utter one sound.

[door slams]

How did they find her, how?

I must get Julia.

Why, why didn't I just tell them that I k*lled her?

MRS. COLLINS: Oh, please, Melanie,

don't start that again.

Why, mama?

Because they may find out that I am mad?

Well I'm not really your daughter, mama.

Your family name won't be soiled.

Darling, that isn't what I meant.

Please, mama!

Please live with it!

Live with the knowledge that I have k*lled!

That I will k*ll again!

I know that!

I can't stand it any longer!

I've got to tell someone!

MRS. COLLINS: No, Melanie, no!

Mama, please don't stop me!

Kendrick!

Hey, what's going on?

Let me go!

Let me go!

Stop her, stop her! She's going to tell!

Tell what?

MELANIE: That I m*rder*d Stella Young!

[clock chimes]

Now, you're telling me that Stella has been in this

house all along without anyone knowing it?

MRS. COLLINS: Only Julia and I.

Well when father threatened her,

why didn't somebody come and tell me?

I mean, there must have been a better way of handling it

than keeping her prisoner in this house!

I'm sure there was, Quentin,

but we were so frightened we didn't think.

All right all right, I don't mean to blame you.

It's just that this whole thing has become a nightmare.

All right, all right we're in it.

So we've got to deal with it.

Now just where do we begin?

MRS. COLLINS: The police will be here soon.

What will we tell them?

I don't know.

Perhaps we'll tell them the truth for a change.

I'm getting very tired of all our lies.

So am I.

I think I want them to know the truth.

Except for Melanie.

We must never let them find out about Melanie.

They mustn't get near her.

All right, I agree with you.

She seems so sure that she did it.

Who knows, maybe she did.

Quentin, don't say that!

QUENTIN: It's a possibility!

Well, she mustn't be blamed for it.

I cannot see my daughter taken away.

The police will be here soon.

Let's end this quickly.

I'll tell them I m*rder*d Stella.

After all, if I hadn't locked her in the room,

this wouldn't have happened.

I think that's best, don't you?

I don't believe what I'm hearing.

You don't make a bit of sense.

Now we just said that we were going to try

and stay to the truth.

Now, mother, that is exactly what we're going to do.

If we can just find a way of telling the truth

without anyone really knowing what happened.

[wind howling]

[soft crying]

[screams]

MELANIE: Who are you?

What do you want?

I'm sorry to frighten you.

My name is Gerard Styles.

I came earlier to see you with Kendrick Young.

What are you doing here?

I'm waiting for Kendrick and the police.

I thought someone should watch over Stella.

Oh, yes, yes.

Well I can see that you were very close to her.

MELANIE: Why do you say that?

Your grief seems very real.

Well, I was, very.

GERARD: Then what are you doing here then?

What business is it of yours?

None, Melanie.

I may call you Melanie?

I just thought perhaps the police would be very interested

in hearing about your involvement with Stella.

That's all.

[dramatic music]

Generation after generation of our family

have been tormented by that room.

All of our troubles begin and end in that locked room!

All of the lies, and the cheating, and the secrets.

Now, there's got to be a way to escape.

You know as well as I do,

there's no way to escape them.

There must be.

There must be.

Now, all we've gotta do is begin at the beginning.

We've got to find our way out of this.

We've got to start with Brutus.

We've got to find out whatever it was that he did that

created the evil that's in that room.

The letter, the letter, there's gotta be something

in that letter.

We've looked at that letter time and time again

and found nothing.

Well, maybe this time we will.

[sniffling]

He got so much less than he deserved.

There's no suffering deep enough to punish him

for what he did.

He had to have everything his way!

Always!

When he learned that there are others with wills just

as strong as his!

Oh, yes, he learned.

And every Collins from now 'til the end of time will learn,

and learn, and learn.

[laughing]

Now, Melanie.

She isn't Melanie now, she's someone else.

All right, who are you?

Were you talking about Brutus Collins?

Do you know who Brutus Collins is?

Now, please, help us.

If you do know who it is,

why don't you tell us whatever it is you know

- about this man. - No.

Come on.

Now in order for us to help you, you've got to help us.

No.

No, don't touch me!

- Let me go! - Now look!

I don't wanna hurt you!

All I wanna know is who you are!

I will never tell you that.

Never, never, never!

- Quentin. - Are you all right?

What?

Oh, Quentin.

It happened again, didn't it?

It happened again.

[sobbing]

I find it impossible to believe that the police

found nothing!

Nothing!

There must be at least one clue somewhere as to who did it!

Yes, but that will take time.

A great deal of time.

Time?

If I had found Stella two days ago,

I would have found her alive!

Yes.

Just two days.

That means Stella was still at Collinwood when I first

came to this town!

And yet they assured me that she wasn't.

Even Melanie.

Why did they lie to me, Gerard?

What is the secret of that house?

Your psychic abilities led me to my sister Stella.

Will you help me discover the secret of that house?

I think that is where our answer lies.

Gerard, will you stay and help me?

To find out who it was who m*rder*d my sister.

I'll be more than happy to help you.

There's no doubt now that Melanie is someone who is very

close to Brutus Collins.

MRS. COLLINS: So it would seem.

Yes, all we've got to find out is who.

And why it is that she hates him so much.

You know, the curse started with Brutus Collins,

I know that it can end with him.

Wait a minute!

Now there's only one person who knows what's at

the heart of the curse.

Only one person who knows why this curse was put

on this family.

MRS. COLLINS: Brutus Collins.

Exactly.

Now look, you run upstairs and get Melanie.

We're gonna have a little talk with Mr. Collins.

Hurry, I'll make the preparations.

[clock chimes]

Quentin, do you think we should do it?

QUENTIN: Definitely.

I'm frightened.

I'm not quite sure Melanie can take it.

Well, I'm sure that Melanie can take it.

Now Melanie...

Quentin, I'm so frightened.

We're all frightened.

We love each other, don't we?

Yes.

All right.

Now we've got to help each other.

If you help us, we can help you.

Now we don't have much time.

None of us have much time.

So we've got to do this, and we've got to do it now.

Melanie, please.

Now listen to me.

Flora and I are going to be right here with you.

We love you and we're going to protect you.

I promise.

And I love you too.

Both of you so very much.

Please.

Yes, yes.

Come on.

We call upon the spirit of our dear departed ancestor.

One who remains so very close to all of us.

His pain is our pain.

Come to us now, Brutus Collins.

So that we may free your spirit as you may free ours.

Can you hear us?

Give us a sign!

[screams]

Lottery now!

Lottery now!

Or all will die!

Plague,

die!

Plague,

die!

Plague,

die!

Plague!

[eerie music]