Original subtitles

Have you ever had the feeling that you knew

what someone was going to say just before he said it?

Or have you ever walked into a strange room

and had the sensation that you'd been there before?

Well, if you have,

you have taken a small step beyond.

Now watch a giant step.

The coast of New England:

a favorite American vacationland

specializing in codfish,

legends of witches and their broomsticks,

fresh lobster and haunted houses.

Haunted houses?

Well, there are many sane and sensible people hereabouts

who will swear to you that this house

still shelters the unquiet and restless dead.

At any rate, if any ghostly inhabitants

do dwell within these walls, they've certainly had the place

to themselves for a very long time.

We are told that we're more likely to find evidences

of ghostly inhabitants in the upper regions.

Well...

all old houses creak and groan, don't they?

Now, look at this.

This is perfectly solid wood and plaster.

If there's anything more to it than this,

we will have to look further.

The attic is a likely place to begin.

No inanimate object can have a personality,

we are told... but we forget.

For example, we look at a house,

and we say that it's cheerful,

melancholy, gloomy.

Now, what we're doing, of course,

is simply describing our own reactions.

There are some cases, however,

which seem to defy this handy explanation.

On the New England coast, even today,

there are certain houses which can be classified only...

as unfriendly.

Now, that's more like it.

That's what I've been talking about.

Well, how do you know it's for rent?

Well, let's find out.

Come on.

Come on!

Will you come on?

Eh, it's locked.

Well, of course it's locked.

Oh, isn't that marvelous, huh?

I'll bet that's almost 200 years old.

Andy, let's look someplace else.

Look someplace else? Honey, this is it.

This is what we've been dreaming about.

Yeah, can't see a thing.

Honey, let's go.

Let's go? Let's go in.

Andy, you'll get us arrested.

Oh, don't be ridiculous.

Andy, we really shouldn't be doing this.

Will you stop?

Boy, this place really looks lived in, doesn't it?

Now, what is that?

Andy, let's go.

Wait a minute, wait a minute.

Will you look at those columns?

Andy, look at this.

"Captain Michael Clauson.

1860 to 1902."

Hey, wake up.

Boy, this is really something, isn't it?

You like it very much, don't you?

Like it? I love it.

Don't you?

Well, of course.

All right.

Then, let's take it, huh?

♪ ♪

Uh... hope we're not disturbing your game.

Well, you are.

Look, we're interested in renting a house.

Do you handle that sort of thing?

I do, and I don't.

What's that supposed to mean?

I do when there's houses to rent and don't when there ain't.

Right now, there ain't.

What about that, uh, two-story job

on Cape Anne Road?

You mean the Clauson house?

You know it?

Yeah, I know it.

Well, the place is empty.

We thought it might be for rent.

I wouldn't fool with it.

Why not?

It's an unfriendly house, ma'am.

It don't like people.

But it is for rent?

Yeah.

How much?

$500 a month.

$500?!

Listen, uh, I happen to be an architect.

Now, I know a little bit about houses.

That's a good house, but don't you think

that's a little steep?

Take it or leave it.

Well, you must do a land-office business, Mr. Leach.

What if we decide to take it?

Your concern, not mine.

Well, let's talk business, then.

You don't-a go to house.

What?

Don't-a go to house.

Bad.

Not a happy place.

Well, we'll make it a happy place.

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh.

Just hold it a minute, will you?

Oh, don't be silly, Andy.

We've been married six years.

And never really been alone yet.

Now, isn't that why we came here?

Hmm? Hmm?

Come on.

Well, it's ours.

Boy, I'll get more work done here

than I ever did in New York.

Hold it; wait a minute.

Don't ruin it.

Let's do it right, top to bottom.

What's the matter?

Nothing.

Well, if you want to back out, you can.

I haven't signed the lease yet.

Oh, don't be silly.

It'll be fun cleaning all this up.

Give me something to do

while you're working on your plans.

It's a challenge, all right...

but I accept.

Hey, I wonder what's in here.

Get away.

What?

Get away from there.

Andy, what...? You have no right to look!

Andy, what's wrong?

Don't you feel well?

What?

I don't know, I feel kind of strange.

Maybe... maybe it's the sea air.

Why'd you get so upset about the trunk?

I was just going to look inside... The what?

Honey, maybe you're right.

Maybe... maybe we shouldn't

rent this place, after all.

Don't be silly... you're not going to let a place scare you

because it's a little dark and spooky, are you?

Hmm?

There, that's better.

I'll go downstairs, see if I can find a lamp.

"The diary of Elspeth Clauson.

1899."

"March 5..." 1899.

Michael went hunting again today."

"August 1st..." 1899.

"Michael spends most of his time these days

"in the fields, hunting.

"He shouldn't; it only...

"makes his leg that much worse.

"And when he returned...

"he was limping badly.

"Also, there was blood on his hands.

"I did not like the way he looked at me.

"His face was flushed,

"and his eyes burned.

"He is jealous...

"of Gideon... so many years his friend."

What you got?

Nothing.

Just an old book.

Forget it. Come on.

Let's take a look at the rest of the place.

You see so many rooms in your life?

Wonder what are we going to do with all those bed...

What's the matter?

It was like somebody shoved a knife right in my leg.

Boy, I never felt anything like that in my life.

Whew!

Like to took my breath away.

Andy?

I brought you some lunch.

You haven't eaten a thing all day.

Please try.

You're being very solicitous.

I'm worried about you.

I'm sure you are.

Wait a minute.

What is this?

It's chicken soup.

Looks thick, looks rich.

Come here.

Come here!

Isn't it strange that a man can thrive for years

on rum and biscuits and then grow weak

and sickly on his wife's cooking?

Isn't that strange?

Everything you say is strange.

I don't know what you're talking about.

No, of course not.

Aren't you going to eat?

It's a different food I need.

What do you mean?

Nothing.

Take it away... I'm not hungry.

I wish you wouldn't do that.

Do what?

Drink the way you've been doing lately.

Andy, listen to me.

I don't know why... Maybe it's my fault...

But something's terribly wrong with us.

We came here to be together,

and we've never been so far apart.

Never.

You'd like to leave here, wouldn't you?

Yes, I would.

Why?

Because we're not happy here.

You're not.

That's quite understandable.

You miss New York, don't you?

That isn't it.

No, not exactly.

You miss something, someone.

Andy, I don't follow.

Bill, my esteemed partner.

What?! He kept you from being lonely in New York, didn't he?

Why don't you stop pretending?

Do you imagine for one moment

I didn't know what was going on from the beginning?

That's a dreadful thing to say!

Hasn't been pleasant for you, has it,

being locked up here with me, away from him?

I don't know what you mean.

You know exactly what I mean, Elspeth.

Elspeth...?

You called me Elspeth.

What are you talking about?

Oh, Andy, I'm so frightened.

I'm so frightened.

Let's pack up and get out of here right now.

No, we'll stay.

Mr. Leach?

Yes, ma'am?

I'm Ellen Courtney.

We rented a house from you several months ago.

Yes, ma'am.

I remember.

What can I do for you?

Well, I'm not sure.

May I sit down, please?

Why, of course, of course.

Right here.

Now...

I thought perhaps you might...

you might tell me something.

Like what?

About the house.

Yes, ma'am.

I know what you mean.

I expected you a long time before this.

It was built in 1801,

by a man by the name of Silas Clauson.

He left it to his son Michael.

Michael was a sea captain... And a good one, so they say...

But he was mean.

Mean.

Killed a lot of his men.

Finally, a crew mutinied, and they keelhauled him.

What does that mean?

Drug him back and forth across the bottom of his boat.

Barnacles chewed him up pretty bad, I guess.

Near tore off his right leg.

And after that... he was different.

When the mutineers was all hung,

he retired from the sea.

Was he married?

He was.

What was her name?

Elspeth.

And what... what happened to her?

Don't you know, Mrs. Courtney?

Aye... Now, where's the master?

He's out hunting.

Andy?

Oh, you're kidding.

He's never hunted in his life.

Never before now.

That was a pretty mysterious telegram, Ellen.

Why didn't you call me up?

Andy had the phone taken out.

Why?

Ever since we moved into this house,

Andy's been... different.

How?

He's changed into another person;

a person I've never seen before.

And neither have you.

Bill, you wouldn't recognize him.

He gets into moods.

He hardly even talks to me, and when he does...

I don't know who he is.

Well, he's, uh... he's...

he's never had any time to himself before.

This is a pretty tough adjustment to make, Ellen.

Look.

He sits at this board all day long...

and draws... things...

It looks like part of an old sailing vessel.

There's something else I'd like you to see.

Andy.

How are you?

Ellen told me you were out

slaughtering the local wildlife.

I-I couldn't believe it.

Er, uh, there were no letters.

I... I tried to call you.

Had a feeling you were trying

to keep something from me.

You don't like me to keep things from you, do you?

Well, that all depends.

You came here for a reason?

Get to the point.

All right.

I'm kind of swamped at the office,

and I thought maybe you might want to help.

Help yourself, Gideon.

You always have.

Gideon?!

Andy...

I came here because Ellen wired me.

She was worried about you.

Why don't you say what you mean, Gideon?!

Why do you keep calling me that?

Why don't you drop this pose?!

Admit you came here for Elspeth!

I'm afraid you're going to have

to have to make yourself clear.

Gladly!

I accuse you of consorting with Elspeth, my wife!

Consorting? You have betrayed me

and lied to me enough!

Now, get out of here! Andy!

Get out!

Go on, get out!

Get out!

Oh, Bill.

I should have killed you both!

Andy, you're sick!

Yes, I'm sick of your deceits and your lies!

Sick of them all, Elspeth!

I'm not Elspeth!

I'm not Elspeth!

Andy! Andy!

Andy!

Don't turn him over.

Don't look at his face!

Oh, my God.

What's wrong?

Old Mr. Leach, the real estate agent,

would tell you that Andrew Courtney was possessed,

or taken over, by the dead sea captain,

whose tormented presence... Or ghost...

Lived on in the ancient house.

Once the house was destroyed,

the captain was destroyed,

and Andrew was restored to himself.

It's not an entirely satisfactory explanation, is it?

But it's the best we can do right now.

In a moment, a word about next week.

It was just an ordinary boarding house mirror,

but when Paul Marlin looked into it,

he got a shattering glimpse into the future.

He took a horrifying step beyond our known world.

Perhaps it's just as well

that most of us cannot see into the future.

You can decide for yourself next week.