All language subtitles for House on Skull Mountain

Amen.

Amen.

Father.

You must help me.

- Ti Pauline.
- Toma.

Bring me my letter case, please.

Yes.

Father, you keep these.

Don't let anyone have them.

Mail them for me, please.

Of course, Mrs. Christophe.

Thank you, Father.
It will be much easier for her now.

Well, don't leave her, Thomas. I know the way out.
Is there anything else you want me to do?

- Pray for her.
- I will.

- The letters? She sent for them?
- Yes.

What will happen?

They may not come.

But what if they do?

Then Pauline will die happy.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

- Good morning, Miss, uh-
- Christophe.

Lorena Christophe.

- I hope I'm not intruding.
- Why would you say that?

Well, it seems so private.

Old people have few friends,
Miss Christophe.

In fact, we didn't even
know there were relatives.

It's quite a surprise to me too, Father.
Well, I wish I'd known sooner.

I hardly expected
anything like this.

Well, many of the old families in this area
have private burial grounds.

No, what I mean is,
I've never seen glass sprinkled on graves before.

- Is that a local custom too?
- More a local scandal.

The glass is supposed
to ward off evil spirits.

Keep them from stealing the souls of the departed.
I hope you're not superstitious.

Of course not.

Cover it. Cover it!

If there's anything you need,
please don't hesitate to call.

Thank you.

- Welcome to Skull Mountain, Miss Christophe.
- Thank you.

I am Thomas.
You have luggage?

- Yes, it's in the trunk.
- May I have the keys, please?

- Thomas, whose car is that?
- It belongs to your cousin, Phillippe Wilette.

He arrived a short while ago.

Thank you. I'd like
to meet my cousin.

He's inside, miss.

[Playing Loudly]

How you doin', sweetheart?

Yeah, yeah, you just
what we need around here.

Your sense of humor is about
as funny as your driving...

- Cousin Phillippe.
- Cousin?

Oh, oh, so you one of the family.

Lorena. Lorena Christophe.

- Yeah well, what's happenin', Lorena?
- A funeral.

Our great-grandmother's funeral...

and very nearly my own.

Oh, oh, was that you?
Oh, well, I'm very sorry, Lorena.

People like you ought to drive...

bumper cars in a-
in an amusement park.

See, you done got yourself all upset,
'cause you went to the funeral.

Oh, what a shame.
You missed it.

See, I don't go to no funerals, you understand,
because I can't stand to see a woman cry.

Especially when she's fine.
And you is fine, mama.

You act like this is all
one great big joke.

Your great-grandmother
is out there dead.

There was no one even there to mourn her.
What is the matter with you?

Hey, where you comin' from?
You understand?

I mean, I never even met the old broad.
She ain't nothin' to me.

- Nothin' to you?
- No.

Then what are you doin' here?
Why did you even bother to come?

Why not? Ticket was free.

Thomas said we were cousins.

Yeah.

Yeah, I mean, you know,
she was my grandmother, you understand.

All I knew about her was her name.
And that ain't nothin' without a face to put it to.

I mean, I never even saw her before.

Neither did I.

What's the matter?
Louette?

I saw smoke and blood.

- What are you talking about?
- The grave. Pauline's grave.

A raven flew over
and dropped a wanga.

And then the casket
started to smoke.

A wanga means somebody will die.

It was meant for me, Toma.

A message from the grave, Louette?

I saw it. It was blood.

That old woman had more power
than we ever dreamed.

Pauline is dead, Louette.

And the dead have no power.

Only the living have power.

- But I saw it.
- Oh, perhaps.

But there are guests in the house,
and they must not be neglected.

I've already taken the suitcases upstairs.
Go show them up to their room.

Howl look?

[Groans]

- Excuse me.
- [Lorena] Yes?

I'll show you to your rooms now.

We have a wake or somethin'?
How long we gotta wait?

- For what?
- Oh, readin' the will.

I mean, you know, they always
read the will right after the funeral.

- Louette, have you met Lorena?
- Hello.

Oh, so what about it, Louette?
When they gonna read the will?

Mr. Ledoux will be here tonight.
He's the family lawyer.

Well, look here, why you gonna
make us climb all them stairs?

- Let's take the elevator, you know?
- That's Miss Pauline's elevator.

Yeah, well, I don't think
she gonna say nothin'.

Ain't been fixed
since she took to her bed.

I hate a smart-ass witch.

Ladies and gentlemen, we are approaching
Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport.

At this time, please extinguish
all cigarettes...

and check to make sure your seat belts
are securely fastened.

Excuse me, Miss Johnson. I'm sorry to
disturb you, but please fasten your seat belt.

We'll be landing shortly.

Miss Johnson, are you all right?

Are you all right?

Yes, yes, I'm all right.

- May I help you, sir?
- [Gasps]

Hey, man, don't be
doin' that, you know?

Sneakin' up on somebody.
I'll knock you out.

- [Gasps]
- Hey, hey, how you doin'?

You know somethin'?

You ain't half bad, you know that?

Yeah, you lookin' good.

Hey, you dig this place, baby?
Skull Mountain?

What y'all do around here for kicks,
open a grave or somethin'?

You know, I figure
a fine-lookin' bit-

uh, young lady like you
ought to get lonesome up here.

Hey, let me tell you somethin'.

You know, a man likes to see smiling faces
around his house. You dig?

You think about what I said, ya hear?

- Hello.
- Miss Johnson, this is your cousin, Mr. Phillippe Wilette.

- Miss Harriet Johnson.
- Yeah, yeah, what's happenin', Harriet?

- So, uh, you dig the scene?
- Scene?

Yeah, the pad.
Uh, uh, house?

- Oh, yes, yes, it's very nice.
- Yeah. Yeah.

- How is-
- The funeral was this afternoon.

Hey, man, it's still
goin' on, you know?

Oh, she's gone to be with the Lord.

- May I show you to your room now?
- Yes, thank you.

- Miss Pauline's attorney will be here shortly.
- All right.

- Phillippe, I'm gonna freshen up. I'll see you a little later.
- Yeah, yeah, right on, yeah.

Oh, hello.

- I'm Lorena Christophe.
- I'm Harriet Johnson.

- Well, I guess we're related.
- I guess we are.

My plane was a little late.
I thought I'd go and freshen up a bit.

Thomas.
Thomas? Why don't you put her here next to me?

I don't want nobody makin' a fuss over me
or anything like that.

It's Miss Pauline's bedroom.
It's being kept locked now.

Well, we'll have a chance
to talk later, okay?

- All right. You hurry down.
- I shall.

Oh, I'm sorry.
Am I late?

- You are Miss Johnson?
- Yes.

- Please be seated.
- Thank you.

I'm Mr. Ledoux,
Miss Pauline's attorney.

Now, I take it that none of you
have heard from Dr. Cunningham?

- Who?
- Dr. Andrew Cunningham.

Hey, who the hell is that?

Hey, look here, man,
how many people are there anyway?

There are four:
Miss Christophe, yourself...

Miss Johnson and Dr. Cunningham.

At any rate,
Miss Christophe left a letter...

to be read on the day of the burial.

Oh, man, don't nobody care
about no letter, man. Read the will.

I'll read the letter.

"My dear children:

"I thank you for coming.

"You will not know each other,
but I have known you.

"You are the Christophes.

"Yours is no common ancestry,
but a proud and powerful line...

"rich in history, strong in spirit.

"And these things you should know.

"The Christophe legacy
is a treasure beyond price.

"But it cannot be given.
You must search for it.

"My enemies are defeated.

"Yours perhaps lie dormant.

"There are many dangers.

"You are a new beginning...

"and beginnings take time.

"It will not be in vain,
for blood calls to blood...

and will not be denied."

Signed, Pauline Christophe.

I will leave this letter
for Dr. Cunningham.

If you would be kind enough to give it to him
when he arrives, I would appreciate it.

Yes, of course, Mr. Ledoux.

[Ledoux]
You may notify me when Dr. Cunningham arrives...

and I will come back
and read the will.

Hey, no, no.
Wait a minute, man.

I mean, how do we know the dude is gonna
show up? I mean, he could be dead, you know?

I mean, we can't wait here forever.

What Phillippe means, Mr. Ledoux,
is that we all have jobs to get back to.

I mean, we just can't
stay here indefinitely.

I understand that. And I will
return one week from tonight.

And if Dr. Cunningham is not here...

then I will proceed
to read the will.

And we will conclude
the matter. Good night.

Good night.

- That's the dumbest thing I ever heard.
- [Door Closes]

Who is Dr. Cunningham?

He's the only smart one. He had better sense
than to go trippin' way to hell and back...

just 'cause some old broad
sent him a letter and died.

The buffet's ready
in the dining room.

Thomas, you've been
with Pauline a long time.

I'm sure you must know more about
the Christophes than the Christophes.

I have spent more than
20 years in this house.

This was Miss Pauline's
favorite room.

It contains the portraits
of all of the Christophes.

I know every face on this wall
as if they were my own family.

[Lorena]
Pauline sounded like she was very proud of them.

- Her ancestors, I mean.
- She had reason to be.

Henry Christophe was Miss Pauline's
great-great-grandfather.

He led his people out of slavery
and founded a nation.

Now, you hear that?
Moses was a brother.

I would not joke, Mr. Phillippe.

He was a great man.
He was a king.

King Henry I of Haiti.

[Lorena]
I think I remember reading about him.

Wasn't he the slave who led in
the rebellion against France...

and then later became king?

- Yes. Henry Christophe.
- Why, that's incredible.

[Yawning]

Tell us about it, Thomas.

Now, when the loa Damballa
possessed the slave-

Loa?

Spirit.

When the loa Damballa possessed
the slave Henry Christophe...

these beads were a sign...

to remind him of all that he
owed Damballa when he became a king.

Well, it seems to me that
any spirit worth anything...

could do better than
a string of beads.

I mean, how 'bout a gold T-shirt?

Do not scoff, Mr. Phillippe.
The loa Damballa is a very powerful spirit.

Oh, come on, man.
You don't really believe that?

Why not? Four million other people do.

Believe in voodoo, that is.

- Who are you?
- Andrew Cunningham.

- You're the doctor?
- I'm a doctor.

Hey, man, well, somebody must
have got their wires crossed...

because, uh, you ain't
the right color.

The right color for what?

Well, I mean, we supposed to be related.

And you don't look related to me.

Well, you don't look related to me.

I guess we'll just have
to take Pauline's word for it.

No, man, Pauline is dead.
We ain't got to take Pauline's word for nothin'.

Um, I'm Lorena Christophe
and this is Harriet Johnson.

Harriet. Lorena.

And this is Phillippe Wilette.

"Blood calls to blood."

Looks like somebody didn't
check out all the blood!

I'd say she checked out everything.

- Did you know her?
- No I didn't. I wish I would have though.

- What kind of doctor are you?
- Doctor of anthropology.

- Oh, you teach?
- Yes, I do. University of Maine.

Look, I'm sorry I'm late, but I drove down,
and I had trouble finding the house.

- Are you hungry, Andrew?
- Starved is a better word for it.

Good, So are we, Come on, Harriet,.

I hope Mr. Ledoux
never comes back.

Somebody around here
is a mighty fine cook.

That food was
just like manna from heaven.

Are you a cook, Harriet?

Cook, maid, housekeeper.
You name it, I do it.

Hey, man, you the one
I wanna know about.

I had that feeling.

Well, there really isn't much
to tell, but go ahead and ask.

Well, tell me this, man.
Uh, who's the honky in the woodpile?

I don't know, Phillippe.

I was literally left on a doorstep,
raised in an orphanage.

I mean, that's why I'm here-

for information, not inheritance.

That's just what we need
to cheer things up.

Pauline really didn't
say very much, did she?

Well, maybe she meant it that way.

What do you mean?

Well, if Pauline was really descended from
Henry Christophe, she probably believed in voodoo.

- Pauline was Catholic.
- One doesn't exclude the other.

In Haiti, for example, the Virgin Mary
is just another aspect...

or, uh, manifestation of the Goddess Erzulie,
which is a voodoo goddess.

Hey, man, how you know
so much about that?

Well, when I was in college,
I did some research on voodoo.

I was, uh, fascinated by it.

I don't know why.
Maybe the answer's somewhere in this house.

- The generator is out again. You better
keep some of these. - Thank you, Thomas.

Well, this might be a good time to go to bed.
I gotta find a room up there yet.

- Good idea.
- Yeah, we can always talk tomorrow.

- Y'all gonna leave me here by myself?
- We are if you're staying here.

It doesn't look like we'll
be needing these candles.

Phillippe, you should really
come upstairs and go to bed.

You've had quite a bit to drink tonight,
haven't you?

Ah, well, that's all right,
Harriet. You know, I ain't had that much.

Well, okay, good night.

Hey, man, I done
told you about that.

Why don't you make
some noise or somethin'?

Spooks!
This place is full of spooks.

Hey, you know somethin', Thomas?
You a spook.

You know that?
You and your old phony voodoo.

Hey, man, tell me somethin'.
just between me and you on the quiet side.

I mean, do you really believe all that-
all that voodoo stuff?

I have seen many strange things,
Mr. Phillippe, in this house-

things beyond belief.

Hey, what's- what's wrong with you?

- You frightened me.
- [Slurring] Oh, I'm sorry, baby.

- Back off.
- Oh, now, don't be like that.

Phillippe, please.
Please, go to bed.

Okay, why don't you just
knock it off, you know?

Why don't you knock it off,
Phillippe, and go to bed?

Hey, who you think you are,
nigger, the white knight? Get outta here.

You're drunk, Phillippe.
Go to bed.

- Say, man-
- Phillippe, please.

Thank you for the wine.
That was very thoughtful.

All right then.

Go to bed.

I'll see you tomorrow, okay?

Yeah, well, that's cool.

You hear that, man?
The young lady say she tired, you know?

Thank you.

Did you hear it?
I think it's the elevator.

There's something down there.

- You two better stay here.
- Uh-uh. We're coming with you.

- I heard a scream.
- Phillippe is missing.

- This elevator go all the way down to the cellar?
- Yes.

Show me where.

It's over there.

- Thomas, you better call a doctor.
- Yes, sir.

Is he dead?

- Yes.
- Oh, Lord, have mercy.

Look, Harriet.
Have Thomas notify the sheriff.

All right.

Let's go upstairs.

Thomas showed us how
to get down to the basement.

We found the body, and we called you.
That's about the size of it.

Look, uh, we better start over-
from the beginning this time.

- Y'all came down for the funeral. Is that right?
- [Lorena] Not really, Sheriff.

You see, Mrs. Christophe sent me
a letter asking me to come.

It wasn't until I got here
that I found out she was dead.

This dead cousin of yours, Phillippe, uh,
what's-his-name - Any of you come down with him?

No. I didn't even know
I had no cousin, Sheriff.

Where do you fit in, Dr. Cunningham?

Lust like all the rest,
I came at the request of Pauline Christophe.

Well, I understand that, but they's kin.
Now, why'd she want you?

She was my great-grandmother.

So, none of you knew each other?
Nobody knew she was dead till you all got here?

Everybody knew the generator was out,
so the elevator couldn't work.

- And nobody knows nothin'.
- That's about the size of it.

House was quiet.
There wasn't a sound before the scream.

Sheriff,
Phillippe had been drinking.

- Much?
- The bottle of wine was almost empty.

Well, that's a possibility,
of course.

Doc'll do an autopsy.
We can figure out how much liquor he had in him.

- Means you folks are gonna have to stick around for a while.
- What do mean, "a while"?

- I'm due back at the university.
- You're gonna have to tell 'em you'll be delayed.

I'm gonna have to get the judge from Brunswick.
He'll want an inquest.

I don't want you folks goin' home
till we get this thing cleared up, ya hear?

- I'll be in touch.
- All right. Thank you, Sheriff.

- Lorena, you all right?
- I'm fine.

Seems like we ought
to be doing something.

Yeah, I know what you mean. But there's
nothing we can do except get some rest.

- Harriet?
- Here, come on, honey. Let's go.

You okay?

Ah, you didn't sleep, did you?

Me either.

The sheriff upset me last night
when he said we had to stay for an inquest.

Why can't we just leave, go home?

Lorena, we cannot just
walk away from this.

- That's not what I mean.
- I know what you mean.

Look, there is
something else here, Lorena.

There's something else
here waiting for us in this house.

You're beginning to sound
like Pauline's letter.

- Look, Pauline brought us here for a reason, right?
- Yes.

You think that reason is just to have
company around a deathbed?

No. She brought us here
for something else...

and if we walk away from here now
we're never gonna find out what it is.

What difference would it make?

What's so important about it?

Lorena, it's important to me.

Toma, why is the sheriff
sending for the judge?

It's a formality.
It doesn't mean anything.

It means trouble.
Outsiders coming in always mean trouble.

And Miss Pauline's kin,
they're outsiders.

What are you trying to say, Louette?

I seen the way you were
lookin' at Miss Lorena.

Like she was somethin 'special.

just 'cause she's pretty
don't make her different.

She's a Christophe.

So was Phillippe.

They'll be needing you
at the house, Louette.

- Good morning.
- Morning, Harriet.

Harriet, we're gonna go to Atlanta.
Why don't you come and go with us?

No. The two of you go.
I'd rather stay here.

- Are you sure?
- Yes. You go and have fun.

You be sure and stay and rest, hmm?

- You be sure and have fun, okay?
- Okay.

- I'm gonna go get my purse.
- I'll get the car.

It's Harriet!

What happened?
Is she all right?

I don't know.

I don't know.

Look, find Thomas.

- We've got to get her to a doctor right away.
- Okay.

Oh, God.

Oh, God.

- Oh, it's you.
- We have to get Miss Johnson to a hospital.

You better follow me
over to the clods.

- Sorry, ma'am.
- [Sobs]

Oh, no.

So I finally pulled them over
in the middle of a downpour.

Got in the backseat.
She was already gone.

- Does the young lady know?
- Oh, yeah, Doc. She knows.

As far as I can tell now,
it seems like a heart attack.

- Course I won't be sure till after the autopsy tomorrow.
- When y'all gonna get to it, Doc?

- Sometime tomorrow.
- Hmm.

Look, Sheriff, is there a hotel
or a motel close by?

No, I'm afraid not, Dr. Cunningham.
Closest thing'd be, uh- 20 miles?

You look as if you could use a sedative,
Miss Christophe.

Oh, uh, thank you, Doctor.

Excuse me.

Soon as I hear from the doc,
I'll, uh, get in touch with you at the house.

- Thank you, Sheriff.
- Good night.

Lorena, are you all right?

No, you're not all right.
We'll take you to a hotel.

You can spend the night there.
I'll bring your luggage in the morning.

- Why?
- Harriet? Phillippe?

You don't think that those
were accidents, do you?

No, I don't.

Lorena.

Look at these. I found one of these
in Phillippe's hand last night...

and another one
next to Harriet tonight.

I don't understand.
You're trying to tell me that this is voodoo?

That is exactly what
I'm trying to tell you.

I can't believe that.

These are voodoo!

And that's just as real
as Phillippe and Harriet dying.

But Why?

Wait a minute, wait a minute.
You remember Pauline's letter?

She said in that letter-
What was it? Uhh-

"My enemies are defeated,
yours lie dormant."

That's it.

Our enemies are coming to life.

And it's not because of anything that we've done.
It's because we're Christophes!

Oh, my God.

Then look. Let's just get out of here.
Let's just go.

- Lorena, I have to go back.
- What do you mean, you've gotta go back?

Lorena.

- Don't- Do you realize-
- Listen to me. Listen to me. I have to go back.

I have to find out who I am.

I mean, you know about yourself. I mean, you-
you at least know who your parents were.

You at least know what happened to them.
You know what your name is.

I don't even know what color I am.

Oh, baby, does that matter so much?

It's not the color.
You know that.

It's- It's the knowing.

Okay, okay.

We go back.

We go back.

Lorena?

Lorena!

Louette.

Louette!

Where is he?
He's got Lorena.

I can stop him, Louette.

Don't be so sure.

Where is he, damn it?

Tell me!

I'll show you.
But you gotta promise to take her away tonight.

Come on.

There's a door at the bottom.

Louette?

Louette?

Oh, no.

Toma.

Toma, please.

- [Thomas Shouts]
- [Louette] No!

No!

Toma, stop.

No!

No! Don't!

Toma!

No!

Lorena!

- Lorena!
- Lorena is mine! She obeys none but me!

Lorena. Lorena, wake up!

You cannot wake her.

She is mine.
I have chosen her.

And Harriet and Phillippe,
you killed them.

You surprise me, Dr. Cunningham.

I didn't expect
so much perception...

from one of your background.

Education is indeed
a wonderful thing, isn't it?

I find yours even
more remarkable, Thomas.

Yes.
Pauline instructed me well.

And yet you destroyed her family.

The blood is thinner now- weak.

Lorena will be spared.

- Spared for what?
- For generations...

the Peteons have lived
in caution-

obscurity.

Our powers weakened...

held in check by the Christophes.

But now, through Lorena...

the powers of the Christophes
will be mine!

A marriage of convenience,
you might say.

What about me, Thomas? I don't think
you'll find me as susceptible as the others.

Their ignorance
was their destruction.

But you, Dr. Cunningham,
you have the capacity for knowledge.

While Pauline Christophe
was alive...

you were protected.

But now your death
will please me much.

Awake, Lorena.
Unveil your eyes.

Awake, Lorena!

It's all right, Lorena. It's all right.

I would have you witness my triumph.

Arise, Pauline Christophe!

Awake from your long sleep!

I, Toma Peteon, command it!

Come to me!

Come to me!

Hear my voice and arise!

Arise, Pauline Christophe...

and come to me!

Come to me!

Hear my voice and arise!

Pauline Christophe.

I have summoned you to do my will!

Look upon your descendants-

the last of the Christophes!

The girl is mine.
I will not have you harm her.

But, uh, the man, Pauline-

your great-grandson -

He is cursed.

Touch him.

Touch him, Pauline.

Feel his warm flesh.

Uhh!

I give him to you!

Pauline, listen to me!

Pauline!

Goddess Erzulie,
I call upon you, Mother of old.

Restore this creature's soul.

Pauline Christophe!
You must obey me!

I call upon you, Erzulie...

and loa Damballa,
Father of all Christophes, protect us!

I, Toma Peteon,
by the power of L'Angelssou, command it!

You must obey me!

So, you really are a Christophe.

- You know that now.
- Well, I-I had to be sure.

What do you mean,
you have to be sure?

What do you want, a -
mmm -

bone with your mama's name inscribed on it?
[Laughs]

No, it's the curse of the anthropologists.
We have to see it.

Well, I'm a man of leisure now.
I've got money, sol can-

So you can what?

Well, I can explore this house.
Study it.

There's some questions
I'd like some answers to, like, um...

who Toma Peteon was and why.

Hmm. I'd be afraid
to find the answers.

I'd even be afraid
to ask the questions.

I want to forget.

I want to forget there ever was
a Skull Mountain.

It's gonna be very hard
for you to do...

'cause half of this place
is yours and always will be.

Just don't forget
there's an Andrew Cunningham.

I couldn't even if I wanted to.

Andrew, don't stay here alone.

I'll worry about you.

Stay with me?

I can't.

I understand.