Case Of The Whitechapel Vampire, The (2002)
Posted: 06/17/21 17:19
Come on, roscoe.
[ Coughs ]
[ Humming ]
[ Praying in latin ]
Brother.
Brother, you have sinned.
[ Screams ]
Meaningful...
Power of attorney...
Now let's see.
You're muttering
To yourself again, watson.
Oh, yes, yes. Sorry.
It's this word quiz from
The philological society.
You have to find the word
Suggested by a series
Of cryptic clues.
I won the last one, you know.
Really?
And what clue are
You struggling over?
Well, it simply says
Meaningful and power of attorney
And, from this, you have to find
A word that means both.
Significant.
Eh, what?
Significant.
A synonym for meaningful
Which can be
Deconstructed into the phrase
"Sign if I can't",
Hence power of attorney.
[ Laughs ]
Holmes, I must say it.
You never cease to amaze me.
What nonsense.
No, no, really.
I often think that
You are truly a genius.
Oh, no, no.
I wasn't contradicting you,
Watson.
I was simply responding
To this announcement.
The famed spiritualist
Madam karavsky will give
A demonstration
Of her ability to communicate
With the spirits of
Our dearly departed.
Have you ever heard
Such rubbish?
Yet the woman attracts
A rash of paying customers
Wherever she speaks.
Well, it's not entirely
Surprising, you know.
I mean, don't we all hope to
Find some proof of an afterlife?
Don't include me in that we.
The great hereafter!
I can assure you
There is nothing but
The great here and now.
Well, I am not entirely
Convinced of that.
What?
How can you, a man of science,
Believe in any of that
Mumbo-jumbo?
Now be careful, holmes.
Such hubris could
Come back to haunt you.
I have no fear
Of offending the gods,
Dr. Watson, for I know
There are no gods to offend.
[ Knocking on door ]
Yes, mrs. Hudson, what is it?
This just arrived
For you, sir.
The messenger said
It was from the abbey
In whitechapel where that monk
Was found dead last week.
Really?
He says the people are saying
It was the work of a vampire,
So they're awful nervous
Down the east end right now.
And who wouldn't be with
A vampire on the loose?
Well, they may have
No fear on that account.
A vampire is a
Scientific impossibility.
If the monk was m*rder*d,
It was at the hands
Of the living, not the undead.
But thank you, mrs. Hudson.
There are some things
That science can't explain, sir.
Indeed there are,
Mrs. Hudson, indeed there are.
[ Chuckles ]
Have it your own way, sir.
Well, what is it?
It's from a brother marstoke.
He begs me in the name of god
To help him solve what
He calls this dark
And mysterious business.
Ah!
Oh, you can't expect me
To believe that there is
Any connection between
My recent rejection
Of all things supernatural
And the arrival of this letter.
One must never thumb
One's nose at the gods, holmes.
Nonsense.
It's merely a coincidence.
Oh, really?
I recall a recent occasion
Where you told me
You don't believe
In coincidences.
Yes...well.
It's a small sampling from
The south american pantheon
Of gods and demons.
Not at all the sort of
Collection one would
Expect to find in an abbey.
I dare say there are those who
Would consider it a sacrilege.
Quite so, dr. Watson.
But I am not one of those
Who considers ours
The one true religion.
God manifests himself in many
Ways, as does the devil.
No doubt you are skeptical
Of such beliefs, mr. Holmes?
I must confess to being
Somewhat agnostic on such
Issues, brother marstoke.
Of course.
But should you accept the task
I have in mind, I suspect
That your belief system
May be severely shaken.
I acquired the carving
You were inspecting
During my stay at
Our mission in guyana.
It represents desmodo.
According to the native peoples,
Desmodo is a fearsome demon
Who usually appears
As a giant vampire bat.
Belief in him has become
More widespread in recent years
Due to the rise
In deaths attributed to him.
And how exactly do his
Presumed victims die?
Horribly and slowly.
Wracked with thirst
And painful convulsions.
Well, as I recall, rabies
Is on the rise in the americas.
That was our assessment.
And due to the large number
Of vampire bats in the region,
It seemed only
Logical to connect the two.
I assume you had no access
To the anti-rabies serum
Developed by monsieur pasteur?
None at all.
We were at the mercy of
The disease until
The arrival of brother abel.
He had made a study of tropical
Diseases and their prevention
From which he learned
A new technique.
Coating a captured bat
With toxins?
Precisely.
Are you familiar
With the technique, mr. Holmes?
I assume vampire bats
Are social creatures
That spend a great deal
Of time in mutual grooming.
So any bat coated with poison
Will be licked clean by other
Members of the colony,
Thereby k*lling them.
Correct.
Unfortunately, the theory and
Practice do not always coincide.
Our efforts k*lled bats,
But seemed unable to prevent
The spread of the disease.
Then the ritual murders began.
The first to die
Was brother lee.
He was discovered in the chapel
By the mission housekeeper,
Signora de la rosa.
He was slumped against
The foot of the altar
With a large vampire bat
Upon him.
When it flew off, she realized
It had been feeding from
Two open wounds on his neck.
On the wall, a terrifying
Message was scrawled in blood.
It read, "from hell.
As you have sinned against me,
So shall I exact my revenge.
The blood of yours
For the blood of mine."
A terrifying message indeed,
But my suspicion's still
Inclined towards a human hand.
Understandably.
But I have seen far too much
Of the devil's work
Not to believe in him.
Two nights later,
He struck again.
Word of the horrific events
Had spread terror
Amongst the locals.
We were holding a meeting
To try and calm their fears
When signora de la rosa's son
Hector burst in.
He had been to the infirmary
To visit brother abel who was
Making a remarkable
Recovery from the disease.
What he saw terrified him.
On the floor between the beds,
He could just make out
A large bat-like silhouette
Crouching over
The body of a man.
As the creature turned
To look at him, he saw...
What exactly did he see?
He says he saw the face
Of desmodo as clearly
As we can see it here.
[ Clearing throat ]
And brother abel?
Dead in the same manner
As brother lee, I suppose?
Brother abel was sick
And sleeping.
It was brother thomas
Who was watching over him.
Needless to say, after this,
The local people fled.
Two days later,
We closed the mission.
The other members returned home
Bringing signora de la rosa
And her son with them.
I went on a pilgrimage and
Prayed that the nightmare
Was at an end,
And so I thought until
My return to england last month.
One night shortly after my
Arrival, I awoke to find
A large bat
Hanging from the mirror
Above my washstand.
On the mirror scrawled
In blood was another message.
It read, "the wanderer returns.
My time has come."
Then the solution is simple.
If it is your absence that
Guarantees the safety of
The others, you must leave.
The other members
Will not hear of it.
They believe that, with prayer,
We can fight this demon.
After last week,
I am not so sure.
I was at the home of
A friend, dr. Chagas,
When signora de la rosa
Arrived with a message from
Brother sinclair urging me
To return to the abbey.
But when we arrived back,
We found him dead by the altar
In the same fashion
As the two others.
Do you truly believe
That some supernatural entity
Is the cause of these murders?
I am a man of god,
Not easily frightened.
But it is why I have
Called you, mr. Holmes.
And how may I succeed where
Your prayers have failed?
If there is a human hand
In this affair,
You are the man to find it.
And scotland yard?
I presume that you've told
Them what you've told us.
Inspector jones suspects
That my brain has become
Addled by too many years
In the jungle.
The coroner's report
On brother sinclair
No doubt confirmed
His suspicions.
Yes.
I recall reading the times
That the cause of his death
Was a massive coronary failure.
But what did inspector jones
Make of the marks on his neck?
He's inclined to believe
They were caused when brother
Sinclair fell onto his crucifix.
A credible theory, but wrong,
I assure you.
There are forces beyond
The grasp of our understanding
And some of them
Are most decidedly evil.
After supper,
Brother sinclair returned
To work on the nativity scene
In the children's chapel.
I was in the refectory
When he suddenly burst in
And asked me to go immediately
For brother marstoke.
And that is all?
He simply asked you to bring
Back brother marstoke
From the home of dr. Chagas?
Si, signor.
That is all.
Were the front doors
Locked that evening?
Si, signor.
They are only unlocked
On weekends for
The public services.
And it's the only way
In besides the door
We have just come through?
No, signor.
There is also a door from
The graveyard into the crypt,
But it is always locked.
Well, thank you, signora.
We shall find our own way back.
Oh, by the way, I couldn't help
But notice your reaction
A moment ago when I mentioned
The name of dr. Chagas.
What is it, signora?
Why does the mention of
That name make you afraid?
One must never argue
With a dhampiro.
It is he who brought
The curse on this church.
It is he...
[ Rumbling ]
Again!
What on earth was that?
An earth tremor perhaps.
But she seemed to imply it
Had happened before.
Yes.
And what of her
Reaction to dr. Chagas?
Strange, wasn't it?
She referred to him
As a dhampiro.
Does this word
Say anything to you?
Other than its phonetic
Resemblance to the word vampire?
No.
Well, to certain european
Cultures, the dhampiro
Is reputed to be the offspring
Between a vampire and a woman.
I'm surprised you're so
Well-versed in vampire lore,
Watson.
I've done some reading,
You know, and like
Monsieur voltaire,
I don't believe in vampires,
But I am afraid of them.
Holmes, all I'm trying to say
Is that you shouldn't take this
Talk of vampires and demons
Too lightly.
There could be a kernel
Of truth at the heart of it.
Perhaps.
But until I see evidence
To the contrary,
I shall continue to believe
That vampires and demons
Are simply the products
Of fearful imaginations.
"From hell, I am he.
Not the good shepherd,
Not the redeemer.
He who comes with blood of those
Who have sinned against him."
Well, it seems our vampire
Has left his calling card.
It looks like blood.
Yes.
See if you can scratch some off,
Will you?
I'm going to have
A look down in the crypt.
It is not the dead
We must fear, my friend.
More the undead.
It is the living.
[ Fluttering ]
[ Chittering ]
[ Fluttering, chittering ]
[ Bats screeching ]
[ Bells ringing ]
Hibernating bats?
Yes.
Well, that would explain
The origin of the bat
On brother marstoke's mirror.
And as for
Brother sinclair's visitor,
Either he came through
The belfry, a rather formidable
Feat unless you could fly,
Or he entered the church
The same way we did.
Down this corridor.
Then the k*ller is right here
In the hermitage.
Precisely.
It is therefore impossible
To say whether the message
Threatens all or just those
Of you who were in guyana.
So all must remain
On their guard.
Finally, brother marstoke
Informs me that it is
The custom of the order
To go out on nightly missions
To minister to the poor
Of the east end.
Until further notice,
I recommend that these missions
Be curtailed.
And just what do you
Know about it, mr. Holmes?
If these walls
And st. Justinian
Himself cannot shield us,
Then what difference can it
Make if we venture out into
The streets of whitechapel?
Simply put, it makes it
Easier for me to protect you.
For you to protect us?
Good lord!
What arrogance!
Let me tell you something,
Mr. Holmes.
I have seen this demon's work
Both in guyana and here
In london and the one
Who can protect us has far
Greater powers than you.
Brother caulder, no one
Doubts that there is
A demon at work here.
But we must not rule out
The possibility of
A human accomplice.
If so, mr. Holmes
Is certainly our man.
You are grasping at straws,
Brother.
We all know what
We're fighting and why.
It was you who first brought
The demon's wrath upon us
And it is only since
Your return that we have once
Again been cursed
By its presence.
If mr. Holmes can be
Of any service to us,
It would be to convince you
To leave these walls
And never return.
Absolutely not, brother.
We cannot allow
This fear to divide us!
[ Chattering ]
Brothers! Sisters!
I no longer have the use
Of my eyes,
But I can see clearly
That the devil is trying
To divide us.
We must not let it happen.
We must remain united.
Yes, we must, we must.
But brother caulder has
Brought up a good point.
Serving the lord is
Our life's work, mr. Holmes.
That work cannot
Be done by hiding.
Sister helen is right.
If we hide in our rooms,
The devil has
Half the battle won.
We must continue our missions.
Yes, we must!
Very well then.
But may I suggest that none
Go out alone and be vigilant
At all times even
In broad daylight.
For your enemy, whoever
Or whatever it may be,
Is certainly the most ruthless
And resourceful of foes.
Yes.
Come along, sister.
[ Chattering ]
It appears the brothers
And sisters are not
Entirely of one voice.
Brother marstoke?
Besides brothers sinclair
And caulder,
Which other members
Of the order were
With you in guyana?
Ah, brother john,
Sister helen, sister margaret.
Sister margaret,
Where is brother abel?
He was sleeping so
Peacefully, I thought it better
To leave him in his room.
We must go to him.
Yes.
Brother abel never
Fully recovered,
So we moved him
To the nun's quarters
Where sister margaret
Cares for him.
[ Groaning ]
Brother abel?
The first door on the left,
Mr. Holmes.
In the name of--
[ Crying ]
Hector?
What on earth are you doing?
I was just coming to ask
Brother abel if he wanted his
Tea before the door
Was locked, signor.
Then I hear some screaming.
I was sleeping, sleeping,
And it woke me.
It grabbed me by the throat!
What was it, brother abel?
A great dark thing!
It tried to bite me,
But I screamed.
Yes, I screamed and then it
Went out the window,
Out the window!
Out the window...
Nothing, at least
So far as I can see.
But it's very dark out there.
Did you see
This thing, hector?
No, signor, I did not.
What do you think now,
Mr. Holmes?
Is this demon real or not?
I do not know what
To think yet.
I assume this is the door
Hector mentioned?
Yes.
At what time
Does it get locked?
Sister margaret locks it
At eight o'clock every evening.
So it would have been locked
At the time of the m*rder.
Yes.
Does anyone else have a key?
No one.
I pray that you can be
Of assistance to us
In this matter, mr. Holmes.
You mentioned your visit
To an old acquaintance
On the night of the m*rder.
Ah, dr. Chagas.
Yes, he is now in london
To oversee the publication
Of his research.
When I mentioned his name
To signora de la rosa,
She had a rather
Remarkable reaction.
Yes, and she used
A most interesting word
To describe him.
Dhampiro?
Yes.
Like all her people,
Signora de la rosa has
An ancient fear of
Dr. Chagas' field of study.
Dr. Chagas is a naturalist.
He studies bats.
Vampire bats.
I should also tell you
That we once had an acrimonious
Disagreement over my decision
To poison the bats.
But that rift has long since
Healed and all my instincts
Tell me that he is
A most honorable man.
Well, our instincts are
Not always reliable,
Brother marstoke.
Then I suggest
You speak with him.
He rents lodgings
At four renfield place
In whitechapel.
Very well.
But do not fail to summon me
Should anything else occur.
Goodnight then.
Well, it seems we have
A rare little mystery
On our hands.
Rare indeed and our
Day's work is not yet done.
I depend on you to inform
Inspector jones of the macabre
Note in the children's chapel.
That should ratchet up his
Theorizing a notch or two.
[ Chuckles ]
And then rouse your friends
At the hematology institute.
See if you can get an
Analysis of that blood sample.
And you?
Going to see dr. Chagas,
I assume.
♪ More on christmas day
♪ To save us all...
Holmes? What is it?
Hmm?
Oh, nothing, nothing.
Yes, I shall visit dr. Chagas
And then we'll resume
Our pursuit at baker street
In the morning.
Driver!
Come along, watson.
Right.
Thank you, my man.
[ Dog barks ]
Who is it?
Dr. Chagas?
My name is sherlock holmes.
I've been asked
By brother marstoke
To look into
The death of brother sinclair.
May I come in
And speak with you?
I cannot help you.
Goodnight, mr. Holmes.
Perhaps I can help you.
There've been developments.
The police will soon
Be knocking at your door.
It's a question of motive,
You see, and your quarrel
With brother marstoke.
I take it you're
Referring to the vampires?
The bats, that is?
Is there any other kind?
Come in.
Desmodontida teniotis.
Are you familiar with
Their feeding habits,
Mr. Holmes?
Natural history
Is not my forte, I'm afraid.
Then permit me
To enlighten you.
The vampire bat first
Lands close by,
Then crawls forward
Onto it's sleeping host.
Its movements are so gentle
And its teeth so sharp
The slumbering host
Never wakes or feels a thing.
I assume these habits are
Also what make the bats
So easy to catch.
[ Thunder ]
Yes.
Which brings me
To your disagreement
With brother marstoke.
What exactly took place?
Bats are some of
The most feared
And least understood
Of god's creations.
Such ignorance has given them
A most unwarranted reputation.
Yet it is a fact they often
Carry infectious diseases.
Was brother marstoke wrong
In wanting to destroy
The roost in guyana?
I'd studied those bats
For seven years.
Never saw any sign
That were infected
And yet they were destroyed.
Yes, I can see how
That would be most disturbing.
Disturbing?
Yes, mr. Holmes,
It is most disturbing
To see your children k*lled
For no apparent reason.
Of course, I use the word
Loosely, but they were
Like children to me.
You realize your past history
And your presence here places
You high on the list
Of suspects.
Mr. Holmes,
My presence in your country
Seems to place me high
On every list of suspects.
Must be because I'm so tall.
Do you really suppose that
I could be responsible
For these brutal murders?
I make it a habit
Not to suppose.
I draw deductions
From the facts.
Then you know that I was here
With brother marstoke on
The night in question
And no one can be
In two places at once,
Can they?
Not unless one were
A vampire.
But you do not
Believe in vampires.
I didn't say that.
I simply asked
If there were any other kind.
Indeed.
One must never be entirely
Dismissive of ancient beliefs.
Anyone who scoffs at them should
Spend some time in the tropics.
It'd be a most enlightening
Experience for the closed mind.
[ Clock chimes ]
Goodnight, mr. Holmes.
Goodnight, dr. Chagas.
[ Thunder ]
A raw night for such work,
My good man.
Oh, that's a fact, sir.
No joy in it on
A night like this.
Tell me, are you familiar
With dr. Chagas who lives
At number four there?
Who might be asking?
My name is sherlock holmes.
Oh!
What you doin' down here
Then, mr. Holmes?
Is it about them
Vampire murders?
I been suggesting him.
m*rder it was most certainly,
But by a vampire?
Most certainly not.
Don't mind me contradicting
You, sir, but we locals,
We got friends up there.
And somebody told us they seen
Them two marks on that monk's
Neck with their own eyes.
You think it's him then?
No, not at all.
Well, he's a q*eer one,
Isn't he?
He stays in there alone all day
And never lets anybody
Have an eyeball inside
And he only comes out at night.
There.
See what I mean?
Well, we've all been
Wondering about him.
Much more since there's
Another k*ller on the loose.
You've every reason to be
Wary of strangers, my friend.
But of this, I can assure you.
The good people of whitechapel
Are not the intended victims.
Well, with all due respect,
Sir, you don't
Live down here, do you?
Well, goodnight, then.
[ Wings fluttering ]
Thank you kindly,
Sister, brother john.
And best wishes for
The coming festive season.
God bless you, mrs. Duncan.
Best wishes to you, too.
Goodnight then.
Goodnight.
Goodnight.
Come along then, sister.
Come, children, come on.
Come on, dear, inside.
[ Heavy breathing ]
What was that?
What?
Shh! Listen!
Hello, in there!
Are you hurt?
[ Muttering ]
Wait here.
Careful, brother.
Don't be afraid.
I shall be right back.
Hello?
Hello?
Where are you?
I can't see you.
Over here.
Over here.
Hello?
Are you there?
[ Muttering ]
I see you now.
I'm coming.
Over here.
There, there, my friend.
What is it?
[ Gasps ]
Brother, you have sinned.
[ Grunts ]
Brother john?
Brother john?
[ Hisses ]
Brother john? Are you there?
Brother...
Brother john?
Brother john?
[ Heavy breathing ]
[ Gasps ]
Brother, is that you?
Sister?
Who is it?
Who's there?
Sister, you have sinned.
In the name of god, be gone!
[ Cackles ]
[ Shrieks ]
Hey, you!
Get away from her!
Sister, you all right?
Yes, but brother john.
How is brother john?
Who?
I don't see any...
What? What is it?
Vampire!
Vampire!
Whoa.
Thank you, my good man.
[ Bells ringing ]
Ah, mr. Holmes.
I came as soon as
I got your message.
How is sister helen?
Sleeping.
After the police finished
Their questions,
Sister margaret gave
Her a sedative.
I must speak with her
As soon as she wakes.
Did any other members of
The order go out last night?
Why, yes, several of them.
All in pairs?
All except
For brother caulder.
I see.
The exact spot where
The m*rder took place?
An alley opposite
128 Demeter street.
Were any other members
Of the mission in the area
At the time?
Of course.
Whitechapel is our parish.
And you yourself
Did not go out?
Why, no.
But, mr. Holmes, you persist
In thinking that
The k*ller is one of us
And yet...
And yet your shoes are
Scuffed and spattered
With dirt and mud.
Not the shoes of a man who
Remained indoors last evening.
Very clever, mr. Holmes,
But I went with...
The police to identify
Brother john's body,
Yes, of course.
I was simply making a point.
Truth is often
A flexible concept,
Brother marstoke.
[ Door opens ]
Point taken.
But, surely, mr. Holmes,
You can't suspect that
I am in any way involved
In these killings.
Simply a question
Of being thorough.
Surely why you hired me.
Remain on your guard, brother.
Wish I could say it was good
To see you again, sir,
But that might be inappropriate,
Given the circumstance.
Indeed.
Certainly doesn't help
The mood of things down here.
That's why we're keeping
It out of the papers for now.
This is it.
Now the monk's body
Was found over there.
The sister was pinned
Against the wall there.
And the man
Who came upon the scene,
What exactly did he say?
Oh, not much.
Said the clock was striking
9:15 As he went
To put the rubbish out.
What he saw was
A tall dark figure with
What looked like giant wings
Leaning over the nun.
But before he could
Get a good look,
Whatever it was fled
The way we just came.
Fled, not flew.
Well, so much for giant wings.
Guess I don't know much
About this vampire thing, sir.
The people around here,
They certainly seem
To have their minds made up
About this foreign gentleman,
Dr. Chagas.
What about dr. Chagas?
Well, they seem
Convinced it's him, sir.
And he was seen entering his
Premises an hour before dawn.
I believe inspector jones
Is questioning him right now.
They say an arrest
Is in the offing.
Yes. Thank you, inspector.
Right, sir.
Step back, please.
[ Shouting, chattering ]
Back off now!
[ Shouting ]
Sherlock holmes
To see inspector jones.
Oh, mr. Holmes.
Very good, sir.
This way, sir.
For the last time,
Out with it, man!
Where were you?
You prefer...holmes!
Who let you in here?
Jones, I must speak with you.
There's nothing to discuss.
I thanked dr. Watson
For telling me
Of your discovery
In the children's chapel,
But I believe I already
Have the man who wrote it.
So I won't be needing
Any more help.
Now kindly close
The door on your way out.
As a return favor,
Might I at least ask
On what grounds you're
Making your...assumptions?
Assumptions?
No, facts.
In order of discovery, fact one,
His long and bitter dispute
With brother marstoke
Gives him motive.
Inconclusive.
Fact two, he was observed
Leaving his house shortly
Before brother john's m*rder
And did not return
Until just before dawn.
Is it a crime
To stay out all night?
No, but fact three,
He refuses to say where
He was all that time
And has no one
To provide an alibi.
He had someone.
Who?
Me.
I was right here with him
Talking of vampires,
The bat variety, of course,
Not humanoid.
If you're trying
To fool me, holmes...
Not at all.
The workman told you
He disturbed the k*ller
At precisely 9:15, correct?
Aye, correct.
Yet I was here until shortly
After that clock there struck
Nine, after which I saw him
Leave and go north towards
Whitechapel road some two
Or three minutes later
In the opposite direction
To demeter street,
And no man could
Backtrack and cover that
Distance in 10 minutes
Unless, of course,
You think he could fly.
[ Crowd shouting ]
You hear that out there,
Holmes?
I don't pay much heed
To all this talk of vampires
And such and I little think
That, if we drag dr. Chagas
Out into the sunlight,
He would dissolve into dust.
But I intend to put an end
To all this hysteria
Before it gets out of hand.
So you'll arrest
An innocent man?
Fact four, the gloves
He was wearing.
Notice the streaks of blood
On the right hand.
Oh, we'll wait and see what
The analysis tells us
And then maybe,
Maybe we'll send
Someone out to synchronize
The nation's clocks and watches.
Sergeant?
Sergeant, quickly!
[ Chattering, shouting ]
You two, down the alley!
You, around into the street!
Sergeant, come with me!
Step aside!
Step aside!
If things get out of hand,
Holmes, I'll hang it
Around your neck.
He holds you responsible.
I hold myself responsible.
At least I shall if there
Are murderous consequences.
And you are convinced
That dr. Chagas is our man?
No.
But neither am I convinced
That he is not.
But it will make little
Difference if the mob
Catches up to him.
Holmes, you mustn't t*rture
Yourself over something
You cannot control.
Do as you always do.
Stick to the chase,
Follow through logically and,
As ever, you will prevail.
You're right, of course,
My friend.
But what happened
To keeping my mind open
To the possibility
Of the supernatural?
Well, keeping one's mind open
To one possibility doesn't mean
Ignoring all others,
Especially the logical ones.
Right you are again,
Dr. Watson.
Come along then.
Very well.
Uh, where to?
To see brother marstoke.
Did you get the results
From hematology institute?
Definitely not human blood.
Just as I thought.
Bat's blood, most likely.
And what did the coroner
Conclude, dr. Watson?
Well, it's massive
Heart failure.
Seems he was quite
Literally frightened to death.
In the same manner
As the others.
Look here, watson.
What do you make of it?
Two circular incisions
Approximately half an inch
In diameter
And an inch and a half apart.
Yes?
Curious.
Whatever it was that bit
Brother john is missing
A lower mandible.
What on earth do you mean?
There are no signs of
Abrasional contusion
From the lower teeth,
Which there would be
Had he been bitten.
So either his assailant
Was missing a lower mandible
Or those wounds
Were made by some other means.
Perhaps whatever att*cked him
Had teeth sharp enough to pierce
His skin without biting.
It's possible,
But it is not the natural order
Of things for any creature
To attack in such a way.
I wasn't referring to
The natural order of things.
Yes, well, we must remain
Divided on that score,
Brother marstoke, at least
For the time being.
And now if she's awake,
I think it's time for us
To speak with sister helen.
Of course.
Forgive me if
I do not accompany you.
I must attend to my devotions.
You might find
Inspector jones still there.
He got here shortly
Before your arrival.
I see. Thank you.
Does it occur to you, watson,
That brother marstoke seems
Rather too insistent with
His fears of the supernatural?
I think not.
I think he wishes for you
To keep an open mind.
I do, which is why of late
I've begun to entertain
The thought that
He doth protest too much.
You can't possibly think
He has a hand in all this.
My studies of
The criminal mind
Have taught me that
The more violently
Twisted the mind,
The more violently
Twisted the logic.
And what reason
Would he have?
That remains to be seen.
Hmm, sister?
Vigilant as ever, I see, hmm?
Uh, yes, quite.
Not the lumpy kind.
Nor the brown kind.
The tiny white crystals.
Do you understand?
Yes, signor.
What did I say?
Not the lumpy kind.
Not the brown kind.
The white crystals.
Oh, right, right, right.
Good.
Off you go then.
Oh, hello.
What's this then?
Visitors?
Good day, brother abel.
May we come in?
Yes, yes, come in, come in.
They want to have
A word with me, hector.
Go on.
Signor.
I do hope
You're feeling better today.
Oh, thank you.
What?
Oh, better?
Oh, yes, much better,
Much better.
Good.
Then perhaps you wouldn't
Mind if we asked you a question
Or two about the fright
You received last night?
Oh, fright.
Yes, yes, a terrible fright,
Terrible fright.
I'm going to paint
The bell tower, you know.
Oh, yes, I see you
Are working on a new model.
The hermitage, is it?
No, this is st. Justinian's.
Oh yes, of course, it is.
It's very good, too.
Yes, this is
St. Justinian's and
I'm painting the bell tower.
Mm-hmm.
Yes, well, we must be going,
Brother abel.
Goodbye.
Oh!
Goodbye then.
Oh, well, good day,
Inspector.
I'm glad to see you can
Still smile, mr. Holmes.
But if I were you,
I'd be a worried man.
And since you're here,
You might try praying
That we find chagas
Before he kills again.
I appreciate the advice,
But prayer is one thing
I'm not very good at.
Come now.
It's not that hard.
All it takes is
A little humility.
Then again, you're not very good
At that either, are you?
I know you're here as a guest
Of brother marstoke,
But just make sure
You limit your interferences
To the grounds of the abbey.
I'll be keeping my eye
On you, holmes.
Well...
Blessed be the name
Of st. Justinian
Who through our lord
Shall deliver us from this evil.
Our father who art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done...
[ Rumbling ]
Dear god!
And the voice.
Can you describe it?
Well, it was only a whisper,
A deep, male, gravelly whisper.
Inspector jones seems convinced
That it was dr. Chagas
Camouflaging his voice.
And what do you think?
It may have been, but it
Was unrecognizable to me.
So it could have been
Inspector jones himself
Or even me, for that matter.
Exactly.
And what of
The k*ller's accusation?
How do you think you might
Have sinned against him?
Surely brother marstoke
Has given you gentlemen
All the details.
Suffice it to say
That brother john and I
Both supported his decisions
About the bats.
Forgive my bluntness, sister,
But dr. Watson
Was not referring
To hypothetical sins
Against gods or demons.
Is there any way you and
The others may have grievously
Offended someone else either
Within the order or without?
I take it you do not admit
The possibility
Of diabolical intrusions
Into human affairs,
Mr. Holmes.
That doesn't answer
The question, sister.
I can think of no other
Offense to either gods or humans
That we may be responsible for.
One last thing and then
We shall let you rest.
I want you to think back
To the exact moment when
The door opened
And surprised your assailant.
Before the worker called out,
Did you hear anything?
Such as?
I have no wish
To prompt you, sister.
But please,
Go back in your mind.
Think.
I heard a sharp groan
And then nothing.
Try again.
No, no, nothing.
And again.
No, noth...oh, wait.
[ Scraping ]
There was something,
A short, sharp sound like
Like something scraping.
Excellent.
Well, thank you, sister.
We shan't disturb you
Any longer.
But, mr. Holmes,
There was one more thing
Now that I recall.
Yes?
It's not much, but there was
A faint odor when the thing
Drew near me,
A slight pungent
And oily smell.
Good, very good.
Thank you again, sister
What was that all about?
I was merely
Confirming a deduction.
Which was?
Aha, not yet, my friend,
Lest it tempt us into theorizing
Before we have all the evidence.
Sister helen's reactions,
However, did suggest
A line of enquiry,
Something you yourself observed
At the assembly meeting.
Ah, yes, brother caulder.
I suspect that beneath
The calm surface of
St. Justinian's,
Turbulent waters flow.
Exactly.
Let's plumb those depths,
Shall we?
Mr. Holmes, surely
You are off the mark.
Yet when I put a similar
Question to sister helen,
She had the most
Peculiar nervous reaction
And reflexes do not lie.
And what might
Her reaction imply?
Some collusion in a grievous
Disagreement that has impelled
One of us to k*ll the others?
Surely that is
The stuff of penny fiction.
It is the stuff
Of the daily news.
Brother marstoke, I understand
That a code of loyalty
Binds you, but if there is any
Internal conflict here...
Mr. Holmes?
Our order encourages
Lively debate,
But I do not believe
That any of our differences
Has any bearing on this matter.
Ultimately, we all strive
To be selfless.
If I may be so bold,
Brother caulder's reaction
At the meeting last night
Was not entirely selfless.
Brother caulder's reaction
Was not a sign of enmity.
It was a sign of fear and who
Can fault him for his fear?
Then I assume you have no
Objection if I speak with him?
None at all.
But he is not here.
He told me before
Leaving last evening
That he had decided
To stay the weekend
With his sister in bloomsbury.
Does anyone else know
Of his whereabouts?
No one.
And the sister?
Do you know her address?
Madam karavsky?
Uh, blenheim row, I believe.
Yes.
Well, thank you,
Brother marstoke.
Good day then.
[ Church bells ringing ]
Madam karavsky!
Well, holmes, you must
Admit this case
Certainly has its share
Of bizarre convergences.
It does indeed.
So on the pretext of meeting
With madam karavsky,
I shall now speak
With her brother.
Alone?
Yes.
But we must now take turns
Keeping nightly vigil.
I hope you don't mind taking
Tonight's watch, my friend.
Not at all.
Not at all.
But first I want you to drop
Into the offices of the london
Transport commission.
Transport commission?
Whatever for?
Remember last night when
I pulled up at the sight of...
My brother has told me
This affair at the abbey
And has brought me
Certain objects
That I may help him.
When I lay my hands upon them,
I receive certain insights.
Really?
Such as?
This, for example.
This belonged
To brother sinclair.
I had but to pass
My hand over it and
Immediately I knew that this
Was a man of a very nervous
And careless disposition.
It is true, mr. Holmes.
She has never laid eyes on him
And yet she immediately
Identified his most
Noticeable characteristic.
Most noticeable, yes.
For even without the benefit
Of a sixth sense, I can see
That the watch case
Is polished smooth
Indicating that its owner
Would handle it often,
Turning it compulsively
In his nervous grasp.
Yet the crystal is cracked
And the case dented in places
Indicating that it often
Fell from
Those same trembling hands.
I have no wish
To play parlor games
With you, mr. Holmes.
Nor I with you.
Let's just say we reached
The conclusion,
But by different means, hmm?
But, brother caulder, I must
Ask you about your relationship
With brother marstoke.
I make no secret of
My opposition to him.
Yet you do hold him
Responsible for the curse,
Do you not?
One does not invite the devil
Across one's threshold,
Mr. Holmes,
And then expect him
To quietly leave afterwards.
Even now, brother marstoke
Insists on lining his walls
With these diabolical
Primitive artifacts.
It's an outrage which would
Offend any true christian.
I take it you believe
He is an unworthy leader.
Was it so in guyana?
Brother marstoke
Lacked missionary zeal.
But I was alone in my objection
To him until brother abel
Arrived from england.
[ Chuckles ]
How different things would have
Been had he not been cut down
By this dreaded disease.
How might
They have been different?
Brother abel was outraged
By the sacrileges
That brother marstoke
Allowed to continue
And it was he who pinpointed
The bats as the source
Of the plague and insisted
That they be eradicated.
It was brother able who
Wanted the bats destroyed,
Not brother marstoke?
Oh, absolutely.
But marstoke wouldn't
Listen to him.
Instead, he allied himself
To the devil's disciple
And did nothing
Until brother abel
Himself was stricken.
The devil's disciple?
I take it you mean dr. Chagas?
Indeed.
What sort of man
Would live with bats and
Call them his children?
I fail to understand.
If brother marstoke was allied
To the devil, why are he
And his followers
Now being stalked by the same?
One doesn't renege
On the devil, mr. Holmes.
One doesn't even
Negotiate with him.
Well, I thank you
For your time.
And I assure you I shall bring
This devil to heel
Before he kills again.
Stay on your guard,
Brother caulder.
Madam, I shall see myself out.
A moment, mr. Holmes.
I've just had the most
Peculiar sensation,
Like a flash.
I saw a church.
The church may yet be
Your salvation, mr. Holmes.
Miracles do happen.
Madam.
Well, this is most
Reassuring having you here,
Dr. Watson.
Should I have a bed
Made up for you?
Oh, thank you, no.
That won't be necessary.
Right.
Well, if there's anything,
Don't hesitate to summon me.
Thank you.
Oh, there is one thing.
When the brothers or sisters
Go out at night,
How do they get back in?
Ah, they simply
Ring the bell
And signora de la rosa
Lets them in.
But there will be
No ringing tonight.
They have all stayed in.
Goodnight, dr. Watson.
Goodnight.
[ Chattering, bells ringing ]
Happy christmas.
Here you go, sir.
Lovely hot chestnuts.
Thank you very much.
Oh!
Hey, there!
Watch yourself, sir!
Watch yourself!
My god, sir.
You dodged a coffin
By a cat's hair, you did!
Are you all right then?
Yes, I'm fine.
Thank you, my man.
Call on me sometime.
Thank you, sir.
[ Chattering ]
[ Bell ringing ]
[Chattering continues ]
Programs!
Programs!
Programs!
Oh, excuse me, madam.
I do beg your pardon.
[ Door closes ]
[ Wind blowing ]
You there!
Stop!
Good evening, dr. Watson.
Brother caulder.
But I thought you were
Staying with your sister.
I intended to,
But I decided to return early
For brother john's funeral.
And is it always your custom
To come in through the crypt?
The crypt?
[ Chuckles ]
I came in as always
Through the main door.
But I didn't hear the bell.
There was no need to ring.
Hector was outside taking air.
Said he couldn't sleep.
And where is he now?
I assume the air did its
Job because he went to bed,
As I intend to.
Goodnight, dr. Watson.
[ Bell ringing ]
For as much as it
Hath pleased almighty god
Of his great mercy
To receive unto himself
The soul of our dear brother,
We therefore commit
His body to the ground.
Earth to earth,
Ashes to ashes,
Dust to dust.
Hector confirmed his story.
Or was willing
To lie for him.
Do you think it was
Brother caulder?
One could certainly construct
A case against him, but it
Is equally true of others.
Hmm.
Who shall change
Our mortal body that it
May be like unto
His glorious body
According to the mighty working
Whereby he is able
To subdue all things to himself.
Oh, merciful god, the father
Of our lord jesus christ...
Por favor, signor.
I must speak with you later.
In whomsoever so believeth
It shall live, though he die.
After the service,
Take brother marstoke aside,
Will you, my friend?
Find out how the de le rosas
Came into his employ.
Right.
Who will also
Have taught us...
I have told you who
Is responsible, signor.
And yet I see you look
With suspicion at my son.
Until the case is closed,
Signora, I have a habit
Of looking at everyone
With suspicion.
He's just
A simple-minded child.
Perhaps.
But as dr. Watson will attest,
m*rder is not
The private domain
Of adult geniuses.
Anyone can do it.
Indeed.
What would be the reason?
The monks have always
Been generous to us.
And what do you suppose
Prompted this generosity?
Christian charity
Or guilt perhaps?
I don't know what
You mean, signor.
Yes, you do.
Brother marstoke was most candid
With me about how you came
Into his employment.
Were you not left penniless
And without support
After hector's father
And brothers were carried off
By the disease?
And was not
Hector himself bitten,
But miraculously survived?
Surely such tragic losses
Made you and your son
Angry, signora.
And if you believe the bats
Are responsible for the disease,
Then just as surely that anger
Must extend to those
Who allowed them to survive.
I begin to see a thread, watson,
But a little verification
Is in order.
Good day, brother abel.
Oh, gentlemen.
Come in.
I'm having tea, tea
That hector brought.
And I'm just finishing painting,
Painting.
Yes, it's just about
Finished, I see.
Oh, yes, almost finished,
Almost finished.
St. Justinian's, is it?
Yes, that's right,
That's right.
Well, keep up
The good work. Good day.
Oh, yes.
Good day, good day.
Yes, brother john and
I always went out together.
And were there any people
You visited on a regular basis?
Of course.
And since your return
From guyana,
Have you ever
Had the impression
That you were being followed?
Followed?
Mm-hmm.
By someone from the abbey?
Yes.
Why, no, at least
Not that I am aware.
Brother john never mentioned
Any such suspicion.
What about hector?
Did you ever encounter him while
You were out in the evening?
Hector, yes.
Brother john did mention
Seeing him once or twice.
But he's always running errands.
Yes, of course.
Sister, if you don't mind,
I should like
To perform a little experiment.
As you can see, the pieces of
The puzzle are almost in place,
My friend, and I have an inkling
How to find the one man who can
Surely provide the missing link.
You're going
After chagas, then?
Yes, and you...
Good day, sir.
Hello.
Good day.
And you are going
To the shop of messrs. Heward
And parker in pudding lane.
Heward and parker?
[ Bats squeaking ]
[ Squeaking continues ]
Mr. Holmes?
I've been expecting you.
Myotis myotis, the greater
Mouse-eared bat, I believe.
Following our first meeting,
I spent the evening
Poisoning myself with tobacco
And reading professor litinski's
"Bats of the ancient world".
A seminal tome.
And what else did you learn?
The sad facts
Of their decline,
One of the largest species
In northern europe
And one of the rarest.
Possibly due to contamination
Of their habitat
By wood preservatives
Used on attic timbers.
If only others would
Express such interest,
Mr. Holmes.
But bats have few friends
And are not perceived as useful.
So sad, is it not?
Sad indeed.
Then you can understand
Why they need my protection.
And yet you knew your
Discovery must be kept secret
At all costs
Lest they be destroyed,
Hence your silence
And lack of alibi when
Questioned by the police, hmm?
Yes, but sadly their days
Here are already numbered.
This old building will soon
Be torn down to make room
For the future and
The future seems to
Have no place for them.
You're a noble man,
Dr. Chagas, and I wish
I could help
With your mission, but I cannot.
However, I can clear your name.
I simply need to know the truth
About your dispute
With brother marstoke.
The truth?
The truth is simply this.
[ Door opens ]
Arrest him!
I warned you, holmes,
I warned you!
No, jones, listen to me.
I can prove you have
The wrong man if you give me
This one night.
No more deals.
Take him away.
The blood on the glove!
It's not human blood, is it?
Is it?
So you sensed that
Someone was behind you?
Yes.
We will get to the bottom
Of this and without
Further loss of life,
I assure you.
I wish I shared
Your confidence, dr. Watson.
[ Knocking on door ]
An urgent message for you,
Signor.
Hmm, thank you.
It's from holmes.
Hmm.
Brothers and sisters,
I've received some
Rather alarming
News from mr. Holmes.
It appears he's been arrested.
What?
And is therefore
No longer able to help you
Through your ordeal.
But, more importantly,
He states that,
Contrary to all his beliefs,
He has become convinced
That some demonic presence
Is indeed bent
Upon destroying us.
[ Chattering ]
For this reason,
I have decided
That the only safe course
Of action is for me
To leave st. Justinian's.
No, no!
Brothers, sisters, brothers,
It is I who brought
This curse upon you.
Therefore, I beg your
Forgiveness and will spend
The night in prayer that,
When I leave in the morning,
This demon leaves with me
And leaves you in peace.
God be with you.
[ Chattering ]
[ Door opens ]
Brother!
You're tempting fate
Being out here alone.
I must pray before
I leave, brother caulder.
Go back inside and
Keep yourself safe.
[ Thunder ]
[ Prayer in latin ]
Brother.
Brother, you have sinned.
Let he who has not
Cast the first stone, brother.
[ Rumbling ]
[ Growling ]
[ Grunts ]
Well, well, mr. Holmes...
Stop or I'll sh**t!
[ Rumbling ]
Good lord!
It's happening again!
Watch out!
What in god's--
I'll see you in hell.
Come along quickly!
Are you all right, holmes?
Yes, yes, I'm fine.
That was a close call.
Help him, lads.
What in all creation
Was that?
An earthquake?
Here is your
Vampire, gentlemen.
Brother abel!
Good god!
Here are his fangs,
A simple garden claw
With the middle tine removed.
New pipe, holmes?
Yes.
I lost my favorite in that
Little fracas the other night.
Oh, pity.
But if not an earthquake,
What was it, mr. Holmes?
A subsidence.
Would you kindly explain,
Dr. Watson?
Oh, oh, yes.
Yes, of course.
Well, you see, knowing
That the london transport
Commission is currently
Expanding its underground line
To whitechapel,
I went to the offices to enquire
About the direction of the line.
Well, as mr. Holmes deduced,
Their tunneling
Runs beneath the knave
And weakened the foundations
Causing the occasional shifting.
Good heavens!
Is it in danger of collapse?
Well, let us hope not.
But the tunneling has been
Stopped and the commission's
Given assurances
That their engineers will
Immediately devise a method
Of structural reinforcement.
Praise be to god,
At least for his timing.
It certainly saved your life,
Mr. Holmes.
Indeed, brother marstoke.
The lord works in strange ways.
It was a most
Remarkable...event.
All the more remarkable
Since it was the second
Of such events in
A matter of hours.
Oh?
And the first?
The first was when
Inspector jones changed his mind
And agreed to my plan.
It's not easy for a proud man
To admit he was wrong.
Yet for the first time
In our long and
Antagonistic relationship,
Inspector jones suddenly
Converted to my point of view.
It is almost a miracle.
[ Chuckles ]
And what caused
This conversion?
Dr. Chagas, perhaps you'd
Explain about the gloves.
Of course.
My bloody gloves
Convinced inspector jones
That he had the right man.
Afraid that I would not
Get justice and presented
With an unexpected opportunity,
I therefore fled.
Fortunately as I was doing so,
Mr. Holmes was making
An important discovery.
Before inspector jones' arrival,
I had just finished
Preparing a specimen.
Mr. Holmes saw
The specimen and drew
The logical conclusion
That the blood
Was therefore bat blood.
Ah.
But of all people, what made
You suspect brother abel?
Due to his condition
And the attack
He cleverly feigned,
I initially dismissed him
As a suspect.
But then I saw him drinking tea.
Tea?
I fail to see the connection.
The instant I saw the message
In the children's chapel,
One thing became
Immediately apparent.
The writing tilted slightly
To the left suggesting
That the writer was left-handed.
The next day, I noticed not only
Brother abel holding his cup
In his left hand, but he had a
Smudge of ink on the edge
Of his palm suggesting
That he also wrote
With the same.
So brother abel soon
Became my prime suspect.
Further observations soon
Confirmed my suspicions.
When sister helen's aggressor
Reached out to touch her,
She became aware
Of a pungent oily smell,
So we contrived a little
Visit during which we conspired
To take a small sample of
The oil paints that
Brother abel used on his models.
Sister helen later confirmed
That it was indeed
The same odor.
At the same time, I noticed
On his workbench a receipt
From a builder's
Supply shop on pudding lane.
It suggested a solution
To my remaining dilemma.
To move freely back and forth
Through the connecting door,
Brother abel would need a key,
But how did he get it?
I noticed sister margaret's
Habit of wearing her key on
A cord around her waist.
It would be easy enough
To remove for a short time
While she slept,
Then duplicated.
Hence, my visit
To the locksmith
In pudding lane.
Precisely.
Among the various items
Listed on the receipt was putty.
It therefore occurred to me
That brother abel
Had simply made an impression
And instructed hector
To have a duplicate made on
His next journey for supplies.
That explains all
But one thing, mr. Holmes.
You seem to know his technique
For imitating
The vampire's bite.
How so?
I didn't know with certainty
The actual technique
He employed, but my visit
To the crime scene suggested
A possibility.
I noticed on the brick wall
Two marks made recently
And by something sharp,
Possibly metallic.
Sister helen later confirmed
Hearing a short, sharp metallic
Sound when her attacker
Was startled.
I therefore deduced
That he had something in
Or attached to his hand
With which he could easily
Duplicate his vampire's bite.
The next day at the funeral,
The sight of a gardener with
A similar implement
Confirmed my suspicions.
And there you have it,
Gentlemen.
The whitechapel vampire
Has been laid to rest.
Well, mr. Holmes,
I hope you don't think
I intentionally misled you about
My quarrel with brother abel.
You told me what you thought
Was pertinent, but I knew
Dr. Chagas could provide
The missing link.
Perhaps you'd do so again,
Since dr. Watson
Wasn't present.
By all means.
Brother marstoke told you that
We had argued over his decision
To eradicate the bats.
Brother caulder said it was
Brother abel who argued
For their destruction.
An outright contradiction.
But both are true.
It was only after brother abel
Was stricken with the disease
That brother marstoke
Changed his mind
And then we came
Into confrontation.
And therein lies
The crux of the matter.
Brother abel was already
Outraged by your
Liberal attitudes
And jealous of your
Leadership and support,
Was he not?
Indeed he was.
When he was finally stricken
With the terrifying disease,
He became a bitter,
Broken man with
An unrepenting lust for revenge.
So ferocious and unfailing
Was his rage
That feigning madness
And incapacitation,
He waited over a year
For your return
And the opportunity
To exact his vengeance.
Why did you not tell me
Of your conflict with him?
Guilt has a remarkably
Binding effect on the tongue,
Mr. Holmes.
Well, I thank you deeply
For your efforts, mr. Holmes.
I leave a troubled,
But wiser man.
Such is life,
Brother marstoke.
A series of lessons with
The greatest for the last.
Hmm.
And I too would like to
Thank you for your efforts
On my behalf, mr. Holmes.
My pleasure.
And good luck with your quest.
Gentlemen.
Dr. Watson.
Good day.
[ Chuckles ]
A series of lessons with
The greatest for last.
That's very good, holmes,
Very good indeed.
Well, tell me.
Have you drawn any lessons
From this?
An awareness of forces beyond
The realm of the senses perhaps?
I'm beginning to suspect that
You are in the employ
Of madam karavsky,
My learned friend.
No.
I'm simply curious to know
If you'll now consider
Such things.
After all, you did admit
That the timing of
The subsidence was remarkable.
Remarkable, yes, but proof
Of divine intervention?
I still think not.
And what of madam karavsky's
Prediction that you would
Be saved by the church?
I've been told the same
By every churchman I ever met.
Ah.
[ Knocking on door ]
Yes, mrs. Hudson?
A tradesman just dropped
This off for you, sir.
Says he saved your life
The other night.
Saved your pipe, too.
My pipe!
What a sterling fellow!
Please, show him in.
Can't do that, sir.
He's gone already.
Oh, dear.
Did you get his address?
His name?
Any way to contact him?
Says his name is church, sir,
Mr. Reginald church.
[ Chuckles ]
[ Coughs ]
[ Humming ]
[ Praying in latin ]
Brother.
Brother, you have sinned.
[ Screams ]
Meaningful...
Power of attorney...
Now let's see.
You're muttering
To yourself again, watson.
Oh, yes, yes. Sorry.
It's this word quiz from
The philological society.
You have to find the word
Suggested by a series
Of cryptic clues.
I won the last one, you know.
Really?
And what clue are
You struggling over?
Well, it simply says
Meaningful and power of attorney
And, from this, you have to find
A word that means both.
Significant.
Eh, what?
Significant.
A synonym for meaningful
Which can be
Deconstructed into the phrase
"Sign if I can't",
Hence power of attorney.
[ Laughs ]
Holmes, I must say it.
You never cease to amaze me.
What nonsense.
No, no, really.
I often think that
You are truly a genius.
Oh, no, no.
I wasn't contradicting you,
Watson.
I was simply responding
To this announcement.
The famed spiritualist
Madam karavsky will give
A demonstration
Of her ability to communicate
With the spirits of
Our dearly departed.
Have you ever heard
Such rubbish?
Yet the woman attracts
A rash of paying customers
Wherever she speaks.
Well, it's not entirely
Surprising, you know.
I mean, don't we all hope to
Find some proof of an afterlife?
Don't include me in that we.
The great hereafter!
I can assure you
There is nothing but
The great here and now.
Well, I am not entirely
Convinced of that.
What?
How can you, a man of science,
Believe in any of that
Mumbo-jumbo?
Now be careful, holmes.
Such hubris could
Come back to haunt you.
I have no fear
Of offending the gods,
Dr. Watson, for I know
There are no gods to offend.
[ Knocking on door ]
Yes, mrs. Hudson, what is it?
This just arrived
For you, sir.
The messenger said
It was from the abbey
In whitechapel where that monk
Was found dead last week.
Really?
He says the people are saying
It was the work of a vampire,
So they're awful nervous
Down the east end right now.
And who wouldn't be with
A vampire on the loose?
Well, they may have
No fear on that account.
A vampire is a
Scientific impossibility.
If the monk was m*rder*d,
It was at the hands
Of the living, not the undead.
But thank you, mrs. Hudson.
There are some things
That science can't explain, sir.
Indeed there are,
Mrs. Hudson, indeed there are.
[ Chuckles ]
Have it your own way, sir.
Well, what is it?
It's from a brother marstoke.
He begs me in the name of god
To help him solve what
He calls this dark
And mysterious business.
Ah!
Oh, you can't expect me
To believe that there is
Any connection between
My recent rejection
Of all things supernatural
And the arrival of this letter.
One must never thumb
One's nose at the gods, holmes.
Nonsense.
It's merely a coincidence.
Oh, really?
I recall a recent occasion
Where you told me
You don't believe
In coincidences.
Yes...well.
It's a small sampling from
The south american pantheon
Of gods and demons.
Not at all the sort of
Collection one would
Expect to find in an abbey.
I dare say there are those who
Would consider it a sacrilege.
Quite so, dr. Watson.
But I am not one of those
Who considers ours
The one true religion.
God manifests himself in many
Ways, as does the devil.
No doubt you are skeptical
Of such beliefs, mr. Holmes?
I must confess to being
Somewhat agnostic on such
Issues, brother marstoke.
Of course.
But should you accept the task
I have in mind, I suspect
That your belief system
May be severely shaken.
I acquired the carving
You were inspecting
During my stay at
Our mission in guyana.
It represents desmodo.
According to the native peoples,
Desmodo is a fearsome demon
Who usually appears
As a giant vampire bat.
Belief in him has become
More widespread in recent years
Due to the rise
In deaths attributed to him.
And how exactly do his
Presumed victims die?
Horribly and slowly.
Wracked with thirst
And painful convulsions.
Well, as I recall, rabies
Is on the rise in the americas.
That was our assessment.
And due to the large number
Of vampire bats in the region,
It seemed only
Logical to connect the two.
I assume you had no access
To the anti-rabies serum
Developed by monsieur pasteur?
None at all.
We were at the mercy of
The disease until
The arrival of brother abel.
He had made a study of tropical
Diseases and their prevention
From which he learned
A new technique.
Coating a captured bat
With toxins?
Precisely.
Are you familiar
With the technique, mr. Holmes?
I assume vampire bats
Are social creatures
That spend a great deal
Of time in mutual grooming.
So any bat coated with poison
Will be licked clean by other
Members of the colony,
Thereby k*lling them.
Correct.
Unfortunately, the theory and
Practice do not always coincide.
Our efforts k*lled bats,
But seemed unable to prevent
The spread of the disease.
Then the ritual murders began.
The first to die
Was brother lee.
He was discovered in the chapel
By the mission housekeeper,
Signora de la rosa.
He was slumped against
The foot of the altar
With a large vampire bat
Upon him.
When it flew off, she realized
It had been feeding from
Two open wounds on his neck.
On the wall, a terrifying
Message was scrawled in blood.
It read, "from hell.
As you have sinned against me,
So shall I exact my revenge.
The blood of yours
For the blood of mine."
A terrifying message indeed,
But my suspicion's still
Inclined towards a human hand.
Understandably.
But I have seen far too much
Of the devil's work
Not to believe in him.
Two nights later,
He struck again.
Word of the horrific events
Had spread terror
Amongst the locals.
We were holding a meeting
To try and calm their fears
When signora de la rosa's son
Hector burst in.
He had been to the infirmary
To visit brother abel who was
Making a remarkable
Recovery from the disease.
What he saw terrified him.
On the floor between the beds,
He could just make out
A large bat-like silhouette
Crouching over
The body of a man.
As the creature turned
To look at him, he saw...
What exactly did he see?
He says he saw the face
Of desmodo as clearly
As we can see it here.
[ Clearing throat ]
And brother abel?
Dead in the same manner
As brother lee, I suppose?
Brother abel was sick
And sleeping.
It was brother thomas
Who was watching over him.
Needless to say, after this,
The local people fled.
Two days later,
We closed the mission.
The other members returned home
Bringing signora de la rosa
And her son with them.
I went on a pilgrimage and
Prayed that the nightmare
Was at an end,
And so I thought until
My return to england last month.
One night shortly after my
Arrival, I awoke to find
A large bat
Hanging from the mirror
Above my washstand.
On the mirror scrawled
In blood was another message.
It read, "the wanderer returns.
My time has come."
Then the solution is simple.
If it is your absence that
Guarantees the safety of
The others, you must leave.
The other members
Will not hear of it.
They believe that, with prayer,
We can fight this demon.
After last week,
I am not so sure.
I was at the home of
A friend, dr. Chagas,
When signora de la rosa
Arrived with a message from
Brother sinclair urging me
To return to the abbey.
But when we arrived back,
We found him dead by the altar
In the same fashion
As the two others.
Do you truly believe
That some supernatural entity
Is the cause of these murders?
I am a man of god,
Not easily frightened.
But it is why I have
Called you, mr. Holmes.
And how may I succeed where
Your prayers have failed?
If there is a human hand
In this affair,
You are the man to find it.
And scotland yard?
I presume that you've told
Them what you've told us.
Inspector jones suspects
That my brain has become
Addled by too many years
In the jungle.
The coroner's report
On brother sinclair
No doubt confirmed
His suspicions.
Yes.
I recall reading the times
That the cause of his death
Was a massive coronary failure.
But what did inspector jones
Make of the marks on his neck?
He's inclined to believe
They were caused when brother
Sinclair fell onto his crucifix.
A credible theory, but wrong,
I assure you.
There are forces beyond
The grasp of our understanding
And some of them
Are most decidedly evil.
After supper,
Brother sinclair returned
To work on the nativity scene
In the children's chapel.
I was in the refectory
When he suddenly burst in
And asked me to go immediately
For brother marstoke.
And that is all?
He simply asked you to bring
Back brother marstoke
From the home of dr. Chagas?
Si, signor.
That is all.
Were the front doors
Locked that evening?
Si, signor.
They are only unlocked
On weekends for
The public services.
And it's the only way
In besides the door
We have just come through?
No, signor.
There is also a door from
The graveyard into the crypt,
But it is always locked.
Well, thank you, signora.
We shall find our own way back.
Oh, by the way, I couldn't help
But notice your reaction
A moment ago when I mentioned
The name of dr. Chagas.
What is it, signora?
Why does the mention of
That name make you afraid?
One must never argue
With a dhampiro.
It is he who brought
The curse on this church.
It is he...
[ Rumbling ]
Again!
What on earth was that?
An earth tremor perhaps.
But she seemed to imply it
Had happened before.
Yes.
And what of her
Reaction to dr. Chagas?
Strange, wasn't it?
She referred to him
As a dhampiro.
Does this word
Say anything to you?
Other than its phonetic
Resemblance to the word vampire?
No.
Well, to certain european
Cultures, the dhampiro
Is reputed to be the offspring
Between a vampire and a woman.
I'm surprised you're so
Well-versed in vampire lore,
Watson.
I've done some reading,
You know, and like
Monsieur voltaire,
I don't believe in vampires,
But I am afraid of them.
Holmes, all I'm trying to say
Is that you shouldn't take this
Talk of vampires and demons
Too lightly.
There could be a kernel
Of truth at the heart of it.
Perhaps.
But until I see evidence
To the contrary,
I shall continue to believe
That vampires and demons
Are simply the products
Of fearful imaginations.
"From hell, I am he.
Not the good shepherd,
Not the redeemer.
He who comes with blood of those
Who have sinned against him."
Well, it seems our vampire
Has left his calling card.
It looks like blood.
Yes.
See if you can scratch some off,
Will you?
I'm going to have
A look down in the crypt.
It is not the dead
We must fear, my friend.
More the undead.
It is the living.
[ Fluttering ]
[ Chittering ]
[ Fluttering, chittering ]
[ Bats screeching ]
[ Bells ringing ]
Hibernating bats?
Yes.
Well, that would explain
The origin of the bat
On brother marstoke's mirror.
And as for
Brother sinclair's visitor,
Either he came through
The belfry, a rather formidable
Feat unless you could fly,
Or he entered the church
The same way we did.
Down this corridor.
Then the k*ller is right here
In the hermitage.
Precisely.
It is therefore impossible
To say whether the message
Threatens all or just those
Of you who were in guyana.
So all must remain
On their guard.
Finally, brother marstoke
Informs me that it is
The custom of the order
To go out on nightly missions
To minister to the poor
Of the east end.
Until further notice,
I recommend that these missions
Be curtailed.
And just what do you
Know about it, mr. Holmes?
If these walls
And st. Justinian
Himself cannot shield us,
Then what difference can it
Make if we venture out into
The streets of whitechapel?
Simply put, it makes it
Easier for me to protect you.
For you to protect us?
Good lord!
What arrogance!
Let me tell you something,
Mr. Holmes.
I have seen this demon's work
Both in guyana and here
In london and the one
Who can protect us has far
Greater powers than you.
Brother caulder, no one
Doubts that there is
A demon at work here.
But we must not rule out
The possibility of
A human accomplice.
If so, mr. Holmes
Is certainly our man.
You are grasping at straws,
Brother.
We all know what
We're fighting and why.
It was you who first brought
The demon's wrath upon us
And it is only since
Your return that we have once
Again been cursed
By its presence.
If mr. Holmes can be
Of any service to us,
It would be to convince you
To leave these walls
And never return.
Absolutely not, brother.
We cannot allow
This fear to divide us!
[ Chattering ]
Brothers! Sisters!
I no longer have the use
Of my eyes,
But I can see clearly
That the devil is trying
To divide us.
We must not let it happen.
We must remain united.
Yes, we must, we must.
But brother caulder has
Brought up a good point.
Serving the lord is
Our life's work, mr. Holmes.
That work cannot
Be done by hiding.
Sister helen is right.
If we hide in our rooms,
The devil has
Half the battle won.
We must continue our missions.
Yes, we must!
Very well then.
But may I suggest that none
Go out alone and be vigilant
At all times even
In broad daylight.
For your enemy, whoever
Or whatever it may be,
Is certainly the most ruthless
And resourceful of foes.
Yes.
Come along, sister.
[ Chattering ]
It appears the brothers
And sisters are not
Entirely of one voice.
Brother marstoke?
Besides brothers sinclair
And caulder,
Which other members
Of the order were
With you in guyana?
Ah, brother john,
Sister helen, sister margaret.
Sister margaret,
Where is brother abel?
He was sleeping so
Peacefully, I thought it better
To leave him in his room.
We must go to him.
Yes.
Brother abel never
Fully recovered,
So we moved him
To the nun's quarters
Where sister margaret
Cares for him.
[ Groaning ]
Brother abel?
The first door on the left,
Mr. Holmes.
In the name of--
[ Crying ]
Hector?
What on earth are you doing?
I was just coming to ask
Brother abel if he wanted his
Tea before the door
Was locked, signor.
Then I hear some screaming.
I was sleeping, sleeping,
And it woke me.
It grabbed me by the throat!
What was it, brother abel?
A great dark thing!
It tried to bite me,
But I screamed.
Yes, I screamed and then it
Went out the window,
Out the window!
Out the window...
Nothing, at least
So far as I can see.
But it's very dark out there.
Did you see
This thing, hector?
No, signor, I did not.
What do you think now,
Mr. Holmes?
Is this demon real or not?
I do not know what
To think yet.
I assume this is the door
Hector mentioned?
Yes.
At what time
Does it get locked?
Sister margaret locks it
At eight o'clock every evening.
So it would have been locked
At the time of the m*rder.
Yes.
Does anyone else have a key?
No one.
I pray that you can be
Of assistance to us
In this matter, mr. Holmes.
You mentioned your visit
To an old acquaintance
On the night of the m*rder.
Ah, dr. Chagas.
Yes, he is now in london
To oversee the publication
Of his research.
When I mentioned his name
To signora de la rosa,
She had a rather
Remarkable reaction.
Yes, and she used
A most interesting word
To describe him.
Dhampiro?
Yes.
Like all her people,
Signora de la rosa has
An ancient fear of
Dr. Chagas' field of study.
Dr. Chagas is a naturalist.
He studies bats.
Vampire bats.
I should also tell you
That we once had an acrimonious
Disagreement over my decision
To poison the bats.
But that rift has long since
Healed and all my instincts
Tell me that he is
A most honorable man.
Well, our instincts are
Not always reliable,
Brother marstoke.
Then I suggest
You speak with him.
He rents lodgings
At four renfield place
In whitechapel.
Very well.
But do not fail to summon me
Should anything else occur.
Goodnight then.
Well, it seems we have
A rare little mystery
On our hands.
Rare indeed and our
Day's work is not yet done.
I depend on you to inform
Inspector jones of the macabre
Note in the children's chapel.
That should ratchet up his
Theorizing a notch or two.
[ Chuckles ]
And then rouse your friends
At the hematology institute.
See if you can get an
Analysis of that blood sample.
And you?
Going to see dr. Chagas,
I assume.
♪ More on christmas day
♪ To save us all...
Holmes? What is it?
Hmm?
Oh, nothing, nothing.
Yes, I shall visit dr. Chagas
And then we'll resume
Our pursuit at baker street
In the morning.
Driver!
Come along, watson.
Right.
Thank you, my man.
[ Dog barks ]
Who is it?
Dr. Chagas?
My name is sherlock holmes.
I've been asked
By brother marstoke
To look into
The death of brother sinclair.
May I come in
And speak with you?
I cannot help you.
Goodnight, mr. Holmes.
Perhaps I can help you.
There've been developments.
The police will soon
Be knocking at your door.
It's a question of motive,
You see, and your quarrel
With brother marstoke.
I take it you're
Referring to the vampires?
The bats, that is?
Is there any other kind?
Come in.
Desmodontida teniotis.
Are you familiar with
Their feeding habits,
Mr. Holmes?
Natural history
Is not my forte, I'm afraid.
Then permit me
To enlighten you.
The vampire bat first
Lands close by,
Then crawls forward
Onto it's sleeping host.
Its movements are so gentle
And its teeth so sharp
The slumbering host
Never wakes or feels a thing.
I assume these habits are
Also what make the bats
So easy to catch.
[ Thunder ]
Yes.
Which brings me
To your disagreement
With brother marstoke.
What exactly took place?
Bats are some of
The most feared
And least understood
Of god's creations.
Such ignorance has given them
A most unwarranted reputation.
Yet it is a fact they often
Carry infectious diseases.
Was brother marstoke wrong
In wanting to destroy
The roost in guyana?
I'd studied those bats
For seven years.
Never saw any sign
That were infected
And yet they were destroyed.
Yes, I can see how
That would be most disturbing.
Disturbing?
Yes, mr. Holmes,
It is most disturbing
To see your children k*lled
For no apparent reason.
Of course, I use the word
Loosely, but they were
Like children to me.
You realize your past history
And your presence here places
You high on the list
Of suspects.
Mr. Holmes,
My presence in your country
Seems to place me high
On every list of suspects.
Must be because I'm so tall.
Do you really suppose that
I could be responsible
For these brutal murders?
I make it a habit
Not to suppose.
I draw deductions
From the facts.
Then you know that I was here
With brother marstoke on
The night in question
And no one can be
In two places at once,
Can they?
Not unless one were
A vampire.
But you do not
Believe in vampires.
I didn't say that.
I simply asked
If there were any other kind.
Indeed.
One must never be entirely
Dismissive of ancient beliefs.
Anyone who scoffs at them should
Spend some time in the tropics.
It'd be a most enlightening
Experience for the closed mind.
[ Clock chimes ]
Goodnight, mr. Holmes.
Goodnight, dr. Chagas.
[ Thunder ]
A raw night for such work,
My good man.
Oh, that's a fact, sir.
No joy in it on
A night like this.
Tell me, are you familiar
With dr. Chagas who lives
At number four there?
Who might be asking?
My name is sherlock holmes.
Oh!
What you doin' down here
Then, mr. Holmes?
Is it about them
Vampire murders?
I been suggesting him.
m*rder it was most certainly,
But by a vampire?
Most certainly not.
Don't mind me contradicting
You, sir, but we locals,
We got friends up there.
And somebody told us they seen
Them two marks on that monk's
Neck with their own eyes.
You think it's him then?
No, not at all.
Well, he's a q*eer one,
Isn't he?
He stays in there alone all day
And never lets anybody
Have an eyeball inside
And he only comes out at night.
There.
See what I mean?
Well, we've all been
Wondering about him.
Much more since there's
Another k*ller on the loose.
You've every reason to be
Wary of strangers, my friend.
But of this, I can assure you.
The good people of whitechapel
Are not the intended victims.
Well, with all due respect,
Sir, you don't
Live down here, do you?
Well, goodnight, then.
[ Wings fluttering ]
Thank you kindly,
Sister, brother john.
And best wishes for
The coming festive season.
God bless you, mrs. Duncan.
Best wishes to you, too.
Goodnight then.
Goodnight.
Goodnight.
Come along then, sister.
Come, children, come on.
Come on, dear, inside.
[ Heavy breathing ]
What was that?
What?
Shh! Listen!
Hello, in there!
Are you hurt?
[ Muttering ]
Wait here.
Careful, brother.
Don't be afraid.
I shall be right back.
Hello?
Hello?
Where are you?
I can't see you.
Over here.
Over here.
Hello?
Are you there?
[ Muttering ]
I see you now.
I'm coming.
Over here.
There, there, my friend.
What is it?
[ Gasps ]
Brother, you have sinned.
[ Grunts ]
Brother john?
Brother john?
[ Hisses ]
Brother john? Are you there?
Brother...
Brother john?
Brother john?
[ Heavy breathing ]
[ Gasps ]
Brother, is that you?
Sister?
Who is it?
Who's there?
Sister, you have sinned.
In the name of god, be gone!
[ Cackles ]
[ Shrieks ]
Hey, you!
Get away from her!
Sister, you all right?
Yes, but brother john.
How is brother john?
Who?
I don't see any...
What? What is it?
Vampire!
Vampire!
Whoa.
Thank you, my good man.
[ Bells ringing ]
Ah, mr. Holmes.
I came as soon as
I got your message.
How is sister helen?
Sleeping.
After the police finished
Their questions,
Sister margaret gave
Her a sedative.
I must speak with her
As soon as she wakes.
Did any other members of
The order go out last night?
Why, yes, several of them.
All in pairs?
All except
For brother caulder.
I see.
The exact spot where
The m*rder took place?
An alley opposite
128 Demeter street.
Were any other members
Of the mission in the area
At the time?
Of course.
Whitechapel is our parish.
And you yourself
Did not go out?
Why, no.
But, mr. Holmes, you persist
In thinking that
The k*ller is one of us
And yet...
And yet your shoes are
Scuffed and spattered
With dirt and mud.
Not the shoes of a man who
Remained indoors last evening.
Very clever, mr. Holmes,
But I went with...
The police to identify
Brother john's body,
Yes, of course.
I was simply making a point.
Truth is often
A flexible concept,
Brother marstoke.
[ Door opens ]
Point taken.
But, surely, mr. Holmes,
You can't suspect that
I am in any way involved
In these killings.
Simply a question
Of being thorough.
Surely why you hired me.
Remain on your guard, brother.
Wish I could say it was good
To see you again, sir,
But that might be inappropriate,
Given the circumstance.
Indeed.
Certainly doesn't help
The mood of things down here.
That's why we're keeping
It out of the papers for now.
This is it.
Now the monk's body
Was found over there.
The sister was pinned
Against the wall there.
And the man
Who came upon the scene,
What exactly did he say?
Oh, not much.
Said the clock was striking
9:15 As he went
To put the rubbish out.
What he saw was
A tall dark figure with
What looked like giant wings
Leaning over the nun.
But before he could
Get a good look,
Whatever it was fled
The way we just came.
Fled, not flew.
Well, so much for giant wings.
Guess I don't know much
About this vampire thing, sir.
The people around here,
They certainly seem
To have their minds made up
About this foreign gentleman,
Dr. Chagas.
What about dr. Chagas?
Well, they seem
Convinced it's him, sir.
And he was seen entering his
Premises an hour before dawn.
I believe inspector jones
Is questioning him right now.
They say an arrest
Is in the offing.
Yes. Thank you, inspector.
Right, sir.
Step back, please.
[ Shouting, chattering ]
Back off now!
[ Shouting ]
Sherlock holmes
To see inspector jones.
Oh, mr. Holmes.
Very good, sir.
This way, sir.
For the last time,
Out with it, man!
Where were you?
You prefer...holmes!
Who let you in here?
Jones, I must speak with you.
There's nothing to discuss.
I thanked dr. Watson
For telling me
Of your discovery
In the children's chapel,
But I believe I already
Have the man who wrote it.
So I won't be needing
Any more help.
Now kindly close
The door on your way out.
As a return favor,
Might I at least ask
On what grounds you're
Making your...assumptions?
Assumptions?
No, facts.
In order of discovery, fact one,
His long and bitter dispute
With brother marstoke
Gives him motive.
Inconclusive.
Fact two, he was observed
Leaving his house shortly
Before brother john's m*rder
And did not return
Until just before dawn.
Is it a crime
To stay out all night?
No, but fact three,
He refuses to say where
He was all that time
And has no one
To provide an alibi.
He had someone.
Who?
Me.
I was right here with him
Talking of vampires,
The bat variety, of course,
Not humanoid.
If you're trying
To fool me, holmes...
Not at all.
The workman told you
He disturbed the k*ller
At precisely 9:15, correct?
Aye, correct.
Yet I was here until shortly
After that clock there struck
Nine, after which I saw him
Leave and go north towards
Whitechapel road some two
Or three minutes later
In the opposite direction
To demeter street,
And no man could
Backtrack and cover that
Distance in 10 minutes
Unless, of course,
You think he could fly.
[ Crowd shouting ]
You hear that out there,
Holmes?
I don't pay much heed
To all this talk of vampires
And such and I little think
That, if we drag dr. Chagas
Out into the sunlight,
He would dissolve into dust.
But I intend to put an end
To all this hysteria
Before it gets out of hand.
So you'll arrest
An innocent man?
Fact four, the gloves
He was wearing.
Notice the streaks of blood
On the right hand.
Oh, we'll wait and see what
The analysis tells us
And then maybe,
Maybe we'll send
Someone out to synchronize
The nation's clocks and watches.
Sergeant?
Sergeant, quickly!
[ Chattering, shouting ]
You two, down the alley!
You, around into the street!
Sergeant, come with me!
Step aside!
Step aside!
If things get out of hand,
Holmes, I'll hang it
Around your neck.
He holds you responsible.
I hold myself responsible.
At least I shall if there
Are murderous consequences.
And you are convinced
That dr. Chagas is our man?
No.
But neither am I convinced
That he is not.
But it will make little
Difference if the mob
Catches up to him.
Holmes, you mustn't t*rture
Yourself over something
You cannot control.
Do as you always do.
Stick to the chase,
Follow through logically and,
As ever, you will prevail.
You're right, of course,
My friend.
But what happened
To keeping my mind open
To the possibility
Of the supernatural?
Well, keeping one's mind open
To one possibility doesn't mean
Ignoring all others,
Especially the logical ones.
Right you are again,
Dr. Watson.
Come along then.
Very well.
Uh, where to?
To see brother marstoke.
Did you get the results
From hematology institute?
Definitely not human blood.
Just as I thought.
Bat's blood, most likely.
And what did the coroner
Conclude, dr. Watson?
Well, it's massive
Heart failure.
Seems he was quite
Literally frightened to death.
In the same manner
As the others.
Look here, watson.
What do you make of it?
Two circular incisions
Approximately half an inch
In diameter
And an inch and a half apart.
Yes?
Curious.
Whatever it was that bit
Brother john is missing
A lower mandible.
What on earth do you mean?
There are no signs of
Abrasional contusion
From the lower teeth,
Which there would be
Had he been bitten.
So either his assailant
Was missing a lower mandible
Or those wounds
Were made by some other means.
Perhaps whatever att*cked him
Had teeth sharp enough to pierce
His skin without biting.
It's possible,
But it is not the natural order
Of things for any creature
To attack in such a way.
I wasn't referring to
The natural order of things.
Yes, well, we must remain
Divided on that score,
Brother marstoke, at least
For the time being.
And now if she's awake,
I think it's time for us
To speak with sister helen.
Of course.
Forgive me if
I do not accompany you.
I must attend to my devotions.
You might find
Inspector jones still there.
He got here shortly
Before your arrival.
I see. Thank you.
Does it occur to you, watson,
That brother marstoke seems
Rather too insistent with
His fears of the supernatural?
I think not.
I think he wishes for you
To keep an open mind.
I do, which is why of late
I've begun to entertain
The thought that
He doth protest too much.
You can't possibly think
He has a hand in all this.
My studies of
The criminal mind
Have taught me that
The more violently
Twisted the mind,
The more violently
Twisted the logic.
And what reason
Would he have?
That remains to be seen.
Hmm, sister?
Vigilant as ever, I see, hmm?
Uh, yes, quite.
Not the lumpy kind.
Nor the brown kind.
The tiny white crystals.
Do you understand?
Yes, signor.
What did I say?
Not the lumpy kind.
Not the brown kind.
The white crystals.
Oh, right, right, right.
Good.
Off you go then.
Oh, hello.
What's this then?
Visitors?
Good day, brother abel.
May we come in?
Yes, yes, come in, come in.
They want to have
A word with me, hector.
Go on.
Signor.
I do hope
You're feeling better today.
Oh, thank you.
What?
Oh, better?
Oh, yes, much better,
Much better.
Good.
Then perhaps you wouldn't
Mind if we asked you a question
Or two about the fright
You received last night?
Oh, fright.
Yes, yes, a terrible fright,
Terrible fright.
I'm going to paint
The bell tower, you know.
Oh, yes, I see you
Are working on a new model.
The hermitage, is it?
No, this is st. Justinian's.
Oh yes, of course, it is.
It's very good, too.
Yes, this is
St. Justinian's and
I'm painting the bell tower.
Mm-hmm.
Yes, well, we must be going,
Brother abel.
Goodbye.
Oh!
Goodbye then.
Oh, well, good day,
Inspector.
I'm glad to see you can
Still smile, mr. Holmes.
But if I were you,
I'd be a worried man.
And since you're here,
You might try praying
That we find chagas
Before he kills again.
I appreciate the advice,
But prayer is one thing
I'm not very good at.
Come now.
It's not that hard.
All it takes is
A little humility.
Then again, you're not very good
At that either, are you?
I know you're here as a guest
Of brother marstoke,
But just make sure
You limit your interferences
To the grounds of the abbey.
I'll be keeping my eye
On you, holmes.
Well...
Blessed be the name
Of st. Justinian
Who through our lord
Shall deliver us from this evil.
Our father who art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done...
[ Rumbling ]
Dear god!
And the voice.
Can you describe it?
Well, it was only a whisper,
A deep, male, gravelly whisper.
Inspector jones seems convinced
That it was dr. Chagas
Camouflaging his voice.
And what do you think?
It may have been, but it
Was unrecognizable to me.
So it could have been
Inspector jones himself
Or even me, for that matter.
Exactly.
And what of
The k*ller's accusation?
How do you think you might
Have sinned against him?
Surely brother marstoke
Has given you gentlemen
All the details.
Suffice it to say
That brother john and I
Both supported his decisions
About the bats.
Forgive my bluntness, sister,
But dr. Watson
Was not referring
To hypothetical sins
Against gods or demons.
Is there any way you and
The others may have grievously
Offended someone else either
Within the order or without?
I take it you do not admit
The possibility
Of diabolical intrusions
Into human affairs,
Mr. Holmes.
That doesn't answer
The question, sister.
I can think of no other
Offense to either gods or humans
That we may be responsible for.
One last thing and then
We shall let you rest.
I want you to think back
To the exact moment when
The door opened
And surprised your assailant.
Before the worker called out,
Did you hear anything?
Such as?
I have no wish
To prompt you, sister.
But please,
Go back in your mind.
Think.
I heard a sharp groan
And then nothing.
Try again.
No, no, nothing.
And again.
No, noth...oh, wait.
[ Scraping ]
There was something,
A short, sharp sound like
Like something scraping.
Excellent.
Well, thank you, sister.
We shan't disturb you
Any longer.
But, mr. Holmes,
There was one more thing
Now that I recall.
Yes?
It's not much, but there was
A faint odor when the thing
Drew near me,
A slight pungent
And oily smell.
Good, very good.
Thank you again, sister
What was that all about?
I was merely
Confirming a deduction.
Which was?
Aha, not yet, my friend,
Lest it tempt us into theorizing
Before we have all the evidence.
Sister helen's reactions,
However, did suggest
A line of enquiry,
Something you yourself observed
At the assembly meeting.
Ah, yes, brother caulder.
I suspect that beneath
The calm surface of
St. Justinian's,
Turbulent waters flow.
Exactly.
Let's plumb those depths,
Shall we?
Mr. Holmes, surely
You are off the mark.
Yet when I put a similar
Question to sister helen,
She had the most
Peculiar nervous reaction
And reflexes do not lie.
And what might
Her reaction imply?
Some collusion in a grievous
Disagreement that has impelled
One of us to k*ll the others?
Surely that is
The stuff of penny fiction.
It is the stuff
Of the daily news.
Brother marstoke, I understand
That a code of loyalty
Binds you, but if there is any
Internal conflict here...
Mr. Holmes?
Our order encourages
Lively debate,
But I do not believe
That any of our differences
Has any bearing on this matter.
Ultimately, we all strive
To be selfless.
If I may be so bold,
Brother caulder's reaction
At the meeting last night
Was not entirely selfless.
Brother caulder's reaction
Was not a sign of enmity.
It was a sign of fear and who
Can fault him for his fear?
Then I assume you have no
Objection if I speak with him?
None at all.
But he is not here.
He told me before
Leaving last evening
That he had decided
To stay the weekend
With his sister in bloomsbury.
Does anyone else know
Of his whereabouts?
No one.
And the sister?
Do you know her address?
Madam karavsky?
Uh, blenheim row, I believe.
Yes.
Well, thank you,
Brother marstoke.
Good day then.
[ Church bells ringing ]
Madam karavsky!
Well, holmes, you must
Admit this case
Certainly has its share
Of bizarre convergences.
It does indeed.
So on the pretext of meeting
With madam karavsky,
I shall now speak
With her brother.
Alone?
Yes.
But we must now take turns
Keeping nightly vigil.
I hope you don't mind taking
Tonight's watch, my friend.
Not at all.
Not at all.
But first I want you to drop
Into the offices of the london
Transport commission.
Transport commission?
Whatever for?
Remember last night when
I pulled up at the sight of...
My brother has told me
This affair at the abbey
And has brought me
Certain objects
That I may help him.
When I lay my hands upon them,
I receive certain insights.
Really?
Such as?
This, for example.
This belonged
To brother sinclair.
I had but to pass
My hand over it and
Immediately I knew that this
Was a man of a very nervous
And careless disposition.
It is true, mr. Holmes.
She has never laid eyes on him
And yet she immediately
Identified his most
Noticeable characteristic.
Most noticeable, yes.
For even without the benefit
Of a sixth sense, I can see
That the watch case
Is polished smooth
Indicating that its owner
Would handle it often,
Turning it compulsively
In his nervous grasp.
Yet the crystal is cracked
And the case dented in places
Indicating that it often
Fell from
Those same trembling hands.
I have no wish
To play parlor games
With you, mr. Holmes.
Nor I with you.
Let's just say we reached
The conclusion,
But by different means, hmm?
But, brother caulder, I must
Ask you about your relationship
With brother marstoke.
I make no secret of
My opposition to him.
Yet you do hold him
Responsible for the curse,
Do you not?
One does not invite the devil
Across one's threshold,
Mr. Holmes,
And then expect him
To quietly leave afterwards.
Even now, brother marstoke
Insists on lining his walls
With these diabolical
Primitive artifacts.
It's an outrage which would
Offend any true christian.
I take it you believe
He is an unworthy leader.
Was it so in guyana?
Brother marstoke
Lacked missionary zeal.
But I was alone in my objection
To him until brother abel
Arrived from england.
[ Chuckles ]
How different things would have
Been had he not been cut down
By this dreaded disease.
How might
They have been different?
Brother abel was outraged
By the sacrileges
That brother marstoke
Allowed to continue
And it was he who pinpointed
The bats as the source
Of the plague and insisted
That they be eradicated.
It was brother able who
Wanted the bats destroyed,
Not brother marstoke?
Oh, absolutely.
But marstoke wouldn't
Listen to him.
Instead, he allied himself
To the devil's disciple
And did nothing
Until brother abel
Himself was stricken.
The devil's disciple?
I take it you mean dr. Chagas?
Indeed.
What sort of man
Would live with bats and
Call them his children?
I fail to understand.
If brother marstoke was allied
To the devil, why are he
And his followers
Now being stalked by the same?
One doesn't renege
On the devil, mr. Holmes.
One doesn't even
Negotiate with him.
Well, I thank you
For your time.
And I assure you I shall bring
This devil to heel
Before he kills again.
Stay on your guard,
Brother caulder.
Madam, I shall see myself out.
A moment, mr. Holmes.
I've just had the most
Peculiar sensation,
Like a flash.
I saw a church.
The church may yet be
Your salvation, mr. Holmes.
Miracles do happen.
Madam.
Well, this is most
Reassuring having you here,
Dr. Watson.
Should I have a bed
Made up for you?
Oh, thank you, no.
That won't be necessary.
Right.
Well, if there's anything,
Don't hesitate to summon me.
Thank you.
Oh, there is one thing.
When the brothers or sisters
Go out at night,
How do they get back in?
Ah, they simply
Ring the bell
And signora de la rosa
Lets them in.
But there will be
No ringing tonight.
They have all stayed in.
Goodnight, dr. Watson.
Goodnight.
[ Chattering, bells ringing ]
Happy christmas.
Here you go, sir.
Lovely hot chestnuts.
Thank you very much.
Oh!
Hey, there!
Watch yourself, sir!
Watch yourself!
My god, sir.
You dodged a coffin
By a cat's hair, you did!
Are you all right then?
Yes, I'm fine.
Thank you, my man.
Call on me sometime.
Thank you, sir.
[ Chattering ]
[ Bell ringing ]
[Chattering continues ]
Programs!
Programs!
Programs!
Oh, excuse me, madam.
I do beg your pardon.
[ Door closes ]
[ Wind blowing ]
You there!
Stop!
Good evening, dr. Watson.
Brother caulder.
But I thought you were
Staying with your sister.
I intended to,
But I decided to return early
For brother john's funeral.
And is it always your custom
To come in through the crypt?
The crypt?
[ Chuckles ]
I came in as always
Through the main door.
But I didn't hear the bell.
There was no need to ring.
Hector was outside taking air.
Said he couldn't sleep.
And where is he now?
I assume the air did its
Job because he went to bed,
As I intend to.
Goodnight, dr. Watson.
[ Bell ringing ]
For as much as it
Hath pleased almighty god
Of his great mercy
To receive unto himself
The soul of our dear brother,
We therefore commit
His body to the ground.
Earth to earth,
Ashes to ashes,
Dust to dust.
Hector confirmed his story.
Or was willing
To lie for him.
Do you think it was
Brother caulder?
One could certainly construct
A case against him, but it
Is equally true of others.
Hmm.
Who shall change
Our mortal body that it
May be like unto
His glorious body
According to the mighty working
Whereby he is able
To subdue all things to himself.
Oh, merciful god, the father
Of our lord jesus christ...
Por favor, signor.
I must speak with you later.
In whomsoever so believeth
It shall live, though he die.
After the service,
Take brother marstoke aside,
Will you, my friend?
Find out how the de le rosas
Came into his employ.
Right.
Who will also
Have taught us...
I have told you who
Is responsible, signor.
And yet I see you look
With suspicion at my son.
Until the case is closed,
Signora, I have a habit
Of looking at everyone
With suspicion.
He's just
A simple-minded child.
Perhaps.
But as dr. Watson will attest,
m*rder is not
The private domain
Of adult geniuses.
Anyone can do it.
Indeed.
What would be the reason?
The monks have always
Been generous to us.
And what do you suppose
Prompted this generosity?
Christian charity
Or guilt perhaps?
I don't know what
You mean, signor.
Yes, you do.
Brother marstoke was most candid
With me about how you came
Into his employment.
Were you not left penniless
And without support
After hector's father
And brothers were carried off
By the disease?
And was not
Hector himself bitten,
But miraculously survived?
Surely such tragic losses
Made you and your son
Angry, signora.
And if you believe the bats
Are responsible for the disease,
Then just as surely that anger
Must extend to those
Who allowed them to survive.
I begin to see a thread, watson,
But a little verification
Is in order.
Good day, brother abel.
Oh, gentlemen.
Come in.
I'm having tea, tea
That hector brought.
And I'm just finishing painting,
Painting.
Yes, it's just about
Finished, I see.
Oh, yes, almost finished,
Almost finished.
St. Justinian's, is it?
Yes, that's right,
That's right.
Well, keep up
The good work. Good day.
Oh, yes.
Good day, good day.
Yes, brother john and
I always went out together.
And were there any people
You visited on a regular basis?
Of course.
And since your return
From guyana,
Have you ever
Had the impression
That you were being followed?
Followed?
Mm-hmm.
By someone from the abbey?
Yes.
Why, no, at least
Not that I am aware.
Brother john never mentioned
Any such suspicion.
What about hector?
Did you ever encounter him while
You were out in the evening?
Hector, yes.
Brother john did mention
Seeing him once or twice.
But he's always running errands.
Yes, of course.
Sister, if you don't mind,
I should like
To perform a little experiment.
As you can see, the pieces of
The puzzle are almost in place,
My friend, and I have an inkling
How to find the one man who can
Surely provide the missing link.
You're going
After chagas, then?
Yes, and you...
Good day, sir.
Hello.
Good day.
And you are going
To the shop of messrs. Heward
And parker in pudding lane.
Heward and parker?
[ Bats squeaking ]
[ Squeaking continues ]
Mr. Holmes?
I've been expecting you.
Myotis myotis, the greater
Mouse-eared bat, I believe.
Following our first meeting,
I spent the evening
Poisoning myself with tobacco
And reading professor litinski's
"Bats of the ancient world".
A seminal tome.
And what else did you learn?
The sad facts
Of their decline,
One of the largest species
In northern europe
And one of the rarest.
Possibly due to contamination
Of their habitat
By wood preservatives
Used on attic timbers.
If only others would
Express such interest,
Mr. Holmes.
But bats have few friends
And are not perceived as useful.
So sad, is it not?
Sad indeed.
Then you can understand
Why they need my protection.
And yet you knew your
Discovery must be kept secret
At all costs
Lest they be destroyed,
Hence your silence
And lack of alibi when
Questioned by the police, hmm?
Yes, but sadly their days
Here are already numbered.
This old building will soon
Be torn down to make room
For the future and
The future seems to
Have no place for them.
You're a noble man,
Dr. Chagas, and I wish
I could help
With your mission, but I cannot.
However, I can clear your name.
I simply need to know the truth
About your dispute
With brother marstoke.
The truth?
The truth is simply this.
[ Door opens ]
Arrest him!
I warned you, holmes,
I warned you!
No, jones, listen to me.
I can prove you have
The wrong man if you give me
This one night.
No more deals.
Take him away.
The blood on the glove!
It's not human blood, is it?
Is it?
So you sensed that
Someone was behind you?
Yes.
We will get to the bottom
Of this and without
Further loss of life,
I assure you.
I wish I shared
Your confidence, dr. Watson.
[ Knocking on door ]
An urgent message for you,
Signor.
Hmm, thank you.
It's from holmes.
Hmm.
Brothers and sisters,
I've received some
Rather alarming
News from mr. Holmes.
It appears he's been arrested.
What?
And is therefore
No longer able to help you
Through your ordeal.
But, more importantly,
He states that,
Contrary to all his beliefs,
He has become convinced
That some demonic presence
Is indeed bent
Upon destroying us.
[ Chattering ]
For this reason,
I have decided
That the only safe course
Of action is for me
To leave st. Justinian's.
No, no!
Brothers, sisters, brothers,
It is I who brought
This curse upon you.
Therefore, I beg your
Forgiveness and will spend
The night in prayer that,
When I leave in the morning,
This demon leaves with me
And leaves you in peace.
God be with you.
[ Chattering ]
[ Door opens ]
Brother!
You're tempting fate
Being out here alone.
I must pray before
I leave, brother caulder.
Go back inside and
Keep yourself safe.
[ Thunder ]
[ Prayer in latin ]
Brother.
Brother, you have sinned.
Let he who has not
Cast the first stone, brother.
[ Rumbling ]
[ Growling ]
[ Grunts ]
Well, well, mr. Holmes...
Stop or I'll sh**t!
[ Rumbling ]
Good lord!
It's happening again!
Watch out!
What in god's--
I'll see you in hell.
Come along quickly!
Are you all right, holmes?
Yes, yes, I'm fine.
That was a close call.
Help him, lads.
What in all creation
Was that?
An earthquake?
Here is your
Vampire, gentlemen.
Brother abel!
Good god!
Here are his fangs,
A simple garden claw
With the middle tine removed.
New pipe, holmes?
Yes.
I lost my favorite in that
Little fracas the other night.
Oh, pity.
But if not an earthquake,
What was it, mr. Holmes?
A subsidence.
Would you kindly explain,
Dr. Watson?
Oh, oh, yes.
Yes, of course.
Well, you see, knowing
That the london transport
Commission is currently
Expanding its underground line
To whitechapel,
I went to the offices to enquire
About the direction of the line.
Well, as mr. Holmes deduced,
Their tunneling
Runs beneath the knave
And weakened the foundations
Causing the occasional shifting.
Good heavens!
Is it in danger of collapse?
Well, let us hope not.
But the tunneling has been
Stopped and the commission's
Given assurances
That their engineers will
Immediately devise a method
Of structural reinforcement.
Praise be to god,
At least for his timing.
It certainly saved your life,
Mr. Holmes.
Indeed, brother marstoke.
The lord works in strange ways.
It was a most
Remarkable...event.
All the more remarkable
Since it was the second
Of such events in
A matter of hours.
Oh?
And the first?
The first was when
Inspector jones changed his mind
And agreed to my plan.
It's not easy for a proud man
To admit he was wrong.
Yet for the first time
In our long and
Antagonistic relationship,
Inspector jones suddenly
Converted to my point of view.
It is almost a miracle.
[ Chuckles ]
And what caused
This conversion?
Dr. Chagas, perhaps you'd
Explain about the gloves.
Of course.
My bloody gloves
Convinced inspector jones
That he had the right man.
Afraid that I would not
Get justice and presented
With an unexpected opportunity,
I therefore fled.
Fortunately as I was doing so,
Mr. Holmes was making
An important discovery.
Before inspector jones' arrival,
I had just finished
Preparing a specimen.
Mr. Holmes saw
The specimen and drew
The logical conclusion
That the blood
Was therefore bat blood.
Ah.
But of all people, what made
You suspect brother abel?
Due to his condition
And the attack
He cleverly feigned,
I initially dismissed him
As a suspect.
But then I saw him drinking tea.
Tea?
I fail to see the connection.
The instant I saw the message
In the children's chapel,
One thing became
Immediately apparent.
The writing tilted slightly
To the left suggesting
That the writer was left-handed.
The next day, I noticed not only
Brother abel holding his cup
In his left hand, but he had a
Smudge of ink on the edge
Of his palm suggesting
That he also wrote
With the same.
So brother abel soon
Became my prime suspect.
Further observations soon
Confirmed my suspicions.
When sister helen's aggressor
Reached out to touch her,
She became aware
Of a pungent oily smell,
So we contrived a little
Visit during which we conspired
To take a small sample of
The oil paints that
Brother abel used on his models.
Sister helen later confirmed
That it was indeed
The same odor.
At the same time, I noticed
On his workbench a receipt
From a builder's
Supply shop on pudding lane.
It suggested a solution
To my remaining dilemma.
To move freely back and forth
Through the connecting door,
Brother abel would need a key,
But how did he get it?
I noticed sister margaret's
Habit of wearing her key on
A cord around her waist.
It would be easy enough
To remove for a short time
While she slept,
Then duplicated.
Hence, my visit
To the locksmith
In pudding lane.
Precisely.
Among the various items
Listed on the receipt was putty.
It therefore occurred to me
That brother abel
Had simply made an impression
And instructed hector
To have a duplicate made on
His next journey for supplies.
That explains all
But one thing, mr. Holmes.
You seem to know his technique
For imitating
The vampire's bite.
How so?
I didn't know with certainty
The actual technique
He employed, but my visit
To the crime scene suggested
A possibility.
I noticed on the brick wall
Two marks made recently
And by something sharp,
Possibly metallic.
Sister helen later confirmed
Hearing a short, sharp metallic
Sound when her attacker
Was startled.
I therefore deduced
That he had something in
Or attached to his hand
With which he could easily
Duplicate his vampire's bite.
The next day at the funeral,
The sight of a gardener with
A similar implement
Confirmed my suspicions.
And there you have it,
Gentlemen.
The whitechapel vampire
Has been laid to rest.
Well, mr. Holmes,
I hope you don't think
I intentionally misled you about
My quarrel with brother abel.
You told me what you thought
Was pertinent, but I knew
Dr. Chagas could provide
The missing link.
Perhaps you'd do so again,
Since dr. Watson
Wasn't present.
By all means.
Brother marstoke told you that
We had argued over his decision
To eradicate the bats.
Brother caulder said it was
Brother abel who argued
For their destruction.
An outright contradiction.
But both are true.
It was only after brother abel
Was stricken with the disease
That brother marstoke
Changed his mind
And then we came
Into confrontation.
And therein lies
The crux of the matter.
Brother abel was already
Outraged by your
Liberal attitudes
And jealous of your
Leadership and support,
Was he not?
Indeed he was.
When he was finally stricken
With the terrifying disease,
He became a bitter,
Broken man with
An unrepenting lust for revenge.
So ferocious and unfailing
Was his rage
That feigning madness
And incapacitation,
He waited over a year
For your return
And the opportunity
To exact his vengeance.
Why did you not tell me
Of your conflict with him?
Guilt has a remarkably
Binding effect on the tongue,
Mr. Holmes.
Well, I thank you deeply
For your efforts, mr. Holmes.
I leave a troubled,
But wiser man.
Such is life,
Brother marstoke.
A series of lessons with
The greatest for the last.
Hmm.
And I too would like to
Thank you for your efforts
On my behalf, mr. Holmes.
My pleasure.
And good luck with your quest.
Gentlemen.
Dr. Watson.
Good day.
[ Chuckles ]
A series of lessons with
The greatest for last.
That's very good, holmes,
Very good indeed.
Well, tell me.
Have you drawn any lessons
From this?
An awareness of forces beyond
The realm of the senses perhaps?
I'm beginning to suspect that
You are in the employ
Of madam karavsky,
My learned friend.
No.
I'm simply curious to know
If you'll now consider
Such things.
After all, you did admit
That the timing of
The subsidence was remarkable.
Remarkable, yes, but proof
Of divine intervention?
I still think not.
And what of madam karavsky's
Prediction that you would
Be saved by the church?
I've been told the same
By every churchman I ever met.
Ah.
[ Knocking on door ]
Yes, mrs. Hudson?
A tradesman just dropped
This off for you, sir.
Says he saved your life
The other night.
Saved your pipe, too.
My pipe!
What a sterling fellow!
Please, show him in.
Can't do that, sir.
He's gone already.
Oh, dear.
Did you get his address?
His name?
Any way to contact him?
Says his name is church, sir,
Mr. Reginald church.
[ Chuckles ]