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Apprentice to Murder (1988)
Billy!
Down by the forest, that crazy man came after me. He just, he just appeared! Like he's in the ground and he just rose up right behind me. Oh, come on, Billy. I swear to God! He wanted to kill me, Ma! Swear on the Bible, do you? - All I was doing was picking up this hare. - Trespassing was what you were doing. I told you, Billy, Lars Hoeglin is all right, as long as you just stay away from him. Well, he wasn't always like that, but after his brother suicided himself, well... I heard he was killed. There's hot coffee. Billy was just going to bed. - Tom... - Don't, woman! - Are you taking me on now? - If I have to. - No, Billy. He's just going to... - Don't you tell me what I do. Leave him be now. Stop it now, Tom. The boy ain't... - You're taking me on? - No! - Look at him. Teach him a lesson. - Leave him be! - Yeah? - Come away! Billy! Billy! Billy! Oh! Oh, Billy! What are we gonna do? What are we gonna do? - Billy Kelly? - Yeah. - They need more skins upstairs. - Is this your first day? - Yeah. - Yeah. They just sent you down so the boys'd get a look at you. Gets a lot easier. They better get a good look. I'm not gonna be around long. Oh, yeah? Why's that? I'm saving money. I'm going to Philadelphia. I'm gonna be a typist. Well, you'll be a while making enough money here. I'm working two jobs. Ain't you a busy girl? I help out in my aunt's place. It's a boarding house. My mother died. Here you go. - Looks real sore. - Huh? - Your eye. - It's OK. My name's Alice. Hi. - The bone's not broke, is it? - No. They're waiting. Sure you don't want some help with that thing? - Hi. - Hi. - Mad dog! - Mad dog! Mad dog! You don't need that. It's Dr Reese, the powwow. Lives up at ours. Dog! "Hold thy nose to the ground. "The Lord made me and thee, hound." Me and thee. God made me and thee. Me and thee. Me and thee. The Lord is with you. It had to be done. He must be the strongest powwow in Pennsylvania. I bet he could fix your eye real good, Billy. I can get you in to see him. No. Powwow's just for old folks. At least you don't have to pay him if you don't want to. Do you think he could make somebody stop drinking? I don't know. Maybe. Why don't you... why don't you come up now? No. I got to get home. See you tomorrow. Bye. Ma! Ma, where's Pa? Pa's gone to Patterson's. Drinking? Dammit! Wait! I found the door! Wait. I got you. Lean on me. Lean on me. There you go. - That's it. - Easy, easy. Easy. He's gonna be a while yet. Come on. - Alice? - Yeah? I want the two front rooms cleaned before dinner. You hear me? Yes. I hear you. Come on. See? What is it? It's my typewriter. Tell me what to write. - I don't know. What? - Anything. A letter. Something. Oh. Uh... Um... Jack Sprat could eat no fat. His wife could eat no lean. So between the two of them, they licked the platter clean. Any mistakes? No. That's good. Maybe if the doc's busy, I should, uh... OK, I'll see if we can get you in right away. OK. Well, I don't figure these will keep you from getting hit again, but at least they should take the swelling down. No, it wasn't for me I come to see you, sir. Wasn't? Well, sit yourself down anyways. Let's see if this helps some. "With this switch and Christ's dear blood, "I banish thy pain and do thee good. "With this switch and Christ's dear blood, "I banish thy pain and do thee good. "With this switch and Christ's dear blood, "I banish thy pain and do thee good." There. They're saying that you trained that dog. That it weren't really a sick animal. What do you think? Well, I-I-I don't know. Alice says you've got a real gift. Hm. You, uh... You said you came to see me about someone else. Yes, I did. My-my pa. He, uh... drinks most days and-and-and it's gotten worse. I figured maybe if there... there was something you could, uh... He's not such a bad man, except when he starts to drink. It was him, hit you? Wine. Wine was God's gift to mankind. Satan found a way to corrupt it. My, my. Uh, if the Lord could find a way to make him better, then you'd feel free to leave home, is that it? - Well, I... - Quit the factory? Make for the city? I can't work here the rest of my life. Alice is very persuasive. Oh, no, sir, it weren't Alice. Do you feel trapped? Yes. And... I, uh, I-I can't leave my ma when my-my pa's drinking like he is. - How old are you, Billy? - Uh, 16, sir. And if you do become free to leave, what do you plan to do to seek your fame and fortune? I ain't looking for fame and fortune, sir. Just a life. Life don't come free. Well, I can, uh... I can draw. You can, can you? Yeah, I-I-I done this. You're good. That's good! Oh, my, my, my. Who's that? Oh, that's just this, uh... He's like an old hermit that lives out our way. Hmm. You draw verywell. Verywell, indeed. - Thanks. I brung it for you. - You did? Hm. Now, you take a pinch of this and you sprinkle it on your father's breakfast and then again at supper. Don't let him see you doing it. Don't taste nothin'. Don't do no harm to no one who isn't drinking. But it'll make him real sick for a couple of days, just until the poison gets out of his system. Taste it. You got to give it to him, though. Then if he's cured in a week, then I get to keep this picture. No, sir. I-I brung that for you. You can keep it, even if it don't work. It will. All right. Well, thanks, Mister. John. Call me John. All right, then. Uh... thanks, John. It's gonna scare you how sick it's gonna make him, but you got to keep giving it to him, all right? See you in a week. Right. Uh, see you next week. Billy? Do you think you could draw me some of these hexagrams? Sure. I could do that easy. Yeah? Well, Billy, I can give you this one as a sample, man. You can fancy it up any way you like. Uh, all right. So, uh, I just bring it back when I'm done, then. Yes. Thanks. - Mm! - Hi. Hi. I've fixed some pancake batter. Want me to go cook 'em? Uh, no, no. That's OK. I'll get it. Pa? Pa? Pa? - What? - Pa, come on. It's coming on six. We've got to take Mr Myers' firewood today, remember? Oh, yeah. Hurry up. I've put some pancakes on for you. - Thanks. - Yeah. I got to go, Pa. See you, Pa. - Billy, what are...? - Mum, it's OK. Oh. Oh, Tom! Tom! - Billy, what? - Mum, it's OK. It's OK. Tom? Tom. Billy. Hi. Up here. Oh... Uh, I just... I-I-I was coming looking for. Dr Reese. He-he don't seem to be in. Wanna go down to the drugstore for soda? - Uh, no. - My treat. I got, uh... I got to show Dr Reese's drawings I did for him. - Can I see 'em? - No, I should show 'em to him first. He's in there. Maybe he's watching you. He sits in there in the dark sometimes. I'll knock. Maria Regina, call me from the grave Holy Redeemer, call me from the grave... Hey! I'm sorry if I woke ya. No, you didn't wake me. Come on in. Um, most people use the door. These are the hexagrams I made for you. Oh, yeah. And, uh... - Look, look at my eye. - Oh. Yea and I gave that stuff to my father. I think it's... what it is. It's really working. You really do have a gift. It's the Lord's gift, Billy. I'm just an instrument of it. Oh, these are beautiful. These are... They're very effective. The Lord has... given you a gift, Billy. I can make some more if you want. A thing of beauty is a joy for Heaven. Its loveliness increases. It will never pass into nothingness, but still... - Now there was a gift. - Huh? Keats, he was one of the greatest poets of the English language. Died when he was only 26 years old. I've outlived him by two decades, but the gift the Lord gave him... Oh, that'll outlast all of us. I must pay you for these, Billy. Oh, no, sir. Oh... If-if-if you... if you had the time, would you learn me to read? I'd be proud to, Billy. Well, I-I got me a little reading and writing, but I can't read, like, real books. We will start tonight. - Right now? - Right now! Are you sure, sir? I mean... Oh, no, I'd be so pleased for the company. Come, sit down. Now, we'll start right here. I'm here, Elizabeth. "Take from Elizabeth these 77-fold fevers. "Thou, dear Lord Jesus Christ, take them from her." Billy... "The word of God. "The milk of Jesus' mother. Help thee." "Thou shalt heat. Thou shalt sweat. "Thou shalt run and leave this body. Thou shalt heat. "Thou shalt sweat. "Thou shalt run and leave this body. "Thou shalt heat. Thou shalt sweat. "Thou shalt run and leave this body." Let her sleep now and when she wakes... - ...give her some of this acorn tea. - Mm-hm. And say over her the words, "That which has bound thee will set thee free." That which has, uh...? Bound thee will set thee free. "That which has bound thee will set thee free." Three times. Dr Reese, we're so grateful. You surely have the blessing of the Lord. Bless you. You really fixed her up. I mean, she's... she's better. Faith, Billy. Faith. Faith alone can move mountains! Maybe so, but I ain't never seen no mountain move. That was... that was just... I dreamed about you last night, Billy Kelly. Huh? "Your old man shall dream dreams," says the good book, "but your young man shall see vision." I believe I can teach you more than reading and writing. I believe you've been sent to me, to inherit the Lord's gift of healing. The Lord loves artists, Billy. "That which has bound thee will set thee free." That which has bound... bound... B-O-U-N... Michael, Billy, St. Gabriel, Billy, Mary, Billy, Andrew, Billy, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Billy, Billy, Billy, Jesus... Billy. Alice? I think I get the same. See ya. - Billy? - Hi. What? I got to talk to you about Dr Reese. - Huh? - I think he's peculiar, Billy. - There's something really peculiar about... - Come on. He's the most educated man I ever met. I heard he was on a funny farm for four years. Yeah, well, that's stupid. John Reese? I... All I'm saying... I'm not... I'm really not trying to tell you... - You're just saying be careful. - Yes. Yeah, that's what everybody's telling me. He's teaching me. What's he teaching you? Uh, just stuff. You know, like history and poetry. Billy, will you take me out one night? Out? Yeah. Sure. - When? - Soon. How soon? "The high pr-ie-st "de-man-ded "an ex-pla-nation "of the a-post-les." We don't pronounce the "T". A-post-les. - A-po... - A... - Apo... - Apo... ...stles. Apostles. - Apostles. - Apostles. Give me that. "Divining hand, do thou hold that power, which God has given under thee? "Divining hand, hold that power, which God has given under thee." I-I'm afraid we may be... - Oh, no. - It's so difficult... ...when the Lord calls his little ones back to him in Heaven. "We gave you a warning, he said. "Not to preach in this name. "And what have you done?" "Thy joints of thy thighs are like jewels. "Thy navel is like a round goblet. "Thy belly is like a we... heap of wheat, "set about with lilies. "Thy two breasts are like two fawns that are twins." Billy? Come on! Come on! Wait! Wait! Billy! You can't just break in. Sure. I do it all the time. - Come on. - No. There's nobody here at night. Come on. I promise. Come on. You know... I never took nobody out here before. No? This place was built by this real rich guy for his fiance. But she died just before they were supposed to get married. He was so heartbroken that he just left the place. Never came back. But he still won't sell it. Come on. Come on. Hurry up. Come on. Ma? Ma! - Hurry up! - Ma! - We are late! - I know! Could we go to the Jakes' place? Well, the Jakes are nonconformists. Yeah, I know, but the preacher's a friend of mine and I'd like you to meet him. I don't know. To me, one place is as good as the other. Please, Ma. All right, if you want. But if we're gonna go, let's go. They say I cannot practise as a doctor because I am not schooled in modern medicine. The Lord Jesus gave his disciples a two-fold mission... ...to preach the Gospel. And to heal the sick. Now, he did this long before modern medicine came along. Do you think He would have given such an order... ...without also giving the power? But those who would have us disbelieve God's own account of his creation, those who would have us believe that we are descended from apes, those self-same atheistic humanists would have us believe that only man and his science... ...has the power to heal. But God... ...is powerless. God... ...is powerless? What arrogance. We shall conclude with a reading from the Acts of the Apostles. Billy. "The high priest demanded an explanation of the apostles. "We gave you a warning, he said, "Not to preach in this name and what have you done? "You have filled Jerusalem with your teaching. "In-in reply, Peter and the apostles said, "Obedience to God comes before obedience to men." Oh, Billy, Billy! Oh, you were wonderful! - I'm so proud of you, son. - You did good, son. Real good. Dr... Dr Reese. It's Dr Reese that taught me. I was just kind of surprised when Billy upped out of his chair and started to read. - Clay. - Hi, Billy. I seen you. - Hey, Billy. You read real good, boy. - Thanks, Mr Myers. Was that your father? I ain't seen him on a Sunday in years. Clay, here we go. Guess which hand it's in, you get to keep it, all right? - This one. - Huh? - Oh, hi. Come here. - Hi. Clay, it's all right. This is Alice. She's a friend of mine. - Ma'am. - Hello. - This hand! - Look, I've got to go. I'd like to meet your folks. Um... John... Are you John Reese? I am. Mr Reese, I have a warrant here for your arrest. You're charged with practising medicine without due and proper qualification, specifically on the child, Heidi Kreiglander. I was just trying to help. You phony bastard! My little girl died! - Take him back to the car. - She's dead, Reese! My little girl died! You'll have your time to explain, Mr Reese. Now, would you put him out there? - I'll get you, Reese. - Billy? - John... - It's all right, boy. Stand aside there. Walk ahead, Mr Reese. It does not end here, Reese! It does not end here! Get the hell outta here. John? John! John! - John! - Billy! Been keeping piss-poor company, boy. Tell him, kid, it ain't wise to appear before Judge Lomax more than once. Next time he'll get six months. They will persecute the sons of the Lord, enthral them with many false accusations, for a way of God is hard and Satan lies at every turn of the road. Five times, Billy. Five times. They could do it 500 times. It still wouldn't stop me helping those who call out for help. John... I'm sorry. They crucified Christ, Billy. This is just a little test the Lord asks me to endure. Once in Ohio, they locked me up for three years. - It wasn't a penitentiary. - Oh, in a state asylum. Battle. Hell. A lunatic they called me. - But you was... - Sane! Sane as I am today! There is no limit to Satan's ingenuity. But we stopped him in the end. He was defeated, because that's where I met Joshua Brown. The greatest powwow that ever lived, Billy. And he taught me. He died there. But he taught me. Billy... he shone with a faith so strong it made you tremble in awe. Faith. Faith! To defeat the evil one! Billy, come with me to Philadelphia. What? I have $14 saved. Billy, your mum's OK now. Do you have any money saved at all? I have $8. Can't we talk about this later? No, we can't talk about this later. I wanna decide now, Billy. I love you. Alice, I'm 16 years old. No trade and a hell of a little learning. I'm not talking about getting married. I just think we should just go there and live together. And find work, we can both find work. I'm talking about being free. - Quit working with John? - Yes. Live for yourself. Take it before it's too late. Oh, please. Please, Billy. $22 doesn't buy freedom. Hey, you kids! Wanna lose a day's pay? Pa? Yeah? Uh... I-I-I'm thinking about going pretty soon. Go up to Philly and try and find a good job. Just, uh... Maybe a few weeks. No, Billy. You're 16. You're gone, you're gone. Got to give it a real chance. I got a few dollars saved. Help you get started. - Thanks, Pa. - You bet. Billy! - She's dead! - Clay? - Clay? - Jenny's dead! You remember when Jenny was just a little baby kitten? Well, I'm gonna get you a little baby kitten of your own real soon, OK? A little old Jenny you can have as your friend. She can't breathe in there. Oh, Clay, she's all done breathing. Now, I'll put these stones here. So you always remember where she's buried, OK? We can come and visit her. You wanna say a prayer? God bless my mother. And my father. And Jacob. And my friend Billy. - Amen. - What about Jenny? And Jenny. Amen. Amen. Alice? Alice? - He doesn't know I'm with you, does he? - No. - I'm here. - Ask Billy to drop by. - OK! - Thank you. I got to tell him we're leaving. Yes, you do. Can't... can't we just stay a couple more months till winter? No. I'm going, Billy. With you or without you, I'm going. "Wherever you find jealousy and ambition, "you find disharmony and..." Alice and me are leaving, John. We wanna make ourselves a life up in Philadelphia. Ah... Well... Uh... you'll-you'll need money. - I've got nearly $50 set aside... - John. I want you to have that. You know, I can't ever thank you rightly for all you've done for me. Well, Philadelphia isn't China, you know. We'll keep in touch. I want you to have this book, too, Billy. Remember, this book keeps you safe from your enemies. Visible or invisible. So you carrywith you always. All right? There. "To Billy Kelly, from his friend John Reese. "With admiration and the love of the Lord." Thanks. "Our swords stopped short in the name of the Last Judgement. "Do no harm unto me, a child of God. "Our swords stand still in the name of the holy prophets. Do not kill me. "Our swords stopped short in the name of the Last Judgement. "Do no harm unto me, God. "Our swords stand still in the name of the holy prophets. Do not kill me." What happened? Only farm in the valley been touched by this. Vets don't know what it is. It started with my chickens. Then my pigs. And now my cattle. We're ruined, Billy. 200 years the Myers have been here and never anything like this. Stand clear! D-did you talk to Dr Reese about this? No. His hex signs didn't stop this from happening. - Could I talk to him for you? - Do what you like, son. You do not know what you're asking. I'm asking for your help. They're desperate. Last night I dreamed a terrible... It was a prophecy. And of course Satan chooses you as his messenger, the one I cannot refuse. - All I'm asking is... - Of course I will help. I must. But I risk my very own soul, Billy. A curse as strong as this can destroy all in its path to interfere. I will go. - Alone. - No, I'm going with you. Have you understood nothing? Satan himself is waiting there to tear me apart. - We're going together. - No! You and your assistant. Just like we've always done. O, Jesus, protect me on the task that lies before me. No matter how numerous and how powerful our enemies may be, they must be dumbstruck and become like dead men. In the name of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost. Amen. - John! - Billy! You've lost your book. Dr Reese. Father left? All right, Father. Thank you. Get out, quick. I need one of those hexagrams. Stay back, Billy. Hold off! Stay back! I command thee in the body of Christ, depart from this place. Go! You're gonna be all right now, John. You're gonna be OK. Mr Myers gave me $20. I put it in your drawer for you. - Oh, oh. - Come here. I want you to drink this. Uh, uh... I have seen the face of Satan. His curse is in me. Come on. Drink this down now. - Mm. - That's good. That's good. Billy, don't throw your life away. I wanna go. You know that. Then do it. As soon as he's well again. I can't leave a dying man. He's not dying. He wants to keep you with him. Can't you see that? No. No. Alice, he is real sick. Real sick. Four days he ain't eaten or moved or nothing. Billy? No. Oh... No. John? You, Billy, got to help me. Get me to Philadelphia. May the power of you... ...be strong. Rufus Miller. Blessed Lord, be with me, all the kings, all the evangelists and the archangels, be with me. Mark, Gabriel, Matthew, Jeremiah, invoke the power of God Almighty. Release me from this evil. Banish that power that keeps my life enthralled. My soul... No! What is it? Hi. Excuse me. I'm looking for Rufus Miller. - Does he still work here? - He's supposed to. What's she doing here? There are no females allowed. Come on. Get out. Get out! Come on! Go on! Out! Out! - Rufus. - John, what are you doing here? Rufus, you can talk to your friends after you've done what you're paid to do. I'm sorry, sir. Yes, sir. You're looking bad, John. What's the trouble? I-I... tried to exorcise a hex and it come back on me. A powerful hex, Rufus. I've been hearing how you've been doing real well. Folks saying, "John Reese, the best powwow man in the state." Right up in Philly. That's what they've been saying. - OK? - Yeah. We need your help, sir. John, I don't practise no more. I got warned off real bad. You were warned off me? No, not you. Me. On account I'm a black man. They catch me practising on a white man. They nearly killed Larry Hudson. Cut his jewels off and he near bled to death. Nobody would know. They'd see. Mama Isobel. - Mama Isobel. - You got to go back the way you came. - No. - No what? Mama Isobel has a strong medicine, John. More than just powwow. She can help. Real bad hex burn. I'll pray for you. I got to go now. I'm sorry, John. Billy... We came here to make a life. I'm not leaving. - Alice, please. - No. Billy... Please. Stay with me. Don't leave me. Please. Don't leave me. Alice. No, I have... I... John. Cover him. Cover him right over. Yeah! The corners. Gunpowder! Remember, three heaps. Well? Are you gonna ask him or ain't you? I ask of the spirit... I ask of the spirit of... - Of... - Kyumba. Kyumba, are you with us? He... he is with us! Boy? Where you? Mm-hm. Now you will know your tormentor. Look in your hand. His face is in your hand. See him. Oh. Oh, Jesus. You see him? I see him. You know him. No, no. Now he's going away. To hell. John? He had a... a grey beard. Long... thin face. He was laughing at me. - He looked... - Hoeglin. - Big, tall, staring eyes? - Staring eyes, yeah. What? What? He's drawing. He's-he's gonna draw him. He knows who he is. - He's drawing him. - Find him, John. Cut a lock of his hair. Bury it 8ft deep with human remains. His power will rot with the body. It's him. Yes. He... It's Lars Hoeglin. I've got him. I've got him now. Hey, you! Is there anyone inside? Open the door. See if there's anyone inside. It was him. Hoeglin. Twenty years ago... ...his twin brother Aaron... ...took his gun... ...and went to see Irwin Myers, cos Myers' cattle was breaking down the Hoeglin fences. And that was it. Police said it was either an accident or he suicided himself. It was his gun. But Lars Hoeglin wouldn't have none of that. And he put a curse on the Myers family. And then two months after that, Clay Myers, poor little touch of Clay, he was born. And then just six months ago, Aaron Myer's blocked up a creek that runs into Hoeglin's land, and Hoeglin swore he'd get revenge again. And destroyed their farm? And then me, Billy. And you. And your mother and your father. - Because I... - Because you followed me into battle. He was there, Billy. He was there when they died. All those people ran away, but... he was there. He's a big man, John. Hell of a big man. Stealth and surprise. All we need is a lock of his hair. - That's all? - That's all. - Billy. - Clay. - What are you doing, Billy? - You need to leave us be now, OK? Are you scouting? Like in the army? - Yeah, that's right. - Could I come? No, no. It's orders. You got to go on home. - I followed yous. - Yeah. But you got to go on home now, OK? It's your order. You did real good. OK. OK, I'll sees yous. All right. Hoeglin knows we're coming. Who are you? I've come to take away your evil powers. You're Tom Kelly's boy. There was nothing anyone could do. I was there. - You admit it? - Yeah. I'm really sorry. What do you want? A lock of your hair. And the burning of your book of rituals. Get the hell out of my house! You lunatics! My knife! Billy! Out! Help me, Billy. Help me. - Get the book! - Please! Please! Please. Please. Not until your curse has been destroyed. Hurry, Billy. The book. "I cast thee out in the name of Satan." Come on, Billy. Fire. Purgation through fire! - Did we kill him? - No, he lives. Satan lives until the book is burned and the hair buried beside human bones. He lives until consumed in the fire of his own making. Satan is defeated. "...the earth is beneath thee "and not in between. "Flesh and blood are born on thee, "grown upon thee and lost on thee. "But three tongues have spoken for thee. "They will give that flesh and blood peace and comfort. "The first is God, the Father. "The second is God, the Son. "And third is God, the Holy Ghost. "In the name of God and the rules of Heaven, "I bless thee. "God and the holy constellations, bless thee." Yes, sir? Right, it was Clay. My-my youngest boy. John! John! - Is your name Billy Kelly? - Yes. Would you come with me, please? OK, Billy. Oh. This... This was all... This was burned. This was burned to the ground. Do you wanna tell me what happened, son? Yeah. Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Powwow murders! Get the latest edition! Right here! Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Wait. There's nothing he can say. Let him alone! - It's not fair. - No, Alice. It is fair. - They say I can see you once a week. - Don't. - Only 20 blocks away from where I work. - Don't, Alice. - I love you. - No. No. No. It's only five years. Alright, how... how's Philadelphia. Is it...? - It's good. It's real good. - That's good. Alice, you can't wait. You'll only be 21. We'll just be starting. Don't worry, Billy. They can't part us. We are joined in God's work. These are Lucifer's allies and we have conquered Satan once. We will conquer him again. Wait for me. You'll see. Billy, I will see you in one week in Philly. We both got there in the end. Come on. 'God is powerless? 'What arrogance.' |
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