Hammond Hall at the
turn of the century...
when the age-old mystery of the Hammond
monster was at last revealed to all England.
That mystery, which although
by 1900 had become a legend...
was, indeed, a real tragedy
and constant threat...
to the lives of all the seemingly
doomed members of the House of Hammond.
- Oh, Walton.
- Oh, I beg your pardon, Miss Helga.
I didn't mean to startle you.
Oh, I must have fallen asleep.
It's cold.
Yes, it's a cold night, Miss Helga.
- I'll put on another log.
- Don't bother. It's 12:00. I'm gonna turn in.
- My brother come in yet?
- Not yet. He's very late.
He and Dr. Colbert probably got to puttering
about the laboratory and forgot the time.
Don't worry. He'll be along directly.
I was thinking those poachers...
might be up to their
tricks on a night like this.
Come on, Alex. Long past your bedtime.
Charlie Clagpool was saying
down in the village...
he owed Mr. Oliver one for that
thrashing he gave him last week.
What does he expect? Oliver
caught him setting traps.
Come on, Alex.
Go on now, boy.
What's the matter with him?
Sometimes dogs are smarter than folks.
Oh, nonsense.
He's just smart enough to prefer
sleeping by the fire to the doghouse.
Go on to bed now and
behave yourself. Hurry up.
How big and bright
the stars look tonight.
Aye, and there's frost
on the ground too.
It was just such a
night when Sir Magnus-
So that's what's worrying
you. Don't be silly, Walton.
I only hope that Mr. Oliver
doesn't take the shortcut back-
That path by the edge of the cliff.
Why shouldn't he?
"When stars are bright
on a frosty night...
beware thy bane on the rocky lane. "
Surely you don't put any
stock in that old legend?
It's only 20 years ago since
your grandfather was killed.
- Grandfather killed himself.
- After he'd seen it.
That's ridiculous. There's nothing
to that story about a monster.
Oh, I shall never forget that night...
when I found your grandfather down there
on that path by the edge of the cliff...
after he'd met it,
so horribly mangled...
- and that insane look on his face.
- That's absurd.
A supernatural creature going about
killing and sending its victims mad.
People don't believe in
that sort of thing nowadays.
I'm sorry to worry you, Miss Helga...
but I do wish Mr. Oliver were home.
All right, if it'll ease your mind,
I'll ring up and see if he's left yet.
Would you please get me Southdown 236?
Hello?
Hello, Helga.
Oliver? No, he left not
more than two minutes ago.
Yes. He said he was
going straight home.
That's all right. Oh, I say, Helga,
how about a ride in the morning?
No, that's not professional
advice. It's purely social.
Fine. About 10:00?
All right, I'll see
you then. Good night.
He just left. That
make you feel better?
Thank you, miss.
- Good night, Walton.
- Good night, miss.
- It's probably a dog caught in a trap.
- That's no dog.
Something is going on down there.
Miss Hammond, it's the monster,
killing Mr. Oliver, most like.
- Horrible it were, like a dog-
- Get ahold of yourself, Will.
- Sounds like a lost soul.
- All right, let's find out what it is.
- You're not going down there?
- Tell Strudwick to bring the carriage around.
Yes, miss. Strudwick's
got two bays harnessed.
Very well. We'll have the gates
opened. Mrs. Walton, fetch me a coat.
Don't stand there gaping
as if you'd seen a ghost.
But, Miss Helga, no Hammond ever ventures
into the rocky lane on a frosty night.
You've been doing your best to persuade
me my brother's ventured down there.
- And if he has- -
Then I'll go with you.
- Thanks, Walton. But you better stay and mind the house.
- Yes, miss.
- Tell Strudwick to bring the horses around to the front.
- Yes, miss.
- And get me Oliver's revolver.
- Yes, miss.
- Miss Helga, please don't go out tonight.
- Don't worry, Mrs. Walton.
I'm sure there's some rational
explanation for all this.
If there is anything
out there tonight...
I'd like to get a crack at
it, and I'm a jolly good shot.
- I'll drive them, Strudwick.
Get in. - But, Miss Helga-
- Come on, Alex. Good boy,
Alex. Maybe you can help.
Get in the back.
It came from along here
somewhere, I'm sure.
Miss Helga, won't you please go back?
- Give me your lantern.
- Yes, miss.
Let me have the
lantern. I'll go ahead.
Oliver!
- Ohh!
- It was only a rabbit.
Oh. Is a bit scary down here.
Oliver!
Oliver!
Oliver!
Alex!
- What is it?
- Mr. Oliver's dog.
His spaniel?
- Is he dead?
- Horribly.
His whole body is twisted
and his hind legs have been-
- Miss Helga, now won't you go back?
- Not until I find my brother.
Oliver!
He's still alive. Thank heaven.
- Help me get him to the carriage.
- Yes, miss.
- What was that?
- Well, I don't know, miss.
- Dr. Colbert's nurse.
- Kate O'Malley.
Well, don't stand there like
an owl. Go and get some brandy.
Yes, ma'am.
Hello, Helga.
How'd I get into bed?
I found you in the lane on
the cliff and brought you home.
In the lane? But how did-
I don't re-
Yes, I do remember.
I was fighting the-
The beast got Kate. Is she-
She's still unconscious. We've
done what we could for her.
- It must have gone for her
after I fought it off. - What-
What was it, Oliver?
L- I don't
know. L-
I didn't see anything.
Well, Oliver, I'm glad to see you
awake and talking. That's a good sign.
- How's Kate?
- Still in a coma.
- She may or may not come out of it.
- But there is a chance?
Microscopic. But thanks to your
quick actions, still a chance.
Well, you're a pretty
good nurse, Helga.
There's nothing left for me to do but a
- a little tidying up.
Hmm. Now tell me...
what happened exactly?
I don't know exactly, Jeff.
As I was leaving your house, I-
I saw a glimmer of light on the
pathway leading up to the cliff...
so I went to investigate.
I thought perhaps it might be somebody
setting traps-you know, the Clagpools-
but it was Kate O'Malley.
She left a few minutes
before I did, you remember.
I offered to see her
to the village and...
then suddenly I
- I felt something coming at us from all sides at once.
We heard it.
Kate screamed and dropped the lantern.
Then I-Then it-it-it closed in on
me like- like a blast from a furnace.
Only it wasn't
hot, it- it was-
It was simply horrible.
Kate screamed again and...
then I was fighting it.
Fighting it in-in-in a darkness
that-that went all- all red.
All dark red until a-a-a splash
of fire split it up and put it out.
That must have been when I
- when I pitched on my head.
Then I woke in-in a
light and- and saw Helga.
You poor darling.
Helga, you're next. You're the only
Hammond left besides me. If I die-
Now what a minute, old chap.
Who said anything about dying?
The monster's never satisfied,
Jeff, unless it kills its victim or-
Now steady, Oliver. You
mustn't excite yourself.
You needn't talk as though I
were a scared kid or a lunatic.
I tell you there's
something horrible out there.
Unless we destroy it, it'll
destroy us. Both of us.
Please try to put it out of your
mind now, darling, and get some sleep.
Here, drink this.
Make you feel better.
Poor darling.
It must have been a shock for
you, finding him like that.
It was awful.
I can't help feeling that I'm
somehow to blame about Kate, at least.
She'd been working late and I
should have seen her home, I suppose.
But it's hardly a stone's throw to the
village through the shortcut past your place.
Jeff, there's something beyond all this that
- that frightens me.
What is it? What is this thing
that's been hanging over us for years?
The village folk will insist that
the Hammond monster has returned.
But... you don't believe in
that superstitious rot, do you?
Usually some basis
for this sort of thing.
How badly is Oliver hurt?
His wounds are deep but not serious.
Fortunately, he's got
excellent recuperative powers.
- What about his mind?
- It seems unaffected.
Most anybody might be liable to
forget exactly what happened...
after a blow like that on the head.
Haven't you any idea what sort
of a creature made the wounds?
Oliver and Kate are badly mauled.
But there's no distinctive mark to
indicate exactly what attacked them.
It could have been a
ferocious dog, of course.
Those poachers have a couple
of huge, vicious hounds.
Look here, darling, why don't you forget
about this tonight and try to get some sleep?
I'll run along. I'm sure by tomorrow
the police will find out what it was.
I've done it, Bob. It works.
Really? This must be our lucky day.
These tests turned out well too.
My dear boy, all London knows that
you solved the Kensington murder...
with your scientific tests when
everything else had failed...
but nobody's been able
to do what I've done.
- And what complicated formula, Christy, have you proved?
- Here, taste it.
- Oh, no, thanks.
- Go on. It won't hurt you.
Oh, hello, Inspector.
- Hello.
- I was about to come up and see you.
We collated the final runoff
tests on those bullets.
They were all fired from the same
revolver. Inspector Craig, have a piece.
- What is it?
- Toffee. A new recipe.
Don't tell me that you've been using
our laboratory equipment to make toffee?
- Don't mind if I do.
- Don't touch it.
Mr. Curtis, you may not think much
of female detectives, but really.
It's simply delicious. The
best I've ever made. Your pans-
- You used that pan. - Well, why not?
If making toffee isn't scientific-
But that's the pan that I used for the
hydrophobia culture, and it turned out positive.
Hydrophobia-
Hydro-
Ohh! Ohh!
That'll fix her. Here,
Inspector, help yourself.
No, thank you. She'll
have her stomach pumped.
It serves her right. She's a good
detective, but she gets restless...
unless something's happening
that makes her blood run cold.
You know, her prime passion
is dabbling in the occult.
- Maybe the Hammond case would interest her.
- What's up, Inspector?
Nothing tangible yet, but I'd
appreciate it if you'd look into it.
You might solve something there
with these gadgets of yours...
that's baffled us for a long time.
If those are orders,
Inspector, I'm ready.
Christy and I could do with
a weekend in the country.
I think it'll take
longer than a weekend.
And it might turn out
to be rather dangerous.
Well, if you're thinking
about Christy, don't worry.
- She thrives on goose pimples.
- Don't laugh at me, Bob...
but I sometimes think that
there are some things...
that can't be explained
in the ordinary way.
And I want to warn you. You had best
be prepared to cope with something...
- perhaps supernatural. -
Oh, but, Inspector Craig-
I know what you're going to
say. There's no such thing.
That from the viewpoint of science
all phenomena have a material basis.
I've never yet met a case of ghostly
interference that wouldn't stand investigation.
That's why you're the man for the job.
- Miss Hammond is waiting in your office, sir.
- Coming.
Here, read the report of
the case and then come up.
- I want you and Christy to look the Hammond girl over.
- Right.
And that's all there
was to it, Inspector.
Yes. Yes, of course. You must forgive
me for asking you up to London.
Naturally. But there's nothing more
I can add that you don't already know.
You're sure there's nothing
else you want to tell me?
Ah, may I present Mr. Robert Curtis...
chief of our laboratory staff...
and his assistant, Miss
Cornelia Christopher.
- This is Miss Hammond.
- How do you do?
You don't look like the sort of girl
who'd be mixed up in any trouble like this.
He said precisely the same thing to
Miss Coulter, the Sashway murderess...
- before he sent her to the gallows.
- Christy.
I'm sorry, my dear. I
didn't mean to shock you.
That's just my clumsy way of assuring
you that we'll find the murderer.
- But there's been no murder.
- No murder? Then what am I doing here?
My dear Miss Christopher.
The Hammond case has been
in our files for a long time.
I knew your grandfather well. He
was a brave and gallant soldier.
- I hardly remember him. I was only a
child when he- - Yes. Yes. I know, my dear.
It's always been hard for me to believe
that such a fine man could kill himself.
Unless he had a very good reason.
Miss Hammond, Scotland Yard has no desire
to pry into people's private lives...
but we'd hope that you'd tell
us about the-well, the monster.
A monster? Now we're
getting somewhere.
- There's no such thing.
- But there is a legend.
Yes.
To the effect that centuries ago one of
your ancestors sold his soul to the devil...
and still lives in a secret room in
Hammond Hall issuing forth at intervals...
to make the sacrifice of a human
life in order to prolong his own.
I didn't think you knew the story.
I'm sorry, Miss Hammond,
to have to bring a matter...
which I know must be painful
to you out into the open-
But we've done nothing to merit having our
name dragged through a newspaper scandal.
We'll keep the investigation
strictly undercover.
Then there is to be an investigation.
I'm afraid there's nothing we
can do about it. That's official.
Very well then, I'll
help you all I can.
Oh, that's odd. We were thinking
we were going to help you.
Thank you, but I'm sure I can take care
of myself. When should we expect you?
Oh, but we're moving in with you.
And I warn you, I've got
an appetite like a horse.
What a divinely gloomy old house.
Just the sort of place a
reliable ghost would haunt.
It's one of the oldest
inhabited houses in England.
We're coming to the
shortcut. Shall we stop?
Right. I'd like to have
a preliminary look around.
- Whoa.
- Want to come along, Christy?
No, if you don't mind. It's much too
early in the day to tax my poor brain.
- Be a dear and run me up to the hall, will you?
- Delighted.
Do you think it's wise, Helga, to go
down there? After last night, I mean.
Oh, don't worry. When Bobby
gets on the trail of a ghost...
its haunting days
are practically over.
Toodle-oo. See you at
lunch if not before.
Golly, I'm famished.
I do hope that bloodthirsty
spook hasn't raided the pantry.
Oliver!
Hello, Helga. I say, old girl, don't
look so startled. I'm all right.
I woke before the scheduled time
and even Jeff had to admit...
there was no necessity
for my staying in bed.
Oh, I'm sorry. This is my brother
Oliver. Mr. Curtis from Scotland Yard.
Glad to see you, Mr. Curtis. Oh, it's
a bit late to do anything for poor Kate.
- She's- - No, she's
alive but still in a coma.
Even if we find the answer to this,
it won't help her much, I'm afraid.
- I see the local police are already on the job.
- Yes. They just got here.
Not even the constable would venture
out in these parts until broad daylight.
I tell you it was those Clagpools.
No, no, Warren. We can't
jump to conclusions.
We haven't found any tracks,
neither of them nor their dogs.
Constable, this is Mr. Curtis.
Oh, Mr. Curtis. I've been expecting
you, sir. Well, I got your wire, sir.
- And nothing's been disturbed.
- Interesting case you have here, Constable.
I wouldn't exactly say that
"interesting" is the word, sir.
What about those poachers, Constable?
It could have been them, of course.
We're dealing with something more
serious than a couple of poachers.
- Have you examined the spaniel?
- We have that, sir.
No teeth marks or other clues as to
nature of what attacked him, I suppose?
- No, sir.
- Strange he didn't warn you of the approach of your assailant.
I know it sounds fantastic, but is
there a possibility he didn't see it?
Even a supernatural being would
have to take on material form...
in order to inflict
such serious injuries.
I think perhaps we can find an explanation
for all this without calling in spooks.
- Could you tear a dog that size to pieces, Constable?
- Well, perhaps not.
- Two men could between them.
- Or perhaps a large animal.
I might say yes, but nothing that
size has passed through here lately.
Now anything big enough to do a thing
like this would have to leave tracks.
Not necessarily. How
about a big monkey?
I suppose you've checked up to find
out if one has escaped anywhere?
There's no shows in the vicinity, sir.
- There's a zoo about eight miles from here.
- A monkey. Seems a likely notion.
It's a possibility, of course.
Shall I check up on it, sir?
- Can't do any harm.
- Right, sir.
Who's that fellow in the velveteens?
That's Warren, Kate's fianc.
They were to have been married.
Poor fellow. He's all broken up.
You don't really
believe that ape theory?
No. But it'll give them
something to play around with...
- then they won't have time to worry about me.
- Do you have any theory at all?
It's too early to
form an opinion yet...
but we have to figure on something
with almost superhuman strength...
who tears with grasping
paws and bites ferociously...
whose approach even
a dog can't sense...
who comes and goes, heaven knows
how, without leaving any tracks.
- Find anything?
- Nothing of any importance.
Mr. Curtis and Miss Christopher will
be stopping with us a few days, Walton.
Uh, yes, sir.
Oh, my dear, I do hope
you will forgive me...
but I prevailed upon your
butler to serve luncheon in here.
So much cozier than that
enormous, gloomy dining room.
I'm glad you did. The fire
feels good after that fog.
Miss Christopher, I want you
to meet my brother Oliver.
- How do you do, Miss Christopher?
- Why, you poor, dear boy.
What a ghastly experience that
must have been for you last night.
Oh. Oh, come and sit by me
and tell me all about it.
You know, I'm awfully
rude not waiting for you...
but luncheon comes but once a day, and
I thought it was a pity to spoil it.
I could do with a couple of
those pork sausages myself.
I always make it a practice never to
hunt down ghosts on an empty stomach.
You know, my dear, ghosts
don't like nice, warm rooms.
There doesn't seem any point in tempting that
spook of yours to barge in while we're eating.
Don't tell me you've already
decided it's here in the house?
Well, you can laugh if you want
to, but there's something here.
Something strange.
Very strange.
I can feel it.
I should have warned you.
Miss Christopher suffers from an
overdeveloped "supercalaphegalus. "
- A super-cala-what?
- Feminine instinct.
Good gracious! What was that?
Door slamming, I
imagine. Wind's come up.
I thought I heard someone scream.
It's probably Millie, the new maid.
Her hair's been standing on
end ever since last night.
- Maybe you better go and see, Mrs. Walton.
- Yes, miss.
Millie!
What's the matter with you?
The monster! It's here in the house!
- Are you out of your mind?
- I tell you it's here, in there!
It slammed the door right in my face!
Be quiet, girl. You don't
know what you're saying.
- There's nothing in there.
- Mr. Oliver didn't see nothing last night, either.
I tell you there's something
in there. Even if there ain't-
- Ohh! What was that?
- I don't know.
- What was that?
- Clanking chains. What did I tell you?
Seems to be coming from
the direction of the crypt.
- There's a crypt in the house?
- Yes. Down in the cellar. Sir Magnus is buried there.
Let's have a look around.
Splendid. Maybe we'll catch
the ghost with his shroud down.
Brrr! This place is colder
than a tax collector's heart.
- Everyone seems to be resting in peace.
- By daylight, at least.
Who's the crusader?
Sir Reginald Hammond. He lived in King
Richard's time. Was killed in Palestine.
Is that supposed to be the monster?
I told you there isn't any monster.
If that's a lapdog, I'm a canary bird.
- Do you make anything of it?
- It might be meant for anything on four feet.
People have always bred the
dog into fantastic shapes.
But that's no canine tail. And those round paws
- Hmm. It's rather curious.
- Who's this beautiful specimen of manhood?
- Sir Oliver.
Now why would such a handsome
man want to kill himself?
It's a sort of a junior
Westminster Abby, isn't it?
Yes, Miss Christopher. It's been the
family burying place for 500 years.
Oh, Miss Hammond. You admitted that
there was a legend in the family.
- Why not trot it out so we can all have a look at it?
- I've told you everything I know.
Well, you didn't tell us about
all these ancestors of yours...
who were killed by
this so-called monster.
Or who killed themselves
after meeting it.
- Why do you insist on hiding-
- Now look here, old man-
Is there by any chance a reason why you
don't want this brought out in the open?
Certainly not. I'm
only thinking of Helga.
She's had enough to worry
her since the other night...
- and I see no point in upsetting her unnecessarily.
- It's all right, Jeff.
I'm sorry, Miss Hammond. I
don't mean to distress you-
Exactly what is it you
want to know, Mr. Curtis?
What about this chap who sold his soul to the
devil and is said to live in a secret room?
- That's nonsense. There is a secret
room- - But there's nothing in it.
- How do you know?
- I've been in it.
- Lately?
- I say, Curtis, this isn't a court of law, you know.
The room's been untouched for centuries.
We finally locked it up several years ago.
Mind if I have a look at it?
Not at all. I have the
key right here. Come along.
- Coming, Curtis?
- Right.
They're going to the secret room.
- That Christopher woman suspects something.
- They won't find anything.
- We shall see to it that they don't.
- Shh!
Would you add another
crime to all the others?
There are some things it's
better not to know about.
Oh, I say, Alex. What
are you doing here?
You rascal. You scared us.
Wait a minute.
There's someone here.
Someone besides us.
Walton! What are you doing here?
I beg your pardon, sir. I
didn't mean to startle you.
I was on my way to the cellar
to get some wine for dinner.
I wish you'd stop sneaking
up on people like that.
Can't you cough or sneeze or do something
to let a person know you're about?
Yes, sir. I'm sorry, sir.
It's just an excuse
to keep an eye on me.
- Probably expects me to go out and hang myself at any moment.
- Oliver!
Don't worry, darling. I'm much
too fond of this old earth.
Creepy sort of a chap, that Walton.
He may seem odd to you, but he's
really a very kind, fatherly person.
- Has he been with the family long?
- Ever since I can remember.
He seems to have
something on his mind.
- It's here.
- Uh-oh.
There goes that old
"supercalaphegalus" again.
Be quiet. Don't move.
There's something in the air.
Something out of the ordinary.
- Something very strange.
- Nonsense.
It's no ghost...
or the dog would have noticed.
Your dog didn't notice anything
last night either, did he?
- That's right.
- Hmm. That's odd.
I'd say that it rather neatly
disposes of the supernatural.
- It does, Doctor?
- I'd say so.
Well, that seems to settle it.
"When stars are bright
on a frosty night...
beware thy bane in the rocky lane. "
Ha. Pretty little ditty.
Someone ought to set it to music.
Sounds like a pretty
definite warning to me...
yet you ignored it last night.
To tell you the truth, I
never took it very seriously.
Seems rather like flying
in the face of fate...
- in view of what happened to your ancestors.
- Superstitious rot.
Superstitions are often based on fact.
If you want to know more about it,
there's a family history in the library.
Thanks. I'll have a look at it.
How long did you say it was since
anyone has been in this room?
- Three or four years, at least.
- You're sure?
- I have the only key.
- And you haven't been here recently?
Not since Helga and I came
here about three years ago when-
- When what?
- We decided to lock up the room for good.
- Why?
- For the simple reason we never used it.
I see. And you haven't
been here since?
Frankly, Mr. Curtis, I don't see the
necessity for this cross-examining.
- If Helga and Oliver say- -
Somebody's been in this room...
within the last 24 hours.
Those are pretty hefty
footprints, for a ghost.
- I told you there wasn't a ghost.
- Anybody could have made them.
Why, they could be mine, if
I'd had a key to get in here.
Well, let's see if they fit, huh?
Oh, I say, I am a clumsy ox.
Unfortunate, Doctor,
that you had to pick...
this particular moment in
which to lose your balance.
The last time I lost
mine I had one too many.
Well, I'm terribly sorry, old man.
Why don't you send this
fellow Curtis packing?
One doesn't send a Scotland
Yard man packing, Jeff.
You needn't submit to this sort of
thing, you know, this cross-examination.
We still have laws that
protect a person's privacy.
- You don't like him, do you?
- I'm afraid I don't.
Look, Jeff, you deliberately smeared
those footprints. Why did you do that?
Don't you realize they might have been
anybody's? Mine. Walton's. Oliver's.
Why should we let this detective
involve innocent people...
in an investigation that's
entirely uncalled for?
Mr. Curtis is trying to help
us, and if we can help him-
Oh, Miss Hammond.
I'll run upstairs. I
want to look in on Kate.
He's pretty fond of you, isn't he?
Dr. Colbert is one of my best friends.
That undoubtedly accounts
for his aversion to me.
Do you always analyze
everything, Mr. Curtis?
Miss Hammond, if your brother
were killed last night...
you'd have become sole heir
to the estate, wouldn't you?
- Why, I suppose so. Why?
- Then someone who knew this legend of the monster...
might have used it to
get rid of your brother.
- I don't follow you. - With
Oliver out of the way, your husband-
if you had one
- would control the estate.
You mean Jeff? That's absurd.
Perhaps. But why should
a man of his ability...
bury himself way up here
in this little village...
instead of practicing in
London, where he belongs?
Maybe you better ask him that.
- Oh, Doctor.
- Hmm?
I wanted to get that book Mr. Hammond
mentioned. Do you know where it is?
Why, yes. In this bookcase, I believe.
Hmm. That's curious.
Used to be right here.
I've seen it often.
Looks like somebody else is interested
in the history of the Hammond family, eh?
I may have been mistaken.
I thought it was there.
Perhaps you better look around.
Or perhaps that's just one more
thing I'm not supposed to know about.
I remember now.
You practiced in London
a couple of years ago.
Specialized in nervous diseases.
Yes, that's it. You're
a brain specialist.
I've had some little
success in that line, yes.
Why did you leave London?
Now, look here. I
resent your attitude.
My affairs happen to
be my own business.
And I'll thank you
to bear that in mind.
Sorry, Doctor, but whether
you believe it or not...
I'm trying to help Miss
Hammond and her brother...
and I have a feeling
they'll need help.
The best way you can help
them is to go back to London.
Dr. Colbert, I'll
make a deal with you.
You tell me frankly what
you know about all this...
and I'll drop out.
I'm sorry. I can't do that.
Have you any objection to telling
me where you were last night?
- I was in my laboratory.
- I see.
I talked with Helga on the
telephone not two minutes before.
- That's true, Mr. Curtis.
- Are you positive it was only two minutes?
Things happened pretty thick and
fast about that time, you know.
You could have miscalculated.
Walton was right in the room
with me. He'll verify it.
- I expect he would.
- Dr. Colbert.! Dr. Colbert, come quick.!
It's Miss Kate.
The girl's dying?
I'm afraid so, sir.
Mr. Curtis, there's one thing
I feel you ought to know.
Yes?
The other night, Mr.
Oliver and Miss Kate...
were mauled and scratched,
as if by some wild beast.
- That wasn't everything.
- Go on.
You know that Miss Kate
hasn't come out of it...
but she isn't just unconscious.
It's as if she was-
Well, paralyzed...
or drugged.
Dr. Colbert tell you this?
No. I could tell by the look of her.
I know about such things.
But if you don't mind, sir, I'd
rather you didn't tell anyone.
I won't unless I have to, Mrs. Walton.
And thanks.
From all I can gather
about this wretched spook...
you're not going to
find it under that glass.
I'm not sure this wretched spook, as you
call it, was responsible for what happened.
Neither am I. What about that doctor?
He smeared up those footprints
deliberately, didn't he?
Don't tell me you had to rely on your
feminine instinct to arrive at that conclusion.
Mmm. He knows more about
all this than he's telling.
- That's the trouble. They all do.
- The girl too?
- All of them.
- Oh, dear. And here I thought you were...
casting sheep's eyes at a pretty girl.
Well, that doesn't prevent me from
knowing she's hiding something.
- Whatever can it be?
- I've got an idea, but I need proof.
Would this interest you?
I don't know. Looks
like a tuft of hair.
- The dog's?
- I don't think so. It's too coarse.
But what do you make of this?
It looks like a scrap
torn from a muffler.
- That's what I made of it.
- Whose, do you suppose?
That, my pet, is for you to find out.
Do you mean that I've got to steal
every woolen scarf in the neighborhood?
And without anyone catching you at it.
A fine detective you're making
me, turning me into a thief.
Good work, Walton.
- I wasn't aware- - That
you were being watched?
You did a very thorough job, Walton.
You needn't look so guilty, you know.
- You'd make a very poor accomplice.
- Accomplice?
Come now, out with it.
What were you burning?
Waste paper. We always burn it.
In this room? Uh-uh. That won't do.
You went out of your way to burn
something that you wanted to get rid of.
You chose this room because you
thought you wouldn't be seen.
- Yes.
- It wasn't waste paper at all, was it, Walton?
- No, sir.
- It was something you didn't want me to find...
because you thought it
might incriminate you.
That's not true, sir. It was-
I'm sorry, sir, but I can't say.
You realize this puts you
in a very serious position.
Walton...
I'm sure that you've given long
years of service to the Hammonds.
I know that you'd do anything
in the world to help them.
Why won't you let me help them?
Mr. Curtis, leave Hammond Hall.
Go back to London
before it's too late.
Too late? What are
you keeping from me?
There are some things that
are beyond the understanding...
of us who live on this Earth.
You're not safe here. Miss
Christopher's in danger too.
- Won't you go back?
- I'm sorry, Walton, but we've a job to do here...
and I mean to see it through.
Very good, sir. No one
can say I didn't warn you.
Strudwick! Don't tell me
you're doubling for the monster.
I don't know anything
about the monster.
You surely didn't come
here to say your prayers.
I don't see as it's
any of your business.
You and Walton happen to be the
only two members of the household...
besides Miss Hammond who were up
and about when the attack occurred.
Mr. Curtis, I don't know anything
about the monster. I swear I don't.
You better tell me what
you're up to, Strudwick.
Oh, so that's what those
ghost chains are all about.
It ain't got nothin'to
do with the monster.
But it does have something to do with
your being in the forest last night.
- Is she- -
Yes. She's gone.
Her body will have to remain here...
till the police complete
their investigation.
We'd better tell the others.
Helga, what is it?
Kate's dead.
I did everything I could for her.
She never regained consciousness.
We'll have to make a report to the
constable, Helga. There'll be an inquest.
Poor kid. Why did it
have to happen to her?
I tried to save her from it.
I battled with all my strength.
Should have put up a better fight.
You mustn't blame yourself, Oliver.
I have the most awful premonition.
I'm sure it will strike again.
Let me advise the witnesses
that they are under oath...
and it is their duty to
give the coroner's jury...
all facts pertaining to this case.
Gentlemen of the jury, your
verdict as to the cause...
of the death of the
deceased, Kate O'Malley...
is to decide the future course
of action in this case...
by His Majesty's government.
Yourjudgment will be guided by
the testimony of the witnesses.
And I wish to impress
upon all witnesses...
that perjury in connection with
an official coroner's inquest...
is punishable to the
full extent of the law.
In the event of the jury
rendering a verdict of murder...
any witness withholding
vital information...
or giving false testimony...
will be regarded as an
accessory to the crime.
Now, will you take the stand, please?
- Your name?
- Charlie Clagpool.
The constable's report states
that you and your brother Tom...
were unlawfully setting traps...
when the fight in which you
received a broken arm occurred.
We was in the woods all right...
but we didn't kill Kate O'Malley.
We was nowhere near
her and Mr. Hammond.
You've not been accused of that.
Is it true that on several previous
occasions you had words with Mr. Hammond?
That's right.
What about it?
That will be all.
Mr. Strudwick, take the stand.
Yes, sir.
Did you see the Clagpools
on the night of the crime?
- I suppose I did.
- Can't you be sure whether you did or not?
Yes, I'm sure.
What were you doing in
the woods at that time?
I was settin' traps.
Strudwick!
Oh, that's impossible.
I'm sorry, sir.
I needed the money, I did.
Why didn't you tell us?
I couldn't. I'd been gambling.
I had to cover me losses somehow.
I hid the chains in the chapel.
Oh, dear. There go my
lovely ghost chains.
As the attending physician then, you would say
the cause of death was due to precisely what?
Concussion of the brain
and severe hemorrhage.
May I ask the witness a question?
Of course, if the
witness has no objection.
None at all.
Dr. Colbert, were there any
contributing circumstances...
other than those you just mentioned?
I don't know exactly what you mean.
The deceased was in a comatose condition
all the time prior to her death?
Yes. She never regained consciousness.
Could this have been caused by anything
else besides a blow on the head?
From a medical viewpoint that's
possible, but hardly probable.
- My examination- - I'm not
questioning the competence...
of your examination, Doctor.
I want to know if Kate
O'Malley had been drugged.
Definitely not.
Thank you, Doctor. That's
all I wanted to know.
Have you reached a verdict, gentlemen?
Yes, sir. It is the opinion
of this coroner's jury...
"that Kate O'Malley
died of injuries...
"sustained during an attack...
"by a person or persons unknown...
or by a large, savage
animal, species unknown. "
There you are, Bob.
That's the verdict that's always
been given in these Hammond cases.
- What do you think?
- I think I'll be able to prove it's murder.
- Curtis, we can't touch the body.
- What body?
- Kate O'Malley's.
- Those villagers are a superstitious lot.
They're convinced that there's something
supernatural about it, and they won't budge.
But I've got to get a blood specimen.
Kate O'Malley's parents have a legal right
to refuse permission for an autopsy...
- but perhaps Dr. Colbert-
- No, no, not a chance.
He ascribed death
to normal conditions.
Well, maybe it was
a blind alley anyway.
However, here's something
that will interest you.
- Will you draw those blinds?
- Yes.
We traced down a bit of cloth from a missing scarf
- Oliver Hammond's.
- I have a hunch that Walton destroyed it.
- Walton? Why?
That's what we're going to find out.
- What did I do with that cloth?
- Here it is.
Oh, yes.
First, we take a sample of the thread.
Then we incinerate it, thus.
Place it in this tube.
Withdraw the air because the
nitrogen and oxygen in air...
interferes with the desired
light bands of the spectrum.
Now we'll find out...
if this came from the same
muffler that Walton destroyed.
- But if Walton destroyed- - Science
doesn't recognize total destruction.
You can change the form of matter,
but you can't actually destroy it.
- You see those thick groupings
of lines at the left end? - Mm-hmm.
That indicates that
the wool was dyed...
with one of the coal tar
dyes of the paramino complex.
- Do you mean it's an unusual sort of dye?
- Precisely.
The phenylene dye is
unstable and hard to handle.
That's why its use
is generally avoided.
Actually, it's toxic. Poisonous.
- Is that why you asked if that girl had been drugged?
- On the contrary.
I'm positive this has no relationship
with Kate O'Malley's condition.
I'm only trying to prove that this bit
of cloth was torn from Oliver's muffler.
This contains a sample of a
substance that Walton burned.
They're identical.
Then it was Oliver's
muffler that Walton burned.
- Yes.
- I've seen that look of yours before, young man.
I'm willing to wager that
you've about got your man.
- I'm not convinced it is a man.
- A woman?
Animal, vegetable or mineral?
It could have been a wolf.
Now, listen.
There have been no wolves running
wild in England since the Middle Ages.
That's what stops me, but
what do you make of this?
I found this during my first
investigation at the scene of the crime.
Obviously the hair of a
large animal. A dog, perhaps.
All right. Get the spectrum slide of wolf's
hair out of my case while I mount this.
That shows the spectrum
analysis of wolf's hair.
- And here's the one I found.
- It's incredible.
Well, Inspector, that
blows up your spook theory.
What's happened?
I don't know. It was sealed
in this tube and vacuum.
- It just couldn't vanish in vacuum.
- Where's the rest of it?
- That's gone too.
- It was here a moment ago.
It seemed to disappear
when the light struck it.
Perhaps there are still
some things in this world...
that science hasn't found out about.
Everyone gone to bed, Walton?
Oh, yes, sir. Some time ago.
- Mr. Curtis come back from London yet?
- Not yet, sir.
Miss Christopher said he
would arrive on the late train.
Oh.
It's another bitter-cold night, sir.
Yes.
You're not going out, sir?
- Why not?
- There is frost on the ground.
Nonsense, Walton. I'm only going
down to see if the gate's locked.
- Oh, but, sir- -
Stop worrying, Walton.
I shan't go near the rocks. I've no
wish to precipitate another tragedy.
Don't move!
Oh, hello, Doctor. Come on in.
What the devil are you up to?
Forgive me, old man, for breaking in
this way. I had to make a blood test.
There wasn't time to run down
to my lab at Scotland Yard...
so I took the liberty of
availing myself of yours.
- I could have shot you.
- You could have, but you wouldn't.
You're pretty sure of
yourself, aren't you, Curtis?
Sure enough of myself to
know the blood in this tube...
contains cobra venom extract.
Really? That's interesting.
Whose blood is it?
- Kate O'Malley's.
- What are you driving at?
Quite a coincidence that
this tube of yours...
should also contain cobra venom.
- And what can that prove?
- One of two things.
Either you injected the cobra
venom into Kate O'Malley's veins...
or you deliberately
withheld the information...
that venom was in the system
at the coroner's inquest.
There was no reason for mentioning it.
Had no bearing on the case.
She didn't die from the venom.
- But you did inject it into her veins.
- No.
It could have gotten there through
the scratches of whatever clawed her.
- Possible.
- It's not only possible, but that's what happened.
And you know what the monster is.
- Yes.
- You've known all along.
- Well, aren't you going to tell me?
- I can't. It's not my secret.
Good heavens, man. There's been one
murder. There's liable to be others.
Came from the direction
of Hammond Hall.
It's here. It's in the house.
In Miss Helga's room.
- Where is it?
- There!
- Christy!
- Oh, Bob.
For a moment I thought
you were the monster.
Quick. I saw it. It's got Helga.
- What?
- Yes.
Mr. Curtis sent for us.
He slipped past you.
You must have missed him.
- Dr. Colbert!
- Come on.
I'm afraid you're too late, Doctor.
God rest his soul.
Amen.
From a medical point of
view, it was a rare case.
You had hoped to cure
him, wasn't that it?
I'd been working on the theory
that the shock of the cobra venom...
would eventually straighten out
the dreadful kink in his brain.
- Which he had inherited from his ancestors.
- Precisely.
Didn't he suspect that he
was a victim of lycanthropy?
No, no. In cases like this,
the patient must never know.
He thought he had a
nervous affliction.
In the Middle Ages they called
such men werewolves, didn't they?
- Now, Christy.
- No, no. She's quite right.
You could put that in the report.
It was a form of mania that
caused its victim to imagine-
consciously or subconsciously
- that he was a werewolf.
That book telling the history
of the family had a hint in it.
Oh, so you were the one who stole it.
Yes. Yes, I'd hoped to
keep you from finding out.
That their ancestors were balmy?
Well, let us say, rather,
that their ancestors...
handed it down from father
to son throughout the ages.
It appeared only in
the men of the family...
and only when the victim
was out on a frosty night.
They guarded the
secret very carefully.
- But the butler knew about it.
- We know that now.
That's why he burned Oliver's scarf.
It had been torn to shreds by his dog.
He was afraid we'd learn the truth,
knowing that a faithful dog...
- never attacks its own master.
- Hmm.
You know, Doctor, there were times when
we were about to put the handcuffs on you.
Yes. Yes, I had to take that risk.
I'll be running along
now to see how Helga is.
- You have all the information you need?
- Thank you, Doctor.
- My report is complete.
- Good-bye. - Good-bye.
- Good-bye.
- Good-bye.
- Quite a fellow.
- Oh, my goodness!
- Now what?
- I just happened to think.
I was sleeping in the next room the
night that wolf-man grabbed his sister.
What if he'd grabbed me?
Don't worry, Christy.
Wolves will never bother you.