Poltergeist: The Legacy (1996) s01e17 Episode Script

[church bells ringing]
10:02 p.m. Original specimen
remains unchanged and intact.
A small fissure has developed
along the radial axis
of the replicant environment.
Unclear whether source
is cell division
or molecular deterioration.
Applying biotherm catalyst
to increase heat
at the cellular level.
[bells ringing in distance]
[growling]
[growling, moaning]
Oh, my God.
Hey, Dawson.
[church bells ringing]
What about
those bells?
You got me, Mr. Sloan.
They only ring on Sunday,
but not like this.
I don't know what's going on.
But, hey,
I won the football pool.
How long has Dr. Cornell
been back?
Oh, he's been here all day.
Never left.
I can get you in the next pool,
but you gotta know the spread.
That's why I'm good.
I knew Nebraska--
-[screaming]
-[glass breaking]
Call 911.
Dr. Cornell!
[glass breaking]
Stanley!
[beeping]
[door disengages]
Stanley?
[electricity crackling]
[panting]
[glass tinkles]
[ghastly screaming]
[metal clanging]
[gasps]
[screams]
Dawson?
[growling]
[scared breathing]
-[growl]
-[scream]
Oh, my God.
Oh, my God, no.
[howling]
[narrator]
Since the beginning of time,
mankind has existed between
the world of light and
the world of darkness.
Our secret society
has been here forever,
protecting others
from the creatures
who inhabit the shadows
and the night.
Known only to the initiated
by our true name.
The Legacy.
[theme music playing]
[squishing]
[woman]
Thanks for coming
so quickly, Nick.
No problem, Frances.
We go way back.
I love hanging out with you
and your dead friends.
What's going on?
This guy died in
a lab explosion at 10:06.
When I saw
what I had,
I knew I had to work through
the night on this one.
So, what's bothering you
about it?
In medical terms,
what happened to Dr. Cornell's
body can't happen.
I thought you said he died
of electrocution.
Well, officially,
death can be attributed
to cardial pulmonary arrest
from electrical shock.
But obviously, you think
something else happened.
Some kind of energy,
in addition to electricity,
must have surged
through his body.
His heart virtually
exploded in his chest.
The aorta's ruptured
in three places.
The liver, the kidneys and
the spleen were
split wide open.
The retinas hemorrhaged
and his hair
turned stark white.
Wow.
So have you ever seen a body
in this condition before?
No. Not even close.
That's not the half of it.
Look, I know you
look into things
that go beyond
what we know about.
This is beyond
what we know about.
What the hell is it?
It was on Cornell's body
when they brought him in.
Smells like sulfur.
Very good.
But this is organic.
It's a little like
amniotic fluid.
I've never seen anything
like it before.
So, what do you think
happened to him?
I don't know.
But whatever it was
it literally
scared him to death.
Hey, Derek. Did you hear
those bells last night?
It was the weirdest thing.
And this morning,
on the way in,
the prophets of doom
are all over talk radio.
-Anything to it?
-We're checking it out.
I'm going to the university
chapel to see Father Merrin.
Alex will
fill you in.
Okay.
So, Alex,
what about these bells?
Derek thinks
they sounded for a reason.
Huh. Probably some
fraternity's practical joke.
Mm, I don't think so.
Why?
The bells all over the city
were ringing by themselves.
Supposedly, it's a warning.
A warning
of what?
That, we have no idea.
There are no parallel incidents
in any other Legacy Houses.
Just San Francisco.
So we charted
the locations of the bells,
and they form
a pattern.
Now, at the center
of the pattern
is the university chapel.
That's why Derek
went there.
Well, there was
a bizarre death last night
in the university
bioengineering lab.
Dr. Stanley Cornell,
a renowned geneticist,
was literally torn apart
from the inside out
by some sort of form
of force or energy.
-Wow.
-What time did
the bells start ringing?
10:06 p.m.
Well, we'd better get
our act together.
[Derek] Excuse me
for disturbing you, Sister,
but I've just come from
the university chapel.
Father Merrin told me you're
here because of the bells?
Yes.
They were ringing
in celebration.
Did you hear them last night?
Oh, yes.
That's why I'm here.
A Coptic cross.
Your order
is from Egypt?
Yes.
The Holy Order of Anchorites.
This is the miracle
that our sisters have waited
patiently for almost
2000 years.
What exactly is this miracle?
That he is alive.
A saint is reborn.
[piano playing]
Most unusual display
of bells last night.
A warning, perhaps,
of an arrival.
Have we made some progress
with our experiment?
I don't know.
Dr. Cornell is dead.
-He was killed in
an explosion at the lab.
-[sighs]
What kind of explosion?
Something happened
to the environmental chamber.
He was torn apart.
I don't understand it.
We were months away
from anything above
the cellular level.
-There must have been--
-You saw something.
I'm not sure.
Yes
You are.
It's etched in your soul.
The presence of evil.
What we're dealing with here
is far beyond anything
we ever expected.
That's because
your vision is limited.
Where is it now?
It could be anywhere.
It may not have
survived the night.
Oh, it survived.
It doesn't suffer
the frailties of man.
It's much too resilient.
I don't think we should get
involved with this thing--
I'm not asking you to think.
I'm telling you what to do.
Either find it,
or start over
and duplicate the process.
[church bells ringing]
[students talking
indistinctly]
[bells continue ringing]
This is
a biohazard lab,
so it's isolated
at the end of this corridor.
You've got
some clout,
because the chancellor's office
told me to give you free rein.
[Derek]
We've performed some
services for the university
over the past
couple of years.
It's terrible
what happened last night.
Dr. Cornell was working
himself night and day.
That's when you make mistakes.
That will close and lock
automatically behind you.
Thanks.
[growling, hissing]
This chamber has gauges
for atmospheric content
and thermal readout.
Cornell was an expert
in cell replication
and gene splicing.
Looks like
an incubation chamber.
So, what do you think
he was trying to do,
grow the ten-pound tomato?
Is this
the same substance
that Frances found
on Cornell's body?
Sure smells like it.
[Nick] Huh.
[Derek]
What is it?
Kind of looks like
a piece of tooth.
Seems organic.
Gentlemen.
My name is
Warren Sloan.
Dawson tells me
that the chancellor himself
has given you access
to this lab.
There are extremely sensitive
biological experiments
being conducted here,
and for your own safety,
I must insist that you leave.
I'm Derek Rayne.
This is Nick Boyle.
We are with
the Luna Foundation.
We've worked closely with
the university in the past,
and we thought
we might be of assistance.
What were you and Dr. Cornell
working on?
Genetic research.
Do you have any idea
what caused the explosion?
I don't know.
Dr. Cornell altered
his experiment,
and never got the chance
to record his notes
concerning the procedure
before
I'm going to continue
with his work
and try not to
make the same mistake.
Now, if you gentlemen will
excuse me, please.
Ah, yes, of course.
We have work to do, too.
[growling]
[sighs]
[loud banging]
[ghastly screaming]
[banging, thumping]
[glass breaking]
[loud rummaging]
[door closes]
[growling]
[glass breaking]
All right, who's in here?
[growling]
[moaning]
[gasping, choking]
[squeaking]
[glass breaking,
screaming]
Are those Dr. Cornell's files?
Yeah, his financial records,
research grants,
a list of library books
he took out.
The chancellor even released
his lab reports to us.
There's nothing here
that might tell us why
church bells would clang
at the moment of his death.
In fact, this guy looks
more like a hustler
than a geneticist.
If you're wondering what
bioengineering pays these days,
you should have a look
at his financial records.
The guy's got major accounts
at Chase Manhattan,
Morgan Guaranty
and six other foreign
institutions.
Accumulated over what
period of time?
It seems to have started
in the last two years,
just prior to
an extended trip to Egypt.
Egypt?
The nun from the chapel
was from Egypt.
Have either of you
ever heard of
the Holy Order
of the Anchorites?
No.
Uh, Anchorites
are hermits?
Yes.
[Nick]
You said that
she thought
some saint was
going to be reborn.
St. Anthony?
Yes. Patron saint
of lost causes.
She could be some kind
of a nutcase.
Within every fool
lies a seed of truth.
What does that have to do
with Dr. Cornell?
Well, his lab report deals
mainly with DNA mapping,
but obviously he was trying
to grow something.
And perhaps he succeeded.
Do you see the beauty in this?
The power.
What are you doing here?
Did not the wise men
come to Bethlehem?
Look, Mr. Arkadi,
I'm being told that
the security guard
from last night
just walked off the job.
He didn't show for his
shift change this morning,
and nobody's seen him
since yesterday afternoon.
I think someone
or something
has seen him.
And I think it's hunting
growing.
It could be
right behind this wall.
I find that so comforting.
And since we have both
the technology
and the specimen,
we can create something
quite extraordinary.
No one can stop us.
The specimen is missing.
It was either destroyed
in the explosion,
or it was taken.
Taken?
What do you mean, taken?
Two men
from the Luna Foundation
were already here
when I arrived.
It's possible they took it.
The Luna Foundation.
I should have
seen this coming.
They've got the specimen.
But what good
could it do them?
They wouldn't even know
what they've got.
[laughing]
You have no idea, my friend.
Which is why you're gonna
have to get it back again.
Me?
Or you can go hunting alone.
Your sojourn
in the desert is over.
Your victory over the beast
is complete.
Rejoice now in eternal life
with these, the fruits of
the earth and of the waters.
[low growling]
I know that you are near.
I feel that you have drawn me
to this place.
[low snarling]
If it is you,
the world is waiting.
Then why do you not
show yourself?
[growling]
What have you seen?
The flights of birds,
the howling of dogs.
Something in the wind.
Signs that he has come.
Then you believe
he's truly born again.
Oh, yes.
Yes. Our holy order
has protected the bones
of our beloved Saint Anthony
for centuries.
And now all
is beginning to pass.
Excellent.
I want you to go now.
Maintain your vigil
and come to me again
when you know more.
Truly.
Until he walks among us.
Maybe sooner than you think.
I've asked for a review
on the data.
They said
they'd call me back.
I think he went back to
Dr. Cornell's lab with Nick.
Nothing about it
makes any sense.
From the cell composition
to the carbon dating.
How you doing?
Actually, all this
makes sense, except for this.
It's a fragment of an account
of the life of St. Anthony.
It seems to be an original.
A sort of eyewitness account.
What, was Cornell
a collector?
Well, not by the look
of everything else.
The man was strictly
scientific.
That's why it's so strange.
It just doesn't fit.
St. Anthony.
Good St. Anthony, look around,
Something's lost
And can't be found.
Right?
When you were little,
you lost something,
you were supposed
to say that prayer,
and he'd help you find it.
Well, it's not St. Anthony
who lived in the 12th century.
It's St. Anthony the Anchorite
from the 4th century.
The Coptic nun
at the chapel
Was talking about this saint,
who, according to this,
lived in Egypt in an abandoned
fortress along the Nile.
He was reputed to have wrestled
with demons in the desert.
That's how he proved his faith.
What was our geneticist
trying to do?
Clone St. Anthony?
That's
That's ridiculous.
Where did you
get that?
I watched the guard when
he punched in the code.
So, what are we looking for?
I'm not sure.
But whatever it is
we're dealing with
was strong enough
to break out of this.
Well, since nobody saw
the thing leave the lab,
the question is,
how did it get out?
It was probably coated
with this sulfuric gel.
Yeah, well, the same
stuff's over here.
The shaft carries on
for about 10 feet,
crosses a T,
and goes north and south.
We'd better go check it out.
Yeah.
I'm assuming
the ventilation shafts
are connected
between the labs.
[tries doorknob]
It should run
somewhere along here.
Oh. Broke out of
the system there.
So it has managed to leave
the ventilator shaft.
Great news.
Derek?
What?
Looks like our creature managed
to tear itself a new doorway.
Is it sulfur?
No, it's blood.
And a shoe.
Must have dragged
somebody off.
Which means it's loose
somewhere in the building.
Yeah.
[gun cocking]
Well, against this,
it may not be much use.
Yeah, well,
I'll take my chances.
It carries on for about 15 feet
and drops into a shaft.
What is it?
Whoever it grabbed back there,
it ain't letting go.
I don't think we're gonna
find too much of this guy.
[ghastly scream]
It went this way!
Come on.
What the hell
moves like that?
I don't know.
Why did it stop?
Oh, my God.
[Derek]
It's a body.
The security guard.
Nick, this is
its nest.
Maybe it has drawn us here.
You think
the creature's that smart?
Yes.
All right, it's hunting.
This isn't a good place
to be hanging around.
Let's move out.
[growling]
[roaring]
[Sister Jehanne]
Forgive me, Mr. Arkadi
I do not wish
to cause you any trouble.
But my dreams
are troubled.
I have had visions.
But, dear Sister,
you have always had visions
of our revered St. Anthony.
I do not see the saint
in my dreams.
I see
a creature.
A demon
newly born
whose soul is as black
as the pit it came from.
Where exactly do you
see this creature?
Is it hiding?
Is it close
at hand?
I cannot say.
But I can say
that I see it quickly growing,
gathering strength.
And I fear that something
terrible is happening.
Perhaps I should
never have
let you take
the fragment of bone.
No, I distinctly
remember.
The fragment that
Dr. Cornell took
for our experiment
was the best.
Exactly what we needed.
But my dreams
Perhaps they were just
messages from hell.
Designed to keep us from
achieving our great aim.
Vigilance is everything.
We must pray
together.
We must show God
the purity in our hearts.
The more it can see
into our souls
If you have
nothing to harbor
of evil
in your heart,
you have nothing
to fear.
[sighs]
This creature is smart,
and it's deadly.
It was too dangerous
to remove
the remains that we found.
So to stop it,
we have to go back there.
I've asked the university
to keep everyone
out of the building
and turn off
the heating systems.
The cooler it is inside,
the slower the creature
may move.
You think it's cold-blooded?
Unfortunately,
it's not that simple.
Well, I hate to rain
on everyone's parade,
but they've just verified
the analysis
of the shard of bone
that Nick found in the lab.
Only, it isn't bone.
Then, what is it?
It is a piece broken off
of some sort of horn.
So, what are
we dealing with?
Well, if it's part of a horn,
it could be from the demons
St. Anthony was wrestling with
in the desert.
So, whatever it is that escaped
from Cornell's lab
could be from hell itself.
[Sloan]
You've got to do something
about Sister Jehanne.
I can't stand seeing her
sitting out on that bench,
praying.
She can sense things.
And she confides in me.
Great.
Maybe she can confide in you
where the hell this
This thing that we've
created is hiding.
Where the hell, indeed.
Are you sorry you took on
the project, Mr. Sloan?
Because you weren't sorry
when you came to Egypt
to collect the specimen.
And you weren't sorry
when you cashed my check.
And you weren't sorry
when Dr. Cornell died,
leaving you the project
and its funding.
Of course I was sorry
about Stanley's death.
We worked together
for five years, side by side.
He would have wanted me to have
that money, and to continue.
Here.
Then earn it.
[metal clangs]
[grunting]
[thunder rumbling]
[electricity humming]
[Derek]
Good evening, Mr. Sloan.
To what do we
owe the pleasure?
You shouldn't be
so surprised.
You're in possession
of stolen property.
[Gun cocking]
I've simply come
to get it back.
[Alex]
The horn.
So you know that much.
More than you think.
Plans to the house.
So how is Mr. Arkadi,
anyway?
You know who
sent him?
I suspected it.
Mr. Arkadi and I have
crossed paths before.
Who is he?
[Derek]
His family has been obsessed
with occult artifacts
for generations.
Unfortunately for them,
they have often
come up against
The Legacy in the process.
There is also strong suspicion
that Mr. Arkadi was involved
with the murders that
brought down the Cairo House.
So
what are you
gonna do with me?
Call the police?
It's not what we do with you,
Mr. Sloan.
It's what you can do for us.
[static crackles]
It's me.
[door opening,
closing]
What happened
to you?
He tripped.
Huh.
Very
disappointing.
Nick
meet Victor Arkadi.
I've heard you were
in Istanbul,
selling occult artifacts
on the black market.
That's right.
I needed a vacation
from Egypt.
You mean, after destroying
the Cairo House.
To be frank,
it was much too easy.
I take it Mr. Sloan
was unsuccessful.
I did exactly what you t
Was I speaking to you?
You know,
through the centuries,
men have tried to conjure
Satan's minions
by drawing pentagrams
in the dirt,
and hurling incantations.
But he sends
his demons to us
only when it suits him.
Perhaps to
torture a saint.
And now,
with genetic engineering,
I've brought forth something
that is not of blood
or flesh or bone.
And it's mine to control.
Then consider
this fair warning.
Whatever this creature is,
we will find it
and destroy it
before it kills again.
Let's go.
[door opens]
[door closes]
Now, listen, Mr. Arkadi,
those blueprints were wrong.
They knew I was there.
Without the fragment
to clone another,
we have to find
the beast ourselves.
Even if we could,
how could we control it?
[groans]
Sister Jehanne.
Dear Lord,
give me the strength
to become the instrument
of your will.
[distant growling]
I hear you calling,
my saint.
I am coming to serve you.
[growling]
Great
and marvelous are thy works,
Lord God Almighty.
True and just are thy ways.
King of saints.
[brakes squeal]
[dog barking in distance]
She's gone.
I thought we were here
for the beast.
We are.
But we're not dealing with
anything from this earth.
Our only chance to kill it
is if we can get something
that's been consecrated.
The bones of St. Anthony.
Exactly.
Sister Jehanne carries them
in an amulet around her neck.
They represent the holy spirit
of Saint Anthony himself,
and must penetrate
the beast to kill it.
[roaring]
[screaming]
She's gone to
confront the demon.
Well, we'd better find her
before it does.
Who shall not fear thee,
O Lord,
and glorify thy name?
Oh, praise in the highest.
Sister Jehanne
should be here.
Where did she go?
In search of the beast.
You said it may have gotten
into the basement?
What's the quickest way
down there?
This way.
For thou only art holy,
O Lord.
And all nations shall
come to worship before thee.
[growling]
[screaming]
It's her.
Let's hustle.
Let's get the hell
out of here.
Where's your faith?
Either face the demon
with me now
or deal with me later.
Please, Mr. Arkadi,
listen. I'm--
Bothered?
Why don't you go
that way alone.
Oh, God.
Why didn't she stay
out of it?
The amulet is missing.
Arkadi.
He wants to control
the demon with it.
It's around here
somewhere.
But this is crazy.
We're not ready to control it.
Be quiet!
[growling]
[Arkadi]
We're in my lab now.
But this is not a controlled
environment. This is
[unearthly scream]
No!
No!
[screaming]
By the remains
of the saints who slew you
-[screaming]
-[growling]
Bow before me.
[roaring]
I say leave him be
and obey my command.
[screeching]
[crashing]
What?
[pounding]
[distant roaring]
[growling]
[screaming]
[gunshot]
In the name of St. Anthony,
I defy you,
by all that's holy!
[roaring]
[squealing]
[gurgling]
And still,
you cannot defeat him.
That actually worked.
[thunder crashing]
[theme music playing]