The Werewolf (1956) - full transcript

The word ''lycanthropy'' is defined as
a human being having the power

of becoming a wolf, or of having the power
of turning another human into a wolf.

Some say lycanthropy stems from
nothing but myth and superstition.

Yet the belief that a human
can turn into a wolf

has persisted since the Dark Ages
to this very day.

It is a universal belief.

The ancient Romans and Greeks
wrote of the phenomenon.

There are tales of such happenings
in Borneo, Turkey, South America.

Everywhere.

The American Navajo Indians
and other tribes tell stories about wolf-men.

The legends have persisted from
the beginnings of man's memory of time.



Why?

Why haven't these tales died?

The tales that say wolf-men roam the earth.

Nothing smaller?

Hey, mister.

Your change.

You a stranger in Mountaincrest?

You don't know me?

l've never seen you before in my life.

l guess l'm just passing through.

You guess?

l'll be right back.

Yeah, you'd better make sure.
You didn't pay for your drinks yet.

-Hey, bud.
-Yes?



You left Chad's sudden-like.

Could you tell me, do l live in this town?

You didn't get that crocked
on just one drink.

How's about you coming back
and buying me a couple?

No, l think there is something l must do.

l'm broke, friend.
You got almost twenty bucks. l saw it.

How about just handing it over?

Why? Why should l?

l'm in a hurry. l don't like talk.

So now we don't have any more talk, huh?

Just give me the money.

Ma Everett!
What in blue blazes you yelling like that?

-lt came out of the alley!
-lt? What do you mean, it?

Two men were fighting.
They were in the alley.

Only that thing came out.

Let's take a look.

Well, you're the deputy sheriff, you go first.

You girls wait here.

Hoxie!

His throat.

Hoxie...

Only an animal could do that
to a man's throat.

Hank, go get Doc Jonas!

Now, who was it, Ma?
Who went in the alley with Joe?

l don't know. l never saw him before.

Hoxie, you got any guns at your place?

-l got a couple of deer guns.
-Well, go get them.

-Min, you tell Jack Haines.
-But, honey, l'm scared.

Yeah, l know. But l want the sheriff to know.

l'll go with you. Come on.
l'll drop you off on the way, Ma.

Hey, look at them tracks.

Yeah. Nobody would run across that field
unless they were trying to get away.

Come on.

There.

Those are wolf tracks.

l seen them in Canada.

Oh, there ain't ever been
wolves around here.

Do you suppose some animal got the guy?

The snow doesn't show any signs of a fight.

Just his shoe marks.

And then... Then those.

l'll tell you something else.

Whatever made those tracks
was walking on two legs.

Well, l ain't going any further.
This is a job for the sheriff.

You think it's as simple as that, Hoxie?
Just another job for the law?

l don't know what l think.

Mack, you go back with Hoxie.
You tell Jack Haines exactly where l am.

At the top of Pearson's land,
where it goes up the hill.

You ain't staying here by yourself.

Do as l say. l'm a deputy and l get paid.
This is no job for you.

Just don't waste any time
and get Jack out here quick.

Clovey, there's no sense...

Look, l've got a gun.
Nobody's gonna bother me. Now, get going.

Go on, get going. That's an order.

l tell you, we should've never
let Clovey stay up there by himself.

You heard him. He gave us an order.

All right. Stop arguing.
lt wasn't your responsibility, either of you.

Look, have a drink on me, huh?

Hey, they're coming!

The sheriff and Clovey.

Clovey!

l don't want you breathing a word
about what happened tonight to anyone.

Understand? Nobody.

l don't want this getting around the town
before we know what it's all about.

-Sure, Jack. Sure.
-Min, Cora?

l'm scared to even think about it.

-l won't talk.
-Me, neither.

You see the thing, Clovey?

Get back inside the bar, all of you.

Just stay sober enough
to keep your mouths closed.

-Clovey. You, too?
-He's been hurt pretty bad, Amy.

-Can Doc get on it right away?
-Yes. Come in here.

How's Joe Mitchell?

He was dead when they brought him here.

My uncle's got him in the other room
until they can

get the undertaker up here
in the morning from Larken.

l'll get my uncle.

Thanks.

Feel like telling me about it?

Well, there's not much to tell, Jack.
The thing didn't make a sound.

All of a sudden,
it was clawing and ripping at me.

And l yell and you fired that shot
and the thing took off.

You know, it's a good thing
you came along when you did.

Ripping at you with what?

-You're gonna think l'm batty.
-No.

Well, maybe...

Maybe it had hands covered with hair.

Or maybe it had paws, like a wolf.

Only it wasn't all wolf.
l didn't get much chance to see.

Pity people can't get themselves killed
and chewed up during the daytime.

Man my age needs his sleep.

Pretty bad lacerations, Clovey.

What's the matter? Wouldn't she kiss you?

Wasn't a kissing mood, Doc.

Yeah, men ain't as good as they used to be.
Gonna tell me about it?

l don't know, Doc. l'm trying to decide.

Gonna make a medical report.
One man killed by an animal.

Another, darn near.

Besides, you want to marry Amy,
you'd better tell me.

We're not sure it was an animal.

Clovey, grit your store teeth.
Give me a little more, Amy.

Grit your store teeth,
and grit them good, 'cause

this isn't going to feel good.

Ow! Doc! Suffering catfish.

There. Better hope this takes.

l'm not even sure whether l have to give you
the Pasteur treatment for rabies or not.

Neither am l.

Wrap it up, Amy.

Jack, what are you trying to do?
Scare us half to death?

What are you holding back?

lt wasn't an animal that killed Joe.
The same goes for Clovey. lt was a man.

There were teeth marks
of an animal on Joe's throat.

We both examined Joe.
Amy's a good nurse, Jack.

She knows what she sees. So do l.
She's right about the teeth marks.

Well that's the trouble, Doc.
l think we both are.

What are you talking about?

Well, it had to be either animal or man.

l wouldn't lay odds on that, Doc.

Man, what you're trying to say
is just a lot of poppycock.

Storybook stuff.
The things kids get nightmares about.

l know, l know. But a witness saw
what looked like a man kill Joe,

and Clovey here is stone sober.

You got answers for it? l haven't.

There is a word
for what you're saying, Jack.

Yeah, l went to school, Amy.

Werewolf? lf you think l'm gonna
put that in my medical report...

A murder's been committed.

You can make out your report
any way you like, but it was murder.

lt wasn't a man
accidentally killed by an animal.

lf this gets in the papers,
they're gonna think we're all crazy up here.

Okay, Doc. Can l go now?

Yes, but don't use the arm too much.

-lf what you're saying is the truth...
-l will take up the search in the morning.

l'm not letting anyone go looking
through those woods at night.

l don't know whether l should
take a sedative so l can sleep

or drink coffee to stay awake.

Well, you can get some sleep, hon.

The deputies from Larken
will be here in about an hour.

They'll help me police the town
and set up roadblocks.

Nothing's getting in or out of town
without us knowing.

-l'll check with you in the morning.
-Thanks, Amy. Doc.

By the way,

if you have any books on the subject,
you might read up

and tell us what we're looking for.

-Good night.
-Good night.

What a night this is going to be.

Dead man in the other room
and a werewolf running around loose.

You know, Jack's got me believing that?

Amy, those old books of mine
up in the attic...

There's a couple on mythology.

Long as we can't sleep,
they should make some interesting reading.

No!

l was dreaming! l know l was dreaming!

lt could only be that some animal came by
while l was asleep.

Oh, Lord in heaven!

Give us a break, Sheriff. l promised the boss
l'd bring him back a deer.

l'm sorry, men. Nobody's gonna do
any hunting in those woods until l say so.

Anyone tries it,
l'll slap the biggest fine on him l can.

-But why?
-Never mind why.

Just stay inside the town.

lt's going to look awfully funny
going back without any meat.

How do you like that?

The boys are sure raising Cain over
not getting their hunting licenses.

Yeah, but they'll get over it.

You watch the store.
l'm going down to check the roadblocks.

All right.

l can't help it
what papers you boys are from.

-All l know is the orders we got.
-Trouble?

Reporters from the city papers.

Reporters? What do you men want here?

You usually set up roadblocks
because a man got killed by some animal?

-How did you men know about that?
-There's a talkative undertaker in Larken.

We saw the body.
Come on, Sheriff, let us through.

You have no right to hide the news.

Besides, that guy charged us seven bucks
just to drive up the mountain.

-All right. Let them through.
-Okay, Jack.

-They go through!
-Thanks, Sheriff.

Say, do you know anything about
what's happening up in Mountaincrest

that we ought to know?

You think there's a story, you find it.

lt's been quiet.
Car 1 7's out having a look along the roads.

Well, let me know pronto
if they see anything.

lf he tries to stray off the road
dressed the way you say he is,

he'll freeze to death up there.

l'm counting on that.
l'll check with you later.

What do you want?

Sorry. l didn't mean to frighten you.

l saw the doctor's sign
at the front of the door.

No one answered the ring.

My uncle's probably upstairs.
ls someone ill?

Could l talk to him, please? lt's...

-lt's very important.
-Of course.

-Follow me in the back way. lt's shorter.
-Thank you.

Doc, someone to see you.

-This is Mister...
-Dr. Gilchrist.

-lf l can talk to you, please.
-Come in.

Amy always listens.

Sometimes she diagnoses better than l do.

-l didn't say l was sick.
-No?

She'd better listen, anyhow.
Take a seat, Mister...

l don't know what my name is.

Well, that's a good beginning.

That's why l had to see you.

l can't remember who l am,
or even what l'm doing in this town.

You're a stranger here?

When did you arrive?

l think last night.

Well, let's try and think back a bit,
get a few facts.

What's the last thing you remember?

l'm not sure.

lt seems as if there was
an automobile accident. Not a bad one.

-l was taken to a doctor's office.
-Who was the doctor?

There were two of them.
l never saw them before.

That's all. That's all l can remember.

l've been trying to remember more
but there's nothing.

Doctor,

l want to know who l am.

l want to know what l am.

What you are?

Was there a man killed
in this town last night?

Yes.

How?

The sheriff thinks
it was some kind of animal.

No.

l killed him.

Now, now, lad. You're just a little bit upset.

Those tracks l saw in the snow
this morning, they had to be mine.

They couldn't have been anything but mine.

Doctor, in the name of heaven,
what's happened to me?

Amy, maybe our friend would like
a little something to quiet him down.

What makes you think you killed somebody?

A man pushed me into an alley last night.

Tried to take my money.

-l couldn't let him have it. lt was all l had.
-So?

He hit me and...

l thought l was dreaming...

l leaped at him and he fell and then l...

Here. You'd better take these.
They'll help you...

No!

You're not giving me anything.

-Those other doctors did something to me.
-Now, now, now, take it easy, lad.

We can't help you if you won't let us.

-Let's get a hold of Sheriff Haines.
-l saw the police on the road.

They had guns.

The man in the woods last night,

he had a gun.

Josie? Quick, get me the sheriff's office.

Sheriff's office. Clovey speaking.
Oh, hello, Amy.

No, no, Jack isn't around.
He should be back in about a half-hour.

What?

Look, Amy, are you sure?

Well, after all, for such a thing like that
to happen...

All l know is it has happened.

Doc Jonas and l will come down and wait.
We must talk to Jack.

-Well, maybe he thought that Doc would...
-What's this?

Well, the guy that killed Joe
was in the Doc's office

not more than 20 minutes ago.

You okay?

He got away. Bolted like a jackrabbit
when l mentioned the police.

lt wasn't the police he was afraid of,
it was your guns.

l want you to round up
every man you can get.

We're going to search
every inch of those woods.

-Oh, Jack, listen to me, please...
-Honey, there's no time. Go ahead.

-He's not a criminal. He's a sick man.
-Man?

lt was nothing but a human being
that came into our office, Jack.

l didn't get a chance to examine him.

He remembers an automobile accident
and his brain may have been injured.

He can't even remember his name
or where he came from.

Jack, help him. Don't shoot him down.

He committed a murder, Amy.
What can l do?

lf he wants to surrender, okay.

-But what if he doesn't?
-He was afraid of us, too.

He said some other doctor
had done something to him.

-What?
-That, he didn't say.

l've never seen a man
so frightened in my life, Jack.

Give him a break, if you can.

-lf we could just talk to the other doctor.
-lt's no use.

He can't remember the doctor's name
or even what town he was in.

l found Mack outside.
He's going to line up some men for us.

Okay. Clovey.

-You run up against this guy in the woods?
-Yeah?

Doc and Amy think
we should take him alive.

Well, that won't be easy.
You're the boss, Jack.

But if it means the necks of any of
those men out there, they're gonna shoot.

We'll do the best we can.

Doctors try to save people.

The law doesn't always have a choice.

Morgan.

You think this is our man?

This paper says they found an animal's
teeth marks on the dead man's throat.

Morgan, what have you done?

Done?
Accomplished is a better word, Emery.

Someday, it will happen.
The human race will destroy itself.

Not quickly but slowly.
That wolf-man is the proof.

Radiation creates mutants, people who
become monsters, no longer human.

They'll make the hydrogen bomb
more powerful, then more powerful again,

enough to change every person on the face
of the earth into a crawling, inhuman thing

through fallout radiation.

You really believe it will happen
in our lifetime?

The science of destruction
always gains on us, Emery.

lt could happen tomorrow,
next day, next week. l don't know.

-But it won't happen to us.
-Well, how can you be sure?

l wasn't until l read that newspaper.

The serum we used from that wolf-mutant
that died of radiation, that was the answer.

By a slow series of inoculations,

we can immunize ourselves
and a small, select group, just as l planned.

When the rest of the world
has been destroyed,

we will be
the only normal, thinking persons left.

The perfect science, Emery.
The one that ends all science.

Perhaps it would've been better
not to know what's coming.

Ridiculous. lt will mean the beginning
of a new kind of world.

A world that will start without hatred.

-And we'll be the ones to give it birth.
-How did we get into this, Morgan?

Two doctors, full of ideals and curiosity.
Too much curiosity?

A doctor should be able to cure
more than broken bones and runny noses.

l want to cure a world.
You see, l still have my idealism. You don't.

But to take a stranger, a man,

injured in an accident and give him
a full inoculation of that serum...

Yes, l'd almost forgotten about him.
So much could fail if he should remember

and tell someone what he knows about us.
There's nothing else left but to...

Well, you're not going to kill him.

Do you think he still wants to live
after what he's become?

lt'll be an act of charity.

-There's somebody at the door.
-Another patient with a runny nose.

l'll get rid of him and we'll drive
to the town of Mountaincrest immediately.

lt's less than 40 miles.

lf the police haven't disposed of the man
by the time we get there,

it may become our task.

-Dr. Chambers?
-Yes?

l'm Mrs. Duncan Marsh.

Oh, the man who was injured
in the automobile accident.

l haven't heard from him and the police said
that you might know where he is.

The police?

Well, yes, they said he was injured
near here, and they brought him in to you.

Well, that's right, but l wouldn't worry.
lt was just a bump on the head.

As a matter of fact,
l left him in my office for a moment,

and when l came back, he was gone.

l can only presume
he doesn't think much of doctors.

-Was he all right?
-Of course, Mrs. Marsh.

Even his car was only slightly damaged.

He fell asleep at the wheel, ran into a tree,
and hit his head on the steering wheel.

l'm sure you'll be hearing from him shortly.

l hope so. Usually when he travels like this
he calls me every day.

A most considerate husband.

Well, thank you.
l feel much better about it now.

-Goodbye.
-Goodbye.

What'd the doctor say, Mom?
Did he know about Dad?

The doctor said he was fine.
Now what do you want to do?

-Go shopping? A movie, what?
-Would you mind, Mom?

l'd rather go home.
Maybe Dad'll call up or something.

All right, we'll go home. Come on, scoot.

Five hours out here
and no sign of anything.

Well, l hope the boys at Mile High Ridge
are doing better than we are.

Hold it, men.

Sorry, men. You'll have to turn back.

lt's urgent that we get
to Mountaincrest, Officer.

We're doctors and may have information
that will help the sheriff.

lnformation?

We believe the man involved in that murder
up here was a patient of ours.

All right. Check in at the sheriff's office
when you get there.

-Wait here a minute, we'll open up.
-Thank you.

-You shouldn't have told him that.
-We'd never have got through otherwise.

-Apparently, they haven't caught Marsh yet.
-There's no time to lose.

We'll check in at one of the lodges and then
tell the sheriff that we want to help.

What can we do that the deputies can't do?

We know one thing for sure that they don't.
They're looking for a man.

We're looking for an animal
with an animal's instincts and habits.

l doubt if they'll ever catch Duncan Marsh
in the open.

lf there's a hidden spot
anywhere in the forest, an animal will find it.

Jack, it's going to be dark in about
another hour. Think we ought to turn back?

No, we'll push on
for another half mile or so.

l hate to think of that thing loose
for another night near the town.

Put out the fire, Red.

Over there, in that hilly section.

Go on, take a look up there.

Marsh!

You. You were with him.

You were with that other doctor.

Please. Help me, please.

Don't move, Marsh.
Don't come a step nearer.

There's nothing we can do for you.

You're going to shoot me? But why?

What have l ever done to you?

Morgan! Morgan! Morgan!

-Who told you to fire that shot?
-That creature up there.

-Why did you shoot at me?
-l'm Sheriff Haines.

We had that mine entrance located
and we were closing in on it.

-You scared the thing away.
-Why didn't you shoot at it yourself?

From this distance
and miss the way you did?

Morgan!

-Who's that?
-Dr. Forrest.

-Morgan, Morgan, l saw him, his face.
-What did you see?

One moment it was a human being
talking to me, and then it changed.

His hair and his ears and his teeth.
Everything.

lt would have killed me
if it hadn't been for that shot.

Only authorized people of the searching
party were supposed to be out here.

Let me explain, Sheriff.

l'm Dr. Morgan Chambers.

Dr. Emery Forrest and l came
to Mountaincrest this afternoon

to offer our services.

For what?

The man you're looking for
was a patient of ours.

A patient?

Jack, it's going to get dark
before we get back.

Yeah. We'll set up sentry posts
around the town for tonight.

All right.

You make an official report at my office.

Somebody will be around
in a couple of hours with some more coffee.

-Just make sure you keep awake.
-Yeah, okay.

Jack, why do you suppose
those two doctors really came here?

They could have phoned you
the information.

Well, they claim they have
a personal interest in our wolf-man.

Personal? They only treated him once.
Then they didn't even know his name.

Well, at least we know the car accident
took place in Brockville.

The report from the police down there
should be in soon.

What a horrible, horrible thing
to happen to a human being.

Yeah, l know.

-lt happened again.
-What this time?

The thing killed a sheep at
the Sanderson ranch, then it started to...

lt started to eat it like a starving animal.

Laura Sanderson saw it.
She's in the office now, hysterical.

l want all the farms in the area evacuated.

Call the people. Tell them to get into town
as fast as possible.

lf they haven't got phones,
send trucks out for them.

All right.

You still think we should
treat this thing like a sick man?

l don't know, Jack. l just don't know.

lf you'd only heard him plea for help
the way l did.

You, Doc and l had better
have a huddle, honey.

Why?

l have something in mind
that you and Doc won't like.

lf you can say anything that'll make me
see it differently, l'll forget it.

You want me to talk you out of it, Jack,
and l'm not so sure l know how.

l can only give you the same arguments
l gave you before.

lt's vicious and cruel.

How can you do that
to another human being?

Amy, the lives of everyone in this town
are dependent on the police right now.

Why don't you try to see it my way?

lf this thing killed a sheep
because it was hungry,

it'll go for bait in a trap for the same reason.

A bear trap could crush its leg, too.

Maybe that'd be better than having to
shoot him, Amy. A leg can be healed.

And if we can catch him,
perhaps a sick mind can be healed, too.

lf only that thing hadn't come to your office.
How can she defend it that way?

l've seen you pick up an injured bear cub
in the forest and care for it till it was well.

-That's not a strong enough argument.
-All right, then, Jack, do what you have to.

-Good night, Doc.
-Good night.

This makes eight traps we've set.
How many more we got to go, Jack?

Just these three.
That'll cover all the areas around the town.

Calling Car 22. Calling Car 22.

Hey, Jack. Your radio.

Calling Car 22. Come in, Jack.

Hold it, Clovey. Jack's coming.

Clovey?

Jack, things are popping here.
Can you come back?

Right away.
Help Fanning finish those last three traps.

-Okay.
-l'll send a car back for you.

l told you, if there was any news
to be had, you'd get it.

You've been telling us that for some time...
Hey, Sheriff, you gonna give us a story,

or are you still making with
the sign language?

What happened?

Well, number one, one of our cruisers
found a car ditched off the road.

Where?

About halfway up the road
leading into town.

The car is registered to a Duncan Marsh,
1670 Lane Drive, Cedar Corners.

Cedar Corners?

That's about 30 miles from Brockville,
where those doctors are from.

Number two, a police report
came in from Brockville.

-Duncan Marsh has a wife and son.
-Wife and son?

lf this Marsh is a wolf-man,
it ain't gonna be pretty.

His wife and kid are
on their way up here now.

My guess is that Marsh is our guy.

His wife filed a missing persons report
on him two days ago.

How do you explain a thing like this
to a wife and kid?

Maybe you don't try.

Did you leave an okay
for her to get through the roadblock?

Yeah.

l don't want those newspaper men
on her back.

l guess the best thing would be
if Doc and Amy'd take her in.

l'll see if l can fix it up.
When she gets here, bring her over.

All right.

Mountaincrest.
We almost missed the turn-off.

-Mom?
-Yes, Chris?

How would Dad's car
get all the way up here?

Well, he might have been up here
on business.

Maybe something happened
to the motor and he got stuck.

-lt'll be all right.
-He didn't even phone us or anything.

You're a worrier, honey.

Emery, that woman's in town.
The wife of Duncan Marsh.

The deputies took her
to the house of a Dr. Gilchrist.

She doesn't know anything.
What could she tell them?

She can't tell them anything.
But her being in town means

the deputies might try to take him alive,
rather than killing him.

Every minute that he's alive
is dangerous to us.

Morgan, can't we turn back?
We're not murderers.

We're both responsible
for what Duncan Marsh has become.

When time comes to kill him,
you'll be with me.

These are a little out-of-date, Chris.
Doc Jonas hasn't worn these in...

Well, let's say a long time.
Think they'll fit you?

-l don't know.
-Well, come on, hold up your foot.

Yeah, l think they'll do fine.

-You're being so good to us, Miss Standish.
-lt's nice having guests.

-Miss Standish?
-Yes?

Why is everybody being so vague
about my husband?

l can't seem to get straight answers
from anyone.

l'm sure if anyone could tell you anything,
they would.

l'm not a child, Miss Standish.
My husband's car is here, but he isn't.

l read in the papers
about a murder at Mountaincrest.

ls it possible that the dead man
could have been identified wrong?

No.
l'm sure your husband's alive, Mrs. Marsh.

Why are you sure?

l'm sorry, Chris.
You've been waiting all this time.

Here, try on the skates.

-Thank you.
-l'll see if the lake is frozen...

-Please, Miss Standish.
-Amy, Jack's in the office.

-You'd better see him.
-We'll talk later.

Amy, l just got the word.
Marsh was caught in one of the traps.

-Was caught?
-He got away. The trap was smashed.

-Then he's hurt.
-There were bloodstains in the snow.

Would you care
to tell that to his wife and son?

Amy, cut it out.

Men who've had wives and kids
have gone to the gas chamber.

l'm sorry, Jack.

She was just questioning me and...

Well, how much longer
can we keep the truth from her?

l'm afraid not much longer.
l couldn't help hearing.

-Where's Chris?
-He's still outside.

Sheriff, l appreciate your trying
to protect me,

but if you don't tell me the truth,
l'll have to find out some other way.

Mrs. Marsh, your husband's ill.
He's killed a man.

l don't believe it.

Duncan is the most gentle man
who ever lived.

Well, something's happened to him.
Just what, we don't know.

-We won't know until we can examine him.
-The papers said something about a man...

You know how the papers are
always looking for sensations.

We think we can find
your husband, Mrs. Marsh.

He's been injured.

We may be able to bring him in
and help him.

Amy, see if you can fix me up a kit.

Bandages, antiseptics,
whatever's necessary.

You'll need a doctor with you.

You haven't been able to go through
those mountains in winter for 20 years.

-l'll get my things.
-Now, wait a minute.

l'm not letting you go out there.

lt seems to me l've had better luck
with Mr. Marsh than anyone else.

lf he's...
lf he's himself, there won't be any trouble.

Sheriff, l know Duncan won't give you
any trouble if Chris and l are with you.

-l don't know what's right anymore.
-l think Mrs. Marsh is, Jack.

But what if her husband's...

Whatever my husband is, Sheriff Haines,
l want to help him in every way l can.

Well, l'm taking a portable
public address system with me,

so l can talk to him from a distance.

l don't want to scare him off again.

l'm hoping that we can talk him into
giving himself up.

Please, take Chris and me.

Amy, see if you can find
some more warm clothes.

Mrs. Marsh and the boy are going with us.

No rifles.

We'll carry pistols under our coats,
where he can't see them.

Yeah. l guess most animals
are gun-shy after the first shot.

-Hello, Sheriff. Starting a new search?
-Leaving in a few minutes.

Dr. Forrest and l would like to help,
if we may.

Thanks, but the less people along this time,
the better it might be.

Going to try and take your man alive?

-lf it's possible.
-l see.

Well, l suppose it's the most humane thing
at that.

-Can you stay in town a while longer?
-Why, of course, if you wish.

There are some things about this case
that are still bothering me.

Maybe you can help clear them up.

-Well, good luck, Sheriff.
-Thanks.

Goodbye.

l thought he told you all he knew.

Well, according to Marsh's wife,

nothing was ever chalked up against Marsh
until his car accident.

Dr. Chambers treated him.

Maybe it means something,
maybe it doesn't. We'll find out.

Wait here.

Mom, let me go with them.

That track takes off to the east.

We'll circle around and pick up the trail
on the other side of that low hill.

All right.

l don't want his wife to see this.

You know, Jack, when this is over with,

l'm gonna get drunk
and stay that way for a whole week.

You're going to have company.

Duncan. Duncan Marsh.

Duncan Marsh.
If you can hear me, show yourself.

We want to help you.

Duncan Marsh.

We know you've been hurt.

We're here to help you.

Duncan, I know you're hurt.

Duncan, I know you're hurt. Come on down.

We'll keep going.

He couldn't get much further
with an injured leg.

Jack, thanks for doing it this way.

Let's hope he's normal
when we do find him.

lf prayers help, he will be.

Duncan Marsh.

We're ready to help you.

-Show yourself.
-Wait a minute.

Duncan Marsh.

We know you're up there.

Show yourself.

No harm will come to you.

We want to help you.

Nothing.

Mr. Haines,
maybe if l could talk to him through that,

maybe if he could hear my voice...

Duncan.

Duncan, darling, this is Helen.

Please, listen.

Please, try to understand, Duncan.
We want you to come home.

We want everything to be right again.

These men have promised not to harm you.

Show us where you are, Duncan.
Please, darling.

Chris is here with me.

He wants you to come home, too.

We know you're hurt, darling.

But there's a nurse here
who's going to help you.

Chris? Chris!

Dad! Dad!

Dad!

For the love of Mike, what's the big idea?

What's the deal,
coming way out here and not telling us?

Chris.

You didn't even call us. We just waited.

l'm sorry, Helen, l'm sorry.

Dad, this is the sheriff.

He and Amy are gonna fix your leg.
Everything's gonna be okay.

Helen, Chris, go away, please.

Don't stay here. Please make them leave.

-Any minute something could happen.
-Dad, l want to be with you!

Mrs. Marsh, your husband needs plasma
and l can't administer it while he's upset.

You'd better take Chris and wait below.
Chris, go with your mother.

lt was the traps that got him, l tell you.

There's an art in setting them.
You know that.

Place them just right and then

kind of figure if the wind'll take the smell
of your bait the way you want it.

Yes, sir. Me and the sheriff and Fanning
are real handy with a bear trap.

We caught that wolf-man right in the ankle,

so he can't run much anymore, can he?

Shut up, Durgis, you talk too much.

Well, l was just... All right, all right,
if that's the way you feel...

Excuse me, fellows, l'll go home.

You feel lousy about it, don't you?

l was just over to the jail a little while ago.

Jack wanted me to make a statement.

Marsh's wife and kid are there.

Funny. You think maybe you've got all
the troubles in the world,

till something like this happens
to somebody else.

l think l need a straight shot.

l've never seen anything like it.
Everybody's going crazy.

-All of them scared.
-Scared?

Of what? They're celebrating.
The wolf-man's captured.

l think l know what they're scared of.

They're scared of what Marsh has become

because it could happen to them.
lt could happen to anyone.

You see, now they know it's possible.

Make that a double shot.

How long do we have to wait like this?

Patience, Emery.

Just a little more patience.

How long do you think
he'll stay the way he is?

Oh, even he doesn't know that.

You saw the way he broke the bear trap.

What makes you think he couldn't break
out of the cell the same way?

Look, l got enough troubles of my own
with this report.

Duncan, isn't there anything l can say
that will change your mind?

You think it's easy for me
to send you and Chris away?

When l'm better, l'll come home.

Please, darling, do as l say.

lf it should come back
while you're still here,

that's the way you'll always remember me.

lt would never be any good,
even if l did come home.

Please, leave now while l'm still all right.

Dad, l don't want to go!

Please, Chris, don't make it so tough for me.

Come back soon, darling.

We'll be waiting for you.

Come on, son, we have to leave. Come on.

l'll send someone
all the way home with you.

-The roads are pretty bad at night.
-Thank you.

We'll find out how Marsh got that way.

We'll find out
and we'll find a way to cure him.

Go on, now.

l'm going over to Doc's.

No matter what, don't leave this place alone
for a minute tonight.

You two can spell each other.
l'll check back later.

You'd better grab some sleep
before you fall flat on your face.

l'll take the first shift if you want.

You know, l'm beginning to forget
what sleep was like myself.

You know what? lf anything happens
in there, get a hold of us quick.

There's an art in setting them.
Oh, yes, there is.

All you... What's the matter?

What's the matter? Ain't nobody else
wanna hear how we caught the wolf-man?

-Why don't you get lost?
-Get lost?

Nobody wants to hear about it.

We caught him.
Yeah, we caught him, all right.

Right in the ankle.

You see, Emery, patience is its own reward.

Go to the sheriff's office

and find out what precautions
are being taken to guard Marsh tonight.

-You're not going to do anything in the jail?
-Please, Emery, do as l ask.

Well, she and the boy are gone.
Gibbs is a good man.

-He'll drive them home, all right.
-We were talking, Jack.

Up until now,
what's happened to Duncan Marsh is

beyond all our known laws
of science and medicine.

You know, this thing didn't come on him
suddenly, of his own volition.

You're trying to say somebody did it to him?

Yes.

Well, if it's beyond anything men know,
how could somebody do it?

lt's a frightening thought
that a single human being,

out of all the millions and millions,

could somehow have obtained
that kind of knowledge.

We want to send samples of his blood
to a laboratory for tests.

Well, that's up to Marsh.
But he'll do anything if it will help him.

We don't feel it much up here
in a place like Mountaincrest,

but the world's a place of change.

Recently, for the first time in history,
men were able to manufacture diamonds,

real diamonds.

For the first time,
men are making new valves for the heart

and machines that can take
all of a man's blood out of his body

and then put it back again,
while he's still breathing.

Every day, science and medicine
start up new roads.

And you think Duncan Marsh
is one of these new roads.

The thing is, the man who did it to Marsh,
what did he have in mind?

And what kind of a future is he dreaming up
for everybody else?

You two are giving me the creeps.

Doc, right now l'm too tired to look up
any of those new roads of yours.

Then why don't you
sleep on the couch tonight, honey,

instead of going all the way home?

With all you've given me to think about
l'm not sure l could sleep anywhere.

Try it.

You are going to talk to Duncan
about those blood tests in the morning?

Sure.

-Providing.
-Providing?

Hey, you're a welcome sight.

Well, you're not. My bed looked much better.

No change in Marsh. He's out cold.
The guy's exhausted.

l hope he stays that way till
the ambulance picks him up in the morning.

Yeah.

-l'll see you in a few hours.
-Right.

He's going to be fine for us, Emery.
Get my bag and hurry.

Meet me near the jail.

Hello there.

-Who're you?
-Do you know me?

Mister, do you think if l could see,
l'd be standing here?

-l'll give you a hand.
-l gotta go the other way.

Oh, wait a minute.

Aren't you the one who almost
caught the wolf-man in a bear trap?

l got him right in the ankle.

That's me. l'm the guy.
And do you know something else?

He broke that trap wide open.
What do you think of that?

Yeah, l hear they've got the pieces
down at the sheriff's office.

-Could you show them to me?
-Certainly. The sheriff's a pal of mine.

Come on.

Whack to the ear.

Go out and get my bag.

See what condition he's in.

He's asleep.

Marsh. Quiet, Marsh! Quiet!

-lt's a scream, l tell you!
-Out to the jail!

My God.

Snap out of it, man.
That thing is loose in the village.

-Fanning, round up all the men you can get.
-Did he break loose?

Yeah. We'll need torches.

Animals are afraid of fire.
Maybe we can scare it away from the village.

Jack, l'm in a fog. What gives?

Marsh has killed Chambers and Forrest.

We can't take him alive this time, Amy.
He's killed two more men.

You can take a look at them, Doc, but l
don't think it'll do much good. Come on.

Hold it a minute.

-He came this way.
-Well, it'll be light in a little while.

-Then we'll get him.
-Yeah.

Wait a minute, Jack.

l can see something.

Throw some torches up there.

Hold your fire!

We're going up there after him?

No, l don't think he'll turn back now.
He's scared.

l don't want to take a chance on
any of these men getting hurt.

We'll wait till it's light. Let's go back.

There he is.

He's headed for the highway
above the bridge. Let's try to cut him off.

Hey! Block the bridge.
Pull the scraper across the bridge.

Don't shoot. You'll hit the driver.

Shoot in front of him. Try to stop him.

Get to the other end of the bridge!

All right. Get him.

You see that? He changed back again.

-Do you think he'll stay that way this time?
-Yeah, he'll stay.

Now he can go home.