Death by Invitation (1971) - full transcript

- I know of Areeva.

And I know of her
relations with the devil.

I know because I saw her naked

writhing, screaming.

She lay on the ground
and cried for his help.

She begged him.

And he came in a fury of light and dark.

I saw.

I saw because I was made to see.

I tried to run,

but I was made to see.



Then he called to me.

He knew my name.

Although I resisted, I was made to watch.

But I resisted and did not join.

And that is why I am here to tell you

that she is a witch.

A lover of evil

and the devil's mistress.

- Vroot!

Witch!

Witch!

Witch!

She's a witch!

Witch!



Witch!

Witch!

Witch!

Witch!

Witch!

Witch!

Witch!

- God bless our holy
house, our holy bread,

our holy guests.

God has provided us with these riches,

blessed be the name of the lord.

Let me pour you some wine, Jake.

Here's to,

Sara,

where's your glass?

I think you forgot me, father.

- Oh, dear, please forgive me,

forgive me, forgive me.

Here's to Coral and Jake.

May their happiness, their marriage--

- Excuse me.

Hi, sorry, you open it later.

I'm sorry I'm late,

I got caught up in the cab.

You know how cabs are.

No, you came just in time.

- I'm glad, I thought I spoiled the meal.

I'm Lise.

I've got to tell you what
happened on the way over here.

My cab driver was this very young boy,

he had long hair and a beard,

was very handsome.

And we're talking all the way over,

and he says he'd like to take me out

and where could I be reached.

So when we drove up in front of the house,

I gave him my phone number.

I don't know, it might be fun,

what do you think?

Actually though, he's a little young.

He might be better for Sara.

She's not interested
in anyone like that.

- Well I'm sure that he'd
be interested in her though.

Sara has some very
nice friends of her own,

she doesn't really need your help.

- I'm sure.

But sometimes it's nice
to try different things.

She's a young
girl, she can be hurt.

- Well maybe sometime

Sara can meet some of your friends, Lise.

I hope so.

I don't want her with
any of these way out people.

And Roger,

I don't want you with any of
these way out people either.

- You know, sometimes I
feel a beauty in this house

that I just can't feel anywhere else.

- That's it, no way out.

No way you can do anything about it.

Look, you know you move here

and I mate you in two.

Like this,

like this.

Or you can move your rook here

and I get you in three.

Like this,

like this,

like this.

And you thought you
knew how to play chess,

didn't you, Jake?

Look, you could have
blocked me very easily.

All you had to do was move your knight,

to queen bishop four.

But it will be sometime, Jake,

before you pick up on all my tricks.

You know, Jake, I find
that a good chess player

makes a good business man.

- I don't know if I'd carry that analogy

too far, Peter.

Checkmate.

- Have you given any thought to

what position you might want?

- Quite honestly, I haven't
been thinking in those terms.

- Well you know Jake,

it's no crime to start at the bottom.

That's where I started.

Right at the bottom.

The first week I did
nothing but sharpen pencils.

That's really great.

- And after the war this guy
comes to me with a great idea,

real estate.

- How ya doing?

- Okay.

- Bet you haven't been to
the city much, have you?

Bet you're coming to see a chick, huh?

♫ Six five four three two one

Gotta be careful when you
come to the city, though.

You know you gotta watch
out for these things.

They're all looking to rip you off,

all looking for their hustles.

But if you're going to
see a nice old chick--

- No, she's not old.

- Just be careful,

you gotta have confidence
when you walk in there.

Be confident.

Just look them straight in the eye.

Say, "Come here, baby."

See what I do, talking to you?

Go through red lights.

Is this it over here?

Yeah.

She lives in this building?

I know a lot of weird chicks
live in this building.

- You see, I came.

- I see.

- And I didn't tell anyone.

And I didn't tell anyone.

- I know.

Sit down.

- There's a dragon and an elf on the wall.

- Well, what would you like to do, Roger?

- I--

Would you like to talk?

Or would you like me to talk?

- Sure.

Would you like
me to tell you a story?

- Uh huh.

- Roger, do you know
of the southern tibes?

What was the common practice
among one certain tribe

that the women were the hunters

while the men were domesticated.

When the village needed food,

the women would go out and hunt for it.

Then men on the other hand,

were allowed to grease the
women's bodies before the hunt.

But they were never
allowed off their knees

while massaging the oils into the women.

When a band of women found a prey,

they would rush at it together,

all stabbing wildly with their knives

until the blood of the animal

flowed upon their bodies,

often mixing with their own blood.

Then without knives,

they would rip away at
the flesh of the animal

with their hands and mouths.

They would rub their bodies
against the ravaged animal,

against his head,

against his genitals.

And after they had completely
satiated themselves

upon the animal and upon each other,

they would drag the
remains back for the men.

Now the men would grovel on the ground

when the women returned,
exposing themselves,

hoping to be chosen.

For if they were chosen,

and if they were good,

they were given food.

But it happened once that

that one certain man

found that he could hunt in the woods

and bring in more food
than the women could.

And with his rather large body,

he could satisfy four more husbands.

And with this man as their leader,

the men began to ignore the women.

They turned away their food,

disobeyed their commands.

They found they no
longer needed the women.

Whereupon,

the women came together and met.

This time they greased
in oil their own bodies

and they prepared to hunt that man.

Naked.

We were, they were naked.

They tracked that man in the woods

until they came upon him in a clearing.

They fell upon him at once,

ripping him open and eating his insides

while the other men were made to watch.

They drank his blood

and they chewed his bones

until all of him was inside of them.

But strangely they

they raised themselves to passions

far beyond their belief.

And still writhing in pleasure and desire,

they fell upon the other men

one by one.

Ripping them open

and devouring them all.

Hand me the ashtray, Roger.

Roger.

Turn around.

Kneel.

He just wasn't there.

- Are you sure he hasn't pulled
this kind of thing before?

- Yes, I'm sure.

- Or he could be getting out every night.

Maybe he's got a broad
stashed away somewhere,

and you know, he's spending
a few nights with her.

- What are you talking about?

He's my son!

- Sure he is, but this kind
of thing happens all the time.

- Now, look, I know this boy,

he's not that kind of a kid.

- Well is he some kind of hippie?

- I wouldn't allow anything like that,

he's a good boy!

Well
lots of times these kids

like to run off to the
east village, you know.

For drugs and sex.

I think he's a fiend,

I think he's a drug--

- For Christ sakes!

This is a good boy, he's
a straight A student!

He's home in bed every
night by 11 o'clock!

His own bed!

- Look I've had years of experience,

this kid is gonna wind up in Bellevue

strung out on dope.

And the parents always say the same thing,

he was a good boy.

Unless I miss my bet,
and I don't think I will,

this kid's pushing dope somewhere.

Mrs. Vroot,

is there anything you can tell me?

Anything at all else you can give me?

But I need some information.

Anything that you can think of at all?

Anything at all?

Anything at all, Mrs. Vroot,

that may, might help.

We need all the help we can get,

believe me.

Ask me, I know
Roger as well as anyone.

- Look, lady,

this kind of thing happens all the time.

- I'm sure.

But Roger's not that type of a boy.

Yeah but--

- Yeah, but, I hope you
put someone good on this.

- Look, lady, I'd love to put

the whole goddamned force on it,

but unless we find this
kid by dinner time,

I'm going to have to file him.

We get murders every three hours.

- I hope you'll do better than that.

- Well, I'd like to,

I'd like more information.

- No one here knows anything about it.

- Somebody has got to know something.

There's got to be some sort of--

- Look I've been around,

I'm not that much older than Roger.

I know the kind of
person you're suggesting,

he's not one of them.

Well I need
more than what I've got.

- I think you oughta go,

you're not gonna find him here.

Alright, it'll be alright.

- Oh, Lise.
- Let's go for a walk.

- I can't understand
what happened to Roger.

He's never behaved this way before.

- I wouldn't worry about it,

he's probably home already.

- You think so?

- Yeah, come on.

- Oh, no.

Good, 'cause
we're going through here.

Oh, be careful.

Be careful.

Come on, we've gone this long.

Lise.

I have to sit down and catch my breath.

- Okay.

You know,

I think Coral is lucky.

- But why?

Jake.
- Jake.

I really like him,

I think he's really handsome.

- Oh yeah, that he is.

- I hope Coral realizes how lucky she is.

I think so.

- Oh?

- Well,

what I really mean is that I think

that Coral should really appreciate Jake.

Somehow I have a feeling
that she just doesn't.

- If I were her, I'd hang onto him.

- I hope she does.

- How did he meet her anyway?

- You know, I really don't know.

You don't know
anything about him?

- Not too much.

I know that he's done some traveling.

He's been around quite a bit.

- Oh, really?

- I think so.

- You getting cold?

- Yeah.

- Let's go back.

- You remember the way back?

Sure.

Wait for me.

- How do ya like that?

Nothing, not a word.

- Take it easy, will you, Peter?

I think it might be a good idea

if we all got some sleep.

- Yeah, yeah, we should get some rest.

- We'll all need it until Roger gets back.

You should get some sleep, too.

- Right, I'll catch a cab.

No, no no, I'll drive you home.

- No, you'll stay with Naomi.

Besides, I'll be alright.

- Are you sure?

Sure.

- Well I really should--

- Look, it's no problem,
I'll drive her home.

I'm not tired.

- Well, I'll,

are sure you can handle
a car as big as my Rolls?

- I think I can handle it.

- Listen, Jake, why don't you

drop by my office sometime next week,

maybe we can arrange something permanent.

You know what I mean?

- Sure, Peter.

I never skied before,

and I thought well if you're gonna ski,

you should go to the Alps.

So I went to the Alps.

And--

- You've been to Kathmandu.

- How could you know that?

- I saw you there.

- Oh come, on, really?

- No.

- Well I can't complain really.

I've done pretty much what I wanted to do

and if I haven't liked
what I've wanted so much,

well I like knowing I can do what I want.

- What if I told you I'd seen you before?

You did?

- I did.

Well why didn't you tell me?

Well why didn't you say something?

- Right over there to the left.

- Right here?

- Right, right here.

- Where did you meet Coral, anyway?

- Well that's a long story.

- I bet it isn't.

- Oh, yes it is.

I could tell it to you.

- Over coffee?

- Over something.

- I'd like to, but

one of us should be with him all the time.

- They're pretty lucky to have you.

- I do what I can.

Besides, she's been awfully nice to me.

Okay.

- You heard what happened?

- Lost the sturgeon account.

- That was Al.

- What happened to Al?

- Had a heart attack.

- Too bad, nice guy.

- No, listen, I can't have lunch today,

I really can't, they really
don't give me a lunch hour here.

I work from nine to five,

I don't stop working,

it's really incredible.

No, I get lunch hours on
Tuesdays and Thursdays,

but not Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Some sort of new system to
save money or something.

All I'm waiting for is to get fired

so I can collect unemployment insurance,

and that's the only reason I'm doing this.

Listen, meet me after work, alright?

I'm finished at five o'clock.

Oh, listen, there's someone here,

I'll call you right back, okay?

Alright, bye.

May I help you?

Yes, Peter Vroot, please.

- Peter Vroot?

You go down this hallway, right over here,

pass five doors,

the sixth door isn't really
a door, it's a hallway.

When you come to the sixth
door, you make a left,

right, left.

You go down the hall passed about 10,

well, in between eight and 10 doors,

and you come to this big door,

right at the end of the hallway

there's this big door,

bigger than any other door,
and that's his office.

You don't understand.

- Six doors down on the left,

but the sixth door is
not a door but a hallway.

What am I doing here?

Peter Vroot, please.

- Do you have an appointment?

- No, but he told me to drop by.

- He told you to drop by?

- Yes.

- Well I'm sorry, he
doesn't see people that way.

- Would you just buzz him

or whatever it is you do

and tell him that Jake is here at least.

- Jake what?

- You give me a call next week,

finally I'll have the
contracts all worked up.

Thank you for seeing me in the city.

- So long now.

- Hello, Peter.

- Hello, Jake.

It's good to see you, come in, come in.

- It's a beautiful office.

- Thank you, thank you.

- I like your music, too.

- Yeah, it's nice, thanks.

Well, Jake, I have something

really big in mind for you.

- What is that, Peter?

- Did you come from the house?

Did that crazy police lieutenant call?

- No no, not yet, we would have called you

if we heard something.

Peter, how did Lise and Naomi meet?

How did Lise and Naomi meet?

- At an auction.

Why?

- Just curious.

- What?

Just curious.

- Come here, let me show you this view.

Yes?

He's here now.

Lise isn't coming?

Alright, alright I'll
ask Jake about dinner.

I know exactly how you feel.

Now you listen to me, you think about it,

just think about it.

I'm sure you'll see it my way.

Talk it over with Coral.

- Sure, Peter, that's a
good idea, I'll do that.

- Now, listen Miss Finkley,

I don't want anymore calls, none.

God bless our holy house, our holy bread,

our holy children,

let him protect them
in their hour of need.

Let him also protect our
dear departed son Roger,

let him see that he eats what we eat.

Let him see that he sleeps a good sleep.

Let him protect our entire family

in their time of grief and pain.

- What about Lise and Jake?

- Yeah, put 'em in.

- Lise doesn't even believe in God.

And you mentioned her with Roger.

- Coral, just because Lise
doesn't believe in God

doesn't mean that God
doesn't believe in Lise.

Let the lord be
with Lise and Jake, too.

In their times of grief and pain, amen.

Surely he is with us all.

- Guess who I met today.

- No, who did you meet?
- Richard Browning.

- Be quiet, Norman Randolph.

Oh, that's Joey
Randolph's kid isn't it?

- I believe so.

- Nice kid.

Going to Harvard or something, isn't he?

He just wants to go to Harvard.

- Harvard's a good place.

Got a guy in my office, went to Harvard.

be making a lot of money soon.

Hey, Coral, maybe you'd like to meet him?

- Coral loves Jake, daddy.

- Where did you meet this Randolph kid?

Around.

- Around.

Around where?

- Just around.

Did you meet
him at the club dance?

- Do we have to go through this again?

Did you meet
him at the club dance?

- Yes, sir.

Didn't I tell you

you couldn't go to that?

- Yes, but.

But you disobeyed me.

- Yes, but mommy said I could go.

- I didn't see any reason why--

- Because I told her she couldn't.

Alright, alright, go answer it.

I wish her boyfriends
could find some other time

than the dinner hour to call.

- Hello, Ricky?

Hello!

Ricky, come on, answer me.

Ricky, are you there?

Hello?

Hi, did you just try to call me?

Well somebody did.

Called earlier, didn't ya?

Oh, you're a creep, you know that?

Okay.

I'll talk to you later, okay, okay.

Bye bye.

- Micheal, tell your
sister to come to dinner.

- Hey, Sara!

Come on down!

- Don't yell.

- Sara, if you don't
come down this minute,

you won't get that phone for a week!

Do you hear me?

Go upstairs and tell your
sister to come to dinner.

- Yes, father.

- We've got to have a
talk about that girl.

She's just interested in boys.

- Well she better get uninterested, fast.

- Ally.

Ally.

- And the lord said unto Satan,

has thou considered my servant Joeb,

that there is none like him in the earth,

a perfect and an upright man.

One that feareth God,

and bestoweth evil,

then Satan said and
answered the lord and said,

doth Joeb fear God for naught.

Hath thou not made and hedge about him,

and about his house

and about all that he hath on every side.

Thou hath blessed the work of his hands

And his substance is
increased in the land,

but put forth thine hand now

and touch all that he hath

and he will curse thee to thy face.

And the lord said unto Satan,

behold all that he hath is in thy power,

only upon himself put
not forth thine hand.

So the lord blessed the later end of Joeb

more than his beginnings,

for he had 14,000 sheep

and 6,000 camels and 1,000 yoke of oxen

and 1,000 she asses.

And in all the land there
were no women found so fair

as the daughters of Joeb.

Then Joeb answered the lord and said,

I know that thou can stew everything

and that no thought can
be withholden from thee.

Who is he that hideth
counsel without knowledge?

Therefore have I uttered
that I understood naught.

Things too wonderful for me,

that I knew naught.

Here I beseech thee, and I will speak.

I will demand of thee

and declare thou unto me.

I have heard of thee by
the hearing of the ear,

but now mine eye seeth thee.

Wherefore I abhor myself

and repent in dust and ashes.

So Joeb died being old and full of days.

Thank you, father,

Thank you.

I wanted to thank you,

I think you were very helpful.

Surely it wasn't me,

but the words if the bible.

Of course, but you emphasis

is most reassuring.

You really think so?

Yes.

Well this is a hell of time

to come and ask questions.

Can't you hold off for a while?

- Well look we got this report

on the car radio, murder suicide.

Now if I don't get a chance

to talk to these people now,

I don't when I'm going to get a chance.

I've got to make out this other report

and it may not be until,

I don't know, what do you think, Sam?

The murder suicide.

- Well a guy drowned his wife in a bathtub

and cut his own wrist.

- Then you're looking for
someone who's already dead.

- Well we've got fill out the report.

- You're gonna spend your
time filling out reports

while there's a child
killer running loose.

- Filling out reports.

I mean, we can't drop everything

just to do this.

I mean, the DA's son
got caught shooting up

in a high school bathroom.

How many men do we have
to put on that, Sam?

- I don't know,

how many guys did they put on that?

- I think God always gives us someone

to stand by us in a time like this.

Just as you're doing.

- Well thank you.

I only wish I could do more.

- I know

because I saw her naked writhing!

- The lord gave

and the lord hath taken away.

Blessed be the name of the lord.

- So the lord blessed
the later part of Joeb

more than his beginning.

- And Joeb said, "Naked I
came from my mother's womb

and naked I shall return thither."

Blessed be the name of the lord.

- You know, when they
first hooked that telephone

up to the loud speaker
system a couple of weeks ago,

I thought it was a good idea but,

well now it's,

every time the phone rings it's.

Such a beautiful day,

would you like to go for a ride?

Who was it?

- For Michael.

I think a ride might be nice.

- I'll see if I can find
Peter and get the car.

- That's not quite what I had in mind.

This isn't
exactly what I had in mind.

Thought we shared the same background.

- Not really.

- I can see that.

- There are some experiences
we haven't shared.

Well we should
start them right away.

- We should?

- Sure we should, we
should start right now.

Remember the night I drove you home?

- I remember.

I thought we were starting
on something then.

- Not really.

- You don't mean that, do you?

Not the way you were looking at me.

- How was I looking at you?

- As if you wanted me
as much as I wanted you.

Coral never looks at me that way.

- She doesn't look at me that way either.

- Well that's the whole thing.

- What?

- Coral is not looking
at me the way you do.

Why don't we stop here
for a while, get off?

- No, let's ride some more.

- It'd be a nice place to stop and

lie down for a while.

Come on, boy.

Come on, Gus, come on, boy.

Come on, move.

I'll get it.

- She is a witch!

A lover of evil!

- What have you been up to?

Lifting my weights.

- Oh, lifting your weights, huh?

You're getting pretty strong I'll bet.

Let's see, not bad.

Think you're as strong as me now?

- Probably.

- Probably.

You really do?

- Yeah.

- Oh, little child says
he's ready for a contest.

Okay, what do you want to do?

- Let's have an arm wrestle.

- Alright, fair enough, have a seat.

Use this little thing here.

Arms up.

You got it,

let's go.

Alright, that wasn't fair, here we go.

- Who's winning?

- Oh, looks like a draw to me.

Good.

- I think he's winning.

- It's close.

You're making me sweat, Michael.

- Hey, Lise, how about giving
me hand out in the kitchen?

- Sure, Peter.

- You beat me.

Very good.

- It's strange.

- What's strange about it?

You've been getting stronger, right?

- No, the way she touched you.

- Oh, on my shoulder.

Sometimes adults touch
each other that way,

that's all.

- It's just the way she touched you.

- What about it, Michael?

- She always used to do
that to Roger, so softly.

- I've never seen you smoke before.

- Maybe you just never looked before.

Oh, I look.

Maybe you never saw me looking.

- Maybe not, I don't know.

Goodnight.

- Goodnight, Michael.

- Goodnight.

- Goodnight.

- Well here we are.

- It's about time.

- If not in Cermont.
- New York.

New York.

- Tell the truth,

have you really ever see me before?

- Oh, yes you were quite intriguing.

Were?

- Those I suppose you are intriguing.

- Suppose?

- Do you want me to say

that I am very much intrigued by you?

If you are.

- Do I intrigue you?

- I am very much intrigued by you.

You are?

- I am.

Did you know I was?

- I don't know.

- Well that's very strange.

You've done everything
you possibly could have

to turn me onto you
from the moment we met.

I have?

- You have.

And are you?

- Turned on to you?

Turned onto me.

- Yes.

- Well,

I'm intrigued by you and
you're intrigued by me.

You're turned on by me as well.

What are we gonna do about it?

What can we do about it?

What do you want?

Do you want me to tell you
what we can do about it?

- Alright, tell me what we'll do about it.

- For a start, we can go
back to your apartment,

maybe we'll sit down and talk for while,

and maybe we won't.

Maybe I'll just come over to you

and touch you.

I might even kiss you.

Or maybe I won't.

Maybe I'll bite you.

Then maybe we'll kiss.

- What if I don't?

What if I slap your face?

- Let me take you.

- Jake.

- What?

- Nothing.

- Let's go.

- You know, my apartment
really isn't mea for visitors.

- Well I'm not visiting your apartment,

I'm visiting you.

You know, I'd really feel better if--

- You'll feel fine.

Hey, I like your place.

Why don't you take off your coat?

I'm cold.

It's not cold, take it off.

Lise!

What do you wanna do?

Do you wanna talk?

- No.

Of course we don't have to talk.

- Jake I wanna tell you a story.

Do you know of the southern tribes?

But it wasn't an uncommon practice

among one certain tribe

that the women were the hunters

while the men were domesticated.

The women would go out
and hunt for the food.

The men on the other hand

were allowed to grease the
women's bodies before the hunt

but they were never
allowed off their knees

while massaging the oils into the women.

When the band of women found a prey

they would--

- Lise, I don't wanna hear any stories.

- Listen, Jake.

Let me finish the story.

When the band of women found a prey

they would rush at it with their knives

all stabbing and

and.

Now the women, Jake.

Listen to me, the women were the hunters

and the men, the men would,

the men,

stop it, Jake.

Stop it.

Listen to me, the women had knives, Jake

and they would go off
into the hoods, woods.

I could hurt you.

You wouldn't hurt me.

- Stop.

The women, Jake, don't you understand?

The women were hunters and
the men were domesticated.

Jake,

listen to me!

Jake!

The women were hunters!

Stop it.

I could hurt you, Jake, do you know that?

Listen to me.

- Oh my god.

Lise, why?

Why?

Why?

Vroot,

Peter Vroot.

Now you will suffer,

the face of evil shall peer

upon you and your
descendants of 300 years.

You see,

evil regenerates itself.