Panic Beats (1983) - full transcript

No, Alaric, no!
Forgive me

Unfaithful bitch!
You must die

But simple death
is too good for you

Her lungs are fine

The problem is something else

The last tests were not good

Paul...
Your wife is not well

Her heart has become weakened

And getting worse every day

I'm afraid it's serious

What can I do?



Get her out of the city

She needs rest and fresh air

And to relax

I'll give her a strict routine
that she must follow

Will it cure her?

I'm afraid not.
It's very serious

But if she takes care of herself,
she could live for many years

- It's down to you
- Yes, I know what I must do

She's my number one priority now

I couldn't live without her

Indeed

You still have that house
near Perrouze?

Yes,
I almost had to sell it

The last remains of the Marnac estate



My family's final resting place

Now, of course,
I don't need the money

Me, once a poor architect...

marrying one of the
richest women in the country

Remember how they behaved
at the wedding?

Like I was an ignorant peasant

A fortune seeker

Paul, you have to move on,
forget about them

Really...
You think it's that easy?

You've done well for yourself,
made a lot of money

Everyone respects you,
you know that

Stop tormenting yourself

Now listen...

That house is ideal for your wife

It's quiet there, the air is clean

It's in the mountains,
but not too far above sea level

She might not like it,
it's not exactly luxurious there

But it would be good for her

Try to convince her

I will, but she never
went there before

I always had to go alone

To check the state of the place
occasionally, that sort of thing

Don't worry, we'll think up
some way of getting her there

Paul...

Pierre says you need
peace and quiet

He suggests my holiday home

So I get to see that place at last

We'll leave tomorrow.
Soon you'll forget all about Paris

Very good, Mr Marnac, sir.
Whatever you say...

What a face that guy has

Not what you'd call handsome

Sort of mean looking

Auntie, those old stories about him,
are they true?

Of course they are

Your grandmother herself
saw those weapons dripping with blood

Blood stains that stay fresh
for 500 years?

Hard to believe

The legend says
Alaric de Marnac slew his wife

and 3 of her 5 children

- Only the two he spared were his
- What a monster

Then he took to witchcraft
and devil worship

Finally he went mad

He committed many horrid crimes

He even drank human blood

And his disciples did
as he commanded

Finally he was brought to trial
and the king ordered him imprisoned

There was a huge battle

Alaric was killed
by his wife's brother

with an arrow through his heart

He was damned then to eternal torment

- Just an old wives tale
- Why?

Really auntie,
it's too ridiculous

What's so terrible about her
having a lover?

I'm not trying to excuse him

but he found her
in another man's arms

So?

If every man killed his wife because
their marriage wasn't working,

where would we be?

And that beast killed children

No matter whose they were,
they were innocent kids

He died in mortal sin

His soul can never find peace

People must have been really dumb
back then

Enough talk

There's a lot of work
to do upstairs

Come on!

Don't you give me that look

I'm not your wife!

Tonight we'll be in Perrouze

I'm happy, Genevieve

At last you'll see my holiday home

I have such happy memories
of childhood days there

Memories I want to share
with you

Mabile's great.
She's been like a mother to me

I know you'll like her

Genevieve, my love,
I know you'll get better here

We can walk in the woods,
visit the sights

We'll be really happy here

Paul, as long as you're here,
that's all that matters

- Is this him?
— Yes, that's right

Not bad looking

- What's he like now?
- Like that picture

It says 1965

He looks about 30

I'm good at ages

So he's getting on now

You know...

He looks a bit like that man
in the painting

I hope he's not
such a beast

Look, I brought you here to help me,
not to gossip all day

All right! Keep your hair on

Get to work

I want everything gleaming

I'm glad the house
will finally be lived in

Mabile wrote and asked if her niece
could move in with her

She's a young girl
with no other family

We can use some help
around the place

I'm glad I agreed to come

I feel we're going to be
very happy here

I wish I'd come before

Don't worry,
we'll make up for lost time

Now I'm starting to see
how shallow my life was in the city

Surrounded by false friends only
there for my money, not for me

It was all so superficial

- This is our new life
- But for how long?

We'll work it out together

Now what's up?

I think we're out of gas

What a disaster.
What can we do?

There's a town not far back,
I'll get some there

I'll come

No, it's too far for you

Can't we wait?
A car might come by

Not many come this way

It's the scenic route

That's why I chose this road,
damn it!

Don't leave me here

I won't be long

Relax

Don't worry

Put the radio on.
Just close your eyes and relax

You'll be fine, see you soon

So his wife's really ill?

Heart problems.
She's coming here to rest

She'll stay here
when he goes to Paris on business

Then we'll have to look after her

Great! Not just servants
but nurses too

Listen, we have to do
what we're paid to do

Maybe I was better off
in that school in Toulouse...

That school was a jail

Now you're my responsibility

I'm sorry, I didn't mean
to upset you

Think before you speak

You're just like your mother,
God rest her

Tell me about her

She was my sister,
but totally different from me

Auntie,
I promise I'll try to be good

Really

I know, Julie.
Deep down you're a good girl

Don't you dare move

Get out

Just behave and you'll be fine

Get the luggage out

Are you mad, stopping out here?

This place is like the jungle

Survival of the fittest

Come on lady

We only want to see
if you've got anything worth having

You're rich and we're poor

We're just trying
to even out the odds

Shit! Let's go

This way, come on

Paul! Be careful

I'm worried

They should be here by now

It's very late

Midnight...

Listen to that wind

All through the house

The sort of night when
Alaric de Marnac rises from his tomb

There's someone...

downstairs at the servant's door

Who could it be?

Who else? Obviously the master.
He's here

He finally arrived.
Come on

I'm so glad to see you at last

What happened?

- We had an incident
- An incident?

I had to go to the police
in town

Police?

Mabile, don't worry.
It's all sorted now

And your wife?

In the car.
Waiting with the luggage

This is my niece, Julie

Pleased to meet you, Julie

Me too, sir

Let's go

I really like Mabile,
I know we'll get along great

She'll take really good care of you,
you'll

Her niece is a pretty girl

But I didn't like her

Give her a chance,
we only just met her

I know, but there was something
about her I didn't like

Something deep down inside her

Mabile has her faults too

- Like what?
- She tells stories

Horror stories of ghosts and monsters

Used to give me nightmares
when I was a kid

Lots of them
were about this ancestor of mine

Sounds like that book Rebecca.
Do you remember it?

Except Mabile is a good housekeeper

In the book, the monster
was a beautiful woman

Here it's the ghost of a knight
who turns up every now and then

- I never saw him, of course
- Who was he?

Alaric de Marnac,
the man in the painting

He looks like you

Hardly surprising,
since we are related

Mabile used to scare me with him

He has a satanic look

It's chilling,
it freezes the soul

Nothing like you, thank God!

Well, let's talk about happier things

I have no problems
with old legends

What happened earlier was real

I thought those thugs
were going to kill us

It was horrible

Darling, I'm here to protect you

Yes, I know

And as long as you are,
I won't worry

Julie, calm down,
it's me, Paul

You were screaming

I had a terrible nightmare

That man in the painting
came to life

He tried to kill me

I heard a scream
and came to see what it was

I know, I heard it too

I dreamed about that picture

It's your horror stories

Well... good night

Goodnight.
I'm sorry, sir

Good night

It's wonderful

Julie, every day I feel better

A month since we came
and it seems like yesterday

How time has flown by

I'm glad you feel better

I feel stronger every day

And I'll tell you a secret

I'm falling in love with my husband
all over again

Mabile is nice, of course,
but do you know what?

I didn't like you at first

Now I feel really close to you

I didn't like you either

I hope you do now

Of course I do.
I'm really glad we met

Dear Pierre... I am happy to say
that Genevieve is getting better

The clean air, slow pace of life,
it really seems to be good for her

Every day she gets stronger

I really hope it lasts

On the way here something happened
that could have been serious

I was worried about Genevieve
and didn't think she would recover

But to my great surprise
she didn't ask to go back to Paris

But she's really
enjoying it here now

Truly, my life has never been better

I think things really started
to go wrong for me at school

My dad worked in a factory
in Toulouse

He got in a mess
and killed himself

My mother was an alcoholic
who died in a car crash

They put me in a reform school

A bad place.
Worse than jail

My aunt came and rescued me

Julie, you poor girl

I've wasted too much time.
Now I want to do things

I won't be a maid all my life

Look at Mabile, she's grown old here

She's wasted the best years
of her life in this place

Her ambitions never went
beyond these mountains

Julie, I want to help you
find your dreams

Thank you, madame

Hello?

Ah, yes

Right...
The day after tomorrow

Yes...
I'll come to Perrouze

Anything wrong, sir?

It's the police. They have
some information about that robbery

They want to see me

I must go into town

I've never been here before

It's a gloomy place

This is where Alaric de Marnac
is buried

- The man in the picture?
- Yes

He was a total monster

This house is the site
of his former castle

All I know about him
is what my husband told me

He killed his wife
for being unfaithful

The legend says
he rises from his tomb

to punish any Marnac woman
who lives here

He comes back every hundred years

What a horrible story

They say he's due to return soon

I suppose you'd be his first victim

But don't worry, it's only a legend

An old wives tale...

Come on,
I'll show you something

Here's his grave

Alaric de Marnac,
1515 to 1565

"Only he will hear
the trumpets of Hell..."

"Only the Devil will be his friend"

Here, take this

I don't understand

I told them to stop all this nonsense
about Alaric de Marnac

And now this

It was horrible... that snake,
such a shock

That stupid girl's fault,
I'm kicking her out

Paul, please don't

Paul, make love to me tonight

Well... I don't know

Quickly! Get out of here!

What did the police want?

To show me some pictures

See if I could identify
those thugs

- Did you?
- Yes

Seems they were quite well known

Looks like they might catch them soon

Maybe even tonight

Paul, how long will you be in Paris?

No more than 3 or 4 days,
I won't stay long

Please, darling, don't worry,
I'll be back before you know it

And you've got Mabile

I know. I'm being silly

I'll be as quick as I can be

I won't be gone long

Please don't be.
I need you

Genevieve, take care of yourself,
remember, I love you

Paul, it's just that sometimes...
I get depressed

- But darling
- Don't worry, I'll be alright

- But hurry back
- I will

Where's Julie?
I haven't seen her all day

She's in bed.
She had a headache

I think she's got a cold

Dear me, what a night.
It's going to be stormy

Storms round here can be bad,
sometimes the power goes down

I think I'll go up to bed

I'll go with you

No, please. I'm all right

Very well.
But if you need me for anything

just call

The bell in your room
also rings in the kitchen

Thank you, Mabile.
Goodnight

Goodnight. Sleep well

The knight...

Death...

God bless this house

How is she doctor?

I think she's over the worst

I gave her a sedative

It's a heart problem

That's out of my league

- When's Mr Marnac back?
- Probably tomorrow

I'll talk to him about it

She might have to
see someone in Paris

Well, I must be off.
I have another call to make

I'll show you out

Wait here till I get back

She says it was a snake in her bed.
And she saw the knight

Then the lights went out

But the electric company say
there was no power cut last night

So it's impossible

I told you and Julie
to keep an eye on her

Julie was ill in bed

And where were you, Mabile?

She didn't want me with her.
I stayed in the kitchen

I tried to keep awake,
but somehow I still fell asleep

This is all wrong.
I don't like it at all

Julie, sick, you asleep,
and my wife left alone here

What do you mean?

Nothing, I'm just thinking out loud

But I don't like it

Good evening, sir

Hello, Julie.
How's my wife?

Much better. She's asleep

Believe me, Paul. It wasn't a dream.
It was real

That's impossible.
That story is just a legend

I saw him, I tell you

It was just a nightmare.
Forget it

Don't take it so seriously...
please

I know you're right.
I'll try to be strong

Good. We'll go back to Paris soon

I'll have Pierre run some more tests

Tomorrow I must see the police
in Perrouze again

Again?

I think it's just routine

Come in

Here's your dinner

I'm not hungry

But you must eat

And Mabile's made something special

Why did my husband have to go
back to the police?

I think they might have found
those men who tried to rob you

They've been arrested?

Not exactly, no

What do you mean?

I believe they were killed
resisting arrest

Maybe he went to identify
the bodies

Now try to eat something

Come on, I know you'll like it

It's your favorite.
And Mabile cooked it specially

Blood!

What is it, Madam?
What's wrong?

It's only...
Only a fish

Take it away!

Go on, take a look.
It's nothing...

Mireille, you shouldn't have come.
It's crazy

People know me here

I had to come.
I had to know what was going on

I told you not to contact me,
not to follow me

You left so suddenly

I'm sorry, but you must be patient

Listen, Paul Marnac

I know about you.
I could cause you a lot of trouble

I've worked for you
for a long time

I know all about your business

Maybe more than I should

Are you threatening me?

A friendly warning

Just don't forget about me.
Alright?

Blackmail...

Call it what you like

You've got no class

I found you in the gutter
and you're still trash

I gave you five years of my life

You always knew what I wanted

Just be patient

Soon we'll have everything
we planned for

I promise

Mabile, I have a bad feeling

I sense that my life
will soon be over

Oh, Madam...

When I die,
I'm going to die alone

Please don't say such things

My heart is sick
and now my mind is too

I see things that aren't really there

- Maybe I'm going mad, Mabile
- Come now...

- Completely mad
- No, madam

It's 9 o'clock.
Where's Paul got to?

Don't worry,
I'm sure he'll be back soon

Poor Paul.
I've not been easy to live with

First of all my moods
and depressions

And now this illness

But I do love him

I always have...
I always will

He loves you too, madam

Paul? Is that you?

Paul! Mabile...
Please help me!

Now take the body upstairs

We'll settle up later

From Paul to Genevieve,
with all my love

On our fifth wedding anniversary

I couldn't do anything.
She never even woke up

Cardiac arrest in her sleep

At least she didn't suffer.
I'll fill out the death certificate

Now what can I do?
I feel so empty

I'll take care of things

Thank you, doctor

It's no trouble

Poor lady.
How sad to die alone

Paul, do I look good?

Fantastic

Better than her?

Well?

Of course, much better

You look great

That first time I saw you I knew
my life would be empty without you

And I knew I would kill
to make you mine

How long will you be in Paris?

Long enough to arrange things

Getting the funeral sorted.
Telling all the friends and family

Then the legal stuff
has to be sorted

The factories, the houses,
the business, the bank accounts

It's all mine now!

Soon it will be all ours

Yes, very soon.
When you're my wife

Hello, lover

I knew you'd be back

I have some things to pick up

Your pyjamas?

The silk robe I got
for your birthday?

I told you, it's not good
for us to meet right now

Nobody saw me.
I'm very discrete

The perfect mistress

But I'm tired of being perfect

At least say you're happy to see me

Listen, Mireille,
it's all going according to plan

In a few days I must return
to the country

A few things to sort out there.
Then we can be together at last

Just a body.
No class... no style

What a mess I'm in

Sleep well, my girl

You think you've finally got me
where you want me

But your death will
solve my problems

Your death...

Paul, can't you sleep?

No... I'm a little restless

Maurice, at last

Drink some coffee.
It'll do you good

Christ in heaven knows,
I'm dying inside

- What's wrong?
- Just thinking out loud

I know this is hard for you.
Let me help

It's like a poem

A poem that doesn't rhyme

Death is the only solution

I'm trapped

But I must be myself

I don't understand you.
What is it?

It's hard to understand

But if the poem doesn't rhyme...
If it doesn't fit in the house...

Now the house is empty

I'll always be here for you

We'll work it out together

Yes, of course we will

Paul, please

Can I come to the country with you?

No, Mireille,
it's not possible right now

We have to wait

We're safe here

My aunt sleeps like a log

I usually slip some pills
in her milk

Knocks her out for hours

So it's just you two?

The gardener comes every 2 weeks,
but he never talks

Apparently he's worked here
more than 30 years

He's deaf as a post

Maurice, I really want this

It'll take time,
but we can be rich

Really rich

Important people

I hope so

Trust me

Mireille, damn her!

What to do?

I must find a way out

- Where's Mabile?
- In town, she'll be a while

Then we have time

It's all fine.
Nobody suspects anything

When I first heard that story
of the knight I had nightmares

Do you remember?

Now he's like an old friend

The perfect partner in crime.
A partner who makes no demands

What shall we do about Mabile?

Nothing.
She won't be a problem

If she is, just give her some pills
and she'll sleep like a baby

I don't know.
You might be right

Of course I am.
I've known her since I was a kid

Your wife was a tough bitch,
she took a lot of scaring

Julie, I bought something from Paris

What?

I hope you like it

Paul! It's beautiful

Anything for you, Julie

How could you do such a thing, sir?

I don't know.
Sometimes we act on impulse, Mabile

Julie is a bad girl.
She has no conscience

I think she drove her father
to suicide

She's taken drugs,
been a prostitute

Knew a boy called Maurice

A drug addict
who'd been in jail many times

He was her lover.
She ended up in reform school

I convinced the judge
to let her stay with me

I thought I could change her

I really did try

But all I did
was bring evil into this house

I decided to kill my wife
long before I set eyes on Julie

I hated her

Her superior ways, her demands,
her impossible moods

How her friends used to laugh at me

She deserved to die

But she really loved you.
She told me that many times

When she got ill she changed,
because she needed me

Then I hated her even more

Her illness gave me
the perfect solution

You've changed.
I no longer know you

You're not yourself

So what are you going to do?

You're like a son to me

I watched you being born
and growing up

But I don't think I can forgive this

I can't

Yes?

No, he's already left

I told you, I don't know

All right, I'll give him the message

Mireille?

Says she's coming here
to see you

Damn bitch!
She's real trouble

Don't worry.
Just let her come

I hated doing that.
Mabile was a good woman

But she had a conscience

And because of that,
she was dangerous

We should call the ambulance

Tell them about Mabile's...
terrible accident

Wait, she's not dead yet

Now what can we do?

Paul, I'll get that

— Is Mr Marnac in?
- No, he's not

I'll wait. I need to see him

It's important

Hold on, where are you going?

Clean it all well.
There must be no traces

The doctor and the police
might be dumb

But we can't take chances

Don't worry. I'll do a good job

I'll dump the car in the lake
tonight

Could anyone know she's here?

She was always very discrete.
Never discussed our affair

No, there's nothing to worry about

First I'll hide the car

Then we'll put Mabile on the stairs
and call the cops

Along come
Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson

and believe everything we tell them

Keep calm, Julie,
and everything will be fine

Our luck's in

I am calm, lover

Very calm

I thought the honeymoon
would never end

Thank God it has

That bastard wanted it
day and night

And every time I felt more sick
and hated him more

He's such a kid,
he's easy to fool

I can make him do anything

Soon we're going to be very rich

After the honeymoon,
I made him come back here

That makes our job easier

Soon we can be together, Maurice

I love you. . Julie

Thanks, it's cold in this house

It's been empty for a long time now

Tomorrow I'll call the engineer in,

to see if we can
get the heating fixed up

Come on, get in the bath with me

You're all wet! Stop it

The big bad dragon will leave you be,
but you have to scrub my back

We'll always be together,
know why?

Why?

Because we're both alike:
two monsters

- Aren't I right?
- Well maybe you are

And sometimes
even monsters need love

You're very deep tonight

Fuck you!

We're both evil...
But I'm more evil, fool

Maurice?

It's all over, my love

I played the part
of the grieving widow

I was perfect

You got the tickets?

Tomorrow then, to New York

I really need a holiday

I earned it, right?

I'll be waiting

Yes... at dawn

Best no-one sees us

Bye now. I love you

What's going on?

I'm starting to see things

Must get out of here

Hello?

Who is it?

Say something

Someone's trying to scare me,
that's it!

Trying to drive me crazy

It's all in my mind

This is my house

They can't get me

Maurice! It must be

It's him!

I must escape

Get out of here