Zombie Lake (1981) - full transcript

ZOMBIE LAKE

I haven't had this many people in a long time.

Here, let me offer you a drink while you wait.

The girl's not back yet, is she?

Don't worry.
She probably met some young stud.

Didn't she say where she was going?
She left her bag here.

She said she was going over to the lake.

In the morning, if she isn't back,
I'll go see the mayor.

And we'll go look for her.

It's me. Good morning, Mayor.

Did she turn up yet?



I did what was asked.

I went all the way over to the lake
this morning,

and I found this.

That's what I was afraid of.

People are beginning
to talk about disappearance.

If she doesn't turn up by tomorrow,
I'll call the police.

But... I'm a bit worried. I fear there's
a lot more to this than meets the eye.

Thank you, Chanak. That's all.

Gazik, we can't bury your daughter

until we find out what caused her death.

Too many things
have been going on around here.

Let's take the body
over to the hospital for an autopsy.

I’m sure if anything's wrong,

the police will send somebody over
to make an investigation.



Listen, Gazik.

All our lives could be in danger.

I know.

Hi there! Come here.

Be nice and tell me once again
what you saw last night.

I want all the details
you can remember.

A small cognac, please.

Do you know her?

Thanks.

What does she want?

I'm sorry to interrupt you,

but I'm a reporter,
and I came to do a story.

- What on?
- On here.

Ain't nothin' to write about.

Oh, yes.

May I?

What kind of a story?

Let's say

I would like an unusual little yarn
about that weird lake of yours.

Maybe there's a story in it.

Who could tell me about the legends
surrounding it?

You call it the lake of-

the lake of the damned?

Oh, that.
That's no problem.

Go and see the mayor.

He knows almost everything
about the region.

If you want to, I'll take you over to see him.

That's very kind.
Thank you very much.

I'm coming with you.
We'll lose no time.

I'll take my gear.

Let's go. After you.

- It's right over there.
- Thanks.

Just ring the doorbell and walk right in.

What do you mean,
barging in this way? Who are you?

My name is Katia Moore.
I'm a reporter.

I'd like to ask you a few questions.

I can't talk to you today.
Come back tomorrow.

I'm sorry, but I can't.

Mr. Chanak, l just met him.

He said you were the only person
who could help me.

I'm doing an investigation about the lake.

I brought you a book
about otherworldly phenomena.

You'll find it fascinating.

Read it if you've got the time.

But read it first.
Then we'll talk about it.

I wonder about something -
I can see you're already into it.

- Come in.
- Thank you.

- Please sit down.
- Thank you.

Why, of all things, are you interested
specifically in the lake of the damned?

What I'm wondering is why this name?

It got it recently -

Two, three centuries ago.

You're wrong.

It happens its real name
is “the Damned Lake,”

not the lake of the damned.

The townsfolk gave it
its new name fairly recently.

Why did they change the name?

Let me explain.

You see, there was a story in it once,
a long time ago.

But no one cares about it anymore.

So this allows you to direct your energy
towards more interesting things.

It may be a waste of time,
but I'd like to look into it,

however insignificant.

Things are only insignificant
if time gives them that measure.

Time occasionally turns a story
into folk tales and legends.

It was during the war,
10 years ago.

Risked his life for a stranger.

This is Radio Freedom.

Units of the German Third Army
are withdrawing through the Zin.

All available resistance
are to hinder their withdrawal.

Now some personal messages.

Hurry up.
You've got five minutes.

We will call her Helena.

You can't just go and leave
all those bodies behind you.

We can't stay around here much longer.

There are two truckloads of Germans
coming this way.

All the more reason!

They'll kill everybody in the village
if you leave them lying around.

Okay, but quickly.

We've got to move out of here.

Chris is waiting to give us orders.

Get to it, men. The mayor is right.
We must hide the bodies.

Chuck them in the lake.

Give me a hand.

Now I understand why the lake's got
such a strange name.

Yes, you could call it
the damned lake of the damned.

I know how you feel about the lake, and -

We can never really know
how another feels.

Well, sir, I would like to thank you.

You've been more than cooperative.

Chanak was quite right.

He said you know quite a lot about the lake
and would answer my questions,

for which I thank you very much.

Yes, you've been helpful.

I'll leave you now.

Helena, my poor darling.

Coming here,
just like your mother.

Come along.

One shouldn't stay alone.

Come on!

Loss of blood,

severed jugular,
other unidentified injuries.

“Dear Mr. Mayor,
I suggest that you lose no time

in organizing a hunt

for what appears to be... a wild beast,

come in from the tundra during winter.

It should be killed
before it claims new victims.

Try to lure it with livestock
in order to capture it.

Sincerely yours” -

Wild beast, my ass.

Poor idiots.

Unbelievable.

Men of science!

The lake! The lake!

The lake!

Let me through.

Help me. We'll take her upstairs.

Okay.

Gently.

Hurry. Get her upstairs,
the first room.

Don't move her too much.

Gently.

The door is open.

Hello, Inspector?

This is the mayor.

I can't imagine you really mean that.

Now stop worrying.
I'm sending you two inspectors.

Good-bye.

You can say the war did him no good.

He's right out of his head.

You know what he says? He says a bunch
of ghosts are about to attack his village

and kill all the inhabitants.

And he wants police reinforcement
to repel the attack.

He's always been a bit mad.

- What do we do?
- We'll send him Spitz and Morane.

They'll have a couple days' vacation.

If they find anything, they'll call us.

It would appear a whole team
of basketball players - women -

just simply disappeared in the lake,

swallowed up by some ghosts.

- You mean they all disappeared?
- Yes, we'll investigate.

And if, by any chance,
what he says is true?

Oh, come on, now.
Not you.

One nut a night is more than enough.

Hello. I want to talk
with Spitz and Morane.

Right away.

- Gentlemen.
- Police. We'd like to see the mayor.

- He ain't here. It's too early.
- Any idea where we can find him?

Yeah, sure. He's bound to be at home.

- It's the castle on the edge of town.
- This way?

- Yeah, just at the edge of the forest.
- Thanks a lot.

No trouble.

I hope you don't really think
ghosts killed them, Mr. Mayor.

Yes, that's what I think.
In fact, I'm convinced of it.

Stories about the lake of the damned
go back to the Inquisition.

They used to celebrate Black Masses

back in the Middle Ages.

They would sacrifice children,
and throw them into it,

to appease the spirits

which otherwise rose out
of their watery grave in search of blood.

And we too - We've used it
as an unholy grave during the war.

But the soldiers we threw in
were not a sacrifice.

And they're coming back with a vengeance.

This is why I asked for reinforcements
from the inspector

to save us from the zombies.

But... he only sent us investigators.

Oh, well. Do your work, gentlemen.

We're here to investigate the disappearance
of the basketball team.

Well, well!
Only that one, huh?

I see when it comes to strangers,
you really move your ass.

But when it comes to our compatriots,
then it's our problem.

Shut up.

We don't give a damn about your crap.

We're here to make an investigation,
and we will do it.

Fine, go ahead!

You, in the back.
When did you see the girls for the last time?

I never saw them.

Hey. Do you think that if any one of us
had seen these poor girls,

we would've let them go out there
and get killed?

Don't you think we'd have told them
to stay away from the lake

and especially not to swim in it?

You think we're all killers?

Is there anyone here
who has seen these ghosts?

Yes. Two boys saw one,
dressed in a German soldier uniform.

What?

You never understand anything.

That's part of another investigation.

The death of poor Gazik's daughter.

But, you see, that poor girl
was from the country. So you see!

Spitz.

Let's go.

We won't get anything
from this bunch of idiots.

Must've happened over on that side.

That's their camper.

Let's have a look.

I haven't got the faintest notion
what could have happened.

No clue whatsoever.
You believe in ghosts?

Are you kidding?
Don't tell me those hicks got to you.

Since yesterday, several people
have been killed by the zombies.

Those two cops were skeptical.

Nobody will believe us.

Your fate's now in your own hands.

We cannot remain paralyzed by fear.

We must act.

Let's ambush them tonight.

It's the only way
of getting rid of them once and for all.

Go prepare your guns.

We'll wait for them at the edge of town.

I'm sure they'll come by the west lane.

Let's go.

We'll stop the bastards!

You're damn right.
Let's get rid of them once and for all.

Count on me.

Over there.

What happened, grandmother?
Where's Helena?

Speak! Where's Helena?

Will you stop crying?

Calm down, will you?
Where's Helena?

The mill. The mill.
She took the devil over to the mill.

And all those zombies followed!

Come along. Don't panic.
Show me.

Come, come!

I couldn't believe it.

Helena, my poor darling.

Why, these horrible creatures
could have killed you,

like they did many others.

Not him.

He fought them off.
He saved my life.

I can never forget
that it's the village's hatred,

me... and the lake.

We created these monstrous zombies.

No weapon can kill them.

Air goes right through them.

The lake is their refuge.

And nothing can ever make them
return to dust.

Nothing but the Apocalypse

will reduce them to ashes

and give them eternal peace.

The sacred fiery hell of the Apocalypse.

The fire I'm thinking of,
nothing sacred about it.

You see, it's not at all mystical,

but just as effective as the Apocalypse.

It might just save you.
I think you should try it.

But -

What are you thinking of?

Napalm.

Thank you, Katia.

You just saved this village
from destruction

and me from despair.

Excuse me, sir.

You could ask Beriot to repair
the old flamethrower.

You know who the man
with the medallion is.

Yes. He's my father,
and that's why I don't want you to hurt him.

The others are bad ghosts, but not him.

I'll help you catch the other ghosts
if you want me to,

but I won't let you hurt him.

You love him, huh? What about your mother?
Don't you think she loved him?

Yes, but she's dead.

And he is one of the living dead.

He doesn't belong to the world
of the living anymore.

He would like to be dead,
but first, he must return to dust.

You're the only one
who can make this miracle happen.

His fate is in your hands.

If you accept,
you'll be doing him a favor,

and then he'll rest in peace.

That's the best present
you could ever give him.

Mr. Mayor! Quick!

We found Maria on the side of the road.

She's dead.

Did you hear, Helena?

Grandmother, please,
will you leave us alone for a minute?

He'll do it tomorrow.
It's the full moon.

Bring me a whole lot of fresh blood.

Fresh blood?

Yes, that's right.

A whole lot.
And I want to stay alone with him.

I'll take him to the mill,

and when they drink the blood,
l'll go out.

And you can do whatever you have to.

- But -
- No. I don't want to talk about it.

I need all my strength.

Mommy, help me.
Give me the courage to do it.

Miss! Miss! They're coming.

Run! The zombies are coming!

Don't worry about me.
I'm staying.

You must be crazy!

- It's the story of a lifetime!
- Don't be ridiculous.

Leave! I've got to get a picture.
I can't afford to miss this.

Come back!
It's suicide!

Now! Let's go!

- Fry them!
- Gas!

Do it!

Don't forget me.

I won't forget you.