The Black Door (2001) Movie Script
Hi, I'm not here right now. Leave a message
after the beep, and I'll call you back.
Hi. It's Meg.
Are you there?
Hello?
Will you call me as soon
as you hear this message?
It's about Steven.
I don't know what happened to him,
but he's not doing well.
I know this is going to sound weird,
but he says you have to film him.
I don't know. Just call me, okay? Bye.
You have to film this.
Don't miss a thing.
Don't stop filming it's the proof.
Film it. I saw him.
He was there.
It was dark, but I saw him.
I don't know how, but he's there.
Look what he did to me.
I'm not lying, and I'm not crazy.
It's all in the footage.
THE BLACK DOOR
STEVEN'S GIRLFRIEND - MEG
I don't know how to tell this.
I don't know where to start.
Steven was hospitalized yesterday.
The police said he had been assaulted.
He went to a house in the suburbs.
To look for something for his thesis.
And that's where he was assaulted.
I had told him not to go.
But he wouldn't listen to me.
Now he won't speak to me.
Steven studies at Stanford.
That's where we met.
We're getting married next year.
But he didn't explain to me
how he ended up in this situation.
It's a thesis on trade relations...
...between the United States
and Mexico in the late 1920s.
It's not exactly a dangerous subject.
THE DOCTOR
What is Steven's condition?
He presents the usual symptoms
seen in victims of assault.
A severe state of shock, bruising...
These are very common cases.
Except for those scratches he has.
We don't know what attacked him.
Judging by the shape, it could be a man.
It could be, but...
These are deep cuts.
Several of themlike the
ones on his back are infected.
I can't picture a man doing that.
His fingernails would break.
Maybe a huge dog or a feline.
The police say it happened inside a house.
But he's no longer in danger.
The cuts are deep, but he's
young and healthy; he'll pull through.
-It was a wonderful time.
-Yes.
-Dressed as a cowboy.
-He always really loved that.
Yes.
He must have been about thirteen here.
He was just a little kid.
Here, at six months old...
STEVEN'S MOTHER - LUCY H.
I suppose my favorite is the
one we have from his graduation.
It was a very happy day.
He is a very talented student.
He earned his bachelor's degree with excellent
grades, and then went on to get his master's.
We are so proud of him...
When he came back from San Francisco,
he was so immersed in his research...
that we hardly ever saw him.
I've spent more time with
the photos than with Steven.
STEVEN'S FATHER - PATRICK H.
Even as a very young child,
he was already captivated by history.
He would seek out the old
houses in the neighborhood,
imagining who might have lived in them.
It fascinated him.
And what kind of people
might frequent them now.
I warned him.
These are the things he's
gathered since he started that work.
It's about this man:
Antonio Fuentes Balmaseda.
I don't know how he found out
about its existence. I really don't know.
But he has always been very
interested in Mexican history.
We even thought about
going there for our honeymoon.
We might choose somewhere else now.
What captured Steven's interest
was the mystery of that story.
Balmaseda set up his business in '24...
and made a lot of money in New York.
In '28, he left it behind and opened
a trucking company in Seattle.
And in '32, he vanisheddisappeared.
Steven found some
records here, in Seattle.
Registration forms for
Balmaseda's company.
But Steven believed that
Balmaseda had planned to disappear.
Because his business
was doing very poorly, and...
Steven said that was
why no one was alarmed.
But it never appeared.
It's very strange.
And then he found this.
I wish he had never found it.
He changed so much after that.
He didn't want me to see it.
He didn't want me to touch it...
I don't understand it.
He was obsessed with it.
He changed completely.
What could have made him change like that?
He said it was better if I didn't see it,
and that I shouldn't even go near it.
Before, we shared everything.
Why would he do that?
The eight-millimeter film
was discovered by Steven H...
during the autumn of 1999.
Upon recovering this document,
we hesitated to show it to the public.
But it is a responsibility
we must shoulder.
The footage was filmed in April 1932,
around the time of
Balmaseda's disappearance.
Its sixteen minutes were intended
to document an experiment.
We will follow them
with you, step by step.
This must be the first one.
Judging by the angle, the man
cutting his hand is behind the camera.
That dark liquid comes
from the bucket we saw.
They are preparing a bath.
In these frames, we discover
that it consists of human blood.
We do not know if that man
was the one cutting his hand.
Nor can we determine how much time
has elapsed since the previous image.
Three more men enter.
Balmaseda is the one in the center;
he is wearing a white shirt.
Based on the attention paid to Balmaseda, we
deduce that he may have been their leader.
They treat him with the utmost respect.
They trace a circle on the ground.
Everyone appears very tense.
They make marks within the circle.
Next to Balmaseda's head, hands, and feet.
Five points in total.
Using the chalk line,
the shape of a star...
appears on the floor
as the points are connected.
The lines are thickened with paint.
They are using specially crafted tools.
They avoid stepping inside the circle.
This demonstrates the
importance of the procedure.
They are drawing a five-pointed star.
The circle of invocation
used in black magic.
They are Satan worshippers.
The curtain rises.
Now the experiment begins,
or what we should call a ceremony.
We already know that everything
had been prepared for Balmaseda.
He is the center of the event.
Balmaseda is about to
be bathed in human blood.
My name is Steven.
These are the results
of the investigation into...
a Mexican man named Antonio
Balmaseda, who disappeared in 1932.
This recording concludes the
studies I had recorded on tape.
These are the pieces of
evidence I have gathered.
The Seattle Police
report from April of '32...
mentioning Balmaseda's disappearance.
I received the ledger
from Balmaseda's company.
It was given to me by the daughter of
his accountant at the time, Karl Krummel.
I found evidence that he had been giving
sums of money to various men...
during the period between 1929 and 1932.
June 15, 1999.
I have received the
ledger from Miss Krummel.
There is something strange about the
three years prior to his disappearance.
The pages of the ledger indicate
that, starting January 30, 1930,
Balmaseda regularly handed over
three thousand dollars,
a great deal of money for that era,
to three individuals:
Dickson Ward, Anton Milodragovitch,
and Carlos Carvalho,
who appear every three months in 1930,
every two months in '31, and every
week in early 1932.
These men were neither
partners nor clients.
I suspected blackmail.
So I investigated them.
None of them are still alive.
WARNING:
THESE IMAGES MAY BE DISTURBING
The brush used to wash
Balmaseda is designed...
to prevent others from touching the blood.
Which holds significant symbolic value.
The washing was, without a doubt,
a process of purification.
Just like the smoke most likely incense.
We cannot make out
what that man is saying.
It could be a prayer
accompanying the purification.
Each of them knows exactly what to do.
They all act in perfect harmony.
But for some reason, Carvalho,
the man carrying the chalice,
is not permitted to hand it to Balmaseda.
They begin to pray.
Balmaseda appears very tense.
The prayer concludes with an
inverted sign of the cross, and with:
"In Aeternam Infernales Dei Gloriam."
In Latin: "Eternal Glory
to the Infernal Deity."
It is the conclusion
of an invocation to the Devil.
We do not know what the dark
liquid is that Balmaseda has just drunk.
The close-ups of Balmaseda's
eyes suggest that it may be...
some kind of drug that induces
a sense of lightheadedness.
Balmaseda is under
the influence of the drug.
He can barely walk.
The man on our left
Carvalhoasks him something.
Balmaseda nods.
Pay close attention
to what is about to happen.
The two men on the sides
Ward and Milodragovitch...
pull out straight razors.
Carvalho looks frightened.
Balmaseda's death takes place
in the second third of the footage.
What began as a study for my thesis...
has turned into something
much more complex.
After seeing the footage,
I cannot go on as before.
I haven't told Meg about it.
I don't know what to do with it.
Should I show it, or not?
I need someone's help.
Even if it's just advice.
THE FINAL THIRD
OF THE 8MM FILM.
Let's see what happens in the
final stage of the ceremony.
Balmaseda is not dead yet.
The men seem surprised.
Balmaseda tries to scream
as blood floods his throat.
The sound would be terrifying.
Observe Carvalho's reaction.
They drag Balmaseda's
body to the center of the star.
It must be very important
that he remains inside.
Once again, the words:
"In Aeternam Infernalis Dei Gloriam."
They force Carvalho
to finish off Balmaseda.
Now it is his turn to draw his own blood.
We do not know how much time has elapsed
between these images and the previous ones.
Everyone knew the
procedure for the ceremony,
but they find it difficult to endure.
Four candles burn within the
circle surrounding the body.
Six hours have passed
since Balmaseda's death.
Carvalho takes out a sheet of paper
containing another prayer for the ceremony.
Another inverted sign of the
cross. An anti-Christian symbol.
Fourteen hours.
They seem to be waiting
for something to happen.
Twenty-four hours.
Time is a critical
factor in this ceremony.
Note that the three men appear exhausted.
We don't know what Ward is saying,
but he is very angry.
Perhaps because the event they
are waiting for is not happening.
This shot began precipitously.
Twenty-seven hours.
They are frightened.
Balmaseda rises.
He has returned from the beyond.
This image shows that Balmaseda
cannot leave the circle.
One minute after his resurrection,
Balmaseda collapses again.
Thirty hours.
Balmaseda's body remains motionless.
There are no signs of movement.
The three men appear despondent.
What they were waiting
for lasted a very short time.
Forty-four hours.
They seem to be giving up.
Was Balmaseda's resurrection
what they were expecting?
Was it meant to end like this?
Did they achieve their
objective during the ceremony?
We do not know.
THE NURSE
He's been like this for two days.
And he's getting worse.
He spends almost all his time screaming.
I've never seen anything like it.
He's losing his mind.
He barely recognizes
his parents or his girlfriend.
And those marks he has
all over his body...
Even the doctors don't know what they are.
It seems Steven is getting worse.
Do you know what's happening?
I don't know.
I have no idea.
His blood tests confirm a malignant tumor.
That explains why those
black spots appeared.
A rapid deterioration of the organs,
linked to an immunodeficiency.
An unknown disease.
It's possible his attacker infected him.
We are in contact with several clinics around
the world that have his medical history.
None of them has ever
encountered a case like this.
There is no active
treatment for this disease.
I hate to say it, but we're flying blind.
Are there more?
Hello! Come aboard!
John!
Would you take over for me for a bit?
Thanks.
It's that thing over there;
we're almost done.
THE DAUGHTER OF BALMASEDA'S
ACCOUNTANT - MRS. KRUMMEL
My father's ledgers from when
he worked for Balmaseda.
When the company closed down,
he kept the book as a keepsake.
Steven got really excited when he read it.
I was surprised that a student
could be so interested in this.
I never imagined I'd
be filmed talking about it.
If my father knew, he would
feel both proud and surprised.
He was a very private man.
He wouldn't understand why account
ledgers would be of such interest.
And it's not as if he was running a scam.
This isn't Al Capone's bookkeeping.
Do you think Balmaseda was a gangster?
It's not that. Or is it?
My father would have known.
He only worked with honest people.
August 20, 1999.
I have the police records
for the other three men.
CARLOS CARVALHO
According to Spanish police documents,
a thirty-year-old American,
identified as Carvalho,
was found dead on September 8, 1932,
at six in the morning in Vallvidrera,
on the outskirts of Barcelona,
a few months after the ceremony.
The police do not consider
Carvalho a Spanish resident,
unlike the Interpol records.
We assume he held passports
from various countries.
He died of stab wounds. Six stab wounds...
on the left side of his body.
Not a trace of the killer.
Aside from the stab wounds,
the only damage to the body...
consisted of bruises on the forehead
and one shoulderperhaps from the fall.
No other signs of a struggle.
The other point of interest on the
body was a five-centimeter tattoo...
in the shape of a
keyhole on his left wrist.
The tattoo was not associated
with any criminal group of that era.
The case file indicates that the body
was identified by a woman named...
The file describes the woman as a
distant relative. She was from Seattle.
She is the woman mentioned
by Steven in his recording.
He tried to find her, but
she has disappeared.
DICKSON WARD
This Scotland Yard file provided
leads regarding Dickson Ward.
According to their records, the body was
found in a neighborhood on the outskirts...
of Manchester in 1934,
two years after the ceremony.
Ward was murdered by two drunks
following a brawl in a tavern.
The two assailants were never found.
Ward was no stranger
to the British police.
A petty criminal, arrested nine times.
He did not belong to any
religious movement.
ANTON MILODRAGOVITCH
Milodragovitch's trail
took longer to reconstruct.
Anton Milodragovitch was found
by his maid in the autumn of 1937,
five years after the ceremony.
Hanged in the house he had just
built in Mexico, near Tijuana.
Born in Philadelphia to a Polish family,
he owned a small business engaged
in trade between Mexico and the U.S.
In 1935, he left the
U.S. to live in Mexico.
He never had any trouble with the law.
His death was ruled a suicide.
Milodragovitch had a daughter;
she declined to be interviewed.
THE SEVENTH DAY
Why are you filming?
Did Steven ask you to?
Yes, he wants us to record everything.
May I ask who you are?
We need to talk.
Let's let Steven rest.
How long have you been filming?
About a week now.
I understand.
I'm not here to judge you,
but this involves a young man
in a very serious situation.
And I don't believe you can help him
get out of this predicament.
I hope you won't get in the way
of what I have to do to help him.
We haven't gotten in the
way of anything, Father.
You've already done that
by entering Steven's room,
especially in his current state,
and filming his pain.
That is a form of obstruction.
And it may not be appropriate.
He is not a sideshow
freak to amuse people.
I don't think you understand
what you have before you.
Father!
Father, Steven asked
you to film everything.
I already know that.
All right,
let's draw a line.
I know what Steven asked of you,
and what he asked of me.
I am Father Maxime Trentin.
I conduct psychological and
sociological studies for the Vatican.
I investigate supernatural cases to
separate the truth from the frauds.
Weeks ago, Steven sent
us some of his findings,
requesting our assessment.
We have reason to believe
that this is a very serious case.
Have you ever heard of the Black Gate?
That is not the point.
It doesn't matter if the men
in that cult are maniacs...
or devil worshippers.
The point is that there is
a young man who is dying.
And I have come here to
find out what happened to him.
And, if I can, to help him.
And we understand that.
It concerns us, too.
Well, then show that concern
by respecting his suffering.
I don't care if you film me,
but this isn't a spectacle.
Come on, Meg.
FATHER TRENTIN
How did Steven proceed from that point on?
He asked Interpol about those men
to see if they had criminal records.
He said that if they were gangsters,
they would have left a trail behind them.
It took some time to get a response.
But, at the same time,
Steven contacted Spain...
to obtain leads on Carvalho.
That was his next step.
September 8, 1999.
I met Carvalho's girlfriend.
She identified the body in Barcelona.
She gave me something very important:
Carvalho's personal effects.
Carvalho had given them to her in 1932,
before leaving for Spain.
She had kept them ever since.
Based on the black notebook
and the old film footage,
I began to believe that these
men held regular meetings...
and occasionally performed
some kind of ceremony.
A diabolical ceremony.
I think they were a cult.
On this yellowed paper, there is a text
written in an unknown alphabet.
It could be the prayer from the
ceremony that Carvalho had kept,
from when they prayed together
beside Balmaseda's body.
It must be the symbol
they used as an emblem.
They likely used it as
a sign of recognition.
They called themselves "The Black Door."
According to Steven, the last man
was the fifth figure in the photographs.
He was not mentioned in the
evidence that Steven had gathered.
His name was Morgen.
A prosperous businessman
in the early fifties.
He made a fortune after the war,
trading with Germany.
He was a racing champion;
he won Grand Prix races in Europe...
and the United States in the late forties.
But according to Steven, before the war, he
was a nobody who did a bit of everything.
He was the last person Steven tracked
down before being attacked at the house,
as you will soon see
in Steven's final video.
Hello, sir.
Hello.
Isn't it a bit cold?
Yes.
Sorry, I have a lot of work.
Be careful!
I don't want to buy another one.
You're not using my tape
to record, are you?
Relax, grumpy.
I bought one just to record you.
Why don't we go out for dinner tonight?
Sure. But wait a bit.
I think I have all the pieces of the
puzzle, but I'm missing something.
Hello?
Yes, it's Steven.
Mr. Morgen!
Thanks for calling me so soon.
Yes, do you have the address?
One moment.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes, great.
Yes, sure.
Of course. Great.
Alright. Thanks.
Good news?
Well, let's celebrate.
Impossible. I have to go get a map.
I won't be long.
See you in a bit.
FOOTAGE FROM STEVEN'S LAST VIDEO:
THE OLD HOUSE
November 12, 1999.
Here I am.
On my way to the house where
Morgen says I'll find what I need.
Morgen's information isn't very precise;
it took me longer than I
thought to find the house...
...in the end.
But I'm here now, and about to inspect it.
Shit! Damn it!
This place, at night...
it's a little creepy.
Is anyone there?
Hello?
Well...
Looks like there's no one here.
What is that?
Is it water?
Fuck, it looks like blood!
It's a little thick.
There's something mixed in with the water.
Who's there?
-Do you take sugar, Father?
-No, thank you.
Yes?
No, nothing. Sorry.
Could this be the house where...?
What is that?
At last!
My God...
Is this the black door?
God! God!
It's impossible.
Shit! I almost scared myself to death!
Damn it!
In this house, all the mirrors are broken.
Shit!
I've wasted my time;
there's nothing here.
Wait a minute.
This doesn't add up.
Jesus!
What is this? What does it mean?
I don't see blood.
There's no blood.
Maybe it's too old.
Forget it.
Unless...
Balmaseda?
Balmaseda!
Are you here?
What an idiot I am!
Damn it, damn it!
What do you think, Father?
It appears we are dealing with
superstitious crime and twisted minds.
Criminals.
We cannot yet speak
of supernatural phenomena.
The men performing the ceremony
have faith in their profane practices.
And they follow certain
classic signs of the satanic ritual.
The circle of invocations,
the use of the magical alphabet...
These are signs commonly
employed in such circles.
It is a case of mass
hysteria disguised as ritual.
And what about Balmaseda's resurrection,
and his reappearance to attack Steven?
"Resurrection" is a very strong word.
I have no explanation for any of that,
but there are followers willing
to enact that kind of thing.
What we need to find out
are those people's plans.
Why did they use Steven to...?
Because he thwarted their plans,
or because he was part of them?
And how do we do that?
We have to understand how they think.
These people adhere to a dogma
even stricter than Catholicism.
To fight against them, we will follow
the rules they have established.
We will have to break the pattern
of beliefs they have created.
We must find out who the
demon is that they wish to summon.
And who benefited from
its arrival after the ceremony.
That phrase is written in
the alphabet of black magic.
"By the names Adonai, El, Elohim,
Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh, and Zebaoth...
I command and bind you, Buer,
to remain in this room."
Everything is designed to
keep the demon locked away.
THE TENTH DAY
Steven! Steven!
I'm Meg.
Meg.
What are you trying to say?
What are you trying to say? Tell me.
My love...
My God!
Steven! Steven!
Steven!
It's blood!
He's weeping tears of blood!
It isn't easy to say this.
We still haven't identified
the degenerative disease.
We've tried various treatments, but without
knowing what we're fighting against...
it's impossible to combat it.
What do you mean?
That you can't cure my son?
I'm afraid so. And I'm sorry.
We haven't found a cure for this disease.
-And that's why you're giving up?
-No, of course not.
Please understand the situation.
We're running out of time.
The disease has manifested,
and the rate of degeneration... well...
The rate?
How much time do you
have to find that cure?
Not long.
Five days, at most.
But...!
He's my son!
How can you throw in the towel?
How can you just sit there
waiting for him to die?
You're a doctorit's your job!
Do something!
You can't just stand by and watch him die!
You can't! Do something!
This seal is not unfamiliar.
It matches the name
on the door: Buer.
This seal is the symbol,
or the signature, of that demon, Buer.
This is how Buer was depicted
in the early 19th century.
To Satanic worshippers,
he is one of the 72 principal demons,
although his rank is low
compared to that of others.
But he is a very powerful entity,
one who offers knowledge and strength.
According to various texts, the
one who obtains the demon's power...
must be someone who did not
participate in the ceremony.
They would have had to witness it,
but indirectly.
It is achieved thanks to a
mirror that breaks the curse,
like the mirror used by
Perseus to avoid Medusa's gaze.
But the film is a modern way
of achieving the same thing.
But by filming all of this,
the course of events is perpetuated,
and it serves the purposes of that man.
But how will it be achieved?
Who is he?
I have a rather accurate theory.
The sole survivor.
It has to be him.
And will he be able to stop it?
Is there any way to save Steven?
Of course.
Even if they do believe in it, they've used
very earthly methods to deceive us.
We'll prove they're a fraud,
and we just might save your boyfriend.
In the meantime...
Pray for Steven.
He needs it.
Who says I'm playing games?
Who says I'm a fraud?
I've met others like you,
the priests of the modern age.
Using words like "psychopaths"
and "lunatics" to define us.
All that psychological
jargon you learn in college.
You're so predictable!
MR. MORGEN
If you knew how to master your emotions,
Maybe then, I could make something of you.
But you must control the fire within you.
You are close.
But you still do not
glimpse the full picture.
You speak of confession.
What if I were to confess?
What if I told you that Balmaseda
was merely one of the pawns,
one of the many experiments I conducted?
Each demon grants
specific, limited powers.
If one seeks totality,
one must invoke several.
Who said that Buer was the only one?
Do you wish to know
about the others, Father?
About how they died and were
reborn so that I might acquire power?
Women, children... perhaps.
Do you want me to confess?
Does a poor old man in a
wheelchair scare you, Father?
Are you superstitious, Father?
Would it unnerve you
just a little if I were bluffing?
Look at me, Father.
Am I telling you the truth?
Look me in the eye.
How ironic!
The witness is the one
who reaps the benefits.
Surely you understand that.
Isn't that exactly what
you're trying to do?
It will go on without me.
I know it will continue.
Why come after me when I can
make him go after someone else?
I don't torture anyone, you know.
Passing on the mantle would
be a more accurate description.
I can understand your anger.
I can understand it.
Things can be darker than they seem.
If you weren't wearing those robes, I
know you'd punch an old man like me.
Now I feel your hatred.
So no, I can't do anything.
I have already stopped controlling him.
I am free, and I only had
to pay a very small price.
The life of an innocent
and tender little lamb.
THE THIRTEENTH DAY
A traffic accident occurred this
morning on the outskirts of Seattle.
The collision took place between
a fire truck and a private vehicle.
No firefighters were injured,
but the driver of the car,
Father Maxim Trentin, died while
being transported to the hospital.
In recent years, Father Trentin
was a prominent figure in the Church,
a charismatic and provocative
defender of Catholicism.
Is he dead?
An expert theologian, he had
published half a dozen books,
including "Steps Toward Faith",
a highly successful essay,
one of the most influential books
on modern Christianity.
Has Father Trentin died?
He had carried out various humanitarian
missions in Bangladesh, Rwanda...
and Croatia, and since 1995, he had
been working to establish shelters...
for young drug addicts in Russia.
Then there is no longer any hope.
I am lost.
God, please don't let Him take me!
Look!
Look!
It's already marked me!
I can't see it, but I know it's there.
I can feel it.
God, please!
Please, help me!
Please!
Get out of the room!
Please, get out right now!
My son is dead.
You can go now.
Stop filming.
I said stop filming!
Have some respect!
We buried him yesterday.
I don't know what I'm
going to do without him.
Nothing.
In the house.
We have to get inside the house.
He promised me that
he would never leave me.
Steven?
Steven?
He's here!
No! Can't you see him?
Steven!
Hello?
It's Meg.
Are you there?
Please, pick up the phone! Please!
It's Steven!
He's here!
He's back!
He's here with me!
Help!
Shit!
Run! Call the police!
after the beep, and I'll call you back.
Hi. It's Meg.
Are you there?
Hello?
Will you call me as soon
as you hear this message?
It's about Steven.
I don't know what happened to him,
but he's not doing well.
I know this is going to sound weird,
but he says you have to film him.
I don't know. Just call me, okay? Bye.
You have to film this.
Don't miss a thing.
Don't stop filming it's the proof.
Film it. I saw him.
He was there.
It was dark, but I saw him.
I don't know how, but he's there.
Look what he did to me.
I'm not lying, and I'm not crazy.
It's all in the footage.
THE BLACK DOOR
STEVEN'S GIRLFRIEND - MEG
I don't know how to tell this.
I don't know where to start.
Steven was hospitalized yesterday.
The police said he had been assaulted.
He went to a house in the suburbs.
To look for something for his thesis.
And that's where he was assaulted.
I had told him not to go.
But he wouldn't listen to me.
Now he won't speak to me.
Steven studies at Stanford.
That's where we met.
We're getting married next year.
But he didn't explain to me
how he ended up in this situation.
It's a thesis on trade relations...
...between the United States
and Mexico in the late 1920s.
It's not exactly a dangerous subject.
THE DOCTOR
What is Steven's condition?
He presents the usual symptoms
seen in victims of assault.
A severe state of shock, bruising...
These are very common cases.
Except for those scratches he has.
We don't know what attacked him.
Judging by the shape, it could be a man.
It could be, but...
These are deep cuts.
Several of themlike the
ones on his back are infected.
I can't picture a man doing that.
His fingernails would break.
Maybe a huge dog or a feline.
The police say it happened inside a house.
But he's no longer in danger.
The cuts are deep, but he's
young and healthy; he'll pull through.
-It was a wonderful time.
-Yes.
-Dressed as a cowboy.
-He always really loved that.
Yes.
He must have been about thirteen here.
He was just a little kid.
Here, at six months old...
STEVEN'S MOTHER - LUCY H.
I suppose my favorite is the
one we have from his graduation.
It was a very happy day.
He is a very talented student.
He earned his bachelor's degree with excellent
grades, and then went on to get his master's.
We are so proud of him...
When he came back from San Francisco,
he was so immersed in his research...
that we hardly ever saw him.
I've spent more time with
the photos than with Steven.
STEVEN'S FATHER - PATRICK H.
Even as a very young child,
he was already captivated by history.
He would seek out the old
houses in the neighborhood,
imagining who might have lived in them.
It fascinated him.
And what kind of people
might frequent them now.
I warned him.
These are the things he's
gathered since he started that work.
It's about this man:
Antonio Fuentes Balmaseda.
I don't know how he found out
about its existence. I really don't know.
But he has always been very
interested in Mexican history.
We even thought about
going there for our honeymoon.
We might choose somewhere else now.
What captured Steven's interest
was the mystery of that story.
Balmaseda set up his business in '24...
and made a lot of money in New York.
In '28, he left it behind and opened
a trucking company in Seattle.
And in '32, he vanisheddisappeared.
Steven found some
records here, in Seattle.
Registration forms for
Balmaseda's company.
But Steven believed that
Balmaseda had planned to disappear.
Because his business
was doing very poorly, and...
Steven said that was
why no one was alarmed.
But it never appeared.
It's very strange.
And then he found this.
I wish he had never found it.
He changed so much after that.
He didn't want me to see it.
He didn't want me to touch it...
I don't understand it.
He was obsessed with it.
He changed completely.
What could have made him change like that?
He said it was better if I didn't see it,
and that I shouldn't even go near it.
Before, we shared everything.
Why would he do that?
The eight-millimeter film
was discovered by Steven H...
during the autumn of 1999.
Upon recovering this document,
we hesitated to show it to the public.
But it is a responsibility
we must shoulder.
The footage was filmed in April 1932,
around the time of
Balmaseda's disappearance.
Its sixteen minutes were intended
to document an experiment.
We will follow them
with you, step by step.
This must be the first one.
Judging by the angle, the man
cutting his hand is behind the camera.
That dark liquid comes
from the bucket we saw.
They are preparing a bath.
In these frames, we discover
that it consists of human blood.
We do not know if that man
was the one cutting his hand.
Nor can we determine how much time
has elapsed since the previous image.
Three more men enter.
Balmaseda is the one in the center;
he is wearing a white shirt.
Based on the attention paid to Balmaseda, we
deduce that he may have been their leader.
They treat him with the utmost respect.
They trace a circle on the ground.
Everyone appears very tense.
They make marks within the circle.
Next to Balmaseda's head, hands, and feet.
Five points in total.
Using the chalk line,
the shape of a star...
appears on the floor
as the points are connected.
The lines are thickened with paint.
They are using specially crafted tools.
They avoid stepping inside the circle.
This demonstrates the
importance of the procedure.
They are drawing a five-pointed star.
The circle of invocation
used in black magic.
They are Satan worshippers.
The curtain rises.
Now the experiment begins,
or what we should call a ceremony.
We already know that everything
had been prepared for Balmaseda.
He is the center of the event.
Balmaseda is about to
be bathed in human blood.
My name is Steven.
These are the results
of the investigation into...
a Mexican man named Antonio
Balmaseda, who disappeared in 1932.
This recording concludes the
studies I had recorded on tape.
These are the pieces of
evidence I have gathered.
The Seattle Police
report from April of '32...
mentioning Balmaseda's disappearance.
I received the ledger
from Balmaseda's company.
It was given to me by the daughter of
his accountant at the time, Karl Krummel.
I found evidence that he had been giving
sums of money to various men...
during the period between 1929 and 1932.
June 15, 1999.
I have received the
ledger from Miss Krummel.
There is something strange about the
three years prior to his disappearance.
The pages of the ledger indicate
that, starting January 30, 1930,
Balmaseda regularly handed over
three thousand dollars,
a great deal of money for that era,
to three individuals:
Dickson Ward, Anton Milodragovitch,
and Carlos Carvalho,
who appear every three months in 1930,
every two months in '31, and every
week in early 1932.
These men were neither
partners nor clients.
I suspected blackmail.
So I investigated them.
None of them are still alive.
WARNING:
THESE IMAGES MAY BE DISTURBING
The brush used to wash
Balmaseda is designed...
to prevent others from touching the blood.
Which holds significant symbolic value.
The washing was, without a doubt,
a process of purification.
Just like the smoke most likely incense.
We cannot make out
what that man is saying.
It could be a prayer
accompanying the purification.
Each of them knows exactly what to do.
They all act in perfect harmony.
But for some reason, Carvalho,
the man carrying the chalice,
is not permitted to hand it to Balmaseda.
They begin to pray.
Balmaseda appears very tense.
The prayer concludes with an
inverted sign of the cross, and with:
"In Aeternam Infernales Dei Gloriam."
In Latin: "Eternal Glory
to the Infernal Deity."
It is the conclusion
of an invocation to the Devil.
We do not know what the dark
liquid is that Balmaseda has just drunk.
The close-ups of Balmaseda's
eyes suggest that it may be...
some kind of drug that induces
a sense of lightheadedness.
Balmaseda is under
the influence of the drug.
He can barely walk.
The man on our left
Carvalhoasks him something.
Balmaseda nods.
Pay close attention
to what is about to happen.
The two men on the sides
Ward and Milodragovitch...
pull out straight razors.
Carvalho looks frightened.
Balmaseda's death takes place
in the second third of the footage.
What began as a study for my thesis...
has turned into something
much more complex.
After seeing the footage,
I cannot go on as before.
I haven't told Meg about it.
I don't know what to do with it.
Should I show it, or not?
I need someone's help.
Even if it's just advice.
THE FINAL THIRD
OF THE 8MM FILM.
Let's see what happens in the
final stage of the ceremony.
Balmaseda is not dead yet.
The men seem surprised.
Balmaseda tries to scream
as blood floods his throat.
The sound would be terrifying.
Observe Carvalho's reaction.
They drag Balmaseda's
body to the center of the star.
It must be very important
that he remains inside.
Once again, the words:
"In Aeternam Infernalis Dei Gloriam."
They force Carvalho
to finish off Balmaseda.
Now it is his turn to draw his own blood.
We do not know how much time has elapsed
between these images and the previous ones.
Everyone knew the
procedure for the ceremony,
but they find it difficult to endure.
Four candles burn within the
circle surrounding the body.
Six hours have passed
since Balmaseda's death.
Carvalho takes out a sheet of paper
containing another prayer for the ceremony.
Another inverted sign of the
cross. An anti-Christian symbol.
Fourteen hours.
They seem to be waiting
for something to happen.
Twenty-four hours.
Time is a critical
factor in this ceremony.
Note that the three men appear exhausted.
We don't know what Ward is saying,
but he is very angry.
Perhaps because the event they
are waiting for is not happening.
This shot began precipitously.
Twenty-seven hours.
They are frightened.
Balmaseda rises.
He has returned from the beyond.
This image shows that Balmaseda
cannot leave the circle.
One minute after his resurrection,
Balmaseda collapses again.
Thirty hours.
Balmaseda's body remains motionless.
There are no signs of movement.
The three men appear despondent.
What they were waiting
for lasted a very short time.
Forty-four hours.
They seem to be giving up.
Was Balmaseda's resurrection
what they were expecting?
Was it meant to end like this?
Did they achieve their
objective during the ceremony?
We do not know.
THE NURSE
He's been like this for two days.
And he's getting worse.
He spends almost all his time screaming.
I've never seen anything like it.
He's losing his mind.
He barely recognizes
his parents or his girlfriend.
And those marks he has
all over his body...
Even the doctors don't know what they are.
It seems Steven is getting worse.
Do you know what's happening?
I don't know.
I have no idea.
His blood tests confirm a malignant tumor.
That explains why those
black spots appeared.
A rapid deterioration of the organs,
linked to an immunodeficiency.
An unknown disease.
It's possible his attacker infected him.
We are in contact with several clinics around
the world that have his medical history.
None of them has ever
encountered a case like this.
There is no active
treatment for this disease.
I hate to say it, but we're flying blind.
Are there more?
Hello! Come aboard!
John!
Would you take over for me for a bit?
Thanks.
It's that thing over there;
we're almost done.
THE DAUGHTER OF BALMASEDA'S
ACCOUNTANT - MRS. KRUMMEL
My father's ledgers from when
he worked for Balmaseda.
When the company closed down,
he kept the book as a keepsake.
Steven got really excited when he read it.
I was surprised that a student
could be so interested in this.
I never imagined I'd
be filmed talking about it.
If my father knew, he would
feel both proud and surprised.
He was a very private man.
He wouldn't understand why account
ledgers would be of such interest.
And it's not as if he was running a scam.
This isn't Al Capone's bookkeeping.
Do you think Balmaseda was a gangster?
It's not that. Or is it?
My father would have known.
He only worked with honest people.
August 20, 1999.
I have the police records
for the other three men.
CARLOS CARVALHO
According to Spanish police documents,
a thirty-year-old American,
identified as Carvalho,
was found dead on September 8, 1932,
at six in the morning in Vallvidrera,
on the outskirts of Barcelona,
a few months after the ceremony.
The police do not consider
Carvalho a Spanish resident,
unlike the Interpol records.
We assume he held passports
from various countries.
He died of stab wounds. Six stab wounds...
on the left side of his body.
Not a trace of the killer.
Aside from the stab wounds,
the only damage to the body...
consisted of bruises on the forehead
and one shoulderperhaps from the fall.
No other signs of a struggle.
The other point of interest on the
body was a five-centimeter tattoo...
in the shape of a
keyhole on his left wrist.
The tattoo was not associated
with any criminal group of that era.
The case file indicates that the body
was identified by a woman named...
The file describes the woman as a
distant relative. She was from Seattle.
She is the woman mentioned
by Steven in his recording.
He tried to find her, but
she has disappeared.
DICKSON WARD
This Scotland Yard file provided
leads regarding Dickson Ward.
According to their records, the body was
found in a neighborhood on the outskirts...
of Manchester in 1934,
two years after the ceremony.
Ward was murdered by two drunks
following a brawl in a tavern.
The two assailants were never found.
Ward was no stranger
to the British police.
A petty criminal, arrested nine times.
He did not belong to any
religious movement.
ANTON MILODRAGOVITCH
Milodragovitch's trail
took longer to reconstruct.
Anton Milodragovitch was found
by his maid in the autumn of 1937,
five years after the ceremony.
Hanged in the house he had just
built in Mexico, near Tijuana.
Born in Philadelphia to a Polish family,
he owned a small business engaged
in trade between Mexico and the U.S.
In 1935, he left the
U.S. to live in Mexico.
He never had any trouble with the law.
His death was ruled a suicide.
Milodragovitch had a daughter;
she declined to be interviewed.
THE SEVENTH DAY
Why are you filming?
Did Steven ask you to?
Yes, he wants us to record everything.
May I ask who you are?
We need to talk.
Let's let Steven rest.
How long have you been filming?
About a week now.
I understand.
I'm not here to judge you,
but this involves a young man
in a very serious situation.
And I don't believe you can help him
get out of this predicament.
I hope you won't get in the way
of what I have to do to help him.
We haven't gotten in the
way of anything, Father.
You've already done that
by entering Steven's room,
especially in his current state,
and filming his pain.
That is a form of obstruction.
And it may not be appropriate.
He is not a sideshow
freak to amuse people.
I don't think you understand
what you have before you.
Father!
Father, Steven asked
you to film everything.
I already know that.
All right,
let's draw a line.
I know what Steven asked of you,
and what he asked of me.
I am Father Maxime Trentin.
I conduct psychological and
sociological studies for the Vatican.
I investigate supernatural cases to
separate the truth from the frauds.
Weeks ago, Steven sent
us some of his findings,
requesting our assessment.
We have reason to believe
that this is a very serious case.
Have you ever heard of the Black Gate?
That is not the point.
It doesn't matter if the men
in that cult are maniacs...
or devil worshippers.
The point is that there is
a young man who is dying.
And I have come here to
find out what happened to him.
And, if I can, to help him.
And we understand that.
It concerns us, too.
Well, then show that concern
by respecting his suffering.
I don't care if you film me,
but this isn't a spectacle.
Come on, Meg.
FATHER TRENTIN
How did Steven proceed from that point on?
He asked Interpol about those men
to see if they had criminal records.
He said that if they were gangsters,
they would have left a trail behind them.
It took some time to get a response.
But, at the same time,
Steven contacted Spain...
to obtain leads on Carvalho.
That was his next step.
September 8, 1999.
I met Carvalho's girlfriend.
She identified the body in Barcelona.
She gave me something very important:
Carvalho's personal effects.
Carvalho had given them to her in 1932,
before leaving for Spain.
She had kept them ever since.
Based on the black notebook
and the old film footage,
I began to believe that these
men held regular meetings...
and occasionally performed
some kind of ceremony.
A diabolical ceremony.
I think they were a cult.
On this yellowed paper, there is a text
written in an unknown alphabet.
It could be the prayer from the
ceremony that Carvalho had kept,
from when they prayed together
beside Balmaseda's body.
It must be the symbol
they used as an emblem.
They likely used it as
a sign of recognition.
They called themselves "The Black Door."
According to Steven, the last man
was the fifth figure in the photographs.
He was not mentioned in the
evidence that Steven had gathered.
His name was Morgen.
A prosperous businessman
in the early fifties.
He made a fortune after the war,
trading with Germany.
He was a racing champion;
he won Grand Prix races in Europe...
and the United States in the late forties.
But according to Steven, before the war, he
was a nobody who did a bit of everything.
He was the last person Steven tracked
down before being attacked at the house,
as you will soon see
in Steven's final video.
Hello, sir.
Hello.
Isn't it a bit cold?
Yes.
Sorry, I have a lot of work.
Be careful!
I don't want to buy another one.
You're not using my tape
to record, are you?
Relax, grumpy.
I bought one just to record you.
Why don't we go out for dinner tonight?
Sure. But wait a bit.
I think I have all the pieces of the
puzzle, but I'm missing something.
Hello?
Yes, it's Steven.
Mr. Morgen!
Thanks for calling me so soon.
Yes, do you have the address?
One moment.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes, great.
Yes, sure.
Of course. Great.
Alright. Thanks.
Good news?
Well, let's celebrate.
Impossible. I have to go get a map.
I won't be long.
See you in a bit.
FOOTAGE FROM STEVEN'S LAST VIDEO:
THE OLD HOUSE
November 12, 1999.
Here I am.
On my way to the house where
Morgen says I'll find what I need.
Morgen's information isn't very precise;
it took me longer than I
thought to find the house...
...in the end.
But I'm here now, and about to inspect it.
Shit! Damn it!
This place, at night...
it's a little creepy.
Is anyone there?
Hello?
Well...
Looks like there's no one here.
What is that?
Is it water?
Fuck, it looks like blood!
It's a little thick.
There's something mixed in with the water.
Who's there?
-Do you take sugar, Father?
-No, thank you.
Yes?
No, nothing. Sorry.
Could this be the house where...?
What is that?
At last!
My God...
Is this the black door?
God! God!
It's impossible.
Shit! I almost scared myself to death!
Damn it!
In this house, all the mirrors are broken.
Shit!
I've wasted my time;
there's nothing here.
Wait a minute.
This doesn't add up.
Jesus!
What is this? What does it mean?
I don't see blood.
There's no blood.
Maybe it's too old.
Forget it.
Unless...
Balmaseda?
Balmaseda!
Are you here?
What an idiot I am!
Damn it, damn it!
What do you think, Father?
It appears we are dealing with
superstitious crime and twisted minds.
Criminals.
We cannot yet speak
of supernatural phenomena.
The men performing the ceremony
have faith in their profane practices.
And they follow certain
classic signs of the satanic ritual.
The circle of invocations,
the use of the magical alphabet...
These are signs commonly
employed in such circles.
It is a case of mass
hysteria disguised as ritual.
And what about Balmaseda's resurrection,
and his reappearance to attack Steven?
"Resurrection" is a very strong word.
I have no explanation for any of that,
but there are followers willing
to enact that kind of thing.
What we need to find out
are those people's plans.
Why did they use Steven to...?
Because he thwarted their plans,
or because he was part of them?
And how do we do that?
We have to understand how they think.
These people adhere to a dogma
even stricter than Catholicism.
To fight against them, we will follow
the rules they have established.
We will have to break the pattern
of beliefs they have created.
We must find out who the
demon is that they wish to summon.
And who benefited from
its arrival after the ceremony.
That phrase is written in
the alphabet of black magic.
"By the names Adonai, El, Elohim,
Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh, and Zebaoth...
I command and bind you, Buer,
to remain in this room."
Everything is designed to
keep the demon locked away.
THE TENTH DAY
Steven! Steven!
I'm Meg.
Meg.
What are you trying to say?
What are you trying to say? Tell me.
My love...
My God!
Steven! Steven!
Steven!
It's blood!
He's weeping tears of blood!
It isn't easy to say this.
We still haven't identified
the degenerative disease.
We've tried various treatments, but without
knowing what we're fighting against...
it's impossible to combat it.
What do you mean?
That you can't cure my son?
I'm afraid so. And I'm sorry.
We haven't found a cure for this disease.
-And that's why you're giving up?
-No, of course not.
Please understand the situation.
We're running out of time.
The disease has manifested,
and the rate of degeneration... well...
The rate?
How much time do you
have to find that cure?
Not long.
Five days, at most.
But...!
He's my son!
How can you throw in the towel?
How can you just sit there
waiting for him to die?
You're a doctorit's your job!
Do something!
You can't just stand by and watch him die!
You can't! Do something!
This seal is not unfamiliar.
It matches the name
on the door: Buer.
This seal is the symbol,
or the signature, of that demon, Buer.
This is how Buer was depicted
in the early 19th century.
To Satanic worshippers,
he is one of the 72 principal demons,
although his rank is low
compared to that of others.
But he is a very powerful entity,
one who offers knowledge and strength.
According to various texts, the
one who obtains the demon's power...
must be someone who did not
participate in the ceremony.
They would have had to witness it,
but indirectly.
It is achieved thanks to a
mirror that breaks the curse,
like the mirror used by
Perseus to avoid Medusa's gaze.
But the film is a modern way
of achieving the same thing.
But by filming all of this,
the course of events is perpetuated,
and it serves the purposes of that man.
But how will it be achieved?
Who is he?
I have a rather accurate theory.
The sole survivor.
It has to be him.
And will he be able to stop it?
Is there any way to save Steven?
Of course.
Even if they do believe in it, they've used
very earthly methods to deceive us.
We'll prove they're a fraud,
and we just might save your boyfriend.
In the meantime...
Pray for Steven.
He needs it.
Who says I'm playing games?
Who says I'm a fraud?
I've met others like you,
the priests of the modern age.
Using words like "psychopaths"
and "lunatics" to define us.
All that psychological
jargon you learn in college.
You're so predictable!
MR. MORGEN
If you knew how to master your emotions,
Maybe then, I could make something of you.
But you must control the fire within you.
You are close.
But you still do not
glimpse the full picture.
You speak of confession.
What if I were to confess?
What if I told you that Balmaseda
was merely one of the pawns,
one of the many experiments I conducted?
Each demon grants
specific, limited powers.
If one seeks totality,
one must invoke several.
Who said that Buer was the only one?
Do you wish to know
about the others, Father?
About how they died and were
reborn so that I might acquire power?
Women, children... perhaps.
Do you want me to confess?
Does a poor old man in a
wheelchair scare you, Father?
Are you superstitious, Father?
Would it unnerve you
just a little if I were bluffing?
Look at me, Father.
Am I telling you the truth?
Look me in the eye.
How ironic!
The witness is the one
who reaps the benefits.
Surely you understand that.
Isn't that exactly what
you're trying to do?
It will go on without me.
I know it will continue.
Why come after me when I can
make him go after someone else?
I don't torture anyone, you know.
Passing on the mantle would
be a more accurate description.
I can understand your anger.
I can understand it.
Things can be darker than they seem.
If you weren't wearing those robes, I
know you'd punch an old man like me.
Now I feel your hatred.
So no, I can't do anything.
I have already stopped controlling him.
I am free, and I only had
to pay a very small price.
The life of an innocent
and tender little lamb.
THE THIRTEENTH DAY
A traffic accident occurred this
morning on the outskirts of Seattle.
The collision took place between
a fire truck and a private vehicle.
No firefighters were injured,
but the driver of the car,
Father Maxim Trentin, died while
being transported to the hospital.
In recent years, Father Trentin
was a prominent figure in the Church,
a charismatic and provocative
defender of Catholicism.
Is he dead?
An expert theologian, he had
published half a dozen books,
including "Steps Toward Faith",
a highly successful essay,
one of the most influential books
on modern Christianity.
Has Father Trentin died?
He had carried out various humanitarian
missions in Bangladesh, Rwanda...
and Croatia, and since 1995, he had
been working to establish shelters...
for young drug addicts in Russia.
Then there is no longer any hope.
I am lost.
God, please don't let Him take me!
Look!
Look!
It's already marked me!
I can't see it, but I know it's there.
I can feel it.
God, please!
Please, help me!
Please!
Get out of the room!
Please, get out right now!
My son is dead.
You can go now.
Stop filming.
I said stop filming!
Have some respect!
We buried him yesterday.
I don't know what I'm
going to do without him.
Nothing.
In the house.
We have to get inside the house.
He promised me that
he would never leave me.
Steven?
Steven?
He's here!
No! Can't you see him?
Steven!
Hello?
It's Meg.
Are you there?
Please, pick up the phone! Please!
It's Steven!
He's here!
He's back!
He's here with me!
Help!
Shit!
Run! Call the police!