Mrs. Hubert! ls anyone home? This is the third one We found mangled like this. The guys below Want the autopsy results before noon. l Want all traffic blocked down at the intersection of the highway. Nobody gets through. Dr. Meyer, the area has been completely blocked off, all over three hours now. - What are you planning to do? - Wait a minute. - Here's your coffee. - Thank you, Mrs. Hubert. lnspector Bouffet and l Would be extremely grateful if you'd retire to the kitchen. - There must be absolute silence in the house. - lf only you can do it! lf only you can do it. lt's time, Gabriella. - Come on. - No! - lt's all up to us now. l don't Want to! lf you think it's Wise We could hold off on this thing. l'm Warning you, don't follow us. - At least take this. - No. Give me a portable lamp instead. Please, no! Now tell me Where you're hiding. That's all l Want to know. After that it'll all be over. l'm scared. Show me Where your hiding-place is. Show me Where it is. Where are you? You're here, aren't you? ls this Where you are? ls this Where you're hiding? lt's under here? We found him! lt's down here! We found him! Come on, down here! Come on, We found him! Easy... Slow down. She's better, the hospital says she'll pull through. lnspector, take a look. Out. Come, Dr. Meyer. lt's your right. l think We better pull him out of there. - What's that? - A slipper. Gabriella's slipper. What else did you find? Not much. Here. Thank you very much. They just operated. lt doesn't look like they're going to save her leg. Here, Meyer. This is everything We'll ever know about him. Not much to go on, is it? To find out Who he Was. lssued to Paolo Zeder. We found Paolo Zeder! A K zone! He stumbled across a K zone. - Wait a minute. - Open up, it's me. l know. l'll let you in on one condition. That you stay out of the kitchen. Okay? Okay. - What a surprise. - Happy anniversary. Happy anniversary to you. What is it? lt's the one! lt's gorgeous! lt's electric. They said it's a terrific model. Only the electric cord Was missing. So l called the electrician, and he put one on. lt types like printing in a book. Just What a Writer needs, right? lt's fantastic! You're beautiful. - You ought to see Where We got it. - Where? Mama Went to a pawnshop auction. lt Was an anniversary like in the movies, Wasn't it? l'm going to go enjoy my present a little. - Who knows Who it belonged to? - Who ? Did you know Hemingway typed standing up? Novel number three. The story begins... The barriers of death shall at last be destroyed... The temperature and depth of K zone l found... Correct and totally free, above all suspicion... Where buried body shall await... - What are you doing still up? - Wait a second, please. l think l found the plot for my third novel. Curiosity about What happens after death grew to an obsessive quest. But We'll go back to the oracles of the dead on Tuesday. Tell your classmates to start showing up. Have a nice Week-end. Professor Chesi. - Do you remember me? - Certainly l do! Your Wife keeps me informed about the novels you're Writing, and the fact you haven't graduated yet. l Wrote two and neither has a publisher. But now l've got an idea, l mean. But l need some advice, an expert opinion. Witchcraft, magic, resurrections, devilry, ghosts and haunted houses? Maybe something along that line. Do you have a minute? Let's go to my office. You can come back in half an hour, Laura? All right, Professor. Nineteen, an orphan, she swears she only goes for mature men. Take a look. - What are these? - Two letters. One is a letter, the other is a kind of report, but l don't understand. Later l'll explain how l got hold of them, but read them first. The first requires no comment. lt's the second part of a letter asking for... Where the Writer congratulates this Goodman character for having gotten financing and hopes part of the money Will go to him so he can finish his Work. Money he probably never got if he had to pawn his typewriter. What ? - What about the second? - The second? lf it's true, if it isn't the fruit of your imagination, it's singular. - Singular? lt's insane! Besides all these numbers, temperature, depth... Here it talks about the guy donating his own body to the experiment. Did you read this? ''The barriers of death shall at last be destroyed, thanks to our Work. My return to life Will signal return of all.'' And this: ''The place l have discovered, is the place the hierophant Was looking for.'' - What does hierophant mean? - A master of mysteries. Now you have to tell me Where you found it, because there's something else that only a scholar, an expert in the history of religions can see. That's Why l have to know exactly Who you got it from, and if the text is correct. Here's l got it. A present from Alessandra. An old typewriter. Out of curiosity, l Wrote out everything typed on the old ribbon. - Here it is. - Check Where it says ''K zone''. ''Found a K zone completely free and unsuspected, ideal place...'' lt's an old theory going back to the turn of the century. A former student of mine, a Swiss scholar named Meyer, Wrote a thesis on it. Funny, l thought it Was here. These K zones Were the result of research done by Paolo Zeder. Somebody Who just disappeared into thin air. This Zeder sustained that in all the places in antiquity Where contact had been made With the Beyond, With the dead, from Delphi to Epirus to Dodona and so on, constants could be determined, Which he called alchemical, but Which We Would today call chemical or geological similarities. The areas he called K zones Were supposed to be different. They defied all natural laws and existed in state of suspension. ln a non-time, a non-season, a non-growth, a non-death. ldealistically, a zero-time. And it Would allow a return from the dead. On my Way! Don't scream at me about yesterday's training. The Commissioner himself Wouldn't give me permission. Never mind, nobody showed up, as usual. How can you find out Who something belonged to in a pawnshop? Hi. Did l scare you? - l Was Waiting for you. - What do you Want? - l saw how you Were looking at me today. - You're crazy! - Go on home. - Pig! Son of a bitch! Forget it. You ass hole! Shithead! How dare you treat me like that! The decision taken there Was a mistake... l'm sure. See you later, sorry. - How are you today, Miss Goodman? - Fine. - Do you plan to stay late tonight? - l don't know. - Hi. - Come in. - Guido! - This is for you. - You're crazy. Thanks. Forget it. That's What's so great about friends, they hate each other. - Right? - Right. - And this is for you. - Thank you. - What is it? - Nothing, an address. - Aren't you staying for dinner? - Next time. - l have to do six shoot-outs before bed-time. - Wait. l found it in the flea market. l Wanted to give it to you When you got promoted, but today l have to be forgiven. - Let me see. ls anyone here? Sorry, l Was looking for Don Luigi Costa. - Who are you? - l have something to show Don Luigi. - What's it about? - Something personal, l can only it to him. - Did Don Emidio send you here? - No, Who's that? You Were saying you had something personal for Don Luigi Costa? Yes, it's kind of nonsensical... Somebody gave me a typewriter that used to belong to him. Go on. What's this all about? You're Don Luigi! Well, here. Look. - You must be mad. - Why? You attribute these things to a priest? No, they seem strange to me too. Before going to the police, l Wanted to find out... Nobody in the World could have Written such nonsense. l never owned a typewriter in my life! - Only the table? - l don't think you have the authority to interrogate the first one you come across. - You don't plan to help me? Sure l'll help you. Tear up this stuff. And forget it as quickly as possible. Don't ever come back, understand? Well? You're the one Who's in training, not me! - God, now What? - Funny. Nobody's supposed to be here. - Where are you going? - Quiet. Be quiet... ls anyone up there? ls that you? Are you down here? What kind of trick is this? Where the heck Were you? The circuit breakers blew down below. - Something Wrong? - Nothing, Why? - Damn, they Were right here. - What? What do you mean, What? Come on. The letters, the ribbon, Hand them over. l swear l don't know a thing about it. Excuse me, l Was here this morning to see Don Luigi. l left some papers in his office. - Who did you say? - Don Luigi, l talked With him. Come in. Wait here. l Was looking for Don Luigi Costa. He hasn't been part of Mother Church for over 10 years now. - He left his vows. - Today, in the parish office, this bald man, Who said he Was... - But that's just not possible. Besides Don Emidio, l'm always around. Seeing the devotion of our parishioners, two of us are too many. Listen, l'm not crazy. l'm positive that l met him, l mean. That's impossible, l didn't go out the Whole day. - When you're away, Father... - Yes, of course. - l'm sure you're mistaken. - No, it can't be. He Was in a kind of closet, rummaging through a pile of papers. l don't know Who you met today, but it certainly Wasn't Don Luigi Costa. l don't Want to know anything about What Was in those letters. l only know that Luigi used to be a highly esteemed priest here. He Was in charge of the children. lt Was he Who took them to camp every summer. Then his Weird studies Went to his head. - l say it Was his illness. - What illness? Unfortunately he discovered he had an incurable disease. lt coincided With his decision to abandon his vows. Anyway, from that time on he started talking funny. Don Emidio used to bless the sacristy When he Went out. Then he disappeared, We haven't heard from him since. l believe he Wound up With a sister of his, Who had a house in Rimini. Or maybe he's there in the hospital. lt's been so long since he's come around here. Do you Want the address? l'll tell him you're here. Gabriella, l'm very Worried about you. Now that the most delicate phase is about to begin... You mustn't. l have one more reason than you and the others. A reason it's hard to forget. At any price, l have to understand. You may come in. Right this Way. We found a further confirmation of What We're looking for, thanks to the Work of the ltalian research team. Last night l Was thinking... You've devoted over 30 years of your life to this business, maybe Without thinking about one fact. Every 70 years more than 3 hundred million people on the earth die. Meyer, three hundred million! Life is based on this certainty. Death is indispensable, and fortunately up to now We've had no counter indications. Death isn't an illness that can be cured, it's a definite finality. And that it must remain. Paolo Zeder offered himself for the sake of his research, having himself secretly buried in that ground, under that house, to demonstrate his theories Were Well-founded. There may be a Way to come back and We're about to discover it. You yourself have been With us since the beginning. You've encouraged us, helped us, and you're asking us to leave off now? - The risks? - They Will occur far away from here. From tonight on, the risks Will be ours alone. - Hello? - Stefano. - Who is this? That letter you found Was meant for somebody Who never got it. - Who is this? - Don't interrupt, shithead. lf you Want to know more you can make a bundle. Just be at the Margherita Gardens around ten. Bring enough cash to make it Worth my While, you'll find out plenty. Come alone. Hello? Stefano, are you inside? Where the fuck are you, asshole? What a jerk you are. What Were you trying to do, scare me? Who are you? What do you Want? l'm trying to bring it all into focus. A bunch of Words on a ribbon. Where do they lead? To an ex-priest. And a phone call saying they know everything. And a meeting out there, in the middle of the night. And the appointment never kept. Okay, Stefano, cut it out. You've got to stop. - This isn't stuff for us. - l'm going to Rimini tomorrow, to look for this Luigi Costa character. You do What you Want. At least let me take a bathing suit. This must be it. So What are We doing? Didn't you Want to get some sun and study? There's a beach. Join you later! Anybody home? ls anybody home? Excuse me... Can l come in? - Anybody home? Hello! - Who's there? Excuse me, ma'am... - Who told you you could come in? - Nobody, l saw the For Rent sign... You must've seen the notice to go to the agency. - l did read it... - Anyway, l've decided not to rent it after all. They have to take that damn thing down. l took the liberty because l know Don Luigi from When l Was a kid, at camp. That's how l knew this Was his house. l thought he'd have rented to me, more readily than to others. My brother's not here. He's not With us anymore. - When did it happen? - A month ago. But he Was in and out of that hospital almost a year. With those butchers Who are only capable of killing people... - l'm terribly sorry. - Thank you. - l'll be going now. - Were you very close to him? Look inside that vase on the chest over there. There's the key to the room upstairs. Take it and go have a look. - Did you find it? - Yes, here it is. Watch out for the lock. lt's old and the key might break off inside. Nobody's been up there since last summer. lt Was his room. Done? Are you sure nobody's been up here for a year? Certainly. But in any case, it's not for rent. lf you Would show me the courtesy of leaving... - Bologna Police headquarters. - This is a friend of Guido's... - Lieutenant Guido Silvestri. May l speak to him? - Hold the line. Sorry, he isn't here anymore. He's been transferred. He's been transferred? Where, exactly? l'm not authorized to give out that kind of information. A girlfriend? Did you know Guido's been transferred? Transferred... Where? They didn't Want to say. He Was a kind of nasty. lt's funny... A guy like Guido leaving and not even coming to say goodbye. So, he's dead and she's blind. That's it. We better go back to Bologna. The house of mystery... Look at Swanson and Von Stroheim! lt's him! The one Who said he Was the priest. l'm sure of it. He knows me. You better go. - My God... - Please. Then, l promise We'll go home, okay? - Money. - What for? Flowers, of course. What kind of private eye are you? Luigi dearest... Poor Luigi. Why aren't you With me anymore? We have to go. Come on, now... - lt can't be! - lt is. - When did this happen? - One year and two days ago. And you didn't let me know?! Not even that ass of your father! We know you're so busy, Professor, running a hospital like this. To think that When you Were a girl and your father and l Were poor, We used to plan how you and my Francesco Would get married. - Remember? - Not very Well. He's grown into a giant, he still hasn't graduated from college, but he's a karate expert. Look What he did to my poor hand, last Monday afternoon! So Who did you settle on? - Him! - Good afternoon. - lsn't he ugly? He isn't even rich, but he's an incredible egoist. We're here for our Wedding present. A year late, but from you We expect it. Go on, l Want to make amends. Luigi Costa died about a month ago, here in your hospital. - He Was supposed to have been very sick. - Certainly, Costa. l remember him. He had been a priest at one time. Lung cancer. We'd like to know Where he's buried. He Was a distant relative of mine. - l haven't been able to find out. - He Was buried here in Rimini. He isn't here. Don't tell me to go ask his sister: the poor Woman knows less than me. l really don't know how l can help you. - Maybe the police knows something. - There's no need. There's nothing mysterious about it. A little secret between me and the poor old man. But if you're a relative... The last few years of his life, he Was affected by a persecution complex. He didn't Want to be buried here, and he didn't Want it known Where. lt Was as though he Was afraid. lt Was supposed to remain our secret. But instead... He certainly chose a strange place, the cemetery of Spina. Luigi Costa? Did you try the Etruscan necropolis? - Sometimes they make a mistake! - Well? He's in the night club. - Where did you say? - lt has always been called that. lt's a kind of underground place. Sorry l can't go With you, l'd have done a rumba With the young lady! Last chapel on the right! This is creepy! - Want to Wait for me outside? - Are you kidding? Here it is! At last l get to see his face. - lt's strange, though... - What? They must've broken the tombstone When they set it. ln fact they set it very recently. The cement is still fresh. While these... Are at least two Weeks old, if not more. Kind of hard to put flowers on a gravestone before you set it. ls it cold down here. Come on, are We going or not? - You know What he looked like! - Go on up, l'll be right there. - Wait for me in the car. - l can't Wait to go home. lt's empty! Here it is! Tonight too, see. The sound and light are hooked up to photo-electric cells, placed around the ground under study. As you see, there's nothing visible moving. Yet the sensometers scattered around signal a presence, like somebody Walking over the field. lt can't be small animals because the sensometers are set to react only to a certain Weight. They're calibrated for over a 100 pounds, and no living creature exists small enough to escape our TV cameras, With a specific mass that dense. What's the temperature of the ground now? - lt's up nine degrees. - And now? - lt's still rising. - lt's always the same. The arrival of that presence in the zone slowly raises the temperature. Every night at the same time, and at dawn the effect disappears. The data collected by Luigi Costa Was extraordinarily precise. Anyhow, your suspicions Were correct. The tomb is empty. He isn't there. - Now Where do We look for him? - ln Bologna. l have two classes. Come on, hurry. Let's take the highway. - Dear Luigi Costa, We're through With you! - What... Spina. See What your book says. The necropolis of Spina. That's What that name reminded me of! Go on, read more. lt Was founded around 530 B.C. lt Was heavily hellenized and had its own treasury at Delphi. - What's that mean? - That they Were in touch With the Delphic oracle. The oracle of the dead? The vast necropolis, Which included a large number of tombs, number that seems inexplicable today, given the scarcity of the population... - Zeder's K zones! - What? Professor Chesi Was telling me about it. According to this Zeder, there exist special areas, K zones, Which live in their own time, Where it's possible to bring those buried there back... Back from the Beyond. That may explain a lot of things, like Why he Wanted to be buried around here. Here, this is Where he Was years ago. - How do you know? - Don Mario told me. And at his sister's house, l saw a kind of certificate of merit With the name of this camp. - How sad it is! Just think of all the children here once. Right down the road from the necropolis, see? And you Want me to drop this story? Listen, let's ask that guy. - What? - How We get back to Bologna, What else? Excuse me, Where's the highway for Bologna? Turn there, take your second right. lt's a couple miles down. Thanks. Let's go. - l feel like l've got to stay. - Stay here? To do What? How can you Want to stay here? l have to understand What this is all about. There are too many things that don't make sense. A heap of strange things... The only strange one around here is you. Come on, let's go! l'm staying. That's all there is to it. l guess you Want me to hitchhike back to Bologna, seeing as how you're interested in all the stupidity in the World, except me. Take the car. You're a nut! A crazy, selfish nut! Go to hell! Had a fight, didn't you? No, it's just that l'm doing some research about this place. There, and she doesn't Want to. - You know how Women are. - l know something about them. l got a mother Who's a real terror. - What are you studying, ruins? - Ruins. - This is a motel! - And a restaurant too. But When they finish up there, We'll have to close. - Are they making it into a hotel? - You bet. These Frenchies, over a thousand rooms, all With colour TV. We got a dozen rooms and can't rent one for love or money. - And those guys are putting up a thousand! - l'll rent one. lf you're into ruins, this here's the oldest ruin in Spina! Mirko, fill 'er up and take a look at the oil. Benni, there's a stranger here Who's heard a lot about you. Are you one of those nuts from up there? No, l'm doing some research on What Went on here. l Will tell you everything for a beer. - Questions? - No, l just Wondered What you knew about that place. l know What everybody knows. That it Was a holiday camp up to '56, When they closed it. - Then? - Nothing until three years ago, When the nudists came. The ones Who go around With their cheeks out... - What happened? - So these perverts, that's What they are, are all lying on the beach, When a dog of theirs dies. So What do you think they do? They bury it there. So they leave. Every night anybody Who Went by there risked his life. They found old Luisa With her throat ripped to pieces. So one morning We go in there With our shotguns, me and six or eight others, and one of those long-hairs tells us Where they buried the mutt. We dig him up, he Was a good six feet under. And What else do We find? He had the pair of garden shears that belonged to old Luisa stuck in his neck. We pulled him out of there. He'd been dead at least three months and still Wasn't rotting! So We threw him in garbage dump, it Was all over. That's Why l say those Frenchies building that hotel are nuts! Don't you pay Benni no mind! Go on and laugh! But l Wouldn't spend a night in a place like this for a million bucks! - What are you doing here? - And you? l often come here. l like it. Besides, our parish Was once in charge of this camp's functions. - Luigi Costa came here too. - Him too. You know something you don't Want to tell me. We priests never tell lies. lt's in the contract. Lies, no. But not talking isn't lying. Here's my alibi. You mean to say you come all the Way from Bologna for those? Poor Don Emidio enjoys them so much. But you enjoy something else. l like trying to understand man and his mysteries. A priest leaves the Church after a lifetime of sacrifice, only a few yards from the finish line, in sight of the big prize. - ln exchange for What? - The promise of a return? Maybe the promise of a return. Here We are talking like two imbeciles and l've got a service. l'd like to see you again, to talk. Sure, but in Bologna. Go away from here. Leave this business to us professionals of the supernatural. Come in. - ls that you? - Yes. Did you Want to see me? l've thought about it a lot. You have to tell Stefano to give that letter to the police. They stole it from him. He hasn't got it anymore. Better. Then maybe l'm Worrying about nothing. l have these strange forebodings... My husband isn't doing anything. l don't Want anything to happen. Please, make him go to the police. l recognize you. Where are you? Where are you hiding? What are you standing in the dark for? Chesi advises you to go to the police. - You should at least talk to our friend. - Guido? Right, Guido. - God... - lt's useless to read it. lt Was a real accident, nothing suspicious. Do you see Why l came back? Guido is dead, Stefano! l Was scared to stay alone in the house. So l grabbed all the things We might need and here l am. For a moment l had the sensation he Was interested in my research. - How? - No... lt Was nothing. A stupid coincidence, that's all. Come on, let's do something fun. Come on, please. - We Were in school together. - Don't think. You sure couldn't find a more suicidal room than this. At least turn on the light. What is it? What is it? Here's What it is! How can it be? You said it yourself: a special kind of typewriter, fairly rare... And here, What do We find a few yards from the holiday camp? The cord! Don't tell me it's a coincidence. Luigi Costa lived here, in this hotel. Maybe in this very room... My friend Carla says making love makes the fear pass. You kids, get out of here! Do you hear me?! Did a certain Luigi Costa ever stay here? How do l know? We just started running this place. lf you ask me, it Would've been better to forget the Whole thing. l see you and the girl up there. That's a good-looking chick. Ones like her are hard to come by around here. Where do you find them? - Want me to bring you up some breakfast? - No, it's okay. ls there a Watchman in there? There Was, but they fired him When they took over. There must be somebody... Last night there Was a light on. Sure, With all the machinery they brought. - What machinery? - Scientific stuff, to do their research With. l know, l Watched them unload through my Super Visor. - Your What? - My Super Visor. l got it from a mail-order catalogue. When the nudists Were here, it really came in handy! l spend hours up there, messing With that gadget. - What did you see? - lt's no use looking. You can't see anything now. They took it all inside. - What? - l don't know. l thought they Were making a movie. They had these TV cameras and lights... - And they never come down here? - Never, not even for coffee. - Nobody better try to go in there! - Why? They say they put up a kind of electrified fence. But there's a Way to get in, anyway. - How? - When We Were kids, We snuck in to steal fruit, even past a guard With a shotgun full of buckshot. - The hell We Were going through the gate. - How did you get in? There Were Germans here during the War rounding people up. But some found a Way to save themselves. Let's go! - l'll go get another one. - Never mind, it stopped. His face, on the screen! lt Was White, cadaverous... He looked dead to me. And then this. Did you tell that giant to come in here With all that stuff? Come on, Who cares? l'm telling you about insane things! - Sorry. - Now, listen. l need you to go to Professor Chesi With this videotape, right away. He must have a videotape machine at the university, or else he can get one. lf only a small part of What l think is on it, We finally have proof and you can take it to the police. Then all this Will be over. Okay? l can't leave. l have to make sure they don't take everything away. Then it Would be impossible. Washed, greased and With an oil change! Thanks. - lt doesn't start. - Come on! Let me try. Go out. - Damn... - See? - What did you do to it? - Me? Nothing. l changed the oil. l figured it could use it, it Was smoking so much. - Now, What? - ls there a Way to get to the train station? My motorbike, in ten minutes We'll be there. Well, promise you'll be careful. - Don't go back in there, okay? - Promise. Hello, this is urgent. l need to talk to Don Mario. l Wish l knew Where he Was! We haven't seen him since yesterday. l called the hospitals, l Was just about to call the police now. Who's calling? Hi! Excuse me, they called from the hospital to say my mother Was bad. The only one Who can take me is Mirko. l don't know if l'll be back tomorrow morning. lf anything comes up, you can always reach us at this number. - Feel free to use the bar. - Thank you. - Good evening. - Good night. - Hello? - Alessandra stopped by and told me the Whole story. Then l saw that tape you sent me. What is it, some kind of a joke? - lt's completely blank. - Crazy things are happening here. - l think l saw Luigi Costa... - Who? The ex-priest... Never mind, you Wouldn't understand. - l think We better call the police! - l'll take care of it. All right, but have them come right away. - Keep Alessandra With you. - Stay calm. Stay Where you are and don't do anything. l'll be there as soon as possible. Hello? Hello?! He has to be taken care of and that body has got to be disinterred. Everything's ready. Who's there? You may as Well give up. - They cut you off, didn't you? - How do you know? You're screwed, friend. We're screwed. That's not What l'm here for. l came to tell you they already left their calling card. Come on. Everybody says l'm crazy. Just look here, if l'm a little crazy. We got to try and dig up that ex-priest quick, and get him out of that ground, if We still hope to save ourselves. l don't think l'm going to make it. l really don't think l can go any further. We better go back. Stop! Come back! What do you try to do? Come back, son. Unbury him... Unbury him! Unbury him... Pull him out of that ground. For the love of God! - Where's the machine? - Over there. - Please, sit on. - Good morning. Some little inconveniences that We Will call accidents along the Way, have forced us to temporarily suspend the experiment on that site. But We are now in possession of such exceptional confirmation to suppose that, in a near future, the situation Will be under control. We don't feel the sacrifice of our two valorous colleagues in the name of science Was in vain. That ground is the most fertile K zone yet identified. l remind you l came to know of this place, together With Dr. Melis, on the indication of a remarkable man, somebody from the place: a certain Luigi Costa, an ex-priest. Wake up! Come on, Wake up.