A Blade in the Dark (La casa con la scala nel buio)

We've arrived.

Let go of me!

I don't want to come!

Coward.

It's so dark!

Here's the candle. Don't you run away.

This way.

- Is that the door? - Quiet, coward.

Okay, let's see, show me you're not a little girl.

Go and get it.

Down there?

- Yes, go and get it back. - Little girl! Go and get it!

Little girl!

Little girl!

- I'm sure you'll like it here. - Yes, it seems like a quiet place.

I see you've already settled in.

So you're a film composer. Interesting.

- And what are you doing now? - A theme for a thriller.

A murder story.

But don't think it's always so exciting.

Sure, it all becomes routine.

But it's better than being in Kuwait building roads with my father.

But those roads allow you to buy a villa like this.

You're kidding.

Then you never live in it and have to rent it, just like we've done with you.

- Where's your car? - Round the back.

I walk you.

Thank you.

Listen, I was thinking, I really like music.

Why don't you call me when you play?

It's difficult because I don't know when I'm going to play.

I can record a cassette for you.

Sure.

I like the music in giallo films. So who's the killer?

What a fool, you probably can't tell me, right?

The director won't let anyone see the ending.

She says it's going to be a big surprise.

I guess I'll have to watch it.

Bruno, you've seen Giovanni, the gardener, he lives in the outhouse...

He has all the keys. Any problems, just ask him.

Thanks.

- I'll do that cassette straight away. - Okay.

What do you think, Bruno?

What can I say, Sandra?

It's the third time I've seen it and it scares me every time.

Really? This is nothing compared to the final reel.

The one you still haven't seen.

The end of the film you're keeping a secret.

I'm curious, where did you get the idea for the story?

I don't know if you'll understand.

When I was young I couldn't sleep because I was afraid of the dark.

In the dark any sound is a threat, a danger.

The dark invites monsters, Killers.

In the dark it's like death's waiting in ambush.

Maybe we don't think about it because we're distracted by other things...

Or perhaps because the sun cancels out the nightmares of the night.

Who knows?

But death is always watching us and it's only the darkness that can see it.

- Are you trying to scare me? - No...

I just want you to get into the spirit of the film...

because the music is enormously important.

It has to express the anxiety, the fear, the terror.

It has to underscore the breathing of the killer and his victim...

and it has to involve the audience and make them participants.

Are you sure you made the right choice calling me?

That's precisely why I chose you, Bruno.

I don't want something predictable. You're new to this genre.

That villa I rented for you...

It's a villa where you might feel scared.

So big, so isolated.

There's an insect! A beetle, a spider!

I don't know! It's horrible!

- How are you feeling? - You're braver than me.

I can't stand those creatures. They make my skin crawl.

I've still got goose bumps.

I must look horrible.

Have you got a cigarette?

What? Let me see.

Here.

I haven't seen you before. Are you a friend of Linda's?

Linda? No.

- What is it now? - Your face!

- What about it? - Nothing! That expression!

You must have had quite a fright.

I bet you're wondering who's this lunatic who jumped out of the cupboard.

You must have very special skills...

because that's exactly what I was thinking.

- You're cute. - So are you.

My name's Katia. I live over the road.

And you like sneaking into your neighbors' homes.

Not always. Only if the tenants are nice.

- Are you staying long? - I've only rented it for a month.

Pity, you won't be staying long then.

Musician?

I adore musicians, they're good at making love.

How do you do it?

Depends on the answers.

The answers to what?

The reason you were hiding in the cupboard, for example.

Would you settle for a simple lie, or something more elaborate?

You know you really are cute.

Troublemakers have a gift; timing.

Just think about the lie you're going to tell me.

Hello?

Bruno.

It's Tony Rendina. How's it going?

I wanted to ask you, have you recorded that cassette?

Sorry, I haven't had time. I'll do it tomorrow.

You know half the lights don't work?

The bathroom. Where's the bathroom?

Bathroom?

Hold on.

Behind that door on the right, the end of the corridor.

Sorry, you were saying?

You were telling me the lights don't work.

Perhaps the light bulbs are missing.

Sorry about the inconvenience.

The last tenant, Linda, was a bit strange.

She liked the dark.

Ask Giovanni, there should be some light bulbs somewhere.

Okay.

- Any other problems? - No, thank you.

See you soon. Bye.

Katia!

Katia!

Katia?

Katia?

Katia?

Katia, where are you?

"KATIA'S DIARY" "NOT TO BE READ BY ANYONE ELSE"

I've discovered Linda's secret.

Something disturbing and terrifying.

But it also fascinates me.

I don't know if I should tell Angela, she might not understand.

I'm scared to keep it to myself. It's like a bad feeling.

Open up! Open the door!

Help, help!

"It's a secret, nobody must know"

"It's a secret..."

"...nobody must know."

"Yes... Linda"

"Nobody must know"

"Yes... Linda"

"Nobody must know"

"It's a secret"

"SECRET"

"CARRIED"

"YES"

"LINDA"

Hello?

Julia, is that you?

Hello?

Hello?

Hello?

- Giovanni, what are you doing? - Sorry if I disturbed you.

- What's in that sack? - Nothing, newspapers and old magazines.

- Wait, I'll give you a hand. - No, I can manage.

Thanks.

Cigarette?

I'm curious, what was the previous tenant like?

Linda.

I didn't see her very often.

She wasn't here long, then she left.

Tony doesn't like renting the house out for very long.

And I mind my own business.

- Then you don't know Katia. - No, not at all.

Goodnight, Giovanni.

Surprise.

What's wrong? Don't you recognize me?

Sorry, Julia, I was lost in thought.

But what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in Naples?

Right.

Sorry if I drove 200 kilometers to spend a few hours with you.

But judging by your reaction maybe I should have stayed in Naples.

- I'm sorry. - I'll go, If you want.

No, what are you talking about?

I just didn't expect to find you here.

I didn't want to turn up unexpected. I even tried to let you know.

I tried calling but I couldn't get through.

- When? - About an hour ago.

Before I left the highway.

- It was you then. - Why?

Nothing, because strange things are happening here.

Really? Strange, how?

Strange, very strange.

How do you untie this thing?

It unties, it doesn't untie.

It unties.

" 'OUT OF FEAR' I MURDERED A 7 YEAR OLD GIRL"

"WOMAN KILLED AND BEHEADED"

"YOUNG GIRLS CORPSE ON THE BEACH" "START OF PEDIATRIC FIRE IS SUSPICOUS"

Okay, let's forget about the cut tape...

the torn up diary, the footsteps, the noises...

But how do you explain the bloodstains? You saw my trousers.

Yes, I saw them. It really looks like a bloodstain.

But why don't you also add that foul smell from the pool to your list?

What the hell are you saying? What about it?

You're starting to bore me with this story.

Something happened here last night.

- That girl, Katia, disappeared... - Was she pretty?