The Hair of the Beast (Le Poil de la bête)

The story you're about to hear took place a few leagues from Quebec

in the fall of 1665.

But everything started 20 years before

on a day blessed by providence,

the day Father Brind'amour set foot in New France.

Unfortunately for him,

the cruellest beast in the New World would soon stand before him.

The beast, thirsty for Christian blood,

charged at the priest,

but it wasn't alone.

Father Brind'amour didn't move a muscle,

except for one thing.

He raised his crucifix to the sky.

A HAIR-RAISING TALE

Oh, my sweet Joseph!

Joseph Côté, in the name of the quartermaster, you're under arrest.

Sister...

Does it hurt the first time?

Stop worrying.

Sister Margot says we have a week to find a husband.

There are 10 men to every woman, Sophie.

You can be capricious.

Pick him the way you wouId a chair: strong, a soIid back.

Avoid the runts who aren't good for anything.

Thank the heavens, girIs.

The good Lord of Beaufort wiII be here soon.

He pIans to choose seven girIs

who wiII have the honour of marrying his men and his sons.

Lord! Sons of a Iord!

Keep your caIm, Sophie.

Father Brind'amour didn't move a muscIe...

- I'm hungry. - Except for one thing.

He raised his crucifix to the sky.

The divine Iight, the magic crucifix...

Do you reaIIy beIieve that?

Have you seen any werewoIves since you Ianded?

No demonic or strange creatures?

Besides you, no.

You have Brind'amour to thank for being aIive.

- I'II thank him when he comes. - I'm hungry.

He's coming here?

To take the hanged man's confession.

- I'm hungry. - Come on.

We're not going to feed the hanged man.

They haven't hanged me yet!

And I demand a new triaI.

You don't throw a man in a cage for triviaIities!

You don't?

Abusing the quartermaster's fiancée?

She threw herseIf at me.

Aggravated theft...

I took a pitcher of wine, more or Iess.

Knavery, viIIainy,

indecent assauIt, Iewd behaviour...

I couId be usefuI. I couId evangeIize the savages.

Afew hours from now,

you'II be usefuI.

You'II serve as an exampIe.

I'm taking the dog out to pee. Watch him. Come on.

To the hanged man's heaIth.

Hey, buddy.

You know what they say:

''A drink is never wasted on a dying man.''

Come on.

One sip. Just one.

Come on...

Guards! Over here!

Guards!

The hanged man got away!

Guards!

Guards! FoIIow me!

There he is!

Come on.

Find him.

Find him.

Where's the hanged man?

Let's go.

Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned.

I forgive you, Joseph.

FareweII.

Here they come.

You couId use a IittIe coIour.

Which one do you Iike?

It's your choice.

This is aII you've got?

They're fine for my men, but for my sons...

I'm sorry, my Iord.

Setting them aside was no easy task.

So, we said seven?

Let's take a cIoser Iook.

Go ahead, touch her. She won't bite.

And this one?

Let's see here.

No one wants a skeIeton. Her cheeks are hoIIow.

I'm sure she'II find a gentIeman to fiII her up.

Aren't you cute, Iassie.

Never forget to Iook at the teeth.

SmiIe, Iadies.

Yes.

OK, Iast thing.

Nobody wants a Ioudmouth.

Excuse me.

She's getting on my nerves aIready.

The broomstick won't make such a fuss.

Pity she's so ugIy.

Very weII.

You, Iassie.

WeIcome to the Seigneury de Beaufort.

The brunette, you'II keep my men warm.

The devout one, my sons await.

The goofy grin, join the others.

The pIump chicken, you, too.

And...

the Ioudmouth.

Yes, you. Come on, come on.

You need one more.

OK...

The paIe face.

I toId you I wanted them heaIthy.

They were, my Iord. I'II isoIate her immediateIy.

The whoIe Iot may be contaminated. Goodbye, cougher!

Fine.

The dog.

I must see the quartermaster.

I was toId he is waiting for Father Brind'amour to come

for a hanged man's confession.

Brind'amour?

Get them cIeaned up.

We'II come for them at dawn.

Is anybody home?

A meaI and a bed for a poor Jesuit!

I'm a crucifix saIesman.

Do you have your crucifixes?

A baby Jesus to save your souIs.

Is this what you're after?

Go fetch!

- God damn it! -Are you cussing, Father?

Sorry, my son.

That's quite a gash.

Let's take a Iook at it.

AuréIien, wiII you take a young girI to keep you company in your oId age?

A young girI? Why not?

I've got more to give.

Émérentienne!

- Brought you a new customer. - He can wait his turn.

Think you're better than a priest? Come on, move!

That depends on the priest.

He needs his head sewn up.

FuII house today.

The king's daughters arrive tomorrow.

Goodbye, Iice. FareweII, fleas. It's shearing time.

Good thing you're here, Father. We'II be ceIebrating some weddings.

- Fancy some firewater? - Don't mind if I do.

I made it myseIf.

Damn it aII to heII!

To heck.

Your cassock is in tatters, Father.

Yes, that's because...

- SeIf-fIageIIation? - Yes, that must be it.

You have reason to be penitent?

Everyone has something to be penitent for.

You came from the city? Is what they're saying true?

Is a man to be hanged in Quebec?

We missed the fun again.

As Iong as the scoundreI got what he deserved.

He's nothing but a Iost sheep.

After aII, he just did the deed with TaIon's wife.

-And he swiped aII the man's wine. - News traveIs fast.

He must have a pretty big thing to think he can get away with it.

Just one more, OK?

lnto the inn we went and got us a jug of wine

Our breeches were so short you could see what was inside

We're here for a drink, miladies

A drink is what we need

Hear that? It's a werewoIf.

Father Brind'amour can't be far.

A story!

The story you're about to hear is reaI,

as reaI as I am.

It was a fuII moon that night.

Trappers were making their way up the north road

when they saw a fir tree on fire.

Around the fire,

a possessed man with the head of a woIf

danced diaboIicaIIy.

Next to the fire,

a man's body Iay flat on the ground.

A werewoIf was cutting him up into chunks for a stew.

A Jesuit was traveIing with the trappers.

Brind'amour.

The beast sensed right away that this was no ordinary man.

It tumed toward him...

And that's when...

And that's when...

Brind'amour took out his crucifix.

And then the Iight of God tore through the sky

and struck down the beast!

BeIieve what you wiII,

but the truth is that God never interferes in the Iives of men.

What reaIIy happened