Lo spettro
Tags: gothic, murder, haunting

Plot synopsis:
THE GHOST A séance concludes with one man saying that is all tonight and calling for a woman to assist getting a man in a wheelchair back to his room. Across the table two more men untie another woman from a chair. [TITLE SHOWS][SCOTLAND 1910] During a thunderstorm a séance is being conducted with a female medium speaking in a foreign language as several people watch. Another man translates in English. He speaks of a curse upon the house.A syringe is prepared and given to Dr. John Hichcock (Elio Jotta as Leonard G. Elliott), the man who spoke in English. He is advised to stop doing the séances due to his failing health. He claims it is his only interest in life now, crossing the border between life and death. He begins choking and going into a seizure. Dr. Charles Livingstone (Peter Baldwin) prepares an antidote and tries to make John drink it. He pushes it away. Charles pours another and forces John to drink. When the danger is over, he tells John that that one was close. Charles insists that John must remember how many cripples the medicine will help if it succeeds. John says in case the cure doesnt work he may be given an overdose of the poison used to try to stimulate his dead limbs and a too-little dose of antidote. Charles tells him to get some rest and leaves for the hospital. John rings the bell and Catherine, the housekeeper (Harriet Medin as Harriet White) comes in. He tells her to get a bottle of gin from the bookcase. She pours a small drink and he demands more. She insists the doctor will be upset. He curses the doctor and she pours more into his glass. He drinks it and she goes to light a candle.Outside, we see Johns wife Margaret (Barbara Steele) approach the house. John observes her from the window above. She is greeted by Charles for a moment, who then leaves.Margaret comes into the study carrying flowers. Taking a vase, she begins placing them in it. She notices John facing away in his chair. He tells her she is late and spent a long time in the garden. She explains it was a lovely day. He says that makes him feel even more of a cripple. He says he watched her with Charles, so remote from him and happy. She assures him that her joy was hearing that he was getting better from Charles and suggests that her love and attention surely means something to him. He apologizes and Catherine brings in a tray of coffee. Margaret dismisses Catherine, who leaves. Preparing a cup of coffee, Margaret hands it to John, who takes a sip and hands it back to her. He tells her that is all. She takes the cup back to the tray, and as she turns around to face John, she sees in horror that he is holding a gun on her. Slowly he repositions the gun to his head. Margaret rushes to get the gun away, telling him no. Having placed the gun down, Margaret tells John he shouldnt have done that. He replies that she will regret stopping him from killing himself one day, and that he is little more than a corpse.Catherine opens the door and asks if she can help. Margaret tells her that she can manage herself. Margaret helps John to the bed, where Catherine is plumping the pillows. Margaret begins undressing John for bed.Margaret is seen running to the greenhouse where she meets Charles and they embrace. She tells him that he should end their relationship, citing how difficult it is to pretend to be a supportive wife to John and carry on a secretive affair with Charles. He refuses to kill John, saying that it will only be a short time until John dies. They fall to the floor in an embrace.Margaret is seen bringing a straight razor to shave her husband. He reaches over and touches a panel which plays a music box. As she begins shaving him, he reminisces about meeting her thirteen years ago and how happy they were then. She hesitates with the razor at his throat, as if she were going to cut him. He notices her hesitation and looks up. She resumes shaving him and he continues talking. She warns him not to move, saying she will cut him. He asks for gin and she advises against it. He tells her that it brings back pleasant memories. She wipes off the remaining lather from his face and pours a glass of gin. He takes a sip of it, telling her to have some also. She sips from the glass.Canon Owens (Umberto Raho as Raoul H. Newman) enters and is greeted by John. The priest tells John he has something unpleasant to discuss with him. Margaret leaves as Owens sits and talks about the villagers complaining of satanic experiments being conducted in the house. John is implored to confine his work to the scientific and to leave the supernatural alone. As Owens holds up a test tube of white powder, John cautions him to be careful. He is told it contains curare, a paralyzing poison. Owens replaces it and apologizes.Charles is seen preparing a syringe for John. Margaret puts her hand upon Charles hand, professing her love.When Charles enters the study to administer the shot, he sees John playing chess with Dr. Albert Fisher (Reginald Price Anderson) and the Police Superintendant (Carlo Kechler as Charles Kechler). As John makes a final chess move,  checkmate  is called. The two men get up to leave, citing the lateness of the hour and the impending injection. The superintendant jokes about the locals complaining about more crimes suggested. John tells Dr. Fisher not to forget an envelope on the table. Placing it in his coat pocket, Fisher says he will not forget and they leave. Charles gives the shot to John, who begins palpitating and calling for the antidote.When the clock strikes the late hour, Charles tells Margaret that it has been an hour since the injection was given. Catherine comes in with a tray, telling them that John had told her he would not be coming down to dinner that evening. Both Charles and Margaret hear Johns bell ringing and go upstairs to investigate. Entering his room, they find the bell on the table and John dead in his chair. Charles does a visual exam and pronounces John dead.Next we see a graveside service led by Canon Owens. A small group of mourners are gathered and listen as the priest recites the Twenty-third Psalm. Then Charles and Margaret begin walking away. Others follow.As a dog howls outside, Margaret and Charles enter the house and embrace. She is upset by this howling, but Charles tells her there is nothing to fear and that they knew it would be difficult. They have each other. She begs him to shoot the dog and he does so. As they embrace again, a clattering noise is heard. She asks what it is and they look out a door. The wheelchair is seen moving, then falling down the stairs. Next they hear her name being called. Rushing to the sound of the voice, they open a door to find a vision of John calling Margarets name in a trance.The next morning we see Charles, Dr. Fisher, Canon Owens and the police superintendant waiting downstairs. Catherine comes in and strongly suggests that Charles remain to care for Margaret, whom she says has taken it hard. Margaret enters and greets everyone. Sitting at the table, Dr. Fisher reads the last will that was dictated by John just before the chess game. It states that the house and grounds be left to Margaret. It also states that all money, jewelry and bonds from the safe be donated to the orphanage run by Canon Owens. It further states that the remainder of his estate shall go to Margaret, providing that she continue to employ Catherine for the rest of her life. At this point, Dr. Fisher asks that the safe be opened by Margaret in his presence. They all move to the adjoining room where Margaret stands before the safe. She tells Dr. Fisher to find the key in the desk drawer. He looks and is unable to find it. She also looks and appears baffled. Catherine is asked if she knows where the key is, but she replies that no, only that it was always kept in that drawer. Fisher suggests that it may be forced open if the key is not found. Owens says it will not be necessary. As they leave, Fisher reminds her that if the key is not found, the police will have to force the safe open. Charles searches the drawer to no avail.Charles and Margaret begin a desperate search of Johns room, turning up nothing. At one point the music box begins playing, which unnerves Margaret. She grabs it and throws it to the floor, where it bursts into pieces. Catherine enters and tells Margaret that the master sometimes kept the key in the pocket of his coat-the one in which he was buried.Margaret laughs that the money cannot be accessed except by the key which John took to his grave. She then insists that Charles get the key.That night Margaret and Charles go into the mausoleum and open the coffin. Johns body is shown in severe decay, which is explained by Charles as due to the effects of the injections. Feeling around in coat pockets, Charles finds the key and they close the coffin.Returning to the study, Charles goes to open the safe. At this point, Catherine is heard calling for Charles. He tells Margaret to prevent her from entering. Margaret goes downstairs as Catherine approaches. Margaret seems to have a pain in her leg as she falls down. Catherine tells her that Charles is wanted at the hospital in town. Margaret insists that she is all right and that she will tell Charles.When she returns to the study, Charles is staring into space. Margaret asks what has happened and Charles informs her that the safe is empty. When she goes to look, there are only papers. She begins crying and Charles tries to quiet her. He tells her they will find it and leaves.That evening, Margaret prepares for bed. She sits before the dresser, brushing her hair. A strange noise attracts her attention. Calling to see if it is Charles, she looks over where the curtains are moving. The corpse of John appears, carrying a bouquet of flowers from the grave. Margaret gets a gun and fires several shots into the corpse to no effect. She collapses.Next we see Charles and Catherine attending to Margaret as she wakes up. She tells them that she saw John and fired shots into him. Charles looks behind the curtains but finds only bullet holes. Removing a bullet, he examines it.Later, Charles sits with Margaret as they hear a dripping sound. Blood is seen on the bed cover, dripping from the rafters. Charles insists on going upstairs to see what is causing it. Going from room to room, Charles sees the shadow of a hanged man. As he goes to look in the room from which the shadow projects from, the door closes and he struggles with it. Through the opening he sees John hanging. Finally the door opens and Charles enters the room.The next morning as Margaret gazes out the window, Catherine enters and informs her that Canon Owens is downstairs and wants to see her. She goes in and they sit at a table. Owens tells her that she missed the memorial service at the church and that the townspeople are talking about her and Charles living in the same house. She tells the priest to let people think what they will. He leaves and Charles comes in, chiding her for insulting the priest and reminding her that one slip could reveal their relationship to all. He blames her for Johns death, saying that she drove him to kill her husband. He confesses that his nerves are bothering him. She tells him that she will go upstairs and try to sleep. He cautions her to be careful, saying people are watching them.Margaret takes Charles suggestion, taking flowers to visit Johns grave. She is seen by several people. As she kneels with the flowers, the music box is heard playing.At dinner, Margaret sits alone. Catherine comes in and tries to get her to eat. She refuses and Catherine takes the plate away. Looking at the other place setting, Catherine asks if she should wait for Dr. Livingstone to arrive. At this point the music box is heard and Margaret asks if Catherine can hear it. She replies that she cannot hear anything. Margaret accuses her of lying and says it is coming from upstairs.Going into Johns room, Margaret hears thunder and the chandelier begins to sway. She begins looking at an open book of Johns which tells about astral projection of the body. A glass breaks and the chess pieces are brushed away. She reads more from the book. Suddenly a hand reaches for her shoulder. It is Catherine, who presents a snuff box that was a favorite of John. She tells Margaret that it was found in Charles room. Margaret begins thinking that maybe Charles found it in the safe and may have taken the money as well. She looks around the room and hears Johns laughter. He speaks and she sees him, talking to her and telling her that the treasure is hidden beneath the stone slab under the coffin.Margaret goes to the mausoleum and manages to overturn the coffin. She finds a door on the slab below and opens it. Inside is a golden chest which she removes. As she tries to open it, her hand is cut and begins bleeding. She opens the chest and finds only a skull. A shadow is seen approaching her. It is Catherine, who tells her that the treasure has already been taken. When Margaret asks by whom, she is told by the other person who lives in the house with them.Charles is seen packing his suitcase. Margaret comes in and he tells her he is leaving, before the evil gets any worse. She professes her love for him, but he insists that she will get over him. She begs him not to leave and accidently knocks over his case. It falls on the floor and jewelry spills out. As she picks it up and looks at it, she accuses Charles of stealing. He denies everything and claims he didnt know it was in his bag. He says that now its best they split up and continues packing. She spies the straight razor on the floor and picks it up. She attacks him with it, slashing repeatedly. Catherine is seen coming up the stairs slowly. Charles falls down to the floor.Margaret drags the body, now wrapped in a rug, of Charles who is still alive. Catherine looks out from a doorway as Margaret tries to move the body downstairs.Having gotten the body downstairs, Margaret douses it with lamp oil and sets it ablaze. The body burns.In Johns room, Margaret finds the two bottles: one of poison, the other of antidote. She takes the poison and pours some into a glass, adding some gin. She tries to drink a couple of times but hesitates. She sits in the wheelchair and hears a noise. The bookcase opens, revealing a secret room. John emerges and begins explaining how she was given curare through the hasp on the golden chest. He tells her she will be paralyzed just as he was before he began getting better from the treatment. He informs her that Charles was not a thief; he didnt know about the jewels being in his case. Catherine put them there, he says. He thanks Catherine for all shes done and tells her to leave. As she turns, he shoots her several times and she falls dead. He notices the glass of gin and drinks it. He tells Margaret that no witnesses can be left behind and that he had the riches all the time. The police are on their way, called by Catherine. As he goes to enter his secret room, the poison begins to affect him. He calls for the antidote. Margaret gets it from the table and holds it out for him to take. He reaches for it, only to see it fall to the floor and break, spilling the contents. He closes himself up in the bookcase and Margaret begins laughing maniacally. The police enter and take Margaret into custody. Canon Owens looks around the room and hears struggling behind the bookcase. He looks at the portrait of John. Speaking out loud, he repeats what he told John earlier:  the devil is a very real person.