I think someone's been sleeping in my bed,
and here she is now.
Honey?
Come closer.
Don't pull away from me.
I've been waiting for you.
There is nothing wrong with your television set.
Do not attempt to adjust the picture.
We are controlling transmission.
We will control the horizontal.
We will control the vertical.
We can change the focus to a soft blur
or sharpen it to crystal clarity.
For the next hour, sit quietly,
and we will control all that you see and hear.
You are about to participate in a great adventure.
You are about to experience the awe and mystery
which reaches from the inner mind to...
Rocks.
Silent, inanimate objects
torn from the earth's ancient crust,
yielding up to man over the long centuries
all that is known of the planet
on which we live,
withholding from man forever their veiled secrets
of the nature of matter and cosmic catastrophe,
the secrets of other worlds
in the vastness of the universe,
of other forms of life,
of strange organisms beyond the imagination of man.
I certainly can't identify them.
They're definitely not rock crystals.
A hard cluster of surfaces,
frozen symmetrical patterns.
What else can they be, Dr. temple?
I don't know.
But I'd like to talk to the student
who brought them in.
We might get a description of the area
where he made his find.
Sometimes that helps.
I'll have him drop by after classes.
Good.
Well, we might as well put these away for now.
I see. Neither one of you ever gets hungry,
is that it?
Oh, darling. Is it that time already?
Yes, ma'am, it is. I'm starving.
I'll be with you in a minute.
Been in surgery all morning, Paul?
Yeah. It seems more like all day.
Tough operation, huh?
Had some bad moments,
but the patient,
thanks to his iron constitution,
is still with us.
Yeah, but I think I'll stick to my rocks.
Never get sick,
and they never phone me in the middle of the night.
Well, have a nice lunch.
Thanks, Joe.
The time is here.
We have come to the day.
It has been a long waiting.
A long waiting, but over now.
And time to invade the bodies
of these things called human beings.
Someone is present.
Is it safe for us to communicate?
Only our own kind have the power to hear us.
Looking at him,
I'm filled with apprehension.
Can the fragile corpus of these earthlings
support our consuming energies?
Some will withstand body invasion.
Others will deteriorate.
We must choose the heartiest specimens.
Not that one.
There's something wrong with his head.
He's defective.
Will we be able to manipulate
the intelligence and the memory?
Once we inhabit the host,
our control of the whole
multicellular organism will be complete,
and then we can begin to control their planet.
Who's there?
Who is it?
You're in the room.
Where?
How is it
that an earth creature hears us?
His head.
A foreign element is implanted in his skull.
It conducts our voices through the neural network
and into the brain.
If he can hear us
and if we cannot invade his defective corpus,
then we must kill him.
Paul?
Paul.
Oh, darling? Paul?
What's the verdict?
No fracture.
Oh, that's a relief.
Well, there, you see?
Everybody should have a little
wartime souvenir in their head.
Nothing like a little metal plate
to prevent nasty fractures.
Your funny husband
has a funny way of joking about that plate.
I wonder what a psychiatrist would say about that.
He'd say overcompensation if he was any good,
and he'd be right, too.
Whole thing scares me silly.
If it ever got jarred loose...
Well, there's not much chance of that happening.
Well, there was very little chance
of the Titanic going down.
Paul, everything is checked out.
You have nothing to worry about.
You sure?
Paul, if I thought there was any brain damage,
you think I'd keep it a secret?
Now, look,
your husband's as sound inside that skull as I am.
Thank you, Ralph.
Thanks, buddy.
All right, come on, honey.
I get you back to lab.
Paul's all right.
Oh, good.
I'm sorry about this oven, Paul.
It's given us trouble before.
I thought surely they'd fixed it this time.
Well, forget it. It's nobody's fault.
Ow. Ow!
Paul, you're still in pain?
Does this help?
Yeah, a little.
You're shaking.
Well, delayed reaction.
No, it's not.
Uh...
I don't know.
I've been trying to push this out of my head,
but I can't.
What?
Well, when I was lying on the floor,
I heard, uh...
Uh, voices, and, uh...
Uh, they were not human voices.
Well, I don't know how to describe them.
They were really weird,
like nothing you've ever heard.
I know how this is gonna sound to you.
Don't worry about
how it's going to sound, Paul.
All right.
They talked about invading bodies,
about, uh, controlling people from the inside,
controlling our world.
Now, just a minute before you break out
into unbridled laughter.
I called out to them.
And, uh, I expected that they would show themselves,
at which point they said that they were going to kill me.
Kill you?
And the worst of it,
I think they would have if you hadn't walked in.
Paul, that must have been the shock,
hitting your head.
Honey, the voices seemed very, very real.
They were real.
Shock can play some strange tricks, Paul.
People sometimes
mistake their own thoughts for voices.
The sounds were external, Joe, vocal,
speech picked up by the ear,
transmitted to the brain in a very ordinary fashion.
Where were they coming from?
Somewhere in this lab.
Paul, there are only rocks here.
Look around.
Igneous rocks, metamorphic rocks,
sedimentary rocks.
And rocks don't talk.
If these should hold their peace,
the stones would suddenly cry out.
That's from the Bible.
Luke, I think.
Well, you can go all through literature,
and you'll find that authors
have often ascribed speech
to stones and rocks.
Rocks speak.
Rocks weep.
They move, tremble, dance, exult.
You're positive I just imagined the whole thing, right?
Well, as a scientist,
I've learned not to be positive of anything,
but certainly there's only a thin line
between the animate and inanimate.
And with billions of planets in space,
we can easily postulate the existence
of other living organisms.
Then, I could be right?
Will you assume just for a minute
that there might be such creatures?
All right.
All right, let's assume they exist.
And these creatures that you hypothesize
would have to be
some kind of intelligent superviruses
that depend for their existence
on other living organisms.
Viruses?
Mm-hmm. You're a doctor.
What is a virus,
but a parasite that invades the body
and thrives on living cells?
Viruses from another world with an intelligence.
It's an interesting hypothesis,
but it's too full of improbabilities.
For instance, could...
Could creatures from another planet
utilize a totally strange organism such as man?
Well, if you take my advice, Paul,
you'll forget about it.
You had a bad accident,
and you've experienced the type of hallucination
that's not at all uncommon.
It's as simple as that.
I saw a pot of coffee
brewing in one of the offices.
Do you want me
to see if I can talk someone out of a cup?
Yeah, honey, I could use one.
You listened, earthling.
You heard us communicate.
Listeners must be destroyed.
There it is again. Listen.
They've started again.
Did you hear that?
No.
Shh. Joe, listen.
I don't hear a thing.
You will do as we say.
You didn't hear anything?
No.
Why? Why?
They're in this room somewhere.
Go to the window, listener.
Go to the window.
Open the window.
Stand in the window.
Paul!
Get down, Paul!
Now jump.
Jump.
Paul.
All right, Paul. All right.
Lori, I think you'd
better take him home.
Yes.
It could be important, Paul.
No.
Forget it.
I said don't touch the phone, please.
Why?
Just leave it alone.
You're afraid
you're going to hear the voices again
over the telephone?
Maybe that was it.
Maybe the lab phone was off the hook
and what I heard was public conver...
What am I so afraid of?
Anyone would be.
No, not anyone.
Not the way I am,
buried away in this place like an animal
with doors and windows locked.
Against what?
Everyone would try
to protect themselves from fear, Paul.
You're just trying to...
You can't lock the door against spooky voices or...
It's like the forts I used to build
out of apple crates and cardboard
when I was a kid.
Oh, baby.
Lori.
Right here.
Don't, Lori. Don't answer it.
It can't be what you think.
Lori, don't. Don't!
I'll show you.
It's Billy Frazier.
He's been drinking again.
It's pointless, honey.
I'm just kidding myself.
It's easier to be afraid of spooky voices
than it is to face what's...
Really has me terrified.
I think I'm, uh, going insane.
No.
Honey, rocks can't talk.
There are no superviruses
that invade the human body,
and, uh,
voices don't come out of thin air
and tell a guy to jump out the window.
Honey, you really
believe that I heard voices...
Voices from some creatures
from another planet?
Well, maybe you did.
How can anyone say that you didn't?
Do you know anything about, uh, paranoia?
I, uh, have several classic symptoms,
in case they might have escaped your notice...
Delusions of persecution
and, uh, unseen enemies
with superhuman powers
and a destructive impulse.
Paul, I want us to go away.
Well, what good would it do?
Call it feminine instincts, whatever you like,
but I think that getting away would help.
We've never had a honeymoon.
We always promised ourselves
we'd have one someday, remember?
Oh, boy.
Do you remember the night
you brought home those travel folders?
Yep, I remember.
And you said,
"close your eyes and pick out one."
You picked Mexico.
I peaked.
I've always wanted to visit Mexico.
Would you go there now, this minute?
Yes.
Just the way we are... No bags, nothing?
Oh, Paul,
I want us to go away, not run away.
Honey, I can't just go away.
I have to run. I want to. I need it.
Run with me.
Please.
I promise you
that in a few days it'll pass.
It always does.
And when it passes,
we'll stop running,
and I'll be all right.
We'll have a honeymoon.
Please.
Honey, come on.
He does not answer.
Go to him at once.
He may have run away.
Find him.
Yes, I must find him.
Wherever he is.
I will go to his apartment, wait for his return.
We cannot wait.
We are losing time.
A day, a week,
he'll begin to realize
there's nothing wrong with his mind.
He'll investigate, speak to others,
others who may believe him,
and make us lose more time.
If he has run away, I will find out where.
Sane people always leave tracks when they run away.
Perhaps the girl has not run with him.
Perhaps she will lead you to him.
Yes.
Either way, I will find him
and kill him.
The house has not been lived in
for a long time.
I can see that.
I gave my compadre promise that I will watch over it
until he returns...
But it is lonely for me.
Why is it you're always so sure
it's going to be some dream place
out of the travel folders,
and it always turns out
to be something else?
Well, let's go back to the tourist office
and see what else they have to offer.
Oh, it's not all that bad.
Well, honey, if you don't like it,
say so now.
When the wind blows,
the shutters must be closed against it...
Dust and the sand.
No one will bother us.
We can sleep as late as we want,
dress in any old way, unwind completely.
Well, I don't know. I just thought
that when we finally got around
to having a honeymoon,
we'd do a little better job of it.
I really don't mind.
Now I will bring to the señor and señora
the firewood.
Thank you.
I will not disturb you.
I am a quiet man.
You will not hear me on the outside,
and I will not come in
unless I am called or needed.
Hey, no kidding. You want to see
if we can find something else?
I'll drive back in with you.
Of course, I'm a little tired,
but, uh...
What did I tell you?
Well, you said it was all right,
but I never can trust you.
Will you please be quiet?
I beg your pardon? shh.
Oh. That's what I thought you said.
You know, darling,
I'm really beginning to like this place.
I think it's kind of quaint.
What do you think?
Well, I think that all it needs
is a good ol' fashioned hospital-type scrub down.
I think we should get some new linens.
We can use them while we're here
and then take them home with us.
And let's see...
Oh, we'll need a few new pots and pans...
Knives, forks, spoons...
Dishcloths...
Oh, and groceries. We have to eat.
Yeah, right. You're thinking all the time.
I'm very proud of you.
You're also gonna need some oil for that stove
if you want to do any cooking on it.
Scouring powder...
Soap for washing clothes.
What, uh, clothes?
Ha ha ha ha.
I forgot.
Well, I can see I'm gonna have to
whip into town for a while,
do a little shopping.
I'll call the hospital from there.
Maybe they'll forgive me for being awol
if I tell them that my wife is expecting
and, uh, felt a sudden, remarkable craving
for a honeymoon.
Paul, it's not nice to lie.
Huh? Oh, yeah.
Well, I gotta call them, anyway.
I...
I called them
from the tourist office last night.
You did?
Mm-hmm.
Well, what'd you tell them?
Oh, well, I said that, uh...
You lied, right?
Right.
Come here.
Ha ha ha. Oh, Paul,
it's going to be all right now,
isn't it?
Yeah.
And tomorrow, it'll be even better.
You know what it is?
I finally figured it out.
It's, uh...
Well, it's my upper plate, doctor.
I don't know, ever since it was put in,
I, uh, as a professional,
I know it doesn't affect me one way or the other,
but as a man with all the notions and misconceptions
you drag along with you from childhood,
I... I can never forget that it's there,
that it's holding me together in one piece,
and I equate...
Brain injury with insanity.
It's childish, but I can't help it.
I think that's just a very polite way
of explaining why a brilliant young surgeon
would marry a very plain, unbrilliant
lab assistant.
I think I could live without bread and water,
but I could never do
without your seductive sense of humor.
Can you live without water, by the way?
No.
No, I don't think I can, either,
now that I think about it.
I better get some in bottles.
I'll be dressed in a minute.
Honey, listen, uh, I want to go in alone.
You mind?
Just, uh...
See how I feel about it by myself.
OK?
I won't be gone long.
Paul?
Yes?
What is it?
Dr. Temple?
What happened to you?
Where has he gone?
When will he be back?
Tell me where he is.
I don't know.
The hospital gave me your message.
You said he was coming down here
with you.
He's gone.
Where?!
Tell me.
I have to know.
Tell me.
I want Paul Cameron.
Useless listeners must not go free.
Where is he?
Answer me!
No. No!
No!
You will get him for me.
Hey, honey.
I couldn't get any bottled water,
so I got some beer.
You'd be amazed what comes in cans down here.
Also, it struck me that I can't stand a girl
who goes off on a honeymoon without a Trousseau,
so I went into a store.
I got you several very lovely things
which can't possibly fit you.
You asleep?
Kind of warm for... Burning fires, isn't it?
Is it a ritual?
The fires keep away the possessed, señor.
"The possessed"?
Evil spirit has entered the soul
of some unfortunate being.
Señor...
It hovers over us.
I know these things, señor.
I think someone's been sleeping in my bed,
and there she is now.
Honey?
Come closer.
Don't pull away from me.
I've been waiting for you.
I found you.
You thought you could get away from me.
Ha ha ha.
Come on. I'm hungry.
Let's get something to eat, sailor boy.
Señor, I have looked
all over Tijuana for you.
What do you want?
Your wife is very sick.
Sick?
She burns with a terrible fever.
I know this fever well, señor.
In times past, many of my people
have died from it like flies.
Please, señor.
She needs a doctor.
Plenty of doctors in Tijuana.
It is you she called for, señor.
For many hours, she called for you.
This terrible fever changes people, señor.
I have seen it many times.
It moves with swiftness.
My own wife.
I leave her well and happy one evening,
and in the morning, I do not know.
The young have the look on them of old people.
The beauty leaves the face of the women.
Señor, it is death putting the finger
on those it will claim.
You wife, señor, is dying.
She suffers?
I can see the fever burning her.
What?
Uh, get me a pan of water, will you,
and heat it.
Lori?
Medicine for the sickness?
For the pain.
You can go on out and get some sleep.
Listener...
Dr. Temple?
I must kill you.
You are a danger to us.
You may think now that it is your own madness,
but you're too rational a man
to remain irrational for long.
Others of our kind want to come.
You are making us lose time.
Now it can begin.
This time, no one will know.
Aah!
Listener.
Lori.
Lori, listen to me!
It's like you! It's one of those things!
Let the gun drop, listener.
You don't want to shoot that gun.
You can't.
Let it go.
2 black crystalline rocks...
Unclassifiable,
objects on the border between the living
and the nonliving,
a reminder of the thin line
that separates the animate from the inanimate,
something to ponder on,
something to stay the hand
when it reaches out innocently
for the whitened pebble, the veined stone,
the dead, unmoving rocks of our planet.
We now return control of your television set to you
until next week at this same time
when the control voice will take you to...