Black Sunday

In the 1630s, Princess Asa Vajda and her lover Javutich are condemned to death for sorcery by Asa's brother Griabi. They vow revenge on Griabi's descendants and curse his line. Bronze masks with spikes are hammered into their faces as the villagers prepare to burn them at the stake, but a sudden storm halts the execution.

The storm interrupts the villagers' attempts to burn Asa and Javutich, preventing their execution. The near-fatal ceremony leaves the masks in place and the stake burning abandoned as rain and wind rage. The curse remains, promising a return.

Two centuries later, Dr. Choma Kruvajan and his assistant Dr. Andrej Gorobec stumble upon Asa's tomb in an ancient Moldavian crypt while traveling to a conference. Kruvajan accidentally smashes the glass panel and the cross, exposing the death mask of a partially preserved corpse. The encounter marks the awakening of Asa to the modern world.

Kruvajan cuts his hand and blood drips onto Asa as he handles the broken glass, reviving the ancient witch. Asa wakes and communicates telepathically with Javutich, who rises from his grave and heads toward Vajda's castle. Gorobec accompanies Kruvajan toward Katia Vajda at a nearby castle.

Telepathic summons have Javutich returning to Moldavia and heading for Prince Vajda's castle with his undead power. Vajda confronts the reanimated presence with a crucifix, but the sight leaves him paralyzed with fear. The castle trembles as the undead threat approaches.

Constantine's servant is killed while trying to fetch Kruvajan, and Javutich pulls Kruvajan to the castle under the pretense that his medical skills are needed. Kruvajan is guided to Asa's crypt and becomes the witch's reluctant tool. He begins tending to Vajda as Asa's influence tightens.

Asa hypnotizes Kruvajan in the crypt and reveals that she needs more of his blood to regain full strength. She kisses him, transforming him into her willing servant. He becomes tasked with aiding Vajda and furthering Asa's plan.

Under Asa's coercion, Kruvajan orders the crucifix in Vajda's room to be removed, ostensibly to avoid upsetting the prince. This action removes a protective symbol and allows Javutich to move more freely. Asa tightens her control as she uses Kruvajan's skills to regain dominance.

Puzzled by Kruvajan's disappearance, Gorobec questions Sonya, a young girl who witnessed Javutich taking Kruvajan to the castle. She identifies Kruvajan's escort as linked to Javutich by a painting. The clues begin to point toward the hidden undead influence at work.

A priest and Gorobec go to Javutich's grave and find Kruvajan's body inside the coffin, proving he is now undead. Realizing the danger, they kill him by driving a nail through his eye. The moment marks a turning point in the struggle against the curse.

Javutich forcibly takes Katia Vajda to Asa and the witch drains Katia of her youth. The crucifix around Katia's neck thwarts Asa's attempt to drain her further, hinting at Katia's unique protective power. The castle falls into a tense shadow war between the living and the undead.

Gorobec enters the crypt to save Katia, but Javutich attacks and pushes him toward the edge of the death pit. Constantine uses the last of his strength to pull Javutich into the pit and push Gorobec to safety. The battle for Katia's life continues in the shadowed crypt.

Gorobec finds Asa and Katia, and Asa pretends to be Katia to mislead him. When Gorobec confronts her, he discovers Katia's crucifix has no effect and that Asa's true form is a fleshless skeletal frame. The revelation exposes the witch's true nature and the peril facing the lovers.

The priest leads a torch-bearing crowd to the crypt courtyard, and they burn Asa to death. Katia awakens with her life and beauty restored, and she is reunited with Gorobec. The curse is broken as the living reclaim their future.