Evilspeak

Cadet Stanley Coopersmith, while cleaning the church cellar at West Andover, uncovers a hidden room belonging to 16th-century Satanist Father Lorenzo Esteban. Inside lie books of black magic and a diary that hints at dangerous rituals. He begins translating a passage from Latin, revealing a Black Mass and Esteban's vow: I will return.

Stanley continues translating the diary using his computer skills, uncovering step-by-step rituals for a Black Mass. The translated passages reveal a way to gain power and grant Esteban's return, creating a magnetic pull toward completing the ritual. He becomes increasingly obsessed with deciphering the diary's instructions.

The next morning, Stanley wakes to find his alarm unplugged and his clothes tied in knots by bullies, making him late for class. The incident reinforces his status as an outcast and heightens tensions with staff and students. He trudges forward, aware that the diary's influence may follow him.

In Colonel Kincaid's office, Stanley accidentally leaves the diary on Miss Friedemeyer's desk, and she hides it from him. This act removes the diary from his immediate reach and sets up later conflicts over its power. The diary's concealment drives the plot forward.

While Stanley cleans the pigsty, Miss Friedemeyer attempts to pry the jeweled settings from the book, triggering a violent reaction as the pigs attack him. The incident foreshadows the diary's danger and demonstrates that even a small interference has deadly consequences. Stanley escapes with no clear explanation for the assault.

Stanley returns to his dorm to find his belongings scattered and the diary missing. He confronts his classmates, who deny involvement, and grows suspicious that someone is sabotaging his research. The mystery deepens as he searches for the hidden diary.

Desperate, Stanley uses stolen computer equipment in the cellar to prepare for a Black Mass and access the diary's instructions. The ritual requires crucial ingredients that he does not yet have: blood and a consecrated host. He must obtain them before the ritual can proceed.

Reverend Jameson nearly discovers Stanley during the ritual preparations and sends him to the mess for dinner. In the kitchen, the school cook befriends him, feeding him and introducing him to newborn puppies, including a runt named Fred whom Stanley adopts and hides in the cellar.

Stanley steals the host from the church and begins the ritual, but the robed figures that appear are revealed to be his classmates in disguise. He is knocked unconscious as the incomplete ceremony ends. The failed attempt leaves him unsettled and more determined to finish what he started.

An unseen force twists the caretaker Sarge's head, killing him, and Stanley discovers a catacomb containing Esteban's crypt. He hides Sarge's body, realizing the danger of the diary extends beyond his own life and actions.

Back home, Miss Friedemeyer again tries to steal the diary's jewels but is savaged to death by a pack of large black boars. The diary dematerializes, removing another means by which Esteban's power could be unleashed.

The bullies threaten to harm Fred if Stanley plays in the next soccer game, prompting Kincaid to kick him off the team. The social bullying intensifies as the school culture punishes the outcast for not conforming. Stanley's resolve hardens even as the danger around him grows.

The drunk classmates locate Esteban's hidden room; the computer demands blood, and they kill Fred to supply it. The diary reappears on Esteban's casket as Stanley pledges his life to Satan, and he eventually kills a teacher to obtain more blood. This sets the stage for a full ritual.

Stanley completes the Black Mass as Esteban's soul possesses him. An invisible force pries a nail from the church's crucifix and impales Reverend Jameson. Stanley rises and kills Kincaid and the coach, while the boars devour the other bullies; Sarge's revenant kills Bubba, and the church burns to the ground.

The surviving Stanley remains catatonic and is committed to an asylum. The epilogue shows his face on the computer screen with the words I will return, hinting that the evil will persist even if he is restrained. The story ends on that ominous note.