The three peculiar eeriness in Chapelwaite so far is Charles’ hallucination of worms, the presence of rats inside the manor, and the mystery around Stephen Boone’s death.
Read About: ‘Chapelwaite’ Episode 2: Recap
In the opening sequence of Chapelwaite Episode 3, Charles reads the letter that Stephen sent him before committing suicide. Through the letter, the audience gets an idea about Charles and Stephen’s father’s personal dispute over property. Thus to restitute his father’s sin, Stephen bequeaths Charles as the sole heir of the timber mill and the magnificent ancestral home. Charles re-reads the letter to find the truth about his late cousin, whether he is dead or alive.
The Mystery of Stephen Boone
When Charles dug up Stephen’s grave, he found it empty. The revelations puzzled him and robbed him of his peace. To find the much-needed answers, Charles visited Chapelwaite’s former maid, Mrs. Cloris.
Cloris informed Charles that she found Marcella and Stephen dead in the cellar. Marcella’s throat was pierced by a pair of scissors while Stephen had hanged himself. Stephen’s father, Philip, put the body of bygones on display on the parlor for two days, and on the third, they disappeared. Cloris found the gravestone outside the manor and perceived that Philip buried them in the family plot. No questions were further asked as Philip committed suicide soon after, as he gave himself to the sea. His body was never recovered.
But the missing body from Stephen’s grave impelled Charles to question his death. Charles found a bottle of toxic mercury in Stephen’s medicine box prescribed by Doctor Frost, who worked at an asylum, Frigate Island Hospital.
Charles visited Frigate Island and found out about his family’s history of bad blood. The Boones lineage followed a pattern of classic percussion mania. Doctor Frost prescribed toxic mercury to Stephen and treated their grandmother Silence of the same fits. But there was something else that captivated Charles’ attention.
Boones’ Hereditary Vermiphobia
In Episode One, it was established that Charles’ hallucinations of worms were scars he obtained from a tragic childhood event. His father tried to bury him alive and warned him against the “coming of worms.”
Doctor Frost threw more light on the phobia and conveyed that his whole lineage had an affliction called Vermiphobia, an obsessive fear of worms. Silence, Stephen, and Philip were all driven mad by them. Even Charles knew that his father suffered the same anxiety when he insanely tried to bury Charles. Frost revealed that his late relatives believed that it was a curse that could only be cured by the book “The Mysteries of the Worm” or De Vermis Mysteriis.
In a later scene, Charles’ son Tane was approached by a mysterious woman who asked him to tell his father to find the book. Before leaving, the woman threw an apple at Tane. When he picked it up, he saw worms crawling out of it. The incident further built Doctor Frost’s theories that the fear of worms ran in their family. When Tane informed Charles about the worm and the book, Charles quickly connected the dots. Charles knew that to stop the curse, he needed to find the De Vermis Mysteriis.
‘Chapelwaite’ Episode 3: Ending Explained
After the death of Edward and Susan Mallory, the parents threatened the school authorities. Under pressure, they expelled the new Boones’ kids. As the matter caught fire, a group of masked men attacked Charles at the Chapelwaite. One of these offenders was killed in the jungle by a strange man, similar to how he killed Edward.
Meanwhile, in town, constable George’s wife Mary was caught by the disease. Spiteful Samuel Gallup asked his son-in-law Martin to blame Susan’s death upon the Boones’ family, as she died from the disease spread by Boones.
In the end, Charles returned from Frigate Island and was informed by Mr. Fletcher that there were no rats in the house. Charles was not amazed by it, as his blood had a history of insanity that made them hear or see things that weren’t real. Doctor Frost had warned Charles that his visions would only worsen with time, and there was no cure for it. He should check himself into the asylum for the protection of his near and dear ones. At night, a similar incident occurred when Charles heard the sound of rats again. In his rage, Charles picked up an ax and ruined the walls of the room. He even swung the ax at Loa, who came running into the room. The visions were consuming Charles, slowly destroying his sanity.
Charles decided to treat himself with an ice bath in the cellar, but the visions haunted him still. He saw a phrase, “Blood calls Blood,” painted red on the wooden roof of the basement. These were the exact words, Charles’ father Robert muttered before he struck Charles with a shovel to bury him alive.
Events to Follow
Is Charles really following the pattern of his father and committing the same sins? Is he going to harm his son, Tane, just like Robert abused Charles? Or is there really a book called De Vermis Mysteriis that can save Charles and his upcoming generations from the hereditary curse.
In Stephen King’s original story, the book is situated at the family’s old mining town, “Jerusalem’s Lot.” Probably, to save himself and his son, Tane, from madness and death, Charles will travel to the dead mining town to unravel the mystery around the curse and find its possible cure. The upcoming turn of events will discuss it further.
Chapelwaite is a Horror Fiction Television series created by Peter and Jason Filardi. It is based on a short story, “Jerusalem’s Lot” written by Stephen King.
