Arrogant art dealer Harte (Bruce MacVittie) believes he has hit the ultimate jackpot when he acquires a rare 16th-century tempera painting hidden within a false bottom of a trunk shipped from Spain. The piece, linked to the Spanish Inquisition, is worth tens of thousands of dollars on the black market. Having paid his partner in crime, Jimmy (Michael O’Hare), only a meager pittance for the discovery, Harte sets out to cash in on his find.
His plans are abruptly interrupted by a mysterious visitor who demands that the painting be returned to the Spanish monastery from which it was stolen. When Harte refuses, he is suddenly plunged into a terrifying dreamscape of the Spanish Inquisition, facing brutal judgment and torture until he confesses. Awakening in a cold sweat, Harte brushes off the nightmare and attempts to sell the painting anyway—triggering a second, final visit from the relentless inquisitor.
This episode was directed by Gerald Cotts, who was a cameraman on Romero’s OJ Simpson documentary. It was written by Edithe Swensen, who also wrote episodes of Monsters.
