On HORSE’S HOOVES pounding over a muddy, dirt road.

Widen to see -

They belong to a team of horses pulling a wagon. At the reins is JUDSON SHERMAN, early twenties. A ranch hand around his same age rides next to him. By the way they’re dressed, and the style of the wagon, we’re somewhere in the late 1800’s.

Judson’s leading the team toward a two-story, English styled farm house with a covered porch in the distance. Maple and Hickory trees tower around it. Dull light stabs out from several windows. Smoke plumes from the fireplace. A large barn stands fifty yards away.

Lightening cracks across a violent, dark sky, as sunrise is just starting to break through the horizon. Judson pulls out a gold pocket watch. Reads: 5:15.

As he puts his watch away, he hears something. Cocks his head – there it is again – A BABY WAILING – but this isn’t a “I’m hungry or tired cry”, this is swelling eruptions of excruciating pain.

Judson cracks the reins hard – the horses rear, then bolt like they’re shot out of a cannon, kicking up mud as they thunder faster to the house.

The wails are almost more than Judson can take as he drives the team right to the front door, and reins back hard, hopping off the wagon before it comes to a halt, then –

– just as he gets to the front porch – the wailing STOPS. He doesn’t. Moves to the front door. Whips it open. A LARGE GREY CAT scrambles to get the hell out of there. Almost trips him as he heads in.

Judson’s attention is immediately drawn to a living room on his right, where the shadows of flames from the fireplace dance wickedly off the horrified look on his face. He just stares into it – almost unable to comprehend what he’s seeing. Wood crackles.

2

As tears well, he slowly moves deeper into the room – it’s as if time has stood still for him.

As he gets closer and closer to the fireplace, the orange of the fire gets brighter on his face, the crackling louder.

He stops before the hearth, then looks to his feet, where a pair of long, narrow knitting needles lie on the wood floor in a puddle of blood. He’s emotionally devastated.

His peripheral vision picks up on something outside moving quickly past a window.

Rage fills his face. He pivots. Dashes back out the front door, where –

– Judson leaps off the porch and dashes by the ranch hand who’s reigning in the horses that seem spooked. He picks up speed as he moves around the side of the house, where he sees a woman in a long grey dress, bare feet and lengthy jet black hair, dashing into the barn and closing the door behind her.

Judson gets to the barn – tries to open the door, but it won’t budge. He viciously pulls on the handle over and over, testing the lock and hinges – then finally throws his shoulder into it, breaking it open.

Judson races in. Stops and listens. It’s cave dark – the dawn light only penetrating the first few feet of the opening. Then –

– just as he’s about to move in deeper, the back-end of a thick shovel swings out of the inky black and –

WHACK! Hits Judson in the face –

Fade up to –

SUPER - 1972

A 1970’s wood paneled station wagon, with New Jersey plates, drives down a gravel driveway.

3

ROGER V.O.

A hundred yards back, now much older, is the same two- story farmhouse and barn. Trees have grown. It’s been well cared for.

The station wagon comes to a stop in front of the house. Getting out is the driver, ROGER PERRON, a lean man in his early thirties and his wife CAROLYN, who’s simply dressed with her hair pulled up – also early thirties. Hopping out of the back are their two girls, ANDREA (7) and CINDY (15), and the family’s black lab, Sadie.

Everyone is excited, except for Cindy – a mixture of raging hormones and adolescence. She takes in her surroundings –

CINDY

As Andrea enthusiastically runs ahead to the porch, Roger turns to Carolyn –

ROGER

She listens, but –

CAROLYN

A slow growing smile cracks across his face –

ROGER

Carolyn looks over to open space between the house and the barn –

CAROLYN

Carolyn and the girls are next to Roger as he opens the door. Andrea dashes in.

ANDREA

Cindy looks to her dad as she enters –

CINDY

4

Roger’s eyes meet Carolyn’s – who seems amused.

CAROLYN

She gives Roger a quick kiss as she enters. He playfully slaps her on the butt.

Roger turns to see Sadie standing several feet back, staring in through the open door. There’s a deep intensity behind her dark eyes – her body rigid. Roger’s confused.

ROGER

Sadie takes a reserved step backwards. Keeps staring.

ROGER cont’d

The dog remains still – has no intention of getting any closer. Roger lets it go.

ROGER cont’d

Roger stands in the foyer, which opens up to a hallway that runs through the middle of the house. A staircase rises up one side. There’s a kitchen to his left and the living room to his right. Boxes are everywhere. It’s a bee hive of activity. Two burly MOVERS carefully maneuver a wooden gun case in through the front door.

ROGER

They make the turn as another MOVER follows them in carrying a heavy box. Roger reads something handwritten across the top –

ROGER cont’d

The guy continues on past him.

Carolyn stands at a counter next to a sink, unpacking several knickknacks from a box. Surrounding glass cabinets are all open, and already loaded with dishes.

5

A large oak table and chairs are set up in a nook with a hutch tucked tight against a wall opposite it.

Carolyn peels off packing paper from THREE WAX MONKEYS on a wooden stand; hands over eyes, ears and mouth, with a written caption underneath: “HEAR NO EVIL, SEE NO EVIL, SPEAK NO EVIL. She sets it on a window ledge over the sink.

Andrea comes in carrying a HAND-MADE bird-feeder and chain that only a mother could love.

ANDREA

CAROLYN

Andrea moves to a back door.

Andrea comes outside. Bugs have already started to use the porch light as a hub. A low mist hangs above the ground like a bad dream.

She sees the hook her mom was talking about and carries the feeder over to it.

As she gets up on her tiptoes to hang it –

– A HISS OF A VOICE CALLS HER NAME...

VOICE

She slowly turns her head – can’t figure out where it’s coming from as she scans the darkness.

ANDREA

No answer. More confused than scared, she hangs up the bird feeder. Then just as she’s about to head inside, she spots a large, mangy-looking GREY CAT passing by the bottom step of the porch – it looks oddly similar to the one in the opening.

ANDREA cont’d

It continues walking. She heads down the steps to catch up.

ANDREA cont’d

6

The cat walks around the corner of the house.

Andrea’s pov - as she walks around the corner. There’s no cat. She looks around for a place it could have gone, but there isn’t one. Her expression says it all – that’s weird.

Andrea comes back in just as Roger enters from the hallway. In passing –

ANDREA

ROGER

As she walks away –

ANDREA

Andrea continues out of the kitchen as Roger comes up behind Carolyn, who’s unpacking a small clock. Sets it on the windowsill next to the monkeys.

He slides his arms around her and kisses her neck – she likes it.

CAROLYN

ROGER

CAROLYN

She turns and faces him. Loves this man dearly.

CAROLYN cont’d

ROGER

7

A matching bedroom set has been set up. Numerous boxes are stacked and waiting to be unpacked as –

– Carolyn pulls some clothes from a wardrobe box at the foot of her bed and walks them into –

THE CLOSET

Just as she begins to hang them up – the noise of CREAKING WOOD draws her attention to the ceiling – where it sounds like someone’s trying to walk quietly – then it stops.

She’s a little unnerved – walks back out into

THE BEDROOM

and crosses to a nearby window. Looks out to a tree, its leaves rustling in the wind. She cranes her head to see if any of the branches are touching the roof above the closet. Can’t tell.

Just as she’s about to turn away, she notices Sadie down in the yard near the front porch below, nervously pacing back and forth.

ROGER O.C.

She turns, sees Roger setting a box down amongst the others.

ROGER

CAROLYN

ROGER

As Roger heads back out –

CAROLYN

He turns around – huh?

CAROLYN cont’d

ROGER

8

The lights flicker for a moment –

ROGER cont’d

CAROLYN

Roger heads out.

Carolyn’s eyes open – she’s awakened to what sounds like the distant screams of hundreds of children – but that can’t be right. She glances to Roger, who is sound asleep. She slips out of bed to investigate.

Carolyn comes out the back door. Listens – it’s much louder. Her attention is drawn to the woods directly behind the house where the screaming is coming from.

A HAND touches her shoulder – she about jumps out of her skin. She whirls. Roger is standing right behind her.

ROGER

Carolyn slowly turns back around to face the woods.

CAROLYN

ROGER

She looks back at him over her shoulder –

CAROLYN

ROGER

Carolyn looks back out into the night.

CAROLYN

Roger playfully pulls her into an embrace –

9

ROGER

CAROLYN

She snuggles up –

CAROLYN cont’d

ROGER

CAROLYN

As they head in, Carolyn’s gaze drifts back over her shoulder one more time into the darkness – still slightly uneasy.

Clouds have moved in, swallowing any illumination from the moon and stars, giving the house an ill-boding presence. The frogs have stopped, replaced by a lingering, unholy silence.

Carolyn, wearing a robe, comes out of the bedroom – side steps a few boxes. Morning light streaks in through several windows, illuminating the fact that the Perrons are far from being unpacked.

The bathroom door opens and Cindy sticks her head out –

CINDY

CAROLYN

As Carolyn walks away –

CINDY

10

CAROLYN

CINDY

CAROLYN

Cindy rolls her eyes, then retreats back into the bathroom.

As Carolyn passes a clock at the base of the stairs, she notices that it reads: 5:15 AM. She stops, checks her watch, resets the clock to 7:38 AM.

Carolyn crosses to a packing box on the counter. Digs a kettle out of it. She moves to the sink and as she turns on the water to fill it –

– she freezes. On the window ledge before her are –

– The THREE WAX MONKEYS – but instead of being lined up in a row like they were before, they are now facing each other – their heads all melted into one, like some deformed creature.

She then notices that the small clock she put next to them has stopped at 5:15 as well –

ANDREA O.C.

Carolyn turns to see Andrea standing at the kitchen door.

CAROLYN

Andrea tears out of the kitchen, dodging Roger as he enters.

ROGER

He looks to Carolyn standing at the sink – knows something’s up.

ROGER cont’d

11

She steps aside, showing him the monkeys. As Roger approaches –

ROGER cont’d

CAROLYN

Andrea comes out of the front door. She sees an iron post pounded into the ground with a chain snaking off it. Sadie’s tail is visible, but a full view of her is hidden by a bush at the bottom of the stairs.

ANDREA

The tail remains motionless.

ANDREA cont’d

Andrea takes a step down to the next. She claps her hands together –

ANDREA cont’d

There’s still no response –

Andrea comes down off the last step – she blanches. Her little lips start to tremble at what she sees –

– Sadie lies dead on the ground, the chain wrapped around her body like an Anaconda – her tongue protrudes, limp; her eyes are dull, white.

Off Andrea’s scream –

Over black –

ED V.O.

12

ED and LORRAINE WARREN (early thirties) are up on a stage standing behind a podium. An audience of three hundred captivated college students are seated before them as rough film footage rolls on a LARGE SCREEN of a despondent looking man, rail thin, late 20’s, sitting in a chair. His eyes are black, matching his hair. His skin is pasty white. A Catholic priest is next to him, reciting Latin from a bible in barely audible words.

ED

LORRAINE

Maurice’s white T-shirt slowly starts to get blotted with drips of blood; dark, crimson red. He suddenly SCREAMS OUT IN PAIN, his body writhing –

LORRAINE cont’d

We see Ed lifting up the side of Maurice’s shirt, exposing for the camera –

– TWO UPSIDE DOWN CROSSES pushing OUT at his skin from the inside. Camera closes in.

The audience can’t believe what they’re seeing.

ED

As the house lights kick back on, we see JEROME DAVIS (20’s), Ed and Lorraine’s technical assistant standing in the back of the lecture hall. He has longish hair, wears cords and a flannel shirt. A leather necklace with peace sign is draped around his neck. He turns the projector off.

13

Ed and Lorraine are in the middle of a Q & A with the audience. A male student with a tie-dyed shirt and wild Afro is standing up –

LORRAINE

AFRO

As Afro takes a seat, hands go up. Ed points to another student who wears GLASSES four rows back. He gets to his feet.

GLASSES

Subtle laughs escape from the crowd.

GLASSES cont’d

ED

He sits back down. Hands fly up again – Lorraine points to a female student with a PONYTAIL in the front row, who gets to her feet. She seems a little hesitant to speak, then –

PONYTAIL

LORRAINE

PONYTAIL

LORRAINE

PONYTAIL

LORRAINE

14

Lorraine moves up to the edge of the stage, joining the girl who does the same.

LORRAINE cont’d

The girl offers them to her. Lorraine takes hold, then closes her eyes. A moment later –

LORRAINE cont’d

PONYTAIL

LORRAINE

Ponytail is getting blown away –

PONYTAIL

Lorraine opens her eyes –

LORRAINE

Ponytail’s eyes well as she tries to contain her emotions.

LORRAINE cont’d

PONYTAIL

With a gentle smile...

LORRAINE

Lorraine lets go of her hands. As Ponytail sits back down, Ed nods to another male student in the front row. Wears a beanie.

GLASSES

Ed cracks a small smile –

ED

15

The crowd laughs.

Jerome slides open the side door of a VW van. There’s a sticker on the window that reads, “When this van’s a rockin’, don’t bother knockin’”. He sets the projector next to an array of other electronic equipment, then –

– turns to Ed and Lorraine, who are about to get into a Plymouth parked right next to him.

ED

He looks at them with a cocky grin –

JEROME O.C.

Ed and Lorraine are slightly confused, until – Jerome turns and smiles at a young woman approaching them. It’s the Pony Tail girl.

Ed lets an amused laugh escape his lips as he gets into the car.

Roger approaches a guy wearing incredibly dirty pants and shirt, who’s peering down a hole in the ground into a septic system – Carolyn can be seen in the background tending to a newly sprouting, completely fenced in garden. A SCARECROW, secured to a make-shift cross of 2x4’s, stands at attention in the middle of it. It’s wearing overalls, plaid shirt and donning a wig with shoulder length hair capped over a small pillow that has a crude face drawn on. Roger’s big rig is parked next to the barn.

Roger gets to the guy, who turns and faces him. His shirt has a name tag, reads: Carl.

ROGER

Carl looks to him.

CARL

ROGER

16

Carl isn’t humored.

CARL

This is not what Roger wants to hear.

ROGER

CARL

ROGER

Carl runs some numbers in his head.

CARL

A stressed Roger stands opposite Carolyn, who continues to tend the garden.

ROGER

CAROLYN

ROGER

She stops. Looks at him – what do you mean? Roger takes a beat –

ROGER cont’d

CAROLYN

ROGER

17

A full moon spotlights THE SCARECROW like it’s standing center stage. It’s now surrounded by a FULLY FLOURISHING GARDEN; tall rows of corn stalks, bright yellow squash, red tomatoes and beans.

It’s late. Carolyn has a basket of laundry tucked under her arm as she heads down the hallway toward her room at the end.

She stops at the closed bathroom door which has a phone cord running across the floor from Cindy’s room into it.

CINDY O.C.

Carolyn just sighs as she opens the door. Sees Cindy standing in front of a mirror, phone to ear, comparing two different colors of eye shadow, closing one eye at a time –

CAROLYN

She closes the door.

Paper butterflies adorn her walls. Stuffed animals line a small shelf above a vanity mirror and dresser. An Easy Bake oven and Barbie play-set are lined up neatly against a wall.

Andrea is under her covers in a frilly four posted bed, head propped slightly by a pillow as she reads a book. A lamp on a nightstand next to her cascades a four foot radius of light.

Her body tightens as she catches a quick glimpse of something furry jumping onto her bed, but her book has obscured a full view –

– she slowly lowers it to get a better look – finds the cat she saw earlier standing on the foot of her bed. It’s looking right at her.

ANDREA

As she sits upright, the cat scurries off the bed and out of her room into the hallway –

18

Andrea scrambles out from under the covers and quickly follows. She looks out her door in time to see the cat slip into Cindy’s room just down the hall.

As Andrea moves to Cindy’s room, she can hear her sister still talking on the phone in the bathroom. Her mom is folding clothes on the bed in the master bedroom at the end, unaware of her presence.

Andrea stands in the doorway looking to see where the cat went. Her face is hit by a PURPLE HUE cascading from a BLACKLIGHT hanging above a bed; posters of The Jackson Five, peace signs and Alice in Wonderland, all glow from the light. Scattered clothes litter the floor. The bed’s unmade.

Andrea can’t see the cat anywhere, then she hears it HISSING from under the bed.

ANDREA

Andrea comes into the room and over to the bed. She kneels. As she looks underneath, her eyes immediately fall upon a Raggedy Anne doll – seemingly staring at her – scares her slightly. The hissing starts up again, but she can’t see where the cat is as her vision is obscured by other dolls stuffed under the bed.

She reaches in and moves a couple aside – sees the cat, but her breath gets caught in her throat –

– the blacklight has made its eyes look wild, almost demonic as it stares at something that’s seemingly right behind her. She snaps a look back over her shoulder, but nothing’s there.

The cat suddenly bolts right past her – the movement startling Andrea, who instinctively recoils. She watches the cat slip through a partially opened closet door into the darkness beyond.

As she gets to her feet, Carolyn appears in the doorway.

CAROLYN

ANDREA

Andrea heads to it. A very curious Carolyn flips a light switch on the wall as she enters –

19

CAROLYN

She joins Andrea at the closet. Opens the door wider.

Carolyn reaches overhead and pulls on a light string, filling the large walk-in closet with bright light. There’s an array of clothes and shoes, but – no cat. Carolyn turns to Andrea –

CAROLYN cont’d

ANDREA

CAROLYN

Andrea bends down, looking under Cindy’s bed again – it’s not there.

CAROLYN cont’d

As Andrea climbs back into bed –

ANDREA

CAROLYN

Carolyn begins to tuck her in –

ANDREA

CAROLYN

ANDREA

Carolyn smiles –

CAROLYN

ANDREA

20

CAROLYN

IN THE BED LATER

Carolyn, who’s fallen asleep next to Andrea, awakens to a distant SCRATCHING NOISE. She listens for few beats – there it is again. She climbs out of bed to investigate.

She comes out of the bedroom. The SCRATCHING NOISE is coming from downstairs. She walks by several pictures of Cindy, Andrea and the family together hanging on the walls as she heads toward the staircase.

Suddenly the noise turns violent – DEEP, VICIOUS SCRATCHES – like nails across wood. She slows her pace dramatically.

Carolyn moves to the top of the staircase – almost too afraid to look down. Digs up some courage –

Her pov - THE CELLAR DOOR rattles upon impact as something continues to dig and claw at the door from the other side.

Carolyn heads down as the scratching continues.

She comes off the bottom step and guardedly moves down the hallway to the door.

Just as she gets to it, THE SCRATCHING INSTANTLY STOPS. The house gets church quiet. She listens intently – torn with what to do.

Carolyn retreats momentarily back into the kitchen – comes out a second later with a flashlight.

She slowly gets onto her hands and knees. Targets a one inch gap between the bottom of the door and floor with the flashlight, then –

– thumbs the switch. THE LIGHT INSTANTLY REFLECTS OFF TWO EYES BORING RIGHT BACK AT HER from within the dark recess – but there’s nothing human, nor animal about them.

Carolyn freaks – recoils in a frenzy of motion. She scrambles back to the kitchen door where she grabs a RUBBER DOOR-WEDGE from the floor next to it. She ushers it back to the cellar door and SLAMS it into the gap.

21

CINDY O.C.

Carolyn spins. Sees Cindy and Andrea staring down at her from the top of the stairs.

CAROLYN

Roger heads down his driveway. His headlights capture Carolyn looking out the living room window at him – she looks terrorized, anxious.

Roger stands in front of the open gun case; exposing a shotgun and a couple of rifles. He’s quickly loading ammo into a hand gun.

Roger comes out of the living room, gun in hand. Carolyn and the girls watch him from the top of the stairs as he heads for the cellar door, which now has a chair propped up under the handle as well as the door-wedge.

CAROLYN

Roger removes the chair and wedge. Gun ready. He slowly opens the door –

– Carolyn gasps at DEEP SCRATCHES that crisscross the back of it.

Roger stands still for a moment, looking at them as well, then heads down a steep set of wooden stairs that get lost in the darkness.

He flips a nearby wall switch, washing the cellar in a dull, yellow light.

Roger inches down the stairs. Alert. Ready. He steps off the bottom step – pauses – gun out – eyes perusing the shelves of canned goods and stacked moving boxes. There are no windows or other exits.

22

He moves toward two wardrobe boxes – big enough for something to hide behind. Closer. Closer. The knuckle on his trigger finger whitens from pressure.

He kicks one of the boxes over – nothing happens. Looks behind the other – empty.

Roger comes up off the stairs. Closes the door behind him. Looks up to Carolyn and the girls who are waiting with baited breath upstairs.

ROGER

CAROLYN

ROGER

Andrea’s nervously chewing on her fingernails.

ANDREA

CINDY

Andrea folds into her mom’s arms.

ANDREA

ROGER

The girls walk away, leaving Carolyn standing there. Roger’s shifts his attention to her – shakes his head.

CAROLYN

23

ROGER

Ed and Lorraine move up a narrow staircase to a second story. Trailing behind them are RACHEL and DAVID, a slightly overweight couple in their late twenties. Neither wear stress well.

RACHEL

LORRAINE

DAVID

RACHEL

LORRAINE

RACHEL

Ed stops at the top.

ED

Both nod.

Ed looks up to see AN ATTIC DOOR DIRECTLY ABOVE THEM. He pulls on a rope, opening it up – unfurling a set of attic steps.

RACHEL

LORRAINE

24

Ed reaches into his hip pocket and retrieves a flashlight. Heads up into the dark abyss –

Ed stands half in and out as he sweeps the interior with his light.

The place is full of old furniture, wooden trunks, boxes, clothing racks. He continues up the creaky steps into the attic. Lorraine follows him up.

LORRAINE

Lorraine moves over to a broken dormer window where filtered moonlight pours in. It casts a blue hue across the room. She looks out –

– unfolding across a street is a large cemetery full of tombstones – hundreds and hundreds of them. A thick, wet fog drifts through.

Ed’s light falls on a cobwebbed covered bookshelf loaded with dust. He moves to it to get a look at several URN- LIKE containers that have caught his attention. Lorraine joins him –

LORRAINE cont’d

Ed uses his finger to wipe clean an inscription written on the bottom of one –

ED

LORRAINE

David and Rachel come up the stairs with Ed. Both look nervous to be up there. Lorraine’s standing over by the broken window.

25

ED

DAVID

Just then, a MOANING NOISE that sounds LIKE SOMEONE’S IN AGONY, emanates through the room. Rachel grabs onto David’s arm –

RACHEL

ED

David and Rachel look to Lorraine – huh? They watch as she steps on TWO, water-stained WOODEN FLOORBOARDS that run near an old heating radiator next to her – producing the same sound.

ED cont’d

RACHEL

Lorraine shakes her head –

LORRAINE

ED

Nice. Well kept. Ed and Lorraine pull up into the driveway. Get out of the car, and head to the front door.

26

Ed and Lorraine exit a door off the kitchen. Across a well lit yard is a large chicken coop with a henhouse inside, where their daughter JUDY (7), carrying a basket full of eggs, is with Ed’s MOM (60’s). They’re both exiting the coop – there’s a dozen or so chickens moving about, and one of them is at their feet.

MOM

Just as they close the coop door, Judy spots her parents.

JUDY

ED

Judy hands the egg basket to her grandmother, and races toward them.

JUDY

Judy runs across the yard and leaps into Ed’s arms. Gives him a big hug. Lorraine sees that she’s got something dark smeared all over her face.

LORRAINE

JUDY

Her little eyes go wide with great pride, as –

JUDY cont’d

Ed’s mom approaches, all smiles –

MOM

ED

He gives her a kiss on the cheek, then looks to Lorraine, half laughing. Passes Judy over to her, who gives her a big hug.

LORRAINE

27

Ed reaches for a phone hanging on the kitchen wall. As he dials a number, he smiles when he sees a photo of Judy on the counter next to him. It’s framed in Fudgesicle sticks, and made to look like a church with a cross. Scribbled along the bottom is, “I love you, daddy”.

WOMAN’S VOICE V.O.

Walking into an opulent office full of antique furniture and religious icons, is FATHER JORDON (late thirties). He takes a seat in a chair, then picks up a phone on his desk.

FATHER JORDON

ED V.O.

FATHER JORDON

ED V.O.

FATHER JORDON

Lorraine and Judy, who’s now wearing pajamas, sit on the edge of the bed as Lorraine finishes braiding Judy’s hair.

JUDY

Lorraine chuckles.

LORRAINE

Lorraine stands and lifts the covers. Judy slides in under them.

28

LORRAINE cont’d

JUDY

LORRAINE

Lorraine gives Judy a tender kiss good-night, then reaches over and turns off a light on a nightstand next to the bed.

Dark rain clouds threaten. The leaves in the trees have begun to turn color. The garden off to the side is now void of any growth – the ground bare. The Scarecrow looks dead itself; it’s stringy hair drawn across its face by a small breeze.

Andrea, wearing a warm sweater, is kneeling before a small grave at the base of a tree. There’s a wooden cross with the name SADIE written on it. She’s pulling several weeds away.

Cindy’s helping Carolyn take down some sheets from a clothing line as they ripple in the wind.

Roger’s Rig is parked next to the barn.

Carolyn comes in with the girls. Roger’s on the phone. He looks tired. Strained. As they cross –

ROGER

Roger hangs up the phone. Looks to Carolyn – shakes his head.

CAROLYN

29

ROGER

She’s shocked that he just cussed in front of the kids.

Andrea is in bed, sound asleep. Pouring rain pelts against her window – her eyes snap open. She finds herself facing the grey cat back on her bed – its ears drawn back, HISSING through exposed fangs – ready for a fight – it’s eyes slowly tracking something moving just behind her.

Andrea’s peripheral vision suddenly picks up the OUTLINES OF TWO HANDS with only THREE FINGERS ON EACH pressing out from within her pillow case, folding her pillow up on the sides, closing in on her face –

The cat HISSES, then leaps to the floor.

Carolyn and Roger are rattled from a dead sleep by Andrea’s blood curdling scream – both scramble out of the covers to get to her.

Roger’s to the doorway first. Looks in to see the bed’s empty. Eyes shift looking for his girl, but areas of the room are swallowed in darkness.

ROGER

Carolyn joins him. Roger hits the switch on the wall, shedding light on Andrea, who’s curled up in a corner, hyperventilating with fear. The tears are flowing as she stares at her bed.

Roger is pissed as he faces Carolyn just outside their bedroom, where Andrea can be seen tucked into their bed, now sleeping.

Carolyn’s an emotional wreck. Wipes tears with a tissue. Both speak in hushed tones –

30

ROGER

CAROLYN

ROGER

CAROLYN

ROGER

CAROLYN

ROGER

He heads downstairs.

CAROLYN

He doesn’t turn around.

Roger’s asleep on one of two sofas that face each other in front of the fireplace, that’s glowing red from embers. There’s a coffee table between the sofas with a half empty bottle of scotch. A nearby TV is fuzzy white, that is, until –

– something dark, ominous, crosses in front of it.

Roger awakens. Sits up. Rubs his groggy eyes, then rises. Goes to the TV. Just as he turns off the TV, he hears the LOW CREAKING SOUND OF A DOOR opening. He heads to the hallway to investigate. As he passes a Grandfather clock, the time reads: 5:15.

31

Just as Roger comes into the hallway – HE SEES the kitchen door closing shut. As he moves toward it – it starts to BANG against the door jam in bursts of three. Bangbangbang. Bangbangbang. Roger’s mind is racing – what the hell?

The banging stops the minute he gets to the door. The house falls into an awful silence. He opens the kitchen door –

– looks inside. A night-light cascading from a socket next to the sink, kicks out enough glow to see that no one’s in there. A soft breeze coming in through the kitchen window caresses the curtains. His mind settles – that must’ve been it.

Roger is pulling out in his big rig. Carolyn is standing outside the house, wrapped in a sweater. She looks soul weary as she watches him drive off.

Cindy’s listening to some music as she sits on her bed, doing homework. Her bedroom door opens and her mom pokes her head in.

CAROLYN

CINDY

CAROLYN

CINDY

LATER.

Just as Cindy finishes her homework, her bedroom door begins to make a soft, repetitive bangbangbang noise – like something’s pushing against it from the other side.

CINDY

No response.

32

Keeping her eyes on the door, Cindy slides out of bed. Moves toward it as the bangbangbang continues, the soft impact barely rattling the door. She hits the brakes when she sees a shadow of something appear in the gap between the base of the door and the floor.

Cindy digs deep for courage, then continues toward it. She’s a foot away and the banging suddenly stops. She waits in silence, listening... that’s when –

– the door slowly opens on its own. Cindy takes a cautionary step backwards, but –

– nothing’s there. She takes reluctant steps up to the door jamb and cranes her head both directions in the hallway for a look. All clear. She sees that her mom’s door is open a couple of inches.

Two steps into the hallway, Cindy pauses momentarily – reacting to some sort of foul smell. She then moves forward, and as she’s about to step into her mom’s room – she stops mid-stride – her face goes taut –

– standing next to the bed is AN APPARITION of a woman; dark matted hair, white white skin – her body awkwardly hunched forward over Carolyn and Andrea, who are sleeping, completely unaware of her presence.

The Apparition slowly cranes her head toward Cindy. Stares at her with pupil-less, snow-white eyes. She suddenly surges toward Cindy lightning fast, passing right through her body, and vanishes.

Off Cindy’s scream –

Simple white structure with a steeple. FATHER THORNTON; late 20’s, is getting ready to take down letters from a small, glass encased marquee posted into the ground that says: A CHURCH IS A GIFT FROM GOD...ASSEMBLY REQUIRED.

CAROLYN O.C.

He looks over to see Carolyn approaching –

Father Thorton and Carolyn share a table under the shade of a large willow.

33

FATHER THORTON

Carolyn breathes a slight sigh of relief –

CAROLYN

Super - One week later

S.O. Of a PHONE RINGING...

ED V.O.

WOMAN’S VOICE V.O.

Lorraine is seated at an outdoor table and has a cup of coffee in hand. Ed sits opposite her. Judy is in the background, feeding the chickens in the coup.

LORRAINE

ED

Lorraine lets her eyes drift to Judy –

LORRAINE

Ed looks at her – he knows her too well.

ED

Lorraine pauses, then –

LORRAINE

34

He throws her a somewhat surprised look –

LORRAINE cont’d

They sit still for a few silent beats, then –

ED

LORRAINE

Ed rises.

Ed and Lorraine ride in silence along a lonely two-lane stretch of road through rural countryside. The framed picture of Judy now dangles from the rearview mirror.

Their headlights hit a small road sign riddled with buckshot that’s posted at a turnoff just ahead: COLLINS TAFT RD.

Ed turns. Heads down a gravel strip of road that winds its way through the trees to a mailbox. They turn in the driveway.

– Although it’s dark and cloudy, scattered moonlight casts an eerie glow over the farmhouse – we see it’s the Perron’s.

Lights on inside splinter out through several windows. The Perron’s station wagon is out front.

Ed pulls up and parks. As they get out of the car, he goes to the trunk. Pops it open. Lorraine suddenly stops cold – her smile vanishes. She stands still – slowly scans over the property; past the house, the woods, the barn – something’s definitely got her attention.

Ed retrieves a handheld tape recorder and note pad out of a box in the trunk and closes it. Goes up to Lorraine –

She shows him her arms – has GOOSEBUMPS all over them.

ED

The two of them head up the walkway. Just as they round a slight turn –

35

Lorraine’s pov - WHOOSH! A BLACK LAB leaps right at her, it’s TEETH barred as it snarls viciously. Jaws snap. It strains against a chain, which is tethered to a metal post driven into the grass, then –

Resume -

Ed looks to Lorraine –

ED cont’d

LORRAINE

Ed and Lorraine stand at the front door. It opens, revealing Carolyn standing before them.

LORRAINE

CAROLYN

ED

The girls join her at the door – their expressions somber. Soul weary.

CAROLYN

CINDY/ANDREA

CAROLYN

Lorraine and Ed stand with Carolyn and the girls. We catch them mid-conversation:

CAROLYN

ED

36

CINDY

Ed glances to Lorraine.

CAROLYN

ED

An elevated wave of fear washes over Carolyn and the girls.

CAROLYN

Ed’s eyes drift to a couple of door handles that line the hallway where pieces of rope are dangling off them.

CAROLYN cont’d

ED

She nods –

ED cont’d

Another nod –

ED cont’d

LORRAINE

CAROLYN

LORRAINE

CAROLYN

LORRAINE

CAROLYN

37

CAROLYN cont’d

Lorraine notices the cellar door that’s been blocked closed with the chair and door-wedge. She starts toward it. Carolyn stays behind.

CAROLYN cont’d

ED

CAROLYN

Lorraine gets to the door and pulls the chair and wedge free – opens the door, revealing –

– Tons more of the DEEP, VIOLENT SCRATCHES. Lorraine hits the switch on the wall, lighting up the basement.

Lorraine heads down the stairs. As she steps off the bottom step – she’s hit with a BOMBARDMENT OF FAST, HARD HITTING IMAGES OF –

– FIVE DEAD, SKINLESS RABBITS sprawled out across the bottom of a large cage; entrails dangling through the meshing. The leg on one of them twitches.

– The CEMENT FLOOR flowing with BLOOD.

– A large, BLOOD-RED PENTAGRAM is plastered like graffiti on a wall.

– A CLOAKED FIGURE is having sex with a naked, dead woman, her eyes locked wide open. Other cloaked figures, faces hidden within hoods are close by, watching.

– A HYPODERMIC NEEDLE being pushed into a vein on an arm full of tracts.

– Shadowed individuals surrounding an UPSIDE DOWN CROSS.

– The FLASH of a GUN’S MUZZLE illuminating the face of a heavy set woman as she pulls the trigger of a pistol with its barrel pressed up under her chin.

Resume -

Lorraine looks sickened. Ed comes off the stairs and joins her. She shakes her head in disgust at what’s happened in this cellar.

38

LORRAINE

Ed lags behind as Lorraine follows Carolyn and the girls into the living room. She takes a moment, looking it over.

ED

CAROLYN

Lorraine’s eyes drift over to the fireplace where she’s hit with ANOTHER IMAGE OF –

– blood dripping off the hearth onto the set of long, narrow knitting needles swallowed in red.

She turns to Carolyn and the girls -

LORRAINE

Carolyn shakes her head – no.

As Carolyn, Andrea and Cindy lead Ed and Lorraine up the stairs –

ANDREA

CAROLYN

Cindy looks back to Lorraine and Ed –

CINDY

As Carolyn steps onto the landing –

CAROLYN

39

LORRAINE

CAROLYN

Ed and Lorraine continue to follow the girls toward the master bedroom. The walls are empty except for several protruding nails from each.

CAROLYN

LORRAINE

Carolyn shakes her head.

CAROLYN

ED

Off her look –

ED cont’d

CAROLYN

As they pass Andrea’s room –

CAROLYN cont’d

Lorraine pauses for a moment looking in. Notices that none of the pillows have cases on them.

LORRAINE O.C.

Lorraine and Ed enter, leaving Carolyn and the girls at the doorframe.

40

CINDY

Lorraine walks over to it. Ed moves to a dresser, looks to a framed photo of the girls, then to a framed wedding picture of Roger and Carolyn. There’s another photo of Roger kneeling on one knee, posing next to a twelve-point buck he’s shot. His rifle rests across his arms.

Ed sits with Carolyn at the kitchen table with his tape recorder between them.

ED

Carolyn nods. Ed hits the PLAY and RECORD buttons at the same time.

ED cont’d

He looks to Carolyn.

ED cont’d

Lorraine is sitting on the sofa with Andrea. She notices that she’s bitten her nails down to nothing –

LORRAINE

ANDREA

Andrea’s eyes drift over to the fireplace, which is blackened, and full of ash.

LORRAINE

ANDREA

Her eyes meet Lorraine’s.

41

ANDREA cont’d

LORRAINE

ANDREA

LORRAINE

Lorraine is with Cindy, who has her arms wrapped around her knees, all hunched up on the sofa. She stares off blankly –

CINDY

Cindy, wrapped in a towel, walks out of the upstairs bathroom. She stops dead in her tracks, staring at the floor, where –

– backlit by the moon, a tree lays shadows on it through a window at the far end. But it’s not the tree branches that disturbs her, it’s that –

– SOMETHING IS SITTING on the branches with crooked arms, taloned claws, and legs sprouted grotesquely from a bulky torso –

She forces herself to look out the window – but nothing’s there.

Lorraine walks into the kitchen, where Ed is still interviewing Carolyn. He pauses the tape, looks to her –

LORRAINE

He nods.

42

ED

Lorraine exits the house.

She pauses on the landing for a moment, looking around – sees the Scarecrow now standing in the empty garden, worn, weathered – looking like someone crucified with its arms out.

Her eyes move to the barn, shadowed in the dark like some ill-boding beast. We can see that she’s drawn to it.

She steps off the porch. Halfway across the yard, she stops – as if she senses something – like she’s being watched.

She shifts her gaze just beyond the barn, where a restless breeze has the entire landscape in motion. She lets it go, continues on to the barn.

Lorraine’s about to open the door when she sees –

– two dead pigeons on the ground, necks broken.

She opens the barn door and looks in. She sees sabers of moonlight pierce in through gaps in the tired, dilapidated wood siding, then –

– Lorraine’s immediately hit with ANOTHER HARD HITTING image of Judson on the ground, his bloody face smashed in.

Resume -

Lorraine steps into the barn and continues several feet in. She stops – takes in her environment. An old CHEVY PICKUP is parked toward the back next to an elongated work bench. Six abandoned horse stalls are tucked along one side. There’s a ladder that leads up to a loft.

As Lorraine turns to leave – KA-THUMP!

– A SET OF BARE FEET COME JERKING TO A STOP RIGHT IN FRONT OF HER FACE – the toenails are incredibly long. Cracked. Dirty.

Lorraine looks up. Sees a woman dangling from a rafter by a rope – her neck broken at an odd angle.

43

She’s in a long grey dress, and has scraggly dark hair framing her face. Her eyes are bulging wide open, and seem to be staring at Lorraine.

ED O.C.

Lorraine’s eyes shift to Ed standing in the doorway – she walks toward him, literally passing through the dangling legs as they fade from her psychic vision.

Ed and Lorraine are sitting at the kitchen table. Carolyn refills coffee cups. Lorraine’s looking at the melted monkeys on the table before her.

CAROLYN

LORRAINE

ED

LORRAINE

Carolyn’s appalled at the notion.

LORRAINE cont’d

ED

LORRAINE

44

CAROLYN

Ed takes a moment, then –

ED

CAROLYN

ED

CAROLYN

LORRAINE

CAROLYN

ED

Carolyn deflates.

Ed and Lorraine stand at the front door, ready to leave. Carolyn’s with them. Ed, who’s holding the clock from the kitchen, looks at her – straightforward.

ED

CAROLYN

ED

45

CAROLYN

Ed glances to Lorraine, then –

ED

Carolyn’s not quite sure where Ed is going with this –

ED cont’d

CAROLYN

ED

Carolyn floods with emotion. It’s all too much. Lorraine pulls her into an embrace.

LORRAINE

Carolyn wipes away a tear.

ED

Lorraine’s attention is drawn to Cindy and Andrea, looking down at them from the top of the stairs with scared, worried faces.

Ed pulls up to the entrance of the Harrisville Motel – single story, maybe thirty rooms.

46

Lorraine is sitting on the edge of a queen-size bed, the cradle of a dial phone to her ear, listening. She makes eye contact with Ed, who enters from outside, carrying a small suitcase and the cardboard box with the tape recorder and kitchen clock inside.

LORRAINE

Ed grins, places the box and suitcase on a dresser.

LORRAINE cont’d

She holds out the phone for Ed, who takes a seat next to her – mouths “she promised”. Ed seems somewhat amused –

ED

While he listens –

ED cont’d

CU on Lorraine soaking in the tub filled with bubbles – her eyes are closed.

Widen. We see that her head is tilted back on Ed’s chest, who is soaking with her, stroking her arms. Steam rises.

ED

LORRAINE

ED

Lorraine exits the bathroom, donning a robe. She’s towel drying her hair.

47

Doesn’t like the look she gets from Ed, who is clad in a pair of pajama bottoms, sitting on the edge of the bed with the tape recorder in his hands.

LORRAINE

ED

He hits play – WE HEAR:

ED V.O. (cont’d)

A long silence follows –

ED V.O. (cont’d)

Another long silence. Ed clicks it off, looks to Lorraine – not sure what to make of it.

Cindy is heading up the staircase with a glass of milk in hand when water slowly cascades down from the stairs above her and slowly caresses her feet before moving on down to the next stair. She looks up –

– eyes go wide. Standing on a stair, several up from her, is a YOUNG BOY (12), soaking wet, dressed in vintage clothing. His skin is stark white and rotting in places, and he has a non-stop flow of water dribbling out his mouth.

Cindy drops the glass – it shatters. She screams. A second later, a very concerned Carolyn shows up at the top of the stairs. Cindy can barely get the words out –

CINDY

She points to where she saw him – he’s gone, but the water is still present and dripping down the stairs.

48

A night light flowing out from the open bathroom door casts a light glow over Ed and Lorraine, who are sound asleep in the bed.

O.C. A SOFT CLICK – then WE HEAR the tape recorder kicking on by itself.

ED V.O.

The sound of Ed’s voice is LOUD, snapping Ed and Lorraine out of their sleep, unbelieving. Both sets of eyes target the tape recorder sitting on a small table near the foot of their bed.

ED V.O.

Where as this part of the tape was blank earlier – it’s now filled with an INDISCERNIBLE, HAUNTING WHISPER that sounds female – it continues, until –

ED V.O.

The tape recorder then suddenly SHUTS OFF –

LORRAINE

He looks where her gaze is locked – she’s staring at the Perron clock next to the recorder. The time on it reads 5:15. They look at it, transfixed. It never moves to: 5:16.

Small town. Stores and businesses line both sides of the street. Light traffic.

Ed and Lorraine are driving through. They pass the Catholic church. The marquee in front reads: LET GOD GIVE YOU A GREAT DAY.

Ed continues for another block, then pulls over, coming to a stop in front of MATHEWS DRY GOODS store. It’s simple, with two large windows, separated by an entrance. A second story sits above it.

49

S.O. of a bell that rings when Ed and Lorraine enter the store. Inside is filled with a potpourri of dry goods.

SHANNON MATHEWS, a woman in her late 30’s, and a teenage girl are behind a long counter that stretches from the front of the store to a set of steps leading upstairs in the back. A lava lamp sits next to a register.

Shannon’s busy cutting a piece of fabric for a customer when she looks up.

SHANNON

Ed and Lorraine?

They both smile.

ED

Shannon looks to the teenage girl next to her –

SHANNON

Maddy, finish cutting this for Mrs. Doornbos, will ya?

Maddy nods that she will, and although she takes the scissors from Shannon, her eyes never leave Ed and Lorraine – neither are sure what it’s all about.

Shannon looks to Ed and Lorraine –

SHANNON (cont’d)

Why don’t you follow me.

She grabs a large coffee mug off the counter and heads to a set of stairs in the back of the store. Ed and Lorraine follow.

SHANNON (cont’d)

You gotta ignore my niece, she goes to school with the Perron girls – she’s heard about what’s been happening out there.

SHANNON

Before the Perron’s bought it, that place had been empty for as long as I can remember.

(beat)

Please excuse the mess up here, my Nana’s been the Historian for almost sixty years, and when she got Parkinson’s, things just sort of – well, you can imagine.

50

They come up off the last stair into a large, disheveled looking room packed with stacks of books, filing cabinets, piles of old newspapers and photos –

SHANNON

I took over the job, but haven’t had much time to put into it.

Shannon heads over to a nearby table that stands in the middle of the room, where pictures, maps, journals and other documents are piled in two large boxes.

SHANNON (cont’d)

I pulled everything together for you I could find, but there’s some stretches of time missing. I’ll keep looking and send you anything else I might find.

Carolyn is getting ready for bed. There’s a flare in the window from headlights coming down the driveway. She moves to the window and looks out –

– it’s Roger returning in the rig.

Roger looks clearly irritated as he reaches for a bottle of scotch in a cabinet. Carolyn is leaning against the counter, arms folded, trying to stay strong.

ROGER

CAROLYN

ROGER

CAROLYN

Roger half laughs to himself as he uncorks the bottle.

ROGER

51

He pours a stiff one.

ROGER cont’d

CAROLYN

She moves over to Roger and takes his hands in hers before he can lift the glass to his mouth –

CAROLYN cont’d

She looks at him eye to eye –

CAROLYN cont’d

Ed enters, looking half asleep. Goes to the coffee pot –

LORRAINE O.C.

Ed looks to an alcove off the kitchen, spotting Lorraine, who has all the info they got from the Historian spread out on a small desk. She’s holding a hand written journal.

ED

LORRAINE

She looks at him – there’s an intensity in her eyes.

An old, very weathered photograph of the Perron farm house.

Widen - we see that Ed is holding the picture, a pile of others are next to him. He nurses a cup of coffee.

LORRAINE cont’d

52

LORRAINE cont’d

ED

She pauses –

LORRAINE

Ed looks to Lorraine, definitely intrigued.

LORRAINE cont’d

Ed can’t believe it –

LORRAINE cont’d

Lorraine slides an old newspaper clipping mounted on parchment paper over to Ed, who picks it up.

LORRAINE cont’d

– Ed looks at the picture; it’s of a woman hanging from a rafter – EXACTLY THE SAME IMAGE AND LIKENESS OF THE WOMAN LORRAINE SAW HANGING IN THE BARN STARING DOWN AT HER.

ED

She nods, then –

LORRAINE

ED

53

Lorraine then slides over an old black and white photograph of an obese woman sitting in a wicker chair, flanked by a boy (wears glasses) and a girl, who both look about ten.

LORRAINE

ED

LORRAINE

She unfurls an old map next to her. Points to a spot.

LORRAINE cont’d

Her finger slides across the map to another location close by –

LORRAINE cont’d

Again, she indicates –

LORRAINE cont’d

She looks to Ed, more for emphasis than anything else.

LORRAINE cont’d

ED

54

Ariel pov - of the Warren’s Plymouth as it slaloms its way along a country road illuminated by a brilliant sunset.

It turns off onto the Perron’s driveway. Parks by the house.

Ed and Lorraine get out of their car with BRUCE LEVY (30). Clean cut, wears khakis. Gym built muscles gives his shirt a tight fit.

They move around the back of their car.

Ed opens the trunk. Inside are four large bags of groceries, a cardboard box, which now holds Ed’s tape recorder, the Perron’s clock, a bible, a camera case, some note pads, and dozens of film canisters.

Bruce takes a beat, looking around.

BRUCE

Lorraine’s attention is drawn to Jerome’s VW van turning onto the driveway and heading toward the house.

LORRAINE

Jerome drives up right next to them and parks. Climbs out. He’s munching on a large cookie. Smiles to them –

JEROME

He notices Bruce –

LORRAINE

JEROME

As they shake hands.

JEROME cont’d

BRUCE

55

JEROME

ED

A troubled looking Carolyn has the door open as Jerome, Ed and Bruce pile in, each loaded with monitors, VCRs, gauges, and various pieces of camera equipment, etc. Lorraine follows, carrying a box.

Cindy and Andrea are looking down from the landing upstairs.

ED

CAROLYN

ED

BRUCE

The guys nod hellos and move on just as Roger enters from the kitchen.

CAROLYN

Even though Ed sees the doubt in Roger’s eyes –

ED

ROGER

Roger heads out front as Ed continues into the living room with Jerome and Bruce.

Lorraine looks to Carolyn – sincere.

LORRAINE

Sees she’s not.

56

Lorraine is standing against the counter, listening to Carolyn –

CAROLYN

LORRAINE

Off Carolyn’s surprised look –

LORRAINE cont’d

All Carolyn can do is manage a slow, reluctant nod of approval. Silent tears begin to cascade down her cheeks.

Bruce enters, carrying the bags of groceries, interrupting the moment – isn’t quite sure what to do.

Lorraine nods to the kitchen table, which has two baskets of folded laundry sitting on it.

LORRAINE cont’d

He does. Leaves. Carolyn looks over to the groceries –

CAROLYN

LORRAINE

Carolyn manages a slight smile.

LORRAINE cont’d

The door opens. A column of outside light slides in, barely stretching to the Chevy pickup in the back. Roger comes in. As he reaches for a wall switch –

57

Camera’s pov - over his shoulder toward the truck. We’d swear there was the silhouette of a woman sitting inside, seemingly looking at Roger, but the second the light comes on, it illuminates a vacant interior.

Resume -

Roger heads over to the truck.

Ed comes out of the house carrying a tripod and a 35mm camera. Heads for the barn. Bruce exits a few beats behind him, un-spooling cable.

Roger has a jack positioned toward the front of the pickup and is working one end of a tire wrench to crank it up off the floor. There’s a small toolbox next to the jack.

ED O.C.

Roger looks back over his shoulder to see Ed coming in.

ROGER

ED

ROGER

Roger finishes jacking up the truck. He flips the “safety” lever into the lock position on the jack.

ED

ROGER

Bruce enters, continues un-spooling the cable as he approaches Ed.

ED

58

ROGER

Roger starts to unscrew the lugs.

Ed mounts the camera onto the tripod. Takes the other end of the cable from Bruce and plugs into the side of the camera.

ED

BRUCE

He extracts a small hand-held meter from his pocket. Hands it to him.

BRUCE cont’d

As Ed begins to hook it up –

ED

Roger looks over to him as he pulls the tire off. Sets it down.

ROGER

ED

Roger, quietly amused, focuses back on the truck.

Notices oil dripping from the drain pain. Rolls onto his back and scoots underneath to investigate.

BRUCE

ED

As Bruce looks up –

ED cont’d

At that very moment – WHAM! THE PICKUP SUDDENLY DROPS back down to the floor, emanating a harsh, crunching sound.

59

Ed and Bruce snap a look over to see Roger’s legs protruding out toward them from a small 10” gap between the barn floor and side of the truck, created by the now crushed tool box.

They rush over –

ED cont’d

UNDER THE TRUCK - SAME

CU on Roger’s terrorized face pressed slightly against the bottom of the chassis – another millimeter and it’d be a different story.

ROGER

Resume -

Ed and Bruce each take a leg and pull on him. His body slowly emerges. Roger looks to them –

ROGER cont’d

He notices the tool box.

ROGER cont’d

Roger gets to his feet. Picks up the Jack that’s fallen over. Looks at it – the safety lock is now off.

ROGER cont’d

We see by the look on Ed’s face that he thinks there’s more going on here than that.

Carolyn is putting clothes away in Cindy’s drawers from the laundry baskets. Lorraine watches.

CAROLYN

LORRAINE

60

LORRAINE cont’d

Jerome is munching from a bag of potato chips while sorting through a spaghetti pile of cables that run from SEVEN different VCR’s to SEVEN separate MONITORS, each labeled accordingly; basement, upstairs hallway, downstairs hallway, master, living room, barn, and the girl’s bedroom.

Cindy is standing next to Jerome, looks somewhat smitten.

Jerome cuts off a slice of tape with a PAIR OF SCISSORS and secures it around one of the cables, holding several loops in place.

CINDY

JEROME

CINDY

JEROME

CINDY

JEROME

She smiles.

Lorraine and Carolyn descend the stairs, each carrying an empty laundry basket. They stop at the foyer where their attention is drawn to Cindy and Jerome in the living room.

LORRAINE

The edge of Carolyn’s lips curl into a amused smile –

61

CAROLYN

LORRAINE

CAROLYN

LORRAINE

ANDREA O.C.

Mom, can you braid my hair?

Carolyn turns to see Andrea on the stairway behind them, holding a hair brush and a tie-off.

CAROLYN

LORRAINE

Lorraine hands her basket to Carolyn, then sits down on the second to last step. Taps the one below her. Andrea takes a seat on it.

Carolyn heads in to the kitchen. Lorraine takes the brush from Andrea, and begins to stroke the young girl’s lengthy hair.

ANDREA

LORRAINE

ANDREA

LORRAINE

Cindy walks out of the living room. Takes a seat next to Lorraine – watching her brush Andrea’s hair.

CINDY

62

ANDREA

A subtle laugh escapes Lorraine as she gathers the hair in three sections, and begins to braid.

LORRAINE

CINDY

LORRAINE

ANDREA

LORRAINE

Lorraine looks at both the girls, perusing them slightly.

LORRAINE cont’d

The girls smile. The front door swings open. Ed and Bruce enter.

BRUCE

Lorraine sends Ed a smile as they head down the hallway toward another camera and tripod waiting to be set up. He looks a little uneasy with her interacting with the girls. She sends him a confused look – what? He stops as Roger and Bruce continue down the hall. Waits for her to join him.

LORRAINE

Lorraine gets to her feet, goes to Ed.

ED

LORRAINE

ED

LORRAINE

63

ED

LORRAINE

Ed looks like he’s not so sure, but lets it go.

LORRAINE cont’d

ED

Off her look –

Ed enters, carrying an ornate, hand-carved wooden case. He glances to Jerome, who is busy tinkering with a contrast adjustment on a monitor. The other monitors all reveal different parts of the house.

ED

JEROME

Ed smirks. Sets his box on the coffee table. Begins unloading several velvet wrapped crosses, setting them upright.

Ed notices Roger crossing the foyer from the front door –

ED

ROGER

Roger sees the crosses – looks to Ed curiously.

ROGER cont’d

ED

Ed takes one of the crosses and sets it up on the mantle above the fireplace.

64

ED cont’d

He sets another on top of the Grandfather clock.

ROGER

ED

Roger’s amused, then leaves the room.

Ed moves over to the coffee table where he sets another cross, then –

JEROME O.C.

The tone in Jerome’s voice turns Ed immediately.

JEROME

Ed looks to the monitor Jerome has his eyes glued on – and see that although the hallway is empty, the cellar door is opening slowly.

All the Perrons surround Jerome at the monitors, watching Ed, Lorraine and Bruce entering the cellar – you can hear a pin drop. Ed flips on the light.

Bruce follows Ed and Lorraine down the steep set of steps – camera is rolling. They get to the bottom.

Ed takes a moment, looking around the basement – glances to an EFD he’s holding in his hand – the needle is bouncing just between the 1 and the 2.

ED

Ed moves into the basement.

65

ED cont’d

Silence.

ED cont’d

Bruce’s pov - as he moves the camera about the room – not sure what he’s looking for. Settles on Ed –

Ed waits for a response. Stillness continues to fill the room.

ED cont’d

Resume -

Ed glances to his EFD – the needle is bouncing wildly.

They wait. And wait some more.

Carolyn, Roger and Jerome stand at the doorway as Bruce, Lorraine and Ed file out of the basement.

Ed looks to Carolyn, reading her disappointment.

ED

As Ed turns to close the basement door – WHAM! It SLAMS SHUT with a BANG right in his face –

Everyone instantly pivots. Bruce looks the most shocked. Carolyn shoots Roger a look, who’s not sure what to make out of it.

The clock on the counter reads 1:33 AM.

Bruce enters. Sees Jerome take a Tuperware container of vegetables from the refrigerator.

JEROME

66

BRUCE

Bruce moves over to the coffee pot.

JEROME

Bruce sees a salt and pepper shaker next to the coffee pot on the counter.

BRUCE

He hands over the salt shaker –

JEROME

Jerome begins to salt the veggies – heavily.

JEROME cont’d

BRUCE

Jerome seems slightly entertained. Takes a bite of celery.

JEROME

Bruce glances back to him –

JEROME cont’d

BRUCE

JEROME

67

BRUCE

Jerome smirks –

JEROME

BRUCE

JEROME

Bruce can’t hold back his entertained smile –

BRUCE

Jerome takes another bite.

JEROME

Bruce toys with the thought, then –

BRUCE

Lorraine enters – Jerome lights up with a smile.

JEROME

LORRAINE

Lorraine heads over to the refrigerator. Opens it.

JEROME

She grabs a Tab from a shelf, then looks to Bruce for his approval. He appears skeptical, but smiles anyway –

68

BRUCE

Lorraine walks over to him. Sets her soda on the counter.

LORRAINE

She takes them, then closes her eyes. Bruce seems a little uncomfortable.

After a long moment –

LORRAINE cont’d

Lorraine opens her eyes, releases Bruce’s hands.

JEROME

He shrugs.

BRUCE

She looks at him somewhat surprised – really?

LORRAINE

Lorraine is seated next to Carolyn in front of the monitors, who’s watching Andrea and Cindy curled asleep on Cindy’s bed.

CAROLYN

Shards of morning light pierce through the windows, warming up the room with golden light.

Angle - the Grandfather clock kicks past 5:15 to 5:16 am.

Widen - to reveal Ed, Lorraine, Bruce and Jerome, all keeping their eyes on different clocks. Not one of them have stopped.

69

ED

Super - Day Two

Ed and Lorraine drive up and park next to the house. The Perron’s station wagon is gone. They get out. Lorraine heads to the house. Ed heads to the barn.

Lorraine knocks on the front door, but there’s no response. She waits a second longer, then decides to go in anyway. She opens the front door. Even though all the lights are all off, and it’s somewhat dark inside, she sees –

– Carolyn, now wearing her hair down, coming up out of the CELLAR DOOR at the end of the hall, then walk into the kitchen – oblivious to Lorraine’s presence.

Lorraine stands at the open door. Carolyn is at the

LORRAINE

Carolyn slowly turns to her – it seems to take her a second to register it’s Lorraine.

CAROLYN

LORRAINE

CAROLYN

Lorraine finds it odd, but lets it go.

70

Roger drives up to the house, has the girls with him. His headlights drag over the Warren’s parked car.

He pulls to a stop. As he and the kids get out, he notices the barn door is open. Light on. He heads for it as the girls continue to the house.

Roger walks in to find Ed working on the pickup. The front’s been jacked back up. There are two pieces of firewood lodged under the front axle for extra stability. He’s up to his elbows in grease as he packs the bearings.

ED

ROGER

ED

ROGER

Roger walks over to the work bench. Opens a cabinet above it and grabs a can from a shelf. Pops it open as he heads over to Ed and hands it to him.

ED

Roger grabs a nearby wooden crate. Takes a seat on it. Watches Ed work.

ROGER

Ed ponders for a moment – does he want to share this?

ED

Roger takes a beat.

ROGER

71

ED

Roger nods somewhat skeptically.

ED cont’d

As Ed throws more grease on the bearings –

ED cont’d

Ed looks back to Roger –

ED cont’d

Ed finishes packing the bearings. Caps it.

O.C. They hear the crunch of gravel under car tires. Roger looks out the barn to see Jerome and Bruce pulling up in Jerome’s van.

Bruce enters, carrying a coffee mug. Yawns. A CLOCK ON THE COUNTER reads: 3:10 AM. He sets the mug on the counter next to a coffee pot, pours himself another cup.

Goes to the fridge, and takes out a milk carton from the top shelf, closes the door.

72

Sets it next to his coffee cup on the counter, then turns to a shelf above the sink for the sugar. As he’s reaching for it –

A LOUD BANG echoes as the fridge door is SLAMMED SHUT. Bruce spins – looks to it, startled and confused as he’s the only one in the kitchen, then –

– he sees that the milk carton is no longer next to his coffee cup.

A DRIPPING NOISE draws his attention back to the fridge, where milk is now seeping out of it onto the floor.

Bruce slowly moves over to it. Hesitates a beat, then opens the fridge. The milk carton is back on the top shelf, but it’s been SMASHED completely flat, its contents spilling down the interior.

Bruce enters. Looks to Ed, Lorraine, Carolyn and Roger, who are seated on the sofas – his demeanor, as well as the look on his face, drawing their attention – Jerome looks over from the monitors.

BRUCE

Bruce follows Lorraine, Ed and Jerome into the kitchen. Looks to the fridge – no milk is dripping. In fact, there’s not even any milk on the floor.

Bruce whips a glance to the counter, and there sitting next to Bruce’s coffee mug, is the carton of milk, right where he set it the first time.

BRUCE

JEROME

BRUCE

As Lorraine follows Ed and Jerome out of the kitchen, Bruce lays a gentle hand on her shoulder, stopping her.

73

BRUCE cont’d

She turns.

LORRAINE

The others continue out. Bruce takes a beat, then –

BRUCE

CU on the EFD METER on the camera tripod in the hallway. The needle begins to bounce past 1.7 Megahertz – then SLAMS to the outer edge of the range to 10.

The camera begins to FLASH repeatedly, the CLICK CLICK CLICK sound of the motor drive blending with the popping of the FLASH.

The SUDDEN FLASHES from the hallway pulls Lorraine and Bruce’s attention back out the kitchen door –

Lorraine quickly moves out into the hallway to see –

– Another FLASH popping from the camera set up in the hall. Ed and Jerome, who have stopped at the bottom of the stairs, have their eyes glued on it as well.

– A second later, the CAMERA positioned at the top of the stairs starts flashing.

ED

Ed moves quickly into the –

74

– where he joins Carolyn and Roger, who have their eyes glued the MONITOR as the camera keeps strobing through the dark hallway. Lorraine, Bruce and Jerome come up right behind him –

CAROLYN

They look to the monitor showing Cindy’s room. As she and Andrea sleep peacefully, THEIR BREATHS are FREEZING ON EXHALE.

JEROME

The CAMERA IN THE CLOSET starts FLASHING, strobing the room with bursting with white light. The girls start to stir.

Intercut -

It’s really hard for Roger to stay still –

Cindy’s eyes pop open – she sits up. Freaks as the intermittent light gives her staccato glances of something staring in at her through the window –

– it’s the beast she saw before as a shadow. She SCREAMS!

Andrea bolts upright in fear, then –

THE LOUD, ECHOING SOUND OF A SLIDE-BOLT CLOSING OVER AND OVER, joins the mayhem – it’s coming from the closet.

Roger can’t stand it – takes off out of the room –

The SLIDE BOLT NOISE suddenly stops – along with the FLASHES, casting the room back into darkness.

The girls dash out the bedroom door into the hallway just as Roger gets there, both folding into his arms.

The CAMERA at the end of the hallway STROBES A FLASH – the girls scream again, fearful of what they can’t see.

Ed is heading up as the camera at the top, pops off another FLASH. A second later –

– the CAMERA in the downstairs hallway FLASHES, drawing Ed’s attention back down the stairs.

75

He waits for more flashes, but nothing happens. Lorraine steps out of the living room and looks up to him –

ED

Roger is holding Andrea in his arms, sitting on the edge of the bed, while Carolyn is latched onto Cindy, cuddled on the other side. He looks to her –

ROGER

Her eyes meet his. He tries to say something, but can’t find the words –

CAROLYN

Bruce is filming Jerome, who is holding an EFD out front of him as he slowly moves about the closet. He pushes clothing aside to get closer to the wall behind. Ed is at the entrance, unloading film from the camera on the tripod. Lorraine watches.

Jerome pulls the EFD away from the wall –

JEROME

Roger joins the group.

LORRAINE

ROGER

Ed looks to Roger.

They said that bolting noise definitely came from in here?

ROGER

ED

Ed knuckle taps the panel –

76

ROGER

ED

ROGER

Tight on a section of wood paneling being pried back off the wall with a hammer.

Widen – to see Ed sliding the hammer up and down along a panel’s seam to loosen it. He finally pulls it back off the wall –

Lorraine is the first to see –

– A SMALL 2’ x 2’ TRAP DOOR framed within another wall that latches from the outside via a SLIDE BOLT –

– A WOMAN’S VERY OBESE HAND, fingers like sausages, aggressively SLAMS it CLOSED, then SLIDES A LATCH across to lock it.

Resume -

Lorraine and the others are looking at the trap door.

Ed kneels down. Undoes the latch. Slowly opens the door. It’s too dark to see anything beyond.

ED

ROGER

Roger disappears for a moment. Lorraine puts her hand on Ed’s shoulder –

LORRAINE

Lorraine gets on her hands and knees as Roger comes back with a small flashlight. Hands it to her. She thumbs the switch. Shines it into the open door –

– the light stretches into what looks like a narrow crawl space framed in wood.

Lorraine slips half her body inside, keeping the light shining ahead.

77

Lorraine can barely make it out, but sees that the crawl space seems to open up.

LORRAINE

Her flashlight suddenly dies – casting her into total darkness. She palms it a couple of times – gets the beam to shine again.

As she points the light down the crawl-space ahead –

– A YOUNG BOY AND GIRL, full of angst and panic, scramble toward Lorraine, PASSING RIGHT THROUGH her body - - it’s the two she saw in the photograph earlier.

Resume -

Lorraine is slightly startled, but continues into the room ahead.

Lorraine slowly stands, her flashlight quartering the darkness. Cobwebs everywhere reflect off the light. It falls upon a makeshift bed with an old, dust covered blanket, which has SLINKY TOY sitting on it. Lorraine picks it up – sees a wooden box next to the bed with other toys in it.

She lets her light wander, discovering that every wall is completely covered with THE SAME PHRASE scrawled in crayon, over and over. She moves closer. Sees what it says; I’M SORRY MOMMY. I’M SORRY MOMMY. I’M SORRY MOMMY. I’M SORRY MOMMY...

Lorraine stops – senses something. She slowly moves the light off the wall and angles it to her forearm – IT’S COVERED IN GOOSEBUMPS. And for a second, her heart skips a beat – there’s something else she sees –

– the light cascading past her forearm down to the floor illuminates BATHSHEBA’S DIRTY, CRUSTED BARE FEET, straddling her own – from behind. Before Lorraine can turn around –

– she is aggressively shoved into the wall. The movement jars the flashlight and slinky from her grasp and drops to the floor.

Ed reacts the noise and immediately heads into the crawl space.

room.

78

ED

Lorraine is reaching for the flashlight on the floor just as Ed crawls in.

LORRAINE

She looks hard to him – definitely impacted.

LORRAINE cont’d

As Ed and Lorraine come out, Ed looks to Jerome, direct –

ED

Ed and Jerome’s movements are fast and precise as they are busy converting the bathroom into a small darkroom; a photo enlarger is on the counter with three solution trays lined up next to it. A small rope has been strung up along a shower rod. As Jerome pours developer into one of the trays, Ed finishes screwing in a light bulb and flips the wall switch, washing the room deep in crimson.

Lorraine is sitting before the monitors, her eyes on the one revealing the master bedroom, where Roger is cuddling Andrea on the bed, who is sound asleep. Carolyn is next to him, doing the same with Cindy, who is also asleep.

Chirping crickets and croaking frogs drift in through an open window next to her.

79

– A loud THUD pulls her attention outside to where she sees something flopping on the ground by the barn, dust rising – as if there were some sort of struggle.

Bruce walks into the room carrying a cup of steaming coffee.

LORRAINE

Lorraine heads out of the room.

Lorraine moves toward the flopping movement, which seems to be slowing with each step she takes. As she gets to it, the flopping stops. Sees it’s an enormous barn owl – neck broken, eyes wide open. Dead. A compassionate look sweeps over Lorraine’s face, until she hears –

– A DISTANT BLEND OF VOICES; pained, fearful, full of anxiety. She follows them to the back of the barn, where through a thick wall of trees and shrubs, she can barely make out an old, beaten pathway that threads through. She heads in.

The VOICES begin to grow in volume as Lorraine walks deeper into the growth, fighting her way through overgrown branches, following what’s left of the pathway.

She comes out into a small clearing to see where the voices are coming from.

Before her, surrounded by a crumbling stone wall and completely overgrown with weeds, is an OLD CEMETERY with maybe forty tombstones within; some broken, some toppled, some incredibly worn. The voices seem to be coming from somewhere on the other side.

She moves into it. A wind begins to tumble pieces of foliage across the ground, then one tombstone catches her attention – the name reads: Bathsheba Sherman. She moves up to it as the voices get louder and louder – it’s almost deafening, then –

– THE VOICES INSTANTLY STOP, and things fall into an awful silence. It becomes unnerving as Lorraine senses something, a presence – very close.

She scans the surrounding trees, but everything beyond is swallowed in the shadows of the night – she keeps staring, knowing something is just beyond. After a moment –

80

Lorraine turns around to Bathsheba Sherman’s grave. Sees something protruding slightly from the ground before it – it’s a child’s hand, half covered with dirt and leaves; the skin is white, nails chipped – full of grime. More leaves blow away, revealing more of a body barely buried.

Lorraine inches closer – it’s a young girl – matted hair clings to the porcelain white skin on the side of her face. The head is turned sideways. As Lorraine moves around to get a better view –

She looks to the little girl’s face – blanches, it’s her daughter, Judy.

Then, the exposed white skin begins to grey, and continues to darken and becomes ash-like – the breeze blowing every part of her away.

Panic invades Lorraine’s body as a slow realization overwhelms her. She takes off running back the way she came.

Trees branches claw at Lorraine’s clothes as she retraces her steps on a wild scramble to get back. She can see the barn up head. She blows out the overgrowth and continues her sprint past the barn and to the house –

– barely slows to whip open the front door.

As Lorraine dashes into the house and heads to the kitchen, Bruce looks at her from the living room, confused by her frenzy of motion.

Lorraine comes running into the kitchen. She’s out of breath. Immediately goes to the phone on the wall. Quickly dials. Ed walks in, curious to what’s going on. He’s about to say something when she raises her hand to give her a second.

LORRAINE

Lorraine looks to Ed – tears in her eyes. Keeps the phone to her ear –

81

ED

LORRAINE

ED

LORRAINE

A VOICE comes back on the phone –

Lorraine breathes a sigh of relief.

LORRAINE cont’d

Lorraine slowly hangs up.

ED

Lorraine looks to him, troubled. Tears cascading –

LORRAINE

ED

LORRAINE

He takes her by the shoulders –

ED

LORRAINE

ED

He pulls her into an embrace – gentle, sympathetic. Whispers –

82

ED cont’d

Lorraine takes a beat – the realization setting in. She gives the slightest of nods, knowing he’s right.

Roger pokes his head into the kitchen – Andrea, who’s half asleep, is in his arms.

ROGER

Ed looks to Lorraine, then addresses Roger –

ED

ROGER

CU on a pair of tongs holding onto a sheet of photo paper as it’s dipped in a tray of developer. As a photo begins to emerge of the stairway –

Widen – to see Ed holding the tongs. Jerome’s busy taking an already developed photo out of the wash tray, and clipping it onto a small rope tied to the shower rod. Both are focused.

Something in Ed’s picture draws his attention in for a closer look –

– A FIGURE begins to materialize on the staircase.

Ed hurries in. Sees that Andrea is asleep, curled up on the sofa next to Roger, who is stroking her hair. Lorraine is seated close by. Bruce has crashed in the chair by the monitors. Lorraine and Roger look to Ed –

ED

83

Ed, Lorraine, Carolyn and Roger are standing at the table, looking at a photograph – Jerome stands aside, holding two more photos in his hand.

LORRAINE

Angle on the photo - although grainy and transparent, it’s definitely the same boy with glasses Lorraine saw, but he’s at the top of the stairs, heading down.

JEROME

He drops a second picture. Although it’s the same angle, the boy is now five steps further down the stairs. He’s got a terrified look on his face as he’s looking back up over his shoulder at something at the top of the stairs.

ROGER

JEROME

Jerome drops the third photo from his hand onto the table before them. The image of the boy is gone, but at the top of the stairs is the dark presence of Bathsheba Sherman – although grainy and transparent as well, her image is a lot more defined, and what stands out more than anything are –

– her pupil-less, snow white eyes.

LORRAINE

Roger and Carolyn’s eyes are wide, transfixed.

ROGER

LORRAINE

CU on the mantle where the cross Ed set up, topples with a soft “clink”.

84

Widen – A SECOND CROSS set on top of the Grandfather clock, falls onto a rug below with a muffled thud.

A THIRD CROSS on the coffee table joins suit. The noise stirs Bruce, then –

ANDREA O.C.

(soft, sleepy)

Cindy, stop it.

His eyes shift to over to her. Although she’s semi-asleep, she thinks someone’s messing with the back of her hair.

Bruce watches in total shock as the back of Andrea’s hair seems to rise up on its own.

He slowly grabs his camera to document it.

Camera’s pov - as a groggy Andrea reaches behind and irritatingly swats at something that’s not there. Her long hair continues to rise –

ANDREA

This time, she opens her eyes and sees that no one’s doing it, but –

– Her hair SNAPS TAUT and she’s aggressively yanked off the chair and onto the floor. She screams as she begins to get wildly snaked all over the floor –

Although Bruce drops the camera to its side – it keeps rolling, giving us a side view of Bruce moving over to Andrea and grabbing onto her.

Resume -

Whatever has hold of Andrea’s hair, is strong enough to keep moving them both as Bruce tries to protect her, enveloping the young girl with his large body, tumbling this way, then that way, when –

– the two of them are slammed into the coffee table where Bruce takes most of the impact – pieces of wood go flying.

Ed and Lorraine come running in – Ed joins the fight, struggling to hold Bruce/Andrea in one place – it isn’t working.

The fight continues – Andrea is wild-eyed, screaming hysterically – her hair stretched to its limit.

Roger comes racing in, then Carolyn, who seems less disturbed –

ROGER

85

Bruce and Andrea hit the corner of the sofa, which pushes it four feet across the wood floor – then they’re immediately dragged once again –

Roger attempts to latch on to them – the strain on Andrea’s hair looks like it’s going to be pulled out of her scalp, until –

WHOOSH! A PAIR OF SCISSORS slices right through it, releasing all tension.

The struggle instantly stops. Standing over Bruce and Andrea is Lorraine, Jerome’s scissors in hand.

Roger immediately pulls Andrea into his arms.

Ed looks to a very distraught Bruce, whose face is bloody from a wound on his forehead.

ED

BRUCE

Ed sees the light on the camera –

ED

Bruce nods.

Ed and Roger approach the back of the Perron’s station wagon, each carrying two small suitcases. The first rays of morning light pierce the horizon.

ED

Roger opens the back of the car –

ROGER

ED

We see the gratitude runs deep for Roger as he places the suitcases inside.

86

ROGER

ED

Roger looks to him –

ED cont’d

Lorraine comes out of the living room. Bruce and Jerome are in the background, breaking down the equipment.

She approaches Andrea, who is sitting in Cindy’s lap on the bottom step – the trauma still apparent on her face. It’s hard for Lorraine to see this little girl like this.

LORRAINE

Andrea stands and gives Lorraine an unexpected embrace. It lingers. Lorraine is first to unlock from the hug, but Andrea still clings for a few seconds longer, then lets her go. Looks to Cindy –

LORRAINE cont’d

CINDY

Lorraine’s walks to the kitchen doorway – peers in. It’s empty. She notices that the back door is open.

Lorraine heads outside. She catches a glimpse of Carolyn heading into the woods behind the barn.

87

Lorraine makes her way through the woods, literally retracing her steps from before. As she approaches the clearing, she can see –

– Carolyn sitting on the wall of the cemetery with her back to her. Light pierces down through the thick canopy above.

LORRAINE

Carolyn doesn’t turn around. Lorraine slowly approaches.

LORRAINE cont’d

As Lorraine nears, it’s hard to tell if it’s the afternoon light and shadows are playing tricks with her eyes, but it looks like, from the side view, there’s something off about Carolyn’s face – it almost looks like another woman’s –

Carolyn slowly swivels her head to Lorraine – which seems normal now, but there’s a distance in her eyes.

CAROLYN

LORRAINE

Lorraine notices that Carolyn is holding the SLINKY she saw in the hidden room.

Ed and Lorraine drive along a country road.

LORRAINE

High camera angle - drops down onto the Warren’s Plymouth as they drive across Bunker Hill Bridge and into downtown Boston.

88

Camera keeps dropping down. We’re close enough to see the Plymouth pull curbside to:

Ed parks in front of a very large, impressive stone structure with peaked roofs and stained glass. As Ed and Lorraine get out of the car, THEY HEAR the soft, angelic singing voice of a young boy emanating from the open front doors of the church.

They head up the stone steps to the open doors. The singing continues.

Ed and Lorraine enter. They are dwarfed by its massive size. The center aisle splits through numerous rows of pews. Up front, a choir director stands off to the side during a rehearsal, as a young boy sings his heart out. An all boys choir stand silent behind them.

Ed dips his fingertips into a bowl sculpted from marble, full of Holy water. Says a silent prayer, then crosses himself. Lorraine follows suit.

The two of them are approached by Father Jordon. Greets them with a warm smile.

FATHER JORDON

Camera’s skewed pov of - THE LAST FEW SECONDS WITH BRUCE AND ANDREA thrashing about the floor, just as she gets her hair cut by Roger.

Wide to see, we’re –

Ed and Lorraine are sitting down with Father Jordon. Thick curtains are pulled across a paned window. Father Jordon turns off a projector next to him that’s been throwing the sequence onto a screen set up against a wall. We see Ed’s tape recorder on the table as well.

Ed and Lorraine look to Father Jordon for his response. He seems a little stunned.

FATHER JORDON

89

Ed and Lorraine exit their car. Judy comes out the front door and Lorraine runs to her, swooping her up in her arms. Ed’s mom is in the background.

SUPERIMPOSE: SIX DAYS LATER

Lunch crowd. Don McLean’s “American Pie” plays in the b.g. as Cindy and Andrea are sitting on bar stools at a linoleum counter, picking through lunch.

Out of ear shot, and seated at a booth opposite the counter, is Roger. He’s with Ed and Lorraine, and looks stressed out.

ROGER

ED

ROGER

Off their look –

A set of knitting needles are placed on a counter.

Widen - we see it’s a very unkept Carolyn who has placed them there to purchase. Shannon’s niece, Maddy, is at the cash register, a little uneasy.

MADDY

90

Carolyn shakes her head no.

A massively impressive structure of stone, stained glass and towering cathedrals.

Ed is in a phone booth on the corner, the phone pressed to his ear –

ED

LORRAINE V.O.

ED

Lorraine’s sitting at the desk.

LORRAINE

ED V.O.

LORRAINE

ED V.O.

The phone rings. Lorraine enters the kitchen and answers it.

LORRAINE

91

O.C. The doorbell rings.

LORRAINE cont’d

Judy comes down the stairs.

JUDY

She continues to the front door. Opens it to see a UPS DELIVERY MAN standing before in a crisp brown uniform. Holds an over-sized manila envelope.

JUDY cont’d

UPS

JUDY

UPS

He hands her a large manila envelope.

UPS cont’d

JUDY

He leaves.

Judy walks in – Lorraine’s still on the phone.

LORRAINE

Lorraine looks to her – sees the envelope and reads the return address: it’s from Shannon in Harrisville. She motions for Judy to put it on the desk, which she does.

Judy grabs a small basket off the kitchen counter. Looks to her mom –

92

JUDY

Lorraine covers the mouthpiece.

JUDY cont’d

Judy heads out the back door.

Judy makes her way to the chicken coop. Calls out –

JUDY

AT THE COOP

Judy opens the coop door. Steps in. She’s surprised to see that there aren’t any chickens outside the hen house, but –

Something in the dirt at her feet catches her attention. She takes a closer look –

– It’s the SLINKY from the Perron house, half in and out of the dirt. She picks it up. Examines, then puts it in her basket as she heads to the henhouse door.

JUDY

More silence. Judy unlatches the door. Swings it open. She steps in.

As Judy’s eyes slowly adjust to the minimal light, unbeknownst to her, the HENHOUSE DOOR slowly closes behind her.

Lorraine watches Judy out through the window.

LORRAINE

93

Just as she hangs up – an ear curdling SCREAM from Judy ERUPTS FROM THE HENHOUSE.

Lorraine’s body goes tight, then she kicks it into high and races out of the kitchen to the backyard.

Lorraine is moving fast as her legs will carry her to the chicken coop.

LORRAINE

No answer – and it’s killing her.

AT THE CHICKEN COUPE

LORRAINE cont’d

Lorraine barely slows down to open the outer door and move inside the coop.

LORRAINE cont’d

She sprints to the henhouse door and tries to open it, but it won’t budge – she gives it everything she’s got, pulling as hard as she can, then – it finally whips open. Lorraine races in –

– Sees Judy on her knees, facing the opposite direction. She turns to her mom, tears rolling down her cheeks. Has one of the chickens in her lap – it’s not moving.

JUDY

Lorraine looks past her daughter – dead chickens are everywhere – all their necks broken at obscured angles.

Lorraine sees the slinky in the basket next to her daughter. Dread begins to set in for Lorraine.

LORRAINE

Through her tears, Judy follows her mom’s sight to the basket.

JUDY

94

Lorraine walks Judy in. Dumps the slinky in the trash can.

Lorraine and Judy, who’s now wearing pajamas, sit on the edge of a four posted, chiffon-canopied bed as Lorraine finishes braiding Judy’s hair. She has calmed down significantly.

JUDY

LORRAINE

A shaft of moonlight piercing through a window, stretches across Lorraine’s face in bed. Lorraine’s EYES SUDDENLY POP OPEN, startled. She looks to Judy, who’s talking in her sleep, saying:

JUDY

The words chill her to the bone. She gives Judy a slight nudge –

LORRAINE

Judy doesn’t awaken, continues –

JUDY

LORRAINE

She shakes her harder. Judy’s words fade as she rolls over, sound asleep.

Lorraine slowly sits up, digesting the current event. She gasps –

– someone is standing in the far corner of the room.

– it looks like Bathsheba Sherman staring right at her, but –

– it’s not a ghostly image – IT LOOKS REAL.

95

Keeping her eyes on the corner, Lorraine reaches her hand over to turn on the lamp. Flips the switch – illuminating the corner, where –

– there is no woman. Only a narrow corner cabinet. Lorraine lets out a sigh –

LORRAINE cont’d

Lorraine, now wearing pajamas, finishes washing her face, then exits, turning the light off.

She walks over to the bed where Judy is sound asleep. Crawls under the covers. As she reaches to turn off the light – her blood pressure races north – the SLINKY she threw away is right there.

The four posts on her bed begin CREAKING – she slowly looks up –

– stretched out upon the canopy, is Bathsheba Sherman – the contours of her eyes, face and body clearly outlined as she descends closer and closer – the force of which causing each of the bed posts to strain, bending inward like they’re made of rubber.

Lorraine remains paralyzed, unable to move... chilled by the ominous reality of this unholy spirit.

Lorraine digs deep and finds some inner strength to get herself moving – scoops Judy up. Dashes out through the bedroom doorway just as the door whips closed right behind her.

Ed comes out with a thermos. Gets into the car.

As he sets the thermos down on the passenger seat, his heart skips a beat –

– The PICTURE OF JUDY dangling from the mirror has changed.

96

The CROSS is now broken and hanging upside down, and Judy’s eyes are white, void of pupils, identical to Bathsheba Sherman’s in the earlier photograph.

Ed is using a phone at the front counter –

Camera slowly moves through the house. Everything is still. The only thing we hear is the PHONE RINGING and RINGING – no one answers.

Ed’s hauling ass as he slides a turn and pulls up in the driveway of his house. Skids to a stop. Jams out.

The door swings open. Ed swiftly enters.

ED

No answer.

ED cont’d

He sprints up a set of stairs before him.

ON THE STAIRS/HALLWAY

Ed, takes two at a time, speeds to the top, then makes a hard right, heading for the Master bedroom. The door is closed.

Ed gets to the door. Opens it. He looks to the bed. Empty. His panicked gaze shifts about the darkness – Lorraine’s not in there.

Ed continues down the hallway to Judy’s room. Door’s closed too. He slowly opens it – afraid of what he’s going to find.

97

He looks to the bed. Empty as well. His panicked gaze shifts about the darkness, then there, tucked in a shadow is the silhouetted body of Lorraine. She’s sitting on the floor with Judy in her lap.

Ed dashes to them – Lorraine’s got a bible open before her, and a Rosary tucked into her hand.

She and Ed’s eyes meet –

ED

She doesn’t say anything, almost as if she can’t, then –

LORRAINE

Ed moves into the kitchen – full of anger. Lorraine’s behind him.

ED

Ed goes to an address book by the phone on the counter – quickly thumbs through it.

ED cont’d

LORRAINE

ED

Ed finds it incredulous. Sees the number he’s looking for and dials. Lorraine is near tears.

A single light illuminates Bruce. Has the phone to his ear. Rain pelts against the windows. His pregnant wife, same age, appears in the doorway, concerned.

BRUCE

ED V.O.

98

BRUCE

ED V.O.

BRUCE

Bruce slowly hangs up. Looks to his wife –

BRUCE cont’d

Jerome is behind the wheel listening to an Eagles eight track kick out “TAKE IT EASY”. Early morning light is just peeking over the horizon.

As the van crests a knoll –

– HE HAS TO LOCK UP HIS BRAKES! Blocking the road before him is a horrible accident between a Ford Pinto and a Chevrolet station wagon. Skid marks scar the pavement. Smoke and steam rise from both.

Jerome holds the wheel tight, fighting for control as his van fishtails and SLIDES onto the dirt shoulder. He clips the front of the Pinto, spinning the van into a three-sixty before it comes to an abrupt stop.

He looks back at the wreckage. See that two teenagers are emerging out of the Pinto, but the station wagon’s solo occupant, a man in his fifties, is slumped forward, not moving, and flames have engulfed the engine compartment.

Jerome exits the van and races to the station wagon – passing the teenagers, who are bloody and confused.

JEROME

He gets to the station wagon – the driver’s window is down. His head leaning against the steering wheel. Still wears his seat belt. Morning news flows from the radio.

Jerome reaches in, feels for a pulse – finds one.

Looks to the engine. Flames are growing. Grabs for the driver’s door handle, but it’s all smashed in.

99

Reaches through the window to open it from the inside and pulls on the lever – doesn’t work either.

He quickly moves around to get to the other door – the heat growing intense as he rounds the front and gets to the other side.

As he pulls the door open –

The radio continues in the background –

RADIO DJ

SKIDDING TIRES drown out the DJ. Jerome looks to see that an EIGHTEEN WHEELER has come over the knoll and is a WALL OF METAL sliding right at him sideways – brakes locked up. Jerome doesn’t even have time to react as –

– WHAMMMM! The tail end of the rig picks him clean away from the station wagon – like he was targeted.

Ed’s on the phone as he stands at the counter. Looks frustrated.

ED

MAN’S VOICE V.O.

ED

MAN’S VOICE V.O.

ED

Just as Ed hangs up the phone, IT RINGS. He finds it odd, but answers.

ED cont’d

As he listens, his face pales, his head lowers into one hand; grieving.

100

ED cont’d

Lorraine enters, looks to Ed, immediately sensing more trouble –

Ed continues to listen for a few beats, then –

ED cont’d

He numbly hangs up.

LORRAINE

He slowly rolls his head toward her –

ED

Lorraine couldn’t have heard that right.

LORRAINE

ED

Lorraine’s eyes well –

Ed gets enraged. Slams his fist hard onto the counter.

ED cont’d

A wave of determination sweeps over him.

ED cont’d

She moves over to him as he’s grabbing his keys.

LORRAINE

ED

The lack of faith in his voice stings her hard. He walks out of the kitchen.

Ed’s sitting in the driver’s seat. Just as he starts the car, the back passenger door opens.

101

He looks to see Lorraine, who has the manila envelope from Harrisville tucked under her arm, helping Judy in –

ED

LORRAINE

ED

LORRAINE

The look on Lorraine’s face leaves no doubt for Ed that she’s back on track. He nods.

She closes the back door, then climbs into the front.

Ed is driving as Lorraine reads the pages sent from Shannon – they pass a sign that reads: Boston 245 miles.

LORRAINE

Of the boy Cindy saw on the stairs – his last breath of life escapes his mouth in an air bubble as his mother holds him under a foot of water near the shore of a pond. The body goes limp, his eyes locked wide open, staring at his mother, standing above the surface of the water – expressionless.

LORRAINE V.O.

THE MOTHER

102

stepping right in front of a fast moving train – it’s brutal as we catch glimpses of her body tumbling under the train.

Resume -

LORRAINE

Lorraine looks to Ed with a sudden realization –

LORRAINE cont’d

Ed and Lorraine walk right into Father Jordon’s office, who’s in the middle of speaking with the ARCHBISHOP, FATHER O’MALLEY; distinguished looking - late sixties. Both are caught off guard by the intrusion.

ED

FATHER JORDON

ED

FATHER O’MALLEY

ED

Father O’Malley takes a beat – what he’s about to say doesn’t look easy.

FATHER O’MALLEY

Ed looks like he’s been sucker punched.

FATHER JORDON

LORRAINE

103

FATHER O’MALLEY

ED

FATHER O’MALLEY

Ed is dumbfounded.

ED

A bitter Ed and Lorraine walk out of the church with Father Jordon.

ED

FATHER JORDON

ED

Father Jordon reaches out to Ed and Lorrain – stops them. As their eyes meet – there’s an intensity to his gaze.

FATHER JORDON

Ed looks at him like he’s out of his mind.

ED

FATHER JORDON

ED

104

FATHER JORDON

Ed looks to Lorraine, both their minds a whirl of limited options.

Cindy and Andrea approach their hotel room. Just as Cindy reaches for the doorknob, the door swings open, revealing Carolyn standing right before them. Her dirty hair is pulled back and is wearing a long grey dress – she’s even more gaunt and unkempt than the last time we saw her.

She steps out, closing the door behind her.

CAROLYN

CINDY

CAROLYN

ANDREA

CAROLYN

Camera pans across the room and finds Roger on the floor next to a broken lamp. He’s not moving and the back of his head is bloody from a blow to the head.

Carolyn’s driving. The girls are in the back. They ride in silence for a few moments, then –

105

CINDY

Carolyn doesn’t answer. The girls look to each other, more confused. Their worry continues to escalate.

Carolyn shifts her eyes to the rear view mirror and for a brief moment, THE EYES WE SEE are not hers anymore; these are dark, menacing, soulless.

S.O. OF A PHONE RINGING. AND RINGING.

Ed holds a phone to his ear. Lorrain is in the Plymouth, parked outside the booth.

CU on the phone as it continues to ring. Rings again. And again. A hand then reaches into frame and fumbles for the receiver. Grabs it.

Widen – it’s Roger, who’s fighting some pain as he holds the back of his head.

ED V.O.

Roger finally answers –

ROGER

ED V.O.

Carolyn turns down the driveway and heads toward their house that sits dark in the distance.

CINDY

No answer from Carolyn, who continues to the front of the house and parks.

She grabs a bag holding the KNITTING NEEDLES as she gets out.

106

Cindy and Andrea look at each other – they can’t figure out what’s going on as they watch their mom continue to the front door and disappear inside the house, leaving the entrance completely open.

Cindy and Andrea walk up to the front door with caution in their steps. A chill chews on their spines –

– the cellar door at the end of the hallway is wide open – the deep scratches an eerie reminder of why they’ve kept it closed. The chair and wedge have been pushed aside.

CINDY

Still no response.

Cindy takes Andrea by the hand, and reluctantly heads inside the house. They go down the hallway toward the cellar – slow step after slow step.

CINDY cont’d

When they get to the door, they peer in to see, a vacant staircase.

CINDY cont’d

A slight shuffling noise is the only response.

CINDY cont’d

The noise stops. Cindy’s instincts are screaming at her to leave, but this is her mom.

CINDY cont’d

Cindy tries the light switch – doesn’t work.

ANDREA

Cindy ignores her.

She heads down. Stops halfway –

107

CINDY

WHOOSH! A HAND suddenly shoots out from between the stairs, grabbing onto her ankle, tripping her –

– Cindy grabs onto the handrail to keep herself from falling. She looks to the gap between the stairs to see her mom staring out at her with those wild, soulless eyes – hand still latched onto her foot.

Cindy heel drives her free foot against her mother’s wrist, freeing the grasp she has on her and scrambles back up the stairs.

Cindy WHIPS THE DOOR CLOSED! The second she slams the chair back into place – A LOUD, VIOLENT BANGING ON THE DOOR reverberates right before her.

The girls recoil from the impact, visibly trembling – how did their mom get there so fast. Either way, they’re getting the hell out of there.

Two steps into their departure –

– THE CELLAR DOOR flies off hinges – the chair goes flying. Standing in the doorway, half in and out of the darkness, is Carolyn; her breath is elevated, almost hissing on each exhale as she grips the knitting needles tight in one hand.

Both the girls spin on their heels. Race for the front door, which SLAMS SHUT right before them. The girls scream. Cindy struggles with the door, but it won’t budge.

ANDREA

CINDY

Movement through a side window catches her attention –

– it’s Roger racing up the driveway in the pickup.

CINDY cont’d

Cindy throws a panicked look over her shoulder to see her mom approaching. She grabs her little sister by the hand and races up the stairs.

Roger slides the truck to a skidding stop. Jumps out.

108

CINDY O.C.

Roger runs to the front door. It’s locked. Front kicks the crap out of it until it busts from its frame. Rushes in.

CU ON POLICE CRUISER LIGHTS FLASHING

Widen. We see Ed and Lorraine’s car traveling right behind Bruce Levy, who is driving a POLICE CRUISER, escorting them at high speed as they slide a turn onto the Perron’s driveway.

Ed and Lorraine see Roger’s truck with its door open – engine still running. Its headlights are on, lighting the house like center stage.

The cars skid to a stop. Just as they all get out -

– A GUNSHOT ECHOES OUT IN THE NIGHT as a muzzle flash pops from a bedroom window upstairs.

Lorraine turns and gives Ed a disturbed look. Bruce is with them as they all head into the house. He draws his gun.

CINDY O.C.

Ed, Bruce and Lorraine kick it into high, racing up the stairs.

As they come off the top of the stairs –

CINDY O.C.

Ed races down the hallway to the master bedroom. Door’s closed. Lorraine and Bruce are right behind.

109

Ed yanks the door open to see –

– Roger has a rifle pointed point blank at Carolyn’s head, who has her arms wrapped around Andrea in a death grip, holding her next to the bed – the knitting needles having fallen to her feet.

There’s scattered plaster on the floor from a fresh bullet hole in the ceiling above.

Cindy is a short distance away, petrified.

ROGER

ED

He snaps –

ROGER

ED

Andrea struggles... barely able to breath. Ed moves closer to Roger, who’s barely holding it together.

ANDREA

CINDY

ROGER

ED

Bruce moves into the room, closes in on Roger –

BRUCE

ROGER

Roger looks like he could lose it any second –

LORRAINE

We see Roger struggling with a decision – stares at Carolyn’s maniacal face before him.

110

She seems to be enjoying every second of this, tormenting him by pulling Andrea in tighter –

LORRAINE cont’d

Carolyn immediately puts more pressure on Andrea – who is now beginning to turn slightly blue. He raises it up again.

ED

Roger yields.

ROGER

As he lowers the gun to give to Bruce –

WHAM! He’s kicked by Carolyn with such brute force, he flies backwards across the room into the wall. Glass flies, gun goes sliding across the floor. Cindy’s losing it fast. Ed and Bruce move in to grab hold of Carolyn.

Ed gets a backhand to the face. Draws blood. Bruce leaps onto Carolyn, bringing she and Andrea to the floor, but her grip remains strong on Andrea, continuing to squeeze the life out of her, now more than ever.

LORRAINE

Loraine and Roger latch onto the arms, her strength over- whelming – Ed gets to his feet, extracting the vial of Holy water. Dips his forefinger into it. Crosses himself.

ED

Carolyn instantly arches her back, folding her body into an upside down “U”. Ed gets close, reaching out, placing his finger on Carolyn’s forehead, making the sign of the cross –

ED cont’d

Behind it all, we hear Lorraine saying the Lord’s prayer.

The pictures fly off the dresser at sonic speed and disintegrate into the opposing wall. Glass shatters.

111

ED cont’d

Cindy stands still – paralyzed with fear.

ED cont’d

Ed makes the sign of the cross over his chest, then flicks Holy Water on Carolyn. A GUTTURAL SCREAM escapes Carolyn’s mouth, which looks like a spider web of saliva - - and for a nano-second, her skin becomes transparent, veiny, pulsating,

She begins to writhe and rotate on the wood floor, taking anyone holding on with her – her body is unnaturally stiff.

A SOURCELESS WIND erupts within the room – spinning everything around – clothing and hair whip uncontrollably.

ED cont’d

Lorraine sees Carolyn’s eyes keep fading back and forth – from pitch black pupils, to blue – as if there were an internal struggle going on –

LORRAINE

The dresser slides across the floor, ripping DEEP SCRATCHES in the wood. It just misses Lorraine by a fraction as it plows right by her, bounces off the bed frame and embeds into the drywall.

Lorraine looks to Cindy –

LORRAINE cont’d

ED

LORRAINE

Ed pauses for a second, his mind racing through limited options. Agrees with Lorraine. Nods.

112

LORRAINE cont’d

Cindy quickly obeys, holding down her mom’s feet as Carolyn arches unnaturally; a contortion that would seemingly break anyone’s back –

– Carolyn then collapses back down to the floor with a loud thud, but keeps her death grip on Andrea, who’s now limp in her arms; her face turning blue from lack of Oxygen. Ed and Bruce frantically try to pry her fingers off of Andrea, but she’s too strong.

The wind builds in intensity.

Lorraine looks into Carolyn’s eyes that continue to fade back and forth –

LORRAINE cont’d

CINDY

ED

The bed flips up against the wall, windows blast open, the lights surge with power.

Carolyn gives one last burst of energy; muscles twitch and veins rise from under her skin, but everyone holds her down tight – then, like someone pulled the plug, Carolyn stops moving, becomes limp, almost catatonic. Her arms fall off of Andrea, who rolls to the floor in a dead heap.

Everything falls still – not a sound. It’s over.

Roger immediately begins to give his daughter mouth to mouth – everyone watches on. Crying, praying, hoping...

A cough draws their attention – it’s Carolyn, who is attempting to get her bearings... when she finally does, she’s overwhelmed when she sees her daughter not moving, then -

– a small cough erupts from Andrea, who then takes a deep breath. Tears flood from her father and sister.

Carolyn crawls over to them, stares at Andrea eye to eye; both emotional wrecks. Pulls her into an embrace. Roger and Cindy join in.

Lorraine takes a beat watching the Perron’s reunited, then looks to Ed. Goes over to him. Their eyes meet – she smiles.

113

ED cont’d

LORRAINE

Long beat.

ED

A slow smile grows on her lips –

LORRAINE

Ed and Lorraine pull up in their driveway. Judy and her Grandmother come out the front door to greet them. Judy runs to the car.

As Lorraine gives her a warm hug, Ed extracts a box from the back seat and hands it to her. She opens the top to see TWELVE BABY CHICKS INSIDE.

Off her smile, we fade out.

The end.

Over black

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