House on Haunted Hill Page #20

Through the Chamber window, we see Price make another futile

CRASH against the door.

EDDIE:

Shouldn't somebody like, stand guard

or something -- just in case?

BLACKBURN:

I'll stay, if it'll ease your mind.

EDDIE:

You sure? You'll be alright by yourself?

Blackburn pats the gun in his jacket pocket.

BLACKBURN:

I'm not worried.

Sara nods, takes Eddie's hand and disappears up the stairs.

Blackburn and Price stare at each other on opposite sides of

the tiny window. Price is screeching something at him, but we

can't hear a word through all that iron.

BLACKBURN:

Can't quite make that out -- what?

Price silently bellows.

BLACKBURN:

You want to see how this thing

works? Weird request, but okay...

Blackburn leans over and starts twisting dials and flipping

every switch he can find on the CONTROL PANEL of the capsule.

We see Price look up in alarm: a CIRCLE OF PULSING LIGHTS is

dappling down on him. It looks almost quaint: like a

Victorian carousel at night.

BLACKBURN:

You've got to let me know how it all

turns out. Professional courtesy and all

that.

And with Price seen yelling and pounding through the window,

BLACKBURN walks away and disappears into the dark of the

basement. He passes right by the huge, sealed STEEL DOOR

where Vannacutt stashed his corpses. The tendrils of mold on

the metal have expanded to the length of a man's arm.

INT. SATURATION CHAMBER - CONTINUOUS

Price is down on the floor of the capsule, a look both of

fear and an engineer's curiosity on his face, as he stares up

at the CIRCLE OF LIGHT that has begun to spin faster and

faster --

-- and then whatever anxiety he has abruptly drops from his

face. Aside from a little eye-strain, absolutely nothing's

happening to him. He stands and examines the source of the

light. Sees on the ceiling of the capsule: it's nothing more

than a spinning mirror ball-like apparatus flecked with

colored glass. He's unimpressed:

PRICE:

Technology by Fred Flintstone.

He turns away from it, braces himself against a wall,

SEE STORYBOARDS FOR THIS SEQUENCE - WHICH SHOWS STEVEN PRICE

BEING TORMENTED BY LIGHT, SOUND, FURY AND HALLUCINATIONS.

SMASH TO:

INT. BASEMENT CORRIDOR - CONTINUOUS

Where we view Price from outside the Capsule. Through its

tiny window we see him silently jerk, spasm and scream -- all

while standing inside the utterly empty Saturation Chamber.

OVER we hear almost bestial-sounding grunts.

INT. BASEMENT CORRIDOR - SIMULTANEOUS

Sara and Eddie move through the corridor - stopping at

every junction. They're hopelessly lost.

EDDIE:

I think we should have taken a right

back there.

SARA:

Back where?

They scan the maze of interconnecting passageways behind

them.

EDDIE:

Good point.

SARA:

(pointing to another hallway)

Let's try down here...

They move in that direction, turning a corner and passing

several doorways. Eddie glances at the door they're about

to pass and stops.

EDDIE:

Hey, check it out.

Sara stops and looks at the wire glass door. A nameplate

reads:
DR. RICHARD B. VANNACUTT

SARA:

Vannacutt's office.

She tries the door handle. It's unlocked. They move inside,

slowly.

INT. VANNACUTT'S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS

Inside is an amazing collection of debris, partially

ransacked.

File cabinets are open and the floor is littered with

papers. On shelves are bottles of specimens of body parts

and dead sea life, floating in formaldehyde.

Sara moves over to Vannacutt's desk and begins going

through the drawers. Eddie stares at the specimens.

EDDIE:

What are you looking for?

SARA:

Maybe there are notes or drawings of

this place, showing how those plates

work.

Eddie pulls a picture from the wall... The glass is

cracked. Sara looks back at Eddie and moves to him.

SARA (cont'd)

What've you got?

EDDIE:

Class of 1931.

ECU - THE PICTURE shows the various doctors and nurses in

resident. The banner above the corroding image states:

THE VANNACUTT INSTITUTE STAFF FOR 1931. Below each face is

a name and position.

SARA:

Cheery looking bunch.

EDDIE:

Better living through electricity.

Sara notices something about the photo.

SARA:

Holy sh*t! Now we know how the guest

list was made up. Look, these names...

Head Nurse, Ruth-Ann Stockard... Bjorn

Jensen, Electro Therapy... Jasper Marr,

Thomas Steven Price... They're all here!

EDDIE:

Wait a minute... What are you saying?

SARA:

Everyone that was invited is related to

one of the staff who was here when the

place burned. There are five of us...

Suddenly, another voice is heard...

PRITCHETT:

And five that didn't die.

Sara and Eddie just about jump out of their skins!

Pritchett is standing in the doorway in his usual sloshed

condition.

EDDIE:

Sh*t, Pritchett!!!

PRITCHETT:

Price didn't make the guest list... The

house did. It wants vengeance.

EDDIE:

How's a goddamn building gonna send out

invitations?

PRITCHETT:

What's life, anyway? Waves...? Sound...?

Light...? Electricity...? I don't

know... Phone lines...?

SARA:

Or an on-line computer.

EDDIE:

That's crazy!

SARA:

What about that other guy?

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes