Poltergeist Page #11

87

INT. ON THE STAIRCASE - NIGHT 87

BEHIND BOTH TAK AND RYAN

The crawling mass coming down the stairs resembles a giant

hand with long, searching fingers, flowing down the stairs

and heading right for the two technicians.

88

INT. ON RYAN AND TAK - NIGHT 88

Ryan stands and backs away two steps.

CLOSE - TAK

57.

He wants to scream out but cannot find the breath. The air in

the room is suddenly thin and electrostatically charged.

RYAN:

It’s manifesting! It’s manifesting!

Look at the scope!

TAK:

Watch the trip wires! Temperature’s

dropping.

RYAN:

Racial!!

TAK:

Can you breathe?

RYAN:

Can you run? I’m workin’ on it.

89 INT. STAIRS - NIGHT 89

The fingers are almost to the bottom. The smoking fingertips

suddenly rise straight up into the air like sky-writhing.

Rising right up to the ceiling. Another tentacle of ectoplasm

seems to come forward. Larger and thicker than the rest and

still growing, it studies the VTR and Panasonic camera,

waltzing above it, hovering curiously close, then retracting

suddenly like a King Cobra.

90 INT. BOTTOM OF THE STAIRCASE - ON TAK - NIGHT 90

Dares to look at the monitor. His mouth drops open. He sees

something we don’t. His eyes shift back and forth between the

manifestation and the monitor. He bears his teeth to scream

and...

.

TAK:

DOCTOR LEEEEEEEEEESH!!!

91 INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT 91

EXTREME - CLOSE SHOTS

DR. LESH

Her eyes open and she immediately pulls out her glasses.

STEVE:

58.

Falls between two chairs trying to stand.

DIANE:

Rising to her knees she looks out into the hall and hugs

Robbie protectively.

92 INT. LIVING ROOM - FULL SHOT - NIGHT 92

Ectoplasmic mist wanders aimlessly, passing under tables,

chairs, circling lamps.

DR. LESH

(to Diane)

Have you experienced this before?

DIANE:

First time!

DR. LESH

Me too.

At this moment every lightbulb in the room comes on. The

brightness growing to blinding levels. Everyone covers their

eyes.

STEVEN:

(yelling)

Smells like a short!

DIANE:

(yelling)

It’s going to explode!

The hum of electrostatic charge races up the scales to what

sounds like feedback overload, then...

FLASH FLASH - FLASH

Everything is dark again. The episode ended. The room is very

quiet.

Dr. Lesh breaks the silence.

DR. LESH

Roll it back!

Tak hits the rewind switch on both VTRs.

Diane, Steve and Robbie all run to the display panel.

59.

RYAN:

(like a kid)

I think it recorded. I think we got

one on tape. Yes. Yes... we got it

recorded!!!

WE MOVE from the faces of the Freelings and Lesh to:

93 THEIR POV OF VIDEO MONITORS - NIGHT 93

We SEE the empty hallway and staircase in black and white on

one screen. One the other a spectroscopic breakdown of color

patterns in infrared.

The picture on the screen becomes grainy, smoky. A bright

glowly substance begins to form into tendrils that move down

the stairs and very close to the cameras. The black and white

monitor shows what the human eye captured. The color infrared

shows what the technology captured.

.

94 CLOSE ON DIANE - NIGHT 94

MOVE IN TO HER as she watches the color monitor.

95 CLOSE ON MONITOR - NIGHT 95

The smoky substance twists and melts and forms what appears

to be the shape of a man’s back. The shape moves in front of

the CAMERA and we see what could be an OLD MAN looking over

his shoulder with a suspicious expression, and then walking

past a little girl, not Carol Anne, holding a ball. She

wanders through the living room as if lost. Suddenly, the

living room is filled with manifestations. FOUR MEN in burlap

type coats, floppy hats, denim and boots face away from the

CAMERAS, a WOMAN dressed in the style of the 1920’s moves

through the room, tears on her face -- people of all ages and

descriptions wander aimlessly, lost and sad through the

living room.

No manifestation makes contact with any other. They don’t

even seem to be aware that others exist -- an OLD WOMAN

glances at the CAMERAS disinterestedly -- and a YOUNG BOY

moves toward the CAMERA and evaporates.

The screen suddenly becomes BLACK, filled by two glowing

beams -- the beam pull back and we realize they are EYES of a

scary old man. It is the face of pure chaotic horror. A

vision of madness and murder.

60.

96 ON DIANE AND ROBBIE - NIGHT 96

She covers Robbie’s eyes and SCREAMS continuously, out of

control, for this is the pit of her nightmare.

DIANE:

That thing is in there with my

baby! That thing! That thing!

DR. LESH (O.S.)

My God! There are hundreds.

ANGLE - FULL

Steve is holding Diane now, stroking her hair until her

SCREAMS turn into SOBS. Lesh and the technicians look on

silently. Steve leads Diane and Robbie back into the living

room. Dr. Lesh takes out the two tapes and puts them into a

briefcase and locks it with a key.

.

DISSOLVE TO:

97 INT. KITCHEN - DAY 97

CLOSE - DUST PAN

Crowded with a mixture of filled and decayed teeth from last

evening’s hailstorm, Steve closes the trashcan and wipes his

hands against his shirt. The portable TV is on, turned, as

usual, to a static channel.

FULL SHOT - ROBBIE

Dressed to travel with a little suitcase in hand. At his side

is E. BUZZ on leash.

DIANE:

Tell Grandma to call the very

second you walk in.

STEVEN:

Taxi’s here.

DIANE:

Don’t be scared of the taxi man,

he’s a friend of Daddy’s and mine.

ROBBIE:

(agitated at all this

fussing)

I’m seven years old, gimme a break.

61.

STEVEN:

That’s what I like to hear. Let’s

move out! ... you’re about to have

yourself a real adventure.

ROBBIE:

(acting grown up)

I don’t need no more adventure. I

need to get some sleep.

97-A INT. ENTRYWAY/LIVING ROOM 97-A

Diane and Steve watch Robbie and E. Buzz go out the door.

Steve starts to follow, reaching out to help with the bag.

Robbie waves him off.

ROBBIE:

I can do it myself. Bye.

DIANE:

(tearful, but holding

back)

Bye, sweetheart. Call us.

97-B EXT. FREELING HOUSE - DAY 97-B

Robbie and E. Buzz climb into a taxi. It pulls away from the

curb.

97-C INT. KITCHEN - DAY 97-C

Dr. Lesh sorting through the brooches, stickpins, hail combs

and cameos. Brass buttons, pocket watches and cufflinks.

DR. LESH

This cameo. One hundred years old.

Diane returns from the door and c*cks her head to examine the

jewelry.

DIANE:

Some haul, huh?

(gestures upstairs)

Maybe they fear a lawsuit and want

an out of court settlement.

Dr. Lesh holds up a twist-o-flex digital wristwatch.

62.

DR. LESH

And then this enigma... probably a

couple years old and not your

husband’s?

.

DIANE:

He said it wasn’t.

DR. LESH

I’ve heard about jewelry or perfume

disappearing from a vanity in one

room later to reappear in another,

but... but this doesn’t fit into

any construct I’ve ever

experienced.

DIANE:

Has anything lately?

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