Poltergeist Page #15

TANGINA:

Be cross with her.

STEVEN:

Why...?

TANGINA:

Be angry with her or you’ll never

see her again!

STEVEN:

(quickly, more aroused,

harsh)

Carol Anne, this is your father

speaking.

TANGINA:

Tell her if she doesn’t answer

she’s in big trouble.

STEVEN:

Answer me right now or you’re in

real hot water!

TANGINA:

Tell her she’ll get spanked.

STEVEN:

(aside to Tangina)

We never spank the children.

DIANE:

(intervening)

Goddamnit, Steven, tell her!

81.

STEVEN:

If you don’t answer your parents

you’re going to get a real

spanking. From both of us.

TANGINA:

Swear. Swear.

STEVEN:

(really getting into it)

Damnit! Damnit! You hear me?!

CAROL ANNE’S VOICE

(far away from the TV

speaker)

Mommy, help me!

TANGINA:

(really breathing hard,

sweating)

She’s away from him!

DIANE:

Away from who... that thing we saw?

Is she all right?

TANGINA:

(huffing like she’s

running)

Diane. Is there a light?

DIANE:

Carol Anne, do you see the light?

CAROL ANNE’S VOICE

He’s chasing me, Mommy...

(screams)

TANGINA:

Tell her to run to the light.

DIANE:

(looking at Dr. Lesh)

No!

TANGINA:

They will follow her to it. They

have been following her for weeks.

You must tell her what I say!

DR. LESH

Tell her. Go ahead, Diane.

82.

DIANE:

Run for the lights. Run as fast as

you can!

CAROL ANNE’S VOICE

Mommy!! Are you in the light?

DIANE:

No, honey, I’m...

TANGINA:

Tell her you are!!

DIANE:

It’s a lie!!

TANGINA:

You can’t choose between life and

death when we’re dealing with what

is in between. Tell her before it’s

too late!

DIANE:

Run to the light, Carol Anne, Mommy

is in the light!

TANGINA:

Tell her you’re waiting for her.

Diane is now crying out of angry frustration and deceit.

DIANE:

Mommy is in the light waiting for

you!

(she wheels on Tangina)

I hate you for this!!

TANGINA:

Quick, upstairs everyone! Bring

everything.

111 INT. STAIRCASE - UPSTAIRS - NIGHT 111

Dr. Lesh, Ryan, Steven and Diane. Tangina Barrons is in the

lead, outdistancing everyone.

112 INT. HALLWAY OUTSIDE CHILDREN’S BEDROOM DOOR - NIGHT 112

Everybody crowds around. Tangina turns to Steve, her

breathing coarse with phlegm and wheezing.

83.

TANGINA:

Open it.

This time Steve doesn’t hesitate. He has the key already in

the lock and swings open the door.

113 INT. CHILDREN’S BEDROOM - NIGHT 113

It is like a storm at sea inside. So much destroyed minutia

speeds through the air it is not unlike a blizzard at night.

The SOUND is a CHORUS of MOANING; and RAVING.

A VOCAL ASYLUM FROM A BLACK PLACE WHERE ALL SOULS WAIT FOR

TRANSIT.

A CACOPHONY OF MUSIC REVERBERATES THROUGHOUT. Nothing

specific, only madness and nonsense.

INTO THIS WALL OF NOISE AND TORMENT TANGINA BARRONS APPEARS.

She looks around the room, squinting in the low in blowing

dust and particles. Things, objects, plasma globules fly at

her. She sees...

THE CLOSET. THE LIGHT IS THERE! It is so bright there is no

looking into it without retinal damage. Great blue-yellow

shards of light spill into the room, defined by the thick

atmosphere.

.

TANGINA:

(screaming to be heard)

RYAN! GET DOWNSTAIRS AND WAIT BY

THE TARGET!

A heavy section of lamp hurls from the other side of the room

right for Tangina’s head. Just as it reaches her it slows

down to a winsome “hover” and falls to the floor at her feet.

TANGINA:

(top of her lungs to be

heard)

STEVEN! GIVE ME THE TENNIS BALL

MARKED NUMBER ONE.

114 INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT 114

Ryan runs in and stands under the circle of string.

84.

115 INT. CHILDREN’S BEDROOM - NIGHT 115

Tangina takes the tennis ball and ducking as other objects

are coming at her more aggressively... THROWS IT INTO THE

FURNACE LIGHT OF THE CLOSET!

116 INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT 116

Ryan looks up. There is a flash and immediately a tennis ball

falls from mid-space and lands on the floor at his feet. He

picks it up and looks at the inscriptions.

RYAN:

(calling upstairs)

It’s my handwriting. It came right

out of the f***ing air!

117 INT. CHILDREN’S BEDROOM - NIGHT 117

Diane cannot believe what is going on. She looks back into

the blizzard.

DIANE:

The ball came back! It’s his

handwriting.

Tangina tosses balls #2 and #3 together into the closet

light.

118 INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT 118

There is a mid air flash as ball number two materializes from

thin air and Ryan catches it. As he inspects the signatures,

there is another light flash and ball number three follows

and hits him on the head.

119 INT. UPSTAIRS BY THE BEDROOM DOOR - NIGHT 119

Diane relays Ryan’s shouts...

DIANE:

TWO AND THREE CAME BACK! THEY CAME

BACK!

TANGINA:

NOW! THE RED RIBBON AT THE CENTER

OF THE ROPE. HURRY!

85.

Steve goes to work on this.

TANGINA:

SHE’S JUST AT THE MOUTH OF THE

CORRIDOR. TELL HER TO STOP! TELL

HER NOT TO MOVE INTO THE LIGHT!

.

DIANE:

(with all her heart)

CAROL ANNE, LISTEN TO ME. DO NOT GO

INTO THE LIGHT. STOP WHERE YOU ARE.

TURN AWAY FROM IT. DON’T LOOK AT

IT!

TANGINA:

WHERE IS THE ROPE!?

Steve hands it to her. Tangina won’t wield it. It is too

strung out and she is too small.

TANGINA:

STEVE, HELP ME WITH THIS!

Steve enters the blast furnace of energy and wind and takes

one end of the rope.

TANGINA:

THROW IT INTO THE LIGHT!

He throws in the whip holding onto one end.

120 INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT 120

There is another mid flash and the end of rope thrown

biolcates out from between the string and falls in a pile on

the living room rug. Ryan picks up his end and yells back...

RYAN:

GOT IT --!

121 INT. CHILDREN’S BEDROOM - NIGHT 121

Tangina and Steve are holding the other end and the red

ribbon is very close to the closet entrance.

TANGINA:

Tell him to take up the slack

gently. Yell when he sees the

ribbon.

86.

Tangina is marking inches and feet onto the rope with her

lipstick, just to their side of the red ribbon. She nods to

Steve.

TANGINA:

I’M LOSING MY VOICE -- SHOUT DOWN

TO HIM!!

STEVEN:

TAKE UP THE SLACK!

The ROAD OF WIND inside grows stronger.

TANGINA:

HE DIDN’T HEAR YOU.

STEVEN:

TAKE UP THE SLACK!!

122 INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT 122

Ryan has heard and starts to gently take up the slack. When

it is taut he is fed the rope one inch at a time.

123 INT. CHILDREN’S BEDROOM - NIGHT 123

The flag is disappearing into the VIBRANT LIGHT inside the

closet. Tangina counts off inches as her lipstick

calibrations click off into the void.

124 INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT 124

The flag appears from the air in the center of the string

opening. The calibrations follow...

.

RYAN:

(screaming)

IT’S THROUGH! IT’S THROUGH!

125 INT. CHILDREN’S BEDROOM - NIGHT 125

Diane transfers the information.

DIANE:

STOP -- IT’ THROUGH!

Tangina looks at the last calibration.

87.

TANGINA:

ONLY THIRTY-SIX INCHES WIDE, NOT

MUCH ROOM. HERE, TIE THIS END

AROUND MY WAIST.

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