Poltergeist Page #17

Taking the pins from her hair, Diane passes Carol Anne and

Robbie’s bedroom. The door is closed and warm light filters

through at the bottom jamb. She listens in, hears nothing and

starts to turn the knob, but thinks twice and continues into

her bedroom.

139

INT. MASTER BEDROOM - NIGHT 139

Diane has done some redecorating in here. The first thing we

notice is that the stain is gone and the curtains are lace

yellow with white for borders. The bedspread is a happy

sunlit color with smiling moons and planets.

140

INT. MASTER BATHROOM - NIGHT 140

Diane reaches down into the bathtub.

CLOSE UP - DRAIN

Diane squeezes the rubber stopper into the drain.

CLOSE UP - HOT AND COLD HANDLES

She mixes the temperatures until we see steam rising from the

filling tub.

WIDE ANGLE - BATHROOM

Diane unbuttons her shirt. She hangs it over the mirror.

Kicking off her sneakers, Diane peels off her sweat socks and

unzips her Levi jeans.

94.

141 INT. UPSTAIRS HALLWAY - NIGHT 141

Diane comes into the hall in her robe. Her hair is pinned up

for the tub. The bathwater can be heard inside. Tying off the

robe, Diane returns to Carol Anne and Robbie’s room and puts

her hand on the knob. This is hard for her and will always

be. She turns it and the door slides open. Diane sticks her

head in tentatively.

INT. CHILDREN’S BEDROOM - NIGHT

142

142

DIANE’S POV

Robbie and Carol Anne are quietly playing SPACE INVADERS on

their new Atari video game. They both turn to see what their

mother wants.

DIANE:

Just checkin’ up. I’ll be in the

tub for a few minutes if you’ll get

the phone?

ROBBIE:

Sure, Mom. Hey, I’m winning!

CAROL ANNE:

I won the last two battles.

ROBBIE:

Yeah and I won the first two.

DIANE:

Play nice or Mommy wins the war.

She turns to go and sees that the closet light is off. Diane

reaches into the closet with her hand... feeling for the

switch. Her hand flails in the dark until it feels something.

Diane flinches and pulls. The closet light comes on and Diane

lets go of the pull cord. She smiles again at her children

and leaves.

143 INT. MASTER BATHROOM - NIGHT 143

ANGLE - DIANE’S BARE FEET

The robe falls in a bundle around her feet. She steps out of

it and into the tub. Sucking in her breath several times as

she inches her way into the hot water up to her neck, Diane

sighs. She closes her eyes. The steam rises to the ceiling.

95.

The tub water gurgles into the overflow drain just under the

spigot. Diane takes a washrag, throws it by her feet, and

uses her big toe to clog the overflow drain to stop the

annoying sound.

ANGLE - FLOOR

E. Buzz comes in and folds his legs up under him nestling

into the soft area rug. He closes his eyes.

CLOSE - DIANE

She closes her eyes. Her breathing becomes steady and

regular. We hold... and HOLD.

144 INT. CHILDREN’S BEDROOM - NIGHT 144

Robbie yawns and climbs into his new bed. Carol Anne imitates

her older brother and climbs into her new bed.

The TV game is still on and the tiny white and blue rockets

race silently through video space.

.

CAROL ANNE:

‘Nite, Robbie.

ROBBIE:

‘Nite, Carol Anne.

Robbie looks over at the new rocking chair. The old clown

doll is sitting there quietly. Robbie takes the shirt by his

bed and tries tossing it over the head of the clown doll but

he misses. The shirt falls across the arm rest and starts the

chair rocking. Robbie shrugs and turns out the light by his

bed. Only the soft moonlight from the window and the warm

light from the partially opened closet give any ambient

illumination to the room. Outside the SOUND of a car passing,

the TICKING of Carol Anne’s new “man in the moon” clock.

145 INT. BATHROOM 145

CLOSE ON E. BUZZ

He is sleeping. His eyes open. His ears perk up and he raises

his head.

UP ANGLE - DIANE

She is drying herself outside the tub. She looks down at her

dog and blows him a kiss.

96.

145-A 145-AINT. MASTER BEDROOM

E. Buzz’s tail wags as he follows Diane into the bedroom

where she sits in front of her vanity table and takes the

clips from her hair.

146 146INT. CHILDREN’S BEDROOM - NIGHT

CLOSE - ROBBIE

He turns over but can’t sleep. He yawns and sits up on one

elbow looking toward Carol Anne. She is out like a light.

Robbie casually looks over at the clown in the rocking chair.

The rocking chair is empty.

147 147INT. MASTER BEDROOM - NIGHT

Dressed in her nightgown and robe, Diane combs out her long,

silky hair. She throws her head forward so all the hair in

the back can cover her face. Stroking from the back of her

neck, Diane gets out all the tangles. Satisfied, Diane flips

her head straight up so all her hair can fly back around her

shoulders. The shiny gray-brown hair flies straight up into

the air and upon reaching its full height... it freezes and

doesn’t come down.

E. Buzz turns and runs out of the room. DIANE IS LOOKING AT

HERSELF IN THE MIRROR WHEN THIS HAPPENS.

147-A 147-AIn the background, just above the headboard to her bed, a

BLACK SPOT starts to SPREAD. Like an ink blot it gathers

speed in all directions sending wiggly black veins like a manof-

war over the ceiling and onto the floor.

147-B 147-BCLOSE - DIANE’S FACE

DIANE IS GOING TO FAINT. HER EYES START TO ROLL INTO HER HEAD

WHEN...

Four deep impressions collapse her cheek unevenly against her

jaw. The left side of her mouth is pressed against her front

teeth as if someone was attempting to twist her head halfway

around the left shoulder.

The STAIN STOPS GROWING AND STARTS TO BREATHE, moving in and

out like the hairy body of a mutant tarantula.

CLOSE - DIANE’S FACE

97.

Diane’s lips are pressed flat against her gums and mushed in

counter-clockwise circles, how a kiss might appear if only

the receiver were visible.

Her hair is allowed to fall around her shoulder and she

struggles away from the force that has held her. She goes

straight for the door. It CLOSES IN HER FACE. Diane turn

insanely when her arm is nearly wretched from its socket. She

us flung onto her bed right under the spider stain.

148 CHILDREN’S BEDROOM - NIGHT 148

Robbie, sitting up in bed, looks all around for the clown

doll. He dares even to look on the floor. It is nowhere in

sight.

Robbie’s breathing quickens. He knows where he now must look.

After all no child can ever sleep until knowing the night is

in order. Lying on his stomach, Robbie slowly lowers himself

head first to the floor of his bed, in preparation to look

under it. He very, very carefully lifts the dust ruffle and

lets the top of his head touch the rug. Robbie is upside-down

as he looks into the darkness under his bed.

.

148-A UNDER ROBBIE’S BED 148-A

The clown is there, face to face with him, smiling

sardonically.

In the split second it takes for a child to draw a breath and

let it out through the vocal chords, the clown doll wraps its

five foot extension arms four times around Robbie’s neck,

cutting off half his air.

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