Poltergeist Page #4

ROBBIE:

(casually)

All right, I’ll just flunk.

Robbie shrugs, reaches for his spoon to resume eating and

notices something unusual. The spoon is bent. He looks around

the table. Every spoon is bent. Shrugging it off, Robbie

lifts his cereal bowl and drinks right out of it, two tiny

trails dripping off his chin, spotting his school shirt.

18.

31 EXT. FREELING’S BACK YARD - DAY 31

A big man, PUGSLEY, thirties, bald, steps out of his pool

install action truck wearing combat boots, a Teamster T-

shirt, mirrored sunglasses and a baseball cap turned around

backwards on his head. He motions to the bulldozer driver to

“take a gander”. Dana grabs her bike and rides off. The

workmen pause to stare at her. Pugsley and the dozer driver

share a salacious grin and the dozer driver pops his clutch

rapidly, the dozer lurching suggestively several times.

.

32 INT. KITCHEN - DAY 32

Diane has witnessed this sloppy display through the open back

door. Choosing to pass over it, she turns toward the kitchen

table to clean up. E. BUZZ, the dog, is sitting on a pulled-

out chair eating from everyone’s plates. Diane sighs and

shoos E. Buzz away.

DIANE:

When you leave the table, Carol

Anne... Robbie, you push your

chairs in.

Carol Anne is trying to fine-tune the snow on television.

DIANE:

Aw, honey you’re going to ruin your

eyes. This is not good for you.

She turns the set to another channel where a WAR MOVIE is

showing. Soldiers blowing up and screaming.

33 INT. MASTER BEDROOM - DAY 33

Diane is cleaning up. Broken glass surrounds her. She cups

her left hand and picks narrow shards out of the shag when

the GROWLING begins. Diane turns and sees...

DIANE’S POV

E. BUZZ is growling at the wall. Looking up at something we

don’t see. Diane sidesteps the broken vases to follow E.

Buzz’s eyeline right up the wall and onto the stain.

CLOSE - DIANE

She c*cks her head curiously.

MOVE IN - THE STAIN

19.

It has grown since this morning. Like a Rorschach pattern.

Diane tries to rub it out with a pillowcase. She slips into

the bathroom and wets one corner, then returns when...

Diane stops. Carefully, she watches E. Buzz, who has ceased

growling.

FULL SHOT - DIANE AND E. BUZZ

Never removing his spaniel eyes from the wall, E. Buzz’ tail

starts wagging. He backs a scoot away from the wall and

executes and obedient “roll-over”. Diane herself retreats.

DIANE:

(gently)

C’mere, E. Buzz.

E. Buzz turns, but his mind is not on Diane. He runs out of

the room between Diane’s legs immediately returning with his

chew-ball. E. Buzz sidles up to the wall and sets his chew-

ball down, “speaks” and executes a double roll-over.

.

34 INT. KITCHEN - DAY 34

Diane enters, sees Pugsley drinking a cup of coffee from one

of her China cups.

DIANE:

(at doorway, to Pugsley)

Okay, Bluto! Gimme my cup.

PUGSLEY:

Gee, Mrs. Freeling you make great

coffee. Good for a second cup.

Pugsley breaks out laughing. Diane grabs the cup out of his

hands and drops the blinds in his face.

34-A ANGLE - KITCHEN TABLE 34-A

Diane turns to find all the chairs are withdrawn from their

intended places. She looks for Carol Anne then jumps halfway

out of her skin.

Carol Anne is right behind her, tapping her on the side.

DIANE:

Jesus, don’t do that. You wanna see

your mommy lying in a cigar box

covered in licorice?

20.

Carol Anne shakes her head... slowly.

DIANE:

(pointing to chairs)

Did you do that?

Carol Anne shakes her head slowly.

Diane replaces the chairs in their proper places and returns

to the sink. She opens the cupboard under the sink, and

brings out a bottle of 409. She stands and turns around...

34-B FACING HER IS THE KITCHEN TABLE 34-B

The chairs are stacked one atop the other, reaching all the

way up to the ceiling. Diane jams her fist into her mouth to

press back the natural reaction. Carol Anne stands below her

smiling up at the pyramid.

DIANE:

(a whisper to Carol Anne)

The TV people?

CAROL ANNE:

Up there.

DIANE:

(barely audible)

Do you see them?

CAROL ANNE:

No... do you?

DIANE:

Uh uh.

35 INT. KITCHEN/NEW, VACANT HOME - DAY 35

WIDE ANGLE - IDENTICAL KITCHEN

In a disconcerting jump, all of the furniture, Carol Anne and

Diane disappear. The basic structure of the kitchen remains

exactly the same for this is a model home somewhere in Cuesta

Verde Estates.

.

Steve Freeling walks into the empty setting with a family of

prospective buyers. Only the wallpaper is different from the

Freeling residence.

21.

STEVEN:

This, then, is our latest

development. We call it phase four.

WOMAN BUYER:

Where is your home, Mr. Freeling?

STEVEN:

We were the first family to set up

housekeeping in Cuesta Verde

Estates.

HUSBAND:

(helping)

Phase one!

STEVEN:

That’s right. Actually you passed

through my neighborhood to get

here.

WOMAN BUYER:

The area with that “lived in” look.

STEVEN:

In a month you won’t be able to

distinguish phase four from phase

one from phase... well, around here

grass grows greener on every side.

HUSBAND:

Yeah... I can’t tell one house from

the other.

STEVEN:

Our construction standards are very

liberal. Matter of fact, a neighbor

of mine put a jacuzzi in his

bedroom, with a running aqueduct

connecting it to the wading pool

outside which he built half in,

half out of his living room. That

home was featured in last month’s

issue of Town and Country.

DIALOGUE FADE WITH DISSOLVE

36 EXT. CUESTA VERDE ESTATES, PHASE ONE - DUSK 36

ESTABLISHING SHOT

22.

Sparse lightning over the mountains as the storm clouds begin

to roll in. The neighborhood is quiet. Warm window light

spill is out across the well manicured lawns. You can almost

smell two hundred dinners in all of the ovens of Cuesta

Verde.

37 EXT. STREET/FREELING’S HOUSE - DUSK 37

Steve Freeling’s Oldsmobile station wagon turns down the

block heading home.

ANGLE - FREEWAY DRIVEWAY

Three empty trashcans block the drive... Steve groans as he

parks half on, half off the curb, climbs out, and starts

removing obstacles when from nowhere Diane is there,

literally pulling toward the house.

.

STEVEN:

Hey babe. Guess who just bought L-J

237...

DIANE:

Just c’mere! Hurry!

STEVEN:

Wait a sec., I’m parked in the

street.

DIANE:

Leave it. Quick, before it stops

again.

38 INT. KITCHEN - DUSK 38

We have never seen Diane focused and again so frazzled. Her

words are coming in spurts. She must constantly catch her

breath. The thrill in her voice is backed up against an

oppressive fear.

DIANE:

Okay, okay... look. Okay. Listen.

I’ve kept Dana and Robbie out of

this, but Carol Anne was with me

when it started so I cut her in,

but Dana would blab and Robbie’d be

up for three weeks sleeping on your

side of the bed.

23.

STEVEN:

Diane, put the breaks on will ya.

Just sit down a sec.

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