Psycho Page #15

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straightens up and goes out.

EXT. MOTEL OFFICE - (NIGHT)

Arbogast comes out and looks off. He sees:

THE LAST LIT CABIN

The door ajar.

C.U. - ARBOGAST - (NIGHT)

would go along but he stops with a new thought. He turns

around and looks off.

L.S. - THE OLD HOUSE FROM HIS VIEWPOINT - (NIGHT)

C.U. - ARBOGAST

comes to a decision. He goes off.

L.S. ARBOGAST

dashes up the stone steps to the House.

MEDIUM SHOT:

CAMERA HOLDS as Arbogast goes up onto the porch. The house

is dark within except, as we can now see, for a faint spill

of light in the foyer, light which comes from the upstairs

hall. Arbogast goes to the living room window, looks in,

sees only darkness. Then he goes to the door, listens for

along moment, hears nothing.

Very slowly, almost painfully, he turns the knob of the door

and pushes gently with his arm and shoulder. The door begins

to open. He allows it to open just enough for him to slip

through and into the foyer.

CUT TO:

INT. FOYER OF BATES' HOUSE - (NIGHT)

Arbogast gradually eases the door closed, stands against it,

waiting. He looks up in the direction of the light, sees no

one. The door at the head of the stairs is closed. Arbogast

listens, holds his breath, hears what could be human sounds

coming from upstairs but realizes these could also be the

sounds of an old house after sunset. After a careful wait,

he crosses to the stairs, starts up, slowly, guardedly,

placing a foot squarely on each step to test it for squeaks

or groans before placing his full weight on it. CAMERA

FOLLOWS, remaining on floor level but TRAVELLING ALONG the

stairway as Arbogast makes his way up.

CUT TO:

EXTREMELY HIGH ANGLE

INT. STAIRWAY AND UPSTAIRS LANDING

We see Arbogast coming up the stairs. And now we see, too,

the door of the mother's room, opening, carefully and slowly.

As Arbogast reaches the landing, the door opens and the mother

steps out, her hand raises high, the blade of an enormous

knife flashing.

C.U. - A BIG HEAD OF AN ASTONISHED ARBOGAST

The knife slashes across his cheek and neck. Blood spurts.

The sudden attack throws him off balance. He stumbles back

and staggers down the whole of the staircase. He frantically

gropes for the balustrade as he goes backwards down the

stairs. The CAMERA FOLLOWS him all the way. A wicked knife

keeps thrusting itself into the foreground. As he collapses

at the bottom, the black head and shoulders of Mrs. Bates

plunges into the foreground as the CAMERA MOVES IN to contain

the raising and descending murder weapon.

FADE OUT:

FADE IN:

INT. BACK ROOM OF HARDWARE STORE - (NIGHT)

Lila is sitting close by the phone, and looks as if she hasn't

moved from it in the last hour. Sam is pacing, occasionally

stopping at the window, glancing out, pacing again. The ash

tray close to Lila is filled.

There is a thick atmosphere of smoke, tension and weariness

in the small, otherwise cozy room.

SAM:

(at window, quietly)

Sometimes Saturday night has a lonely

sound. Ever notice, Lila?

LILA:

(unable to keep up

small talk)

Sam. He said an hour. Or less.

SAM:

It's been three.

LILA:

Are we just going to go on sitting

here?

SAM:

(suddenly cheerful)

He'll be back. Let's sit still and

hang on, okay?

LILA:

You have an awfully nice habit, Sam.

SAM:

Hundreds! Which one is your pet?

LILA:

Whenever I start contemplating the

panic button, your back straightens

up and your eyes get that God-looks-

out-for-everybody look and... I feel

better.

SAM:

I feel better when you feel better.

LILA:

(a pause - then she

rises)

Where's the old highway?

SAM:

You want to run out there, bust in

on Arbogast and the sick old lady,

shake her up and maybe spoil

everything Arbogast's been building

for the last three hours.

LILA:

Yes.

SAM:

That wouldn't be a wise thing to do.

LILA:

Patience doesn't run in our family.

Sam, I'm going out there!

SAM:

Arbogast said...

LILA:

An hour! Or less!

Sam stares at her, frowns in concern over her very real

anxiety, goes to the phone, dials operator.

SAM:

(into phone)

Got the number of the motel out on

the old highway? Bates, I think.

(waits)

LILA:

Sam! Why call when we can go?

SAM:

And maybe pass Arbogast on the road?

(into phone)

Thanks.

He presses down the receiver, releases it, dials Bates'

Motel. The faint other-end ringing tones can be heard,

repeatedly, annoyingly. He waits.

SAM:

(to Lila)

Probably on his way back right now.

LILA:

Sam, I'm going.

SAM:

(hangs up and picks

up his jacket)

You'll never find it.

He starts for the door. Lila follows after him into the store.

INT. STORE

He pauses halfway down, turns, puts his hands on her arms.

SAM:

Stay here.

LILA:

Why can't I go out there with you?

SAM:

(looks at her)

I don't know...

(he collects himself)

One of us has to be here in case

Arbogast's on the way.

LILA:

(nervously)

Just wait here?

SAM:

(a warm smile)

Contemplate your... panic button.

He hurries down to the street door and out. CAMERA HOLDS on

Lila as she stares after Sam. As she stands alone in the

darkened store, all the hardware seems to take on sinister

shapes.

C.U.

Among some bathroom fittings a nozzle from a shower falls

onto the floor.

MEDIUM SHOT:

Lila turns and picks if from the floor and puts it back in

its place. She turns and again looks to the deserted street

with a touch of anxiety. She gives a slight unconscious

shiver.

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. THE SWAMP - (NIGHT)

Tall and lonely still against the moonlight, the figure of

Norman, silhouetted. He doesn't move, merely stands there at

the edge of the swamp, staring down at the now calm and quiet

face of it.

CUT TO:

EXT. THE MOTEL AND HOUSE - (NIGHT)

All light are out, except the light in Norman's mother's

room. And her figure can be seen sitting in the window,

relaxed in a high-back chair, her face turned into the room.

After a second, we hear the SOUND OF A MOTOR, and then Sam's

small pick-up truck swings into the driveway.

Sam stops the motor, automatically switches off headlights,

pauses as he observes the silence and darkness of the area.

Then he hops out of the cab, goes quickly to the office,

knocks on the door. As he waits for a response, he looks

down the long porch, studies the darkened cabins, knocks

again, louder, looks in the other direction and sees the

house and the figure at the one lit window. He stares a moment

then calls loudly:

SAM:

Arbogast?

CUT TO:

EXT. THE SWAMP

The silhouette of Norman. He is still. Over shot, very dimly,

comes the SOUND OF SAM'S VOICE, calling again for Arbogast.

Norman turns slowly until, in silhouette, we see his profile,

his chin lowered furtively as he looks over his shoulder in

the direction of the house. There is silence for a moment,

and then again the SOUND of Sam POUNDING at the door.

DISSOLVE TO:

INT. HARDWARE STORE - (NIGHT)

The store is in darkness, only the glow from the back room

spilling in.

L.S.

With CAMERA placed with its back to the street door, we can

see the distant tiny figure of Lila seated and waiting in

the back room beyond. There is a SOUND of a car pulling up.

The tiny figure jumps up and runs all the way from the back

room down the aisle of hardware and comes into a BIG HEAD.

We see Lila's desperate anxious look.

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