The Grudge Page #10

Revisions (Blue) -- 1/26/04 47.

YOKO:

Emma? It’s Yoko. I’m coming in.

79 INT. THE HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - DAY 79

The house is the least “moved-into” that we’ve seen so far:

although the main furniture is in place, MOVING BOXES are

stacked in every room, in various stages of unpacking.

But there’s also an unusual amount of mess in the house -- a

disarray, much like the opening sequence, that isn’t exactly

related to moving in.

Yoko surveys the room, dismayed by the mess.

Then she sees EMMA at the far end of the living room, her

back to Yoko. She’s looking down at something in her hands.

YOKO:

Hi, Emma. It’s good to see you

again.

Emma turns. Looks blankly at Yoko, who approaches.

Realizing the woman doesn’t remember her:

YOKO:

My name is Yoko.

The old woman still gives no sign of recognition. Yoko

gently takes her arm.

YOKO:

You should be in bed -

Then she sees what Emma was looking at: the roll of DUCT

TAPE. She’s cut her finger on the serrated cutting blade.

YOKO (IN JAPANESE)

You shouldn’t be playing with this!

Shaking her head, Yoko takes the duct tape and looks around

for a place where Emma can’t get at it -

-- she puts the tape ON THE STACK OF BOOKS at the top of the

bookshelf, next to the scissors (where Matthew found them).

80 OMITTED 80

81 OMITTED 81

Revisions (Blue) -- 1/26/04 48.

81a INT. THE HOUSE - ENTRANCE - DAY 81a

From the entrance, we see Yoko come out of the kitchen

holding a tray with a teapot and cup.

She walks into the BACK ROOM, looking down at Emma’s bed.

The old woman must be asleep: Yoko gently lays down the

tray, quietly steps out of the room and slides the door shut.

Then Yoko moves through the LIVING ROOM to the PHONE BASE --

-- she picks up THE CORDLESS, finally where it belongs.

Yoko dials a number as she walks into THE ENTRANCE HALL. She

begins a conversation (in Japanese) as she looks at the

scattered rubbish on the ground, shaking her head.

She climbs up to the SECOND FLOOR, pausing to kneel and pick

up some pieces of crumpled paper, chatting all the while.

THUD. THUD. Yoko pauses, turning towards the open door to

the front room. The rhythmic THUMPING continues.

82 OMITTED 82

83 OMITTED 83

84 INT. THE HOUSE - FRONT ROOM - DAY 84

The room is a mess. The bed is unmade, clothes are strewn on

the floor. Looks like a storm swept through it.

Yoko stands in the doorway, listening for the THUMPING

sounds. But they’ve stopped.

She finishes her call and hangs up. Sighs. She sticks the

cordless phone into her pocket and starts to clean the room.

As Yoko straightens the bedspread, she hears something.

Pauses. And we hear it too -

-- a familiar THROATY CROAKING SOUND. Quiet and muffled.

Revisions (Blue) -- 1/26/04 49.

Yoko, a bit unnerved by the strange sound, pulls a small MP3

player and headphones from her pocket. She puts them on, and

goes back to work.

84aa INT. THE HOUSE - SECOND FLOOR HALLWAY - DAY 84aa

Yoko backs into the hallway, humming along to the music.

Preoccupied, she doesn’t notice as -

The DOOR TO THE REAR ROOM, at the end of the dark hall behind

her, SLOWLY SWINGS OPEN.

Yoko turns and walks down the hall towards it.

84a INT. THE HOUSE - REAR ROOM - DAY 84a

Yoko enters the room, which is also a mess. The MOVING BOXES

are tumbled about the small room. She sighs.

Then she notices the CERAMIC CAT on the shelf, FACING HER

(where Susan left it). Apparently she’s not a big fan of

felines:
she uneasily turns it to FACE THE WALL instead.

Yoko turns back to the room, staring to stack the moving

boxes (the way we saw them before). As she does ---

she pauses again. The music in her headphones starts

PHASING, digital noise creeping in...

Yoko takes off the headphones. Stares at them.

And then there’s another CROAKING SOUND. From close by.

Yoko draws a breath, quickly looking up ---

AT THE CEILING, directly above her. That’s where the

horrible sound is coming from.

Freaked out, Yoko backs away, and opens the bedroom door -

85 INT. THE HOUSE - SECOND FLOOR HALLWAY - DAY 85

-- the hallway is COMPLETELY DARK. An unnatural blackness.

The skylights above, which were previously filled with

sunlight, are now completely opaque.

Yoko stands in the doorway, scared, afraid to step into the

darkness. Then she looks down -

Revisions (Blue) -- 1/26/04 49A.

HER POV:
the murky blackness of the hall seems to be slowly

CREEPING IN, phantomlike, around the edges of the door.

86 INT. THE HOUSE - REAR ROOM - DAY 86

Yoko stumbles back into the room. Her eyes fixed on -

-- THE DOORWAY:
the creeping darkness is now coming in

around all sides, not just the bottom.

Yoko backs up to the bed, still clutching the CORDLESS PHONE.

She looks back at the door, suddenly CRYING OUT -

Revisions (Blue) -- 1/26/04 50.

-- A BLACK CAT sits in the doorway. Tail wrapped around

itself, sitting perfectly still, like a statue. Staring at

Yoko with its yellow eyes. Something unnatural about it.

Yoko backs away towards the closet. Nowhere to go.

The cat suddenly HISSES AT HER -

-- and that’s all Yoko can take. In a panic, she opens the

closet door, ducks inside.

87 INT. CLOSET - DAY 87

Yoko slams the door shut, pulling herself up onto a raised

shelf. Breathing hard, looking down at ---

the crack under the door. The light is beginning to dim.

Yoko presses back into the closet, trapped.

The closet is starting to get dark. Quickly.

Yoko looks around desperately. Looking up, she sees ---

THE ATTIC PANEL above her is wide open.

Caught between a rock and a hard place. Yoko decides:

She shakily stands on the shelf and reaches up to pull

herself into the attic.

88 INT. ATTIC - DAY 88

Yoko’s head appears. Then her shoulders. She looks around,

but can’t see a thing in the darkness.

She’s about to pull herself all the way up ---

when she hears the THROATY CROAKING SOUND.

Coming from the darkness.

Yoko stiffens, her breath catching in her throat.

ANOTHER POV:
we’re at the far end of the attic, suddenly and

rapidly RACING FORWARD TOWARDS YOKO...

ON YOKO:
something brushes her face. Long, black hair.

There’s a head, just inches from hers. Almost nose-to-nose.

Revisions (Blue) -- 1/26/04 51.

Yoko is paralyzed with fear, eyes wide. A long beat.

Then she reaches into her pocket, pulling out a LIGHTER.

Yoko raises it and flicks the wheel -

-- we get a glimpse of a PALE FACE, surrounded by long black

hair, eyes wide and mouth open, the THROATY SOUND suddenly

increasing in pitch and volume -

-- as the face moves forward -

CUT TO BLACK.

89 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - NIGHT 89

Karen slowly wakes up in bed. As her eyes clear, she sees -

DOUG. He sits on the edge of the bed, slightly slumped, his

back to her.

He slowly turns -- and a relieved smile crosses his face. He

moves closer, and reaches out a hand.

DOUG:

It’s okay. I’ve got you.

Karen nods, lacing her fingers in his. But her eyes are

glazed and unfocused -- she’s exhausted.

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