The Grudge Page #13

Karen gives Doug a skeptical look.

DOUG:

It’s exactly how superstitions

survive:
if you walk under a

ladder and think uh-oh, you’re in

for some bad luck, sure enough,

what do you know? You trip over -

KAREN:

(heard it before:)

-- trip over the curb and sprain

your ankle.

DOUG:

Makes sense, right?

Karen stops walking. Considering something.

Revisions (Blue) -- 1/26/04 61B.

KAREN:

Okay. Then explain this: when I

went to that house, I didn’t know

anything about its past. But yet I

still saw...

She hesitates, realizing she’s said too much.

DOUG:

Saw what? Karen?

KAREN:

Emma and I were alone in that room,

but -- there was something else

there. I’m sure of it.

DOUG:

You watched a woman die, Kat.

That’s a horrible thing to

experience. I can’t imagine how

you must feel. But sometimes the

mind tries to cope with terrible

things in a way that distorts what

actually occurred.

Karen’s eyes never leave his. Softly, but firmly:

KAREN:

You might be right, Doug. But I

know what I saw.

(then, faltering:)

I think I know what I saw...

After a moment, Doug pulls her into a hug.

DOUG:

You just need to rest. We’ll get

you home, get a good night’s sleep.

KAREN:

Yeah.

But her eyes speak differently. She covers it well, stepping

back and glancing over at the reception desk:

KAREN:

You’ve got class, and I’m sure I

only have to fill out a few forms

or something -

DOUG:

You sure?

Revisions (Blue) -- 1/26/04 61BA.

KAREN:

I’m fine, Doug. Really.

He kisses her, then exits. He pauses at the front doors to

give her a little wave. She smiles... but the smile droops

as soon as he’s out of sight.

After a moment, she turns and walks to the front desk.

DISSOLVE TO:

Revisions (Blue) -- 1/26/04 61C-63.

101 OMITTED 101

102 OMITTED 102

103 INT. KAREN’S APARTMENT - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT 103

Karen sits at her computer desk. She looks exhausted.

Online, Karen pulls up the home page for The Japan Times, an

English-language newspaper.

She types Toshio’s full name into a SEARCH window.

A LIST of links appear, filling the screen. Karen scans

them. Tries one. It’s not what she’s looking for.

She re-enters Toshio’s name along with a year -- ‘2001’.

Only ONE LINK appears. The word ‘MURDERED’ in the headline.

Revisions (Blue) -- 1/26/04 64.

Karen clicks it. The article fills the screen.

As Karen reads it, we catch glimpses of names -- ‘Toshio’,

‘Kayako’, ‘Takeo’. And an ominous phrase: “MURDER/SUICIDE”.

Karen clicks a link marked ‘IMAGE’. A scanned picture of the

newspaper appears -- the article is on the front page, with

familiar photos of Toshio, Kayako and Takeo.

But then Karen’s eyes drift to another picture at the bottom

of the page -

-- PETER. She quickly recognizes him from the picture she

found in the journal. His name is printed below the photo.

A picture of Peter and Maria’s CONDO BUILDING is next to it.

She looks at the headline: “AMERICAN ENGLISH TEACHER THROWS

SELF FROM BUILDING”.

Karen scans the article, thinking. Then she looks up at ---

TOSHIO’S PICTURE.

DISSOLVE TO:

104 INT. POLICE STATION - NAKAGAWA’S OFFICE - NIGHT 104

Nakagawa is looking at the same picture, in his file.

OFFICER #1 appears in the hall. Knocks gently on the door.

OFFICER #1 (IN JAPANESE)

This just came in. It’s the

surveillance video you requested.

It takes a moment for Nakagawa to snap out of it.

He finally nods, takes the tape. He opens the envelope and

looks at the cassette. Like he doesn’t want to watch it.

Then he turns to a TV/VCR combo and inserts the tape.

ON THE SCREEN:
the 10TH FLOOR HALLWAY from Susan’s office

building, and the door leading to the stairwell.

A beat. The image FLICKERS for a moment.

Then the door suddenly bursts open and Susan, terrified, runs

from the stairwell and down the hall.

ON NAKAGAWA:
he fast-forwards the video. Until -

Revisions (Blue) -- 1/26/04 65.

ON SCREEN:
-- the SECURITY GUARD appears in the hallway. As

Susan saw earlier, he opens the door to the stairwell and

looks inside. Then he closes the door and continues o.s.

ON NAKAGAWA:
he reaches forward to turn off the video -

ON SCREEN:
-- but then the video CRACKLES with a quick burst

of static. And the door to the stairwell opens again.

ON NAKAGAWA:
he’s watching, entranced, terrified. He can

hardly believe what he’s seeing -

ON SCREEN:
-- A DARK FIGURE EMERGES FROM THE STAIRWELL. It’s

the shape of a woman with long hair --

-- but the figure is BLURRY AND SHIFTING, as if the black

shadow has loosely compacted itself into the form of a human.

NAKAGAWA watches, breathless, as THE FIGURE slowly enters the

hallway, passing by, underneath the camera.

The image stops flickering. An empty hallway now. A beat.

Nakagawa, his hand shaking, reaches forward, about to turn

off the television set, when -DARKNESS

SUDDENLY OVERTAKES THE SCREEN, rising up from the

bottom until everything is dark. A strange HUMMING RATTLE

comes from the speakers, and the image JITTERS madly.

Nakagawa leans forward, right up to the screen, trying to

make out an image in the swirling blackness -Two

eyes open, staring at Nakagawa.

Terrified, Nakagawa stands and turns away, closing his eyes.

And when he finds the strength to look back ---

THE EYES are still there.

Locked onto him, even though he’s moved.

Unflinching. Unblinking.

105

EXT. THE HOUSE - NIGHT 105

Nakagawa stands at the front door. Gathering his courage.

Revisions (Blue) -- 1/26/04 66.

He opens the door. Nothing but yawning darkness inside.

Nakagawa picks up TWO HEAVY OBJECTS, one in each hand, and,

ducking under the police tape, enters the house.

106 INT. THE HOUSE - ENTRANCE - NIGHT

Nakagawa puts the two heavy objects by the front door and

closes it. Now we can see what they are -

-- GASOLINE CANS. Two gallons each. Full.

Nakagawa catches his breath. Then he reaches for the lid of

one of the cans, starting to unscrew it. His hands are

shaking, and the gasoline SPLASHES AROUND inside -

-- but then there’s ANOTHER SPLASHING SOUND. From nearby.

Nakagawa freezes. The splashing continues. His eyes go to -THE

BATHROOM DOOR. It’s closed. The SPLASHING is coming

from inside, accompanied by a series of THUDS. The sounds of

a small child, STRUGGLING...

Nakagawa fearfully reaches for the door handle -

106a INT. THE HOUSE - BATHROOM - NIGHT 106a

Nakagawa’s eyes widen as the door swings open. He sees -

A YOUNG BOY kneeling by the edge of the tub, overflowing with

water. His head hangs below the surface.

Nakagawa immediately drops to the boy, lifting his lifeless

head from the water. It’s TOSHIO. He’s dead. Drowned.

Before Nakagawa can understand what’s happening, the boy’s

eyes SUDDENLY OPEN, fixing on Nakagawa -

-- and then a PALE HAND grabs Nakagawa’s head from behind and

roughly pushes it into the water, holding him under.

Nakagawa’s LEGS flail and kick as he struggles, his SCREAMING

muffled by the water. But finally, his legs become still.

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