The Grudge Page #5

MATTHEW:

What the hell? -

He quickly goes to the BACK ROOM. Emma sits on the edge of

her bed, dazed and staring. In the darkness.

MATTHEW:

Mom? Are you alright?

No answer. He kneels down next to her.

MATTHEW:

Where’s Jennifer, Mom?

Still nothing. He surveys the mess in the room. Angrily:

MATTHEW:

Did Yoko come today, Mom?

Remember? The pretty girl?

He gets to his feet, looking at the SPILLED SOUP in the

living room, now hardened and crusty.

34 INT. THE HOUSE - SECOND FLOOR HALLWAY - NIGHT 34

OVER THE RAILING: Matthew re-enters the foyer, looking up.

Revisions (Blue) -- 1/26/04 22.

MATTHEW:

Jen? Are you up there?

He climbs up the stairs, walking to -

35 INT. THE HOUSE - FRONT ROOM - NIGHT 35

Matthew stands in the doorway of the dark room. He tries the

light switch. Nothing happens.

MATTHEW:

Dammit.

He slowly enters, feeling his way through the room. We can

barely make him out in the darkness... we see the shape of

THE BED by a window...

Matthew feels his way to a table next to the bed. Switches

on a small lamp -

-- JENNIFER IS RIGHT NEXT TO HIM. Lying in bed, staring wide-

eyed at the ceiling. Matthew, startled, falls backwards.

MATTHEW:

Jennifer? What is it -

Matthew rushes to her, shaking her. She’s unresponsive. The

only sign she’s alive is that HER FEARFUL EYES slowly fix on

him. Her mouth opens, as if she’s trying to speak.

MATTHEW:

What’s wrong? What happened???

She tries harder to form words, but can only produce a CROAK.

MATTHEW:

I’ll... I’ll call an ambulance...

36 INT. THE HOUSE - KITCHEN - NIGHT 36

Matthew runs into the kitchen grabbing A LARGE BOOK on one of

the moving boxes. The Japanese equivalent of a YELLOW PAGES.

He whips it open -- hardly a word of English in it.

Revisions (Blue) -- 1/26/04 23.

37 INT. THE HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT 37

A stack of BOOKS sit on the very top of a tall bookshelf.

Scissors and a roll of DUCT TAPE rest atop them.

Matthew pushes everything aside to get at a JAPANESE/ENGLISH

DICTIONARY underneath. The DUCT TAPE falls to the floor.

He tears across the room to THE PHONE BASE -- but the

cordless phone is missing.

MATTHEW:

Dammit!

38 INT. THE HOUSE - FRONT ROOM - NIGHT 38

Matthew re-enters, out of breath. He sits next to Jennifer,

who hasn’t moved. Puts a hand on her chest to make sure

she’s still breathing. She is.

MATTHEW:

Jesus Christ...

He looks through the dictionary, finding the word he needs:

MATTHEW:

‘Ambulance’... “kyukyusha”.

Then he quickly rips open the Yellow Pages -

-- seeing, in plain English, ‘EMERGENCY’ on the first page.

Below that:
‘FIRE/AMBULANCE -- DIAL 119’.

He drops the book and reaches across the bed for a phone, on

a table at the far side -

-- THE BOY (TOSHIO) stands up, between Matthew and the phone.

But he looks different from before: his skin is discolored,

his lips and eyes are ringed and sullen.

MATTHEW:

Who are you? What -- what are you

doing here?

Toshio makes a STRANGE SOUND. Looks at Jennifer, then turns

to Matthew, SNARLING at him like a CAT.

Matthew, shocked, falls backwards off the bed, hitting the

table with the lamp. It drops to the ground -

Revisions (Blue) -- 1/26/04 24.

-- and TOSHIO’S SHADOW, cast by the fallen light, begins to

STRETCH AND GROW across the ceiling. The shadow creeps over

Jennifer, shifting and coming towards Matthew -

-- Matthew grabs the lamp. He reaches it, holding it up -

At first, it looks like both Jennifer and Toshio have

disappeared. But then -

-- Jennifer, suddenly back on the bed, SITS UPRIGHT, jerkily,

as if she’s been yanked up and forward. Her mouth is wide

and gasping -

-- and then she falls back onto the bed. Dead.

Matthew, stunned, backs away from the bed, against the

closet. Terrified, he doesn’t notice -

-- the THUD THUD sound growing around him. Then -

-- TOSHIO’S HEAD comes into frame behind him. Matthew hears

a GROWLING SOUND and turns, seeing Toshio right there! -

39 INT. THE HOUSE - ENTRANCE - NIGHT 39

The DOORBELL rings. Then a few more times.

SUSAN (American, late 20s) enters, with two bottles of wine.

SUSAN:

Hello?

She kicks off her shoes.

SUSAN:

You guys in the kitchen?

40 INT. THE HOUSE - KITCHEN - NIGHT 40

Susan walks in, puts the wine on the table. Looks around.

SUSAN:

(calling out:
)

I thought you guys were gonna cook!

She goes into the BACK ROOM. Sits next to Emma.

SUSAN:

Hi, Mom. How are you feeling?

Emma turns to her with her usual vacant look.

Revisions (Blue) -- 1/26/04 24A.

There’s a CREAK from above. Susan looks up at the ceiling.

Revisions (Blue) -- 1/26/04 25.

SUSAN:

I guess I came at a bad time, huh?

41 INT. THE HOUSE - ENTRANCE - NIGHT 41

Twisting a corkscrew into a wine bottle, Susan leans into the

foyer, yelling upstairs:

SUSAN:

I’ll give you guys one minute to

finish whatever you’re doing up

there and get your butts down here.

As she heads back towards the kitchen, we CRANE UP to see -

MATTHEW. He’s walking down the second floor hall. He looks

different:
the expression on his face is troubled, occupied.

And he’s dragging his dead wife’s body. By the hair.

He pulls her inside the REAR ROOM -- the doorway looks more

imposing, more ominous, than before. It’s dark and

malevolent, the threshold to a secret that won’t stay buried.

We CRANE BACK DOWN to see Susan in the kitchen. She’s poured

a glass of wine and sighs impatiently.

She walks back down the hall into the foyer.

SUSAN:

I mean it, guys.

Silence from upstairs. Shaking her head:

SUSAN:

Well, I warned you. Prepare to be

emotionally scarred.

She starts up the stairs and turns the first corner ---

MATTHEW is sitting there, hands on his knees, looking

harried. Susan YELPS.

SUSAN:

Matthew! Don’t scare me like that!

He’s shaking slightly. His eyes drift up to hers.

SUSAN:

What’s going on? Where’s Jennifer?

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

MATTHEW:

She went out. Something came up.

SUSAN:

I hope she’s not long. I’m

absolutely starving.

Matthew looks back down at his feet. Susan misreads:

SUSAN:

I knew it. You guys forgot to go

shopping, didn’t you?

Matthew abruptly stands. Looming over his sister.

MATTHEW:

I’m sorry. This is a bad time.

SUSAN:

Are you okay? What’s going on?

MATTHEW:

You should go.

He moves forward, right into her. His momentum pushes Susan

back into the foyer. She holds onto his shirt:

SUSAN:

Did something happen? What’s -

Matthew’s hands suddenly TIGHTEN ON HER SHOULDERS. His eyes

grow wide, filled with anger, as he whispers fiercely -

MATTHEW:

She doesn’t love me... she never

loved me...

Susan watches as he repeats himself, over and over. Growing

scared, she finally SHAKES HIM.

SUSAN:

What are you talking about?

Matthew slowly looks up. Malice on his face.

He steps forward. Susan backs away.

SUSAN:

Stop it, Matthew.

MATTHEW:

Leave me alone.

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