The Skeptic Page #5

Synopsis: After the mysterious death of his Aunt, a confirmed skeptic lawyer, Bryan Becket, dismisses reports that his Aunt's house is haunted and moves in. Immediately occurrences begin he cannot explain. And beyond the occurrences there is something about the house which gnaws at Becket - some strange connection he senses he has with the house's past. Soon, the haunting turns personal, he hears voices suggesting clues to a deep mystery. He questions his sanity, seeks medical help, but instead finds assistance in a young psychic who immediately declares, "There's a very bad secret in this house." Together they embark on a terrifying journey to uncover the secret - a journey which leads them deep into the recesses of The Skeptic's own troubled mind.
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Director(s): Tennyson Bardwell
Production: IFC Films
 
IMDB:
5.8
Metacritic:
31
Rotten Tomatoes:
8%
Year:
2009
89 min
43 Views


- Is it your mother?

- What?

- I said, is it your mother?

Is that why you're messed up,

'cause of what happened to her,

'cause of what you saw that day?

- My mother died when I was five.

I barely remember her.

- I don't believe it.

- Oh, you think I'm lying?

- I think that you've buried stuff.

I think that you saw more

that day in Boston

then they told you.

- All right, you know what we're

not going to do?

We are not going to play

psychobabble with my head.

- Listen...

- My mother is not the problem

with our marriage.

So for you to try to pin it on a woman

who's been dead for 38 years...

- Do you know you

talk about her in your sleep?

- I what?

- And I've never told you before,

because I thought it would

make things worse.

When you talk about her,

you talk about her face.

All right, God damn it, that's enough.

Let this alone!

- This is the sh*t that is

ruining our marriage!

- No, you're doing it,

because you won't stop.

- You sit up in bed like a child

terrified,

staring across the room.

You know what you're looking at?

You're looking at her!

You see her!

- Stop this!

- [screams]

- Mama!

- Michael!

- Michael?

- Where is he?

- Michael!

Michael!

- Baby?

- Someone's in the closet.

- What?

- They said my name.

- Oh, no, sweetheart.

There's nobody here but Daddy.

- Maybe it's a ghost.

- Oh, no, baby.

Remember what Daddy and I

told you about ghosts?

So what did Daddy and I

tell you about ghosts?

Daddy?

What did we tell Michael about ghosts?

- They're not real.

- They're not real.

Okay?

It's just your imagination again,

sweet pie.

- Come here, pal.

They sure do seem real

sometimes though, don't they?

[door creaks]

- Hmm.

Sully.

[leaves rustling]

Oh, come on.

Oh, Jesus Christ!

It's you.

- So this is the big, bad, house, huh?

I might be too nervous to come in.

- Nobody asked you in.

What, are you planning'

on spending the night?

- Uh-huh.

I heard you saw something here.

And I'm intrigued.

- What I saw was not real.

Excuse me.

Excuse me.

You can't just walk in here.

Hey!

What do you think you're doing?

This is my house.

- There's something here.

- Okay.

What?

What do you think I saw?

- A ghost.

- I don't believe in ghosts.

- Well, that's ironic,

since you're the one that saw it.

- What I saw was a hallucination

caused by sleep deprivation.

- Yeah.

My shrink would say that too.

[chuckles]

Look, it's not as out there

as it seems, you know,

the whole ghost thing.

In fact, 46% of the people

in this country believe in ghosts.

can't find Europe on a map.

- Oh, wow.

You know something?

You're very arrogant.

- I'm sorry.

- Don't be.

I like that.

- You still can't stay.

- You're a lawyer, right?

- Yes.

- That means you get off on logic, proof.

- I don't know if I get off on

them, but...

- Even Coven, the fool,

believes I'm psychic.

- I don't believe in ESP.

- No, no, no.

You're missing my point.

You saw something here.

So just suppose for a moment

you let me stay and I see something too.

And since you haven't described

what you saw

except as a woman at the bottom

of some stairs,

then if I see her too,

and I could describe her, well,

I mean, that would be proof

of something, wouldn't it?

Good proof.

- You can have this bedroom

right over here.

It's got its own bath.

I'll be up on the third floor

if you need s...

Oh, no.

No, no.

I'm sorry.

This was my aunt's room,

the one that died.

- Oh.

So it's vacant.

- Yeah.

Right.

Whatever.

Hey, let me ask you something.

How does a girl your age

get a brand-new Porsche?

- I come from money.

- And your folks?

- My mother ran away when I was six,

and my father passed away

this summer.

- Hmm.

I'm sorry then about your

father.

- No, don't be.

- What, you two weren't close?

- Not in a good way.

- Do you have siblings?

- Yeah, I have a brother.

He's in a mental institution.

He's been there since he was 13.

And you probably figured

I was the black sheep.

I don't mean to be rude or anything,

but I'm going to...

- Go do what you do.

- Thanks.

[screaming]

- Jesus Christ!

- Someone died in here.

A man.

Oh.

His head.

Severe pain.

- My aunt's husband, my Uncle,

died in this house 25 years ago

of a cerebral haemorrhage.

I don't know where in the house exactly.

- It was here.

- How do you know that?

There are a lot of people

who could have told you that.

- Nobody told me anything.

That's fine.

Thank you.

- I'm glad you didn't sit in that chair.

It's funny.

The other night I walked past

that mirror down there,

and I could've sworn

I saw someone in that chair.

You know, for someone who scorns

the paranormal,

you sure do report a lot of incidents.

[glass shatters]

- What the f*** was that?

- The house is waking up.

I got to get some things.

Oh, wow.

- Leave it.

Leave it.

I'll get it.

- Are you going to help me?

I can use your help.

- Uh...

You know what?

Why don't you think about it?

I'll be downstairs soon.

- You know,

I have a trial in the morning.

This is not usually the way I prepare.

- Age.

[loud crashing]

- Oases, Oases!

Oases!

- What?

- Did you hear that?

- All I heard was you yelling.

- You didn't hear someone

falling down the stairs?

- Oh, God, no.

- You didn't hear that?

- Oh, that's weird.

The house talks

but only to you.

- Or I'm talking to myself.

- Don't do that.

You're not imagining things, Bryan.

Why would you all of a sudden imagine

someone falling down a flight of stairs?

- My mother died falling down

a flight of stairs.

- Wait.

- What is it?

- Something's moving in the house.

Do you feel it?

- Me?

Upstairs to the right.

[chuckles]

[door creaks]

[wind howling]

Oases, are you all right?

- I'm fine.

- What the hell was that?

- That was a warning.

Whatever is in this house

wants me to mind my business.

- Well, are you going to?

- [scoffs]

- We're done with this.

Leave that light on.

This house needs all the light

that it can get.

- Yeah, good.

Don't know why you wanted

off in the first place.

What?

What is it?

- The stairs where you saw the woman.

They're the ones back there,

aren't they?

- Yeah.

Oases,

this is where I step off, okay?

I just have too much work to do,

all right?

Oases?

Are you all right with that?

Oases?

Oases?

Why are you looking' at me like that?

- You don't know, do you?

- What?

- Who she was,

the woman you saw.

Bryan,

it was your mother.

- What?

Helen, I think, or...

- Helena.

- Helena.

Yeah.

Helena Margaret.

Something about her frightens you,

something about her face.

Your mother died falling down stairs,

you said.

Where?

- At our house outside Boston.

- Where in Boston?

Where in Boston exactly?

- Near Braintree.

We moved just after.

- That's interesting.

You should come with me.

Please.

I don't know why you've been

told what you have, Bryan,

but your mother fell here,

down these stairs.

- What?

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Tennyson Bardwell

Tennyson Bardwell is an American film and TV commercial director and screenwriter. more…

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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