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TANGINA
NOW! THE RED RIBBON AT THE CENTER OF THE
ROPE. HURRY!
Steve goes to work on this.
TANGINA
SHE’S JUST AT THE MOUTH OF THE CORRIDOR.
TELL HER TO STOP! TELL HER NOT TO MOVE INTO
THE LIGHT!
DIANE
(with all her heart)
CAROL ANNE, LISTEN TO ME. DO NOT GO INTO
THE LIGHT STOP WHERE YOU ARE. TURN AWAY FROM
IT. DON’T LOOK AT IT!
TANGINA
WHERE IS THE ROPE!?
Steve hands it to her. Tangina won’t wield it. It is too strung out and she is too small.
TANGINA
STEVE. HELP ME WITH THIS!
Steve enters the blast furnace of energy and wind and takes one end of the rope.
TANGINA
THROW IT INTO THE LIGHT!
She throws in the whip holding onto one end.
There is another mid air flash and the end of rope thrown bilocates out from between the string and falls in a pile on the living room rug. Ryan picks up his end and yells back...
RYAN
GOT IT--!
Tangina and Steve are holding the other end and the red ribbon is very close to the closet entrance.
TANGINA
Tell him to take up the slack gently. Yell
when he sees the ribbon
Tangina is marking inches and feet onto the rope with her 1ipstick, just to their side of the red ribbon. She nods to Steve.
TANGINA
I’M LOSING MY VO1CE--SHOUT DOWN TO HIM!!
STEVE
TAKE UP THE SLACK.
The ROAD OF WIND inside grows stronger.
TANGINA
HE DIDN'T HEAR YOU.
STEVE
TAKE UP THE SLACK.
Ryan has heard and starts to gently take up the slack. When it is taut he is fed the rope one inch at a time.
The flag is disappearing into the VIBRANT LIGHT inside the closet. Tangina counts off inches as her lipstick calibrations click off into the void.
The flag appears from the air in the center of the string opening. The calibrations follow...
RYAN
(screarning)
IT’S THROUGH! IT’S THROUGH!
Diane transfers the information.
DIANE
STOP--IT'S THROUGH!
Tangina looks at the last calibration.
TANGINA
ONLY THIRTY-SIX INCHES WIDE. NOT MUCH ROOM.
HERE. TIE THIS END AROUND MY WAIST.
A look of horror crosses Diane’s face.
DIANE
WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?
TANGINA
I’M GOING IN AFTER HER!
DIANE
SHE WON'T COME TO YOU. LET ME GO.
TANGINA
YOU'VE NEVER DONE THIS BEFORE!
DIANE
NEITHER HAVE YOU!
TANGINA
I NEVER WANTED TO! I STILL DON'T!
Diane steps into the room, blasted back by two severa1 GUSTS OF WIND aimed specifically at her.
Steve has already started to tie the rope around his own waist. He’s decided to go.
TANGINA
YOU CAN’T. WHO’S GOING TO HOLD THIS END?!
Steve realizes it’s true. Diane pulls the rope from Steve and secures it around her waist. Steve ties two clove hitches and faces his wife.
DIANE
(above the wind)
I LOVE YOU!
STEVE
I LOVE YOU!
They kiss, part, and Steve and Tangina get a hold of the end of the rope.
Dr. Lesh runs into the storm and helps to hold.
TANGINA
NO, NO! GO DOWN AND HELP RYAN PULL, BUT ONLY
WHEN I SAY SO! ONLY WHEN I SAY!
Lesh runs downstairs and Diane takes one look back at Steve.
DIANE
DON'T LET GO , YOU GUYS!
STEVE.
NEVER!
ANOTHER ANGLE - CLOSET AND DIANE
She moves into it. . . the light swallowing her. Tangina watches the calibrations and stops feeding when the indications are that Diane is in the center of the infinite void.
Lesh runs around in back of Ryan and takes hold of the taut rope. They wait without breathing.
Tangina is back in her trance. Sweat beads across her brow, only to be blown into horizontal rivu1et by the eighty mile an hour interior wind.
STEVE
HOW WILL WE KNOW IF SHE’S GOT HER?
Tangina doesn’t answer.. .she starts her irregular breathing.
STEVE
WHEN WILL WE KNOW?
(he looks back at. her)
HEY!
TANGINA
(starts to speak)
CROSS OVER, CHILDREN! YOU ARE ALL WELCOME.
ALL WELCOME. GO INTO THE LIGHT. THERE IS
PEACE AND SERENITY IN THE LIGHT.
STEVE
(wildly betrayed)
YOU SAID NO!! YOU SAID TO STAY OUT OF THE
LIGHT!!
Tangina's trance doesn’t include Steve. She does not hear him. He thinks she is leading his family into the light and beyond.
Steve panics and starts to pull the rope back.
STEVE
DIANE!! CAROL ANNE!!
Tangina snaps out of her trance to find Steve withdrawing the rope with all his might. She lets out a SCREAM.
TANGINA
STEVEN, NOT YET!! RYAN. RYAN. RYAN, PULL!!
Steve gives one more tug and a flash of electrical energy explodes from the closet. A LOW GROWL is heard from the light. The GROWL HITS THE LOWER SOUND REGISTERS AND THE ENTIRE ROOM SHAKES FROM ITS VERY FOUNDATIONS.
INT. CLOSET
THE FACE OF THE BEAST EMERGES FROM THE CLOSET LIGHT. FACE IS THE ENTIRE LENGTH AND WIDTH OF THE OPENING.
THE HEAD EMERGES, SMASHING THE DOOR FRAME.
Steve freezes at the sight and SCREAMS for the first time. He drops the rope and...
Ryan takes his cue and pulls. Dozens of electrical. discharges blossom in midair and there is a primal CRY. A CRY OF BIRTH! RYAN AND LESH PULL THE ROPE.
DIANE, HOLDING CAROL ANNE IN HER ARMS, EXPLODES FROM THE AIR AND FALLS INTO THE CENTER OF THE LIVING ROOM.
Steve carries Diane who still holds Carol Anne. Both are crying and not aware of their surroundings. They are covered from head to toe in a jellied substance, pink and red, that oozes down Steve’s legs to the floor, leaving a trail behind.
Steve turns on the water and puts Diane and Carol Anne into the tub. Ryan follows his behind with his portable table video equipment. The water quickly turns a bright pink as the jelly substance dissolves and foments like bubblebath.
CLOSE - STEVE IS CRYING
CLOSE - DIANE’S EYES OPEN
CLOSE - CAROL ANNE’S EYES OPEN
CAROL ANNE
Hi, Daddy.
DIANE
Thank God. Oh, thank God.
ANGLE - BATHROOM DOOR
Tangina and Dr. Lesh lean against the door, exhausted.
TANGINA
This house is clean.
FADE OUT.
FADE IN:
The title card “Two Weeks Later” FADES ON then OFF.
The Freelings are moving. Bekins boxes are stacked all around, and packings lists lie on the kitchen counter. The entire family has gathered in front of a large roast. E. Buzz sits by Robbie. They are bowed in prayer, holding hands.
ALL
Bless us, oh Lord, for these thy gifts which
we are about to receive.
STEVE
...and for bringing serenity back to our
home.
ROBBIE
Rub-a-dub-dub. Thanks for the grub. Yeah
God!
Everybody LAUGHS. Diane, with an enormous amount of gray in her hair, reaches into her purse, almost as an afterthought and takes out an envelope addressed to the Freeling family.
DIANE
This came in the mail this morning from Tangina.
She’s in Acapulco.
Diane passes a color polaroid around the table.
CAROL ANNE
Who’s that with Aunt Tangie?
Tangina is standing against the sun and surf in a muu muu. Beside her is a good-looking, normal-sized man in his early thirties. If you didn’t know Tangina was a midget you'd think the man was nine feet tall. There is writing accompanying the photo which Diane reads.
DIANE
This photograph just goes on to prove that
we grow things bigger in Texas than anywhere
else in the world.
DANA
Mom, I'm going to the Roxy with Kirk and
Franklin.
DIANE
It’s a school night.
DANA
It is not, it’s Friday.
DIANE
(laughing)
Right. Right. I guess your mother is getting
old.
STEVE
Just her hair.
DIANE
(mock protesting)
Well I like it.
STEVE
I can lend you some of my Grecian Formula.
DIANE
I like my hair like this. It’s very distinguished.
Diane finishes the letter.
DIANE
She wants to know how our therapy is coming
and says there is no better road to a normal
life than through the love we have shown
for each other...
ROBBIE
Carol Anne gots more sweet potatoes on her
plate.
STEVE
You can have seconds. Finish firsts first.
DIANE
...and thinks moving is a good idea even
if the house is clean. You’re still seeing
Teague tonight, aren’t you?
STEVE
Yea, he’s coming by at 9. We’ll probably
go to the club.
CAROL ANNE
(teasing Robbie)
Looky-loo. Looky-loo. Looky, looky, looky-loo.
ROBBIE
Looky-loo to you too. Looky-loo are you-who.
Looky, looky, looky-loo.
DISSOLVE ON A CHORUS OF HAPPY TEASING:
LATER
Through the lace curtains, Steve climbs in to Teague‘s Bronco and they pull away.
Diane watches him leave and walks up the stairs to the upper bedroom.
Taking the pins from her hair, Diane passes Carol Anne and Robbie’s bedroom. The door is closed and warm light filters through at the bottom jamb. She listens in, hears nothing and starts to turn the knob, but thinks twice and continues into her bedroom.
Diane has done some redecorating in here. The first thing we notice is that the stain is gone and the curtains are lace yellow with white for borders. The bedspread is a happy sunlit color with smiling moons and planets.
Diane reaches down into the bathtub.
CLOSE UP -DRAIN
Diane squeezes the rubber stopper into the drain.
CLOSE UP - HOT AND COLD HANDLES
She mixes the temperatures until we see steam rising from the filling tub.
WIDE ANGLE - BATHROOM
Diane unbuttons her shirt. She hangs it. up over the mirror. Kicking off her sneakers, Diane peel off her sweat socks and unzips her Levi jeans.
Diane comes into the hall in her robe. Her hair is pinned up for the tub. The bathwater can be heard inside. Tying off the robe, Diane returns to Carol Anne and Robbie’s room and puts her hand on the knob. This is hard for her and will always be. She turns it and the door slides open. Diane Sticks her head in tentatively.
DIANE’S POV
Robbie and Carol Anne are quietly playing SPACE INVADERS on their new Atari video game. They both turn to see what their mother wants.
DIANE
Just checkin' up. I’ll be in the tub for
a few minutes if you’ll get the phone?
ROBBIE
Sure, Mom. Hey, I‘m winning!
CAROL ANNE
I won the last two battles.
ROBBIE
Yeah and I won the first two.
DIANE
Play nice or Mommy wins the war.
She turns to go and sees that the closet light is off. Diane reaches into the closet with her hand... feeling for the switch. Her hand flails in the dark until it feels something. Diane f1inches and pulls. The closet light comes on and Diane lets go of the pull cord. She smiles again at her children and leaves.
ANGLE - DIANE’S BARE FEET
The robe falls in a bundle around her feet. She steps out of it and into the tub. Sucking in her breath several times as she inches her way into the hot water up to her neck. Diane sighs. She closes her eyes. The steam rises to the ceiling. The tub water gurgles into the overflow drain just under the spigot. Diane takes a washrag, throws it by her feet, and uses her big toe to clog the overflow drain to stop the annoying sound.
ANGLE - FLOOR
E. Buzz comes in and folds his legs up under him nestling into the soft area rug. He closes his eyes.
CLOSE - DIANE
She closes her eyes. Her breathing becomes steady and regular. We hold...and HOLD.
Robbie yawns and climbs into his new bed. Carol Anne imitates her older brother and climbs into her new bed.
The TV game is still on and the tiny white and blue rockets race silently through video space.
CAROL ANNE
‘Nite, Robbie.
ROBBIE
‘Nite, Carol Anne.
Robbie looks over at the new rocking chair. The old clown doll is sitting there quietly. Robbie takes the shirt by his bed and tries tossing it over the head of the clown doll but he misses. The shirt falls across the arm rest and starts the chair rocking. Robbie shrugs and turns out the light by his bed only the soft moonlight from the window and the warm light from the partially opened closet give any ambient illumination to the room. Outside the SOUND of a car passing. The TICKING of Carol Anne’s new “man in the moon" clock.
CLOSE ON E. BUZZ
He is sleeping. His eyes open. His ears perk up and he raises his head.
UP ANGLE - DIANE
She is drying herself outside the tub. She looks down at her dog and blow him a kiss.
E. Buzz's tail wags as he follows Diane into the bedroom where she sits in front of her vanity table and takes the clips from her hair.
CLOSE - ROBBIE
He turns over but can’t sleep. He yawns and sits up on one elbow look1ing toward Carol Anne. She is out like a light. Robbie casually looks over at the clown in the rocking chair. The rocking chair is empty.
Dressed in a nightgown and robe, .Diane combs out her long, silky hair. She throws her head forward so all the hair in back can cover her face. Stroking from the back of her neck, Diane gets out all of the tangles. Satisfied, Diane flips her head straight up so all her hair can fly back around her shoulders. The shiny gray-brown hair flies straight up into the air and upon reaching its full height...it freezes and doesn’t come down.
E. Buzz turns and runs out of the room. DIANE IS LOOKING AT HERSELF IN THE MIRROR WHEN THIS HAPPENS.
In the b.g., just above the headboard to her bed, a BLACK SPOT starts to SPREAD. Like an ink blot it gathers speed in all directions sending wiggly black veins like a man-of-war over the ceiling and onto the floor.
DIANE IS GOING TO FAINT. HER EYES START TO ROLL INTO HER HEAD WHEN...
Four deep impressions collapse her cheek unevenly against her jaw. The left side of her mouth is pressed against her front teeth as if someone was attempting to twist her head halfway around the left shoulder.
The STAIN STOPS GROWING AND STARTS TO BREATHE, moving in and out like the hairy body of a mutant tarantula.
CLOSE-DIANE’S FACE
Diane’s lips are pressed flat against her gums and mushed in counter-clockwise circles, how a kiss might appear if only the receiver were visible.
Her hair is allowed to fall around her shoulders and she struggles away from the force that has held her. She goes straight for the door. It CLOSES IN HER FACE. Diane turns insanely when her arm is nearly wrenched from its socket. She is flung onto her bed right under the spider stain.
Robbie, sitting up in bed, looks all around for the clown doll. He dares even to look on the floor. It is nowhere in sight.
Robbie’s breathing quickens. He knows where he now must look. After all no child can ever sleep until knowing the night is in order. Lying on his stomach, Robbie slowly lowers himself head first to the floor of his bed, in preparation to look under it. He very, very carefully lifts the dust ruffle and lets the top of his head touch the rug. Robbie is upside-down as he looks into the darkness under his bed.
The clown is there, face to face with him, smiling sardonically.
In the split second it takes for a child to draw a breath and let it out through the vocal chords, the clown doll wraps its five foot extension arms tour times around Robbie’s neck, cutting off half his air.
Struggling now for his life...Robbie is dragged inexorably under his own bed and out of sight.
Waking up suddenly. A light interior breeze ruffles her hair. Carol Anne sees the closet.
The closet grows brighter.
Diane lets out a chilling SCREAM. Her robe is torn away from her nightgown and hurled into the air. Diane tries to get up but a pressure upon her chest defeats her best effort.
CLOSE - DIANE’S BREASTS
The nightgown is suddenly torn away revealing her breast. They are kneaded and flattened. Hulking finger impressions can be seen sinking deeply into her. Diane’s hysteria doesn’t make any difference. Now her legs are spread apart and a great pressure over her pelvic bones crushes her deeper and deeper into the mattress over and over again.
Diane is fighting all this time when everything suddenly stops. She is left for dead, on the wet, sweat-stained sheets. Then...it begins again, but this time...
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