House on Haunted Hill

                           EDDIE
                Shouldn't somebody like, stand guard
                or something -- just in case?

                           BLACKBURN
                I'll stay, if it'll ease your mind.

                           EDDIE
                You sure? You'll be alright by yourself?

     Blackburn pats the gun in his jacket pocket.

                           BLACKBURN
                I'm not worried.

     Sara nods, takes Eddie's hand and disappears up the stairs.

     Blackburn and Price stare at each other on opposite sides of
     the tiny window. Price is screeching something at him, but we
     can't hear a word through all that iron.

                           BLACKBURN
                Can't quite make that out -- what?

     Price silently bellows.

                           BLACKBURN
                You want to see how this thing
                works? Weird request, but okay...

     Blackburn leans over and starts twisting dials and flipping
     every switch he can find on the CONTROL PANEL of the capsule.

     We see Price look up in alarm: a CIRCLE OF PULSING LIGHTS is
     dappling down on him. It looks almost quaint: like a
     Victorian carousel at night.

                           BLACKBURN
                You've got to let me know how it all
                turns out. Professional courtesy and all
                that.

     And with Price seen yelling and pounding through the window,
     BLACKBURN walks away and disappears into the dark of the
     basement. He passes right by the huge, sealed STEEL DOOR
     where Vannacutt stashed his corpses. The tendrils of mold on
     the metal have expanded to the length of a man's arm.

     INT. SATURATION CHAMBER - CONTINUOUS

     Price is down on the floor of the capsule, a look both of
     fear and an engineer's curiosity on his face, as he stares up
     at the CIRCLE OF LIGHT that has begun to spin faster and
     faster --

      -- and then whatever anxiety he has abruptly drops from his
     face. Aside from a little eye-strain, absolutely nothing's
     happening to him. He stands and examines the source of the
     light. Sees on the ceiling of the capsule: it's nothing more
     than a spinning mirror ball-like apparatus flecked with
     colored glass. He's unimpressed:

                           PRICE
                Technology by Fred Flintstone.

     He turns away from it, braces himself against a wall,

     SEE STORYBOARDS FOR THIS SEQUENCE - WHICH SHOWS STEVEN PRICE
     BEING TORMENTED BY LIGHT, SOUND, FURY AND HALLUCINATIONS.

                                                          SMASH TO:

     INT. BASEMENT CORRIDOR - CONTINUOUS

     Where we view Price from outside the Capsule. Through its
     tiny window we see him silently jerk, spasm and scream -- all
     while standing inside the utterly empty Saturation Chamber.

     OVER we hear almost bestial-sounding grunts.

     INT. BASEMENT CORRIDOR - SIMULTANEOUS

     Sara and Eddie move through the corridor - stopping at
     every junction. They're hopelessly lost.

                           EDDIE
                I think we should have taken a right
                back there.

                           SARA
                Back where?

     They scan the maze of interconnecting passageways behind
     them.

                           EDDIE
                Good point.

                           SARA
                     (pointing to another hallway)
                Let's try down here...

     They move in that direction, turning a corner and passing
     several doorways. Eddie glances at the door they're about
     to pass and stops.

                           EDDIE
                Hey, check it out.

     Sara stops and looks at the wire glass door. A nameplate
     reads: DR. RICHARD B. VANNACUTT

                           SARA
                Vannacutt's office.

     She tries the door handle. It's unlocked. They move inside,
     slowly.

     INT. VANNACUTT'S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS

     Inside is an amazing collection of debris, partially
     ransacked.

     File cabinets are open and the floor is littered with
     papers. On shelves are bottles of specimens of body parts
     and dead sea life, floating in formaldehyde.

     Sara moves over to Vannacutt's desk and begins going
     through the drawers. Eddie stares at the specimens.

                           EDDIE
                What are you looking for?

                           SARA
                Maybe there are notes or drawings of
                this place, showing how those plates
                work.

     Eddie pulls a picture from the wall... The glass is
     cracked. Sara looks back at Eddie and moves to him.

                           SARA (cont'd)
                What've you got?

                           EDDIE
                Class of 1931.

     ECU - THE PICTURE shows the various doctors and nurses in
     resident. The banner above the corroding image states:
     THE VANNACUTT INSTITUTE STAFF FOR 1931. Below each face is
     a name and position.

                           SARA
                Cheery looking bunch.

                           EDDIE
                Better living through electricity.

     Sara notices something about the photo.

                           SARA
                Holy shit! Now we know how the guest
                list was made up. Look, these names...
                Head Nurse, Ruth-Ann Stockard... Bjorn
                Jensen, Electro Therapy... Jasper Marr,
                Thomas Steven Price... They're all here!

                           EDDIE
                Wait a minute... What are you saying?

                           SARA
                Everyone that was invited is related to
                one of the staff who was here when the
                place burned. There are five of us...

     Suddenly, another voice is heard...

                           PRITCHETT
                And five that didn't die.

     Sara and Eddie just about jump out of their skins!
     Pritchett is standing in the doorway in his usual sloshed
     condition.

                           EDDIE
                Shit, Pritchett!!!

                           PRITCHETT
                Price didn't make the guest list... The
                house did. It wants vengeance.

                           EDDIE
                How's a goddamn building gonna send out
                invitations?

                           PRITCHETT
                What's life, anyway? Waves...? Sound...?
                Light...? Electricity...? I don't
                know... Phone lines...?

                           SARA
                Or an on-line computer.

                           EDDIE
                That's crazy!

                           SARA
                What about that other guy?

                           PRITCHETT
                Schechter? Wrong place at the wrong
                time... like you.

     Eddie stares at the photo.

                           EDDIE
                I don't see Blackburn's name on here...

                                                            CUT TO:

     INT. ELECTRO-SHOCK ROOM - SIMULTANEOUS

     Dr. Blackburn opens the door to the room and walks grimly
     into it, staring at Evelyn's dead body, still strapped to the
     table.

                           BLACKBURN
                The late Mrs. Steven Price.

     From his medical-bag, he removes a scalpel.

                           BLACKBURN
                Tragic, tortured Mrs. Steven Price.

     With a blur of quick slashes, he cuts her limbs and torso
     free of their moldy restraints.

                           BLACKBURN
                Lovely Mrs. Steven Price.

     Now accessible, he parts the top of her nightgown. Runs a
     finger slowwwwly from the tip of her chin down to her bare
     breasts.

                           BLACKBURN
                Creamy, cool...and now very
                cooperative Mrs. Steven Price.

     His tongue darts from his lips and he begins planting long,
     lingering kisses all over her neck --

      -- FLASH: of a hypodermic being pulled from Blackburn's bag --

      -- Blackburn kissing everywhere around her breasts --

      -- FLASH: of the air bubbles in the needle being plunged out
     of the tip: squirt! --

      -- bubbles of Blackburn's saliva dampening her nipples, his
     tongue swabbing concentric circles within her aureole --

      -- FLASH: the needle into the crook of Evelyn's elbow --

      -- Blackburn's mouth dancing down to her belly -- he's begun
     to hyperventilate with excitement -- and

     A HAND comes languidly into frame, begins stroking his lush
     dyed locks --

                           VOICE (O.S.)
                I've missed you.

                           BLACKBURN
                I've missed this.

     And Dr. Blackburn tosses the hypo away and hoists himself to
     meet the eager, waiting mouth of the now very alive EVELYN
     STOCKARD-PRICE -- who starts to vigorously respond to
     Blackburn's touch. He reluctantly pulls himself away.

                           BLACKBURN
                Easy. You've got to keep still for a
                bit, the last thing we need is a
                coronary.

                           EVELYN
                You're the Doctor, sweetheart. 'Guess
                the atropine worked, then.

                           BLACKBURN
                Convinced all those that needed
                convincing: you're an official dead
                lady.

                           EVELYN
                And what's Steven's status?

                           BLACKBURN
                Still alive, but it's just a matter
                of time. And then will come your
                miraculous resurrection --

                           EVELYN
                 -- "oh, no, Officer, I'm very much
                alive -- just a joke to beat my
                husband at his own clever game --
                What? What do you mean he's dead?
                It's all my fault, I may as well
                have killed him myself!"

                           BLACKBURN
                "But you didn't, Ma'am. We have all
                these witnesses that saw..." well,
                whoever it ends up being that finally
                shoots him --

                           EVELYN
                 -- the James Dean wannabe with the hair
                trigger --

                           BLACKBURN
                 -- or might turn out to be -- very big
                surprise -- that Jenzen girl. The little
                bitch has the right stuff. She nearly
                put a bullet in Price right after your
                "demise."

                           EVELYN
                So what stopped her?

                           BLACKBURN
                It's complicated. But don't worry --

                           EVELYN
                 -- there's already been way too many
                complications for a very simple plan.
                You ever find out what happened to
                Melissa Marr?

                           BLACKBURN
                Not yet.

                           EVELYN
                So we don't even know if she's
                alive or dead --

                           BLACKBURN
                 -- Price killed her, there's no
                other explanation --

                           EVELYN
                 -- there's plenty: for all we know,
                Steven's got her spying on us right
                now --

                           BLACKBURN
                 -- bullshit --

                           EVELYN
                 -- the whole thing is falling apart!

     Blackburn starts stroking her, trying to calm her.

                           BLACKBURN
                It's not, baby. Just a matter of
                minutes now, before somebody
                pulls the trigger --

                           EVELYN
                 -- but nobody has yet, Donald. They
                just haven't been brought to that
                breaking point. They have to believe
                proof-positive that their lives
                are in danger.

                           BLACKBURN
                How much more do they need than
                your death at his hands?

                           EVELYN
                But they didn't see it happen, they
                still have doubts. What we need is
                another body, and Steven's bloody
                hands right next to it!

                           BLACKBURN
                And how the hell are we going
                to do that?