House on Haunted Hill

                           SARA
                Eddie!!!

     Eddie takes his jacket off and lowers it down to Sara. She
     grabs hold, and Eddie begins pulling her up.

     INT. ATTIC - SIMULTANEOUS

     Pritchett finds himself in the cavernous attic, standing
     before the massive pulley and counterweight system that's the
     upper half of the lockdown mechanism.

     Through the grooved channel that one of the iron plates
     slides up and down on, Pritchett can look down and see the
     Foyer and the plate blocking the front door.

     There's a hand crank attached to a series of block-and-
     tackles that ultimately connect to the massive counterweight
     to the front door's plate.

     With all his effort, he turns the crank, but can only manage
     a half revolution --

      -- creak-crunch -- but something moved down there! You can
     hear it! How much, how high, he can't see, but maybe it's
     enough.

                           PRITCHETT
                If there is a God...

     He puts his full weight behind him and grabs the crank again
     -- pushes down -- and the thing breaks off in his hand.

                           PRITCHETT
                No-no-no!!!! Why me, why me, you
                sonovabitch!

     In hysterical frustration, he throws the broken flange of
     metal as hard as he can at the wall. He misses the wall
     entirely and the crank just pinballs impotently between
     cables and counter-weights with a series of mocking CLANKS!
     and PINGS!

                           PRITCHETT
                Whyyyyyyy??????

     As he tears at his hair, screeching, suddenly he notices
     light on his hands. He turns, and the:

     DIM GLOW from a soon-to-rise sun falls on his face. He SEES:

     that, somehow, all that caroming that his errant crank did
     has caused one of the IRON PLATES to raise slightly. There is
     now a THREE FOOT OPENING in the attic dormer window.

     PRITCHETT'S EYES glance nervously upward.

                           PRITCHETT
                Is it too late to take back a
                couple of things I said?

     INT. DECAYING ROOM - SIMULTANEOUS

     Eddie pulls Sara all the way up and out of the subterranean
     chamber. They slump back on the fetid floor, exhausted.

                           EDDIE
                You okay?

                           SARA
                Yeah. And under other abnormal
                circumstances, I think this would be the
                time to seriously jump your bones.

                           EDDIE
                Better put it on hold 'til we find
                Pritchett.

                           SARA
                I don't do groups.

     Eddie laughs -- and then his mouth stays open with no sound
     coming out. He's staring as:

     The area around the hole in the floor begins to turn a
     familiar black. And is creeping fast towards Sara's shoe.

                           SARA
                What?

                           EDDIE
                Jesus!

     She rips her shoes off.

                           EDDIE
                Pritchett??

     They both bolt and head for the basement stairs.

     INT. ATTIC - SIMULTANEOUS

     Pritchett moves to the window and freedom. He is about to
     make it outside when he stops.

                           PRITCHETT
                Oh, c'mon -- don't grow a conscience
                now, f'chrissake!

     He continues out the window -- stops again. Looks heavenward,
     angry and guilty at the same time. Yells to his deity:

                           PRITCHETT
                Alright, alright! I won't leave 'em here
                to die!

     He crabs himself back into the attic, runs over to the
     grooved channel that the front door's iron plate slides on.
     Shouts down through the slit to the Foyer:

                           PRITCHETT
                I found the way out!

     INT. MAIN SALON - CONTINUOUS

     Sara and Eddie hear the Voice coming from the Foyer:

                           PRITCHETT (O.S.)
                Anybody still alive? I'm giving you ten
                seconds! Two-four-six-eight --

     Sara and Eddie dash into the Foyer.

                           SARA
                 -- hey! --

                           PRITCHETT (O.S.)
                     (slightly disappointed)
                 -- ten.

                           EDDIE
                Pritchett, is that you?

                           PRITCHETT (O.S.)
                Up here --

     INT. ATTIC - CONTINUOUS

     A metallic POP! and PING! is heard. Pritchett's eyes dart to
     the machinery: a strand of the rusted cable holding the
     window open has snapped free, and the rest are in an advanced
     state of fray.

                           PRITCHETT
                 -- I think you better hurry -- there's
                something of a time issue here.

     INT. GRAND FOYER - CONTINUOUS

     Sara and Eddie start up the stairs - behind them the hallway
     is turning black with decay.

                           SARA
                Move!!

     They race up the stairs --

     INT. ATTIC - CONTINUOUS

      -- arriving in another part of the attic.

     Sara looks around, trying to get her bearings.

                           EDDIE
                Pritchett!

     A DISTANT VOICE

                           PRITCHETT (O.S.)
                Over here!

     The attic is a labyrinth of dangling cables, counterweights
     and their often neck-high metal moorings. Sara moves toward
     the sound of his voice, Eddie hangs back, sensing something.

     SARA slowly wends her way through all the mishigas.

     UNSEEN by her, down by her carefully treading feet, the
     Shadow Mass is filtering up through the slits in the attic's
     floor.

     SARA edges her way around a tall iron fly-rail --

      -- and something grabs at her hand. She's had enough, she
     reaches back to slug it -- then stops:

     It's Pritchett.

                           PRITCHETT
                Please. It's been a bad enough day --

      -- and now the SHADOW MASS has re-assembled to its new, full
     enormity. It begins to barrel across the attic towards
     Pritchett and Sara, who don't have a clue -- Eddie does...

                           EDDIE
                Get out ot the way!

     Sara turns back toward him. Eddie rushes and pushes her to
     the side as the Shadow Mass is just about to envelop her.

     And EDDIE is STRUCK full-force -- he instantaneously turns to
     a blackened mass.

                           SARA
                Eddie!!

     And then the wind from outside kicks up, blowing EDDIE AWAY
     like so much powder. And Sara just crumples.

     At the other end of the attic, the Shadow Mass is TURNING
     back toward them.

     Pritchett rushes in -- GRABS SARA -- and pulls her towards
     the small dormer window -- the CABLE holding the plate snaps
     three of its last four strands --

      -- Pritchett pushes Sara through the window -- just as the
     CABLE holding the plate finally breaks, trapping Pritchett
     inside!

     It's now back to near pitch-black again in there. Pritchett
     turns to see:

     The FACES of all of Vannacutt's VICTIMS taking form in the
     immense Shadow Mass -- all with that revenge-on-the-living
     look in their empty-socket eyes.

     Suddenly from the swirling dark center of the mass... THE
     FLAMING HEAD OF DR. RICHARD VANNACUTT appears... BLASTING a
     HOT BREATH at Pritchett, who is freaking out.

                           PRITCHETT
                I'm just the contractor's son! I
                had nothing to do with your current
                condition!

     The words seem to have little impact on the steadily
     approaching Mass of Faces.