House on Haunted Hill

                           PRICE
                You're forgetting my lovely wife; she's
                part of the same winner-take-all as the
                rest of you.

                           SARA
                What're you talking about?

                           PRICE
                Oh, sorry. Detail I guess I forgot to
                mention. You die, you lose. Your check
                gets divvied-up by those still amongst
                the living.

                           BLACKBURN
                What are you playing here, Price?

                           PRICE
                A very, very scary game. But then look
                at the bright side: if there's only one
                of you still upright at dawn, you'll be
                leaving here with five million dollars
                in your pocket.

                           EDDIE
                This is nuts.

                           PRICE
                Yeah. But, hey, anybody who's not
                "comfortable" with the rules, you're
                free to walk, anytime. Seven digits
                poorer, goes without saying.

                           PRITCHETT
                I'm ready now.

                           PRICE
                Alright, Mr. Pritchett, let me just
                sign the damn thing.

     Price sits at a rusting octagonal wire-and-steel desk, knifes
     open his envelope, and produces a pen.

                           PRITCHETT
                Two "T"s at the end of the name.

     Price looks up, puts the pen down.

                           PRICE
                Just for the record: what are the rest
                of your names?

                           BLACKBURN
                Donald W. Blackburn, M.D.

                           MELISSA
                Melissa Margaret Marr, Celebrity.

                           EDDIE
                Eddie Moses, Communications Attache --
                which translated from ancient bullshit
                means: I work for a Messenger service.

     Beat. All eyes have now turned to Sara, who's just standing
     there nervously.

                           PRICE
                And you, young lady?

     She blurts out the lie as one word:

                           SARA
                Jennifer-Jenzen-Executive-V.P.-
                Paragon-Pictures.

                           PRICE
                Very good. Well, I think I can say with
                complete honesty: I've never heard of
                any of you.

                           EDDIE
                Then what the hell are we doing here?

                           MELISSA
                How'd you make your guest list, Price:
                throw darts at a phone book?

                           PRICE
                You're not my list.

                           BLACKBURN
                I got an engraved -- literally --
                invitation -- with my name --

                           PRICE
                 -- I'm sure you did.

                           SARA
                This is all maybe getting a little
                too strange --

                           PRICE
                 -- I wouldn't worry, Ms. Jenzen: the
                unexplainable will probably explain
                herself before too long. In the
                meantime, let's all relax, have a drink,
                the evening's young --

                           PRITCHETT
                 -- it's getting older by the second.
                Mr. Price, if I could just please have --

                           PRICE
                Sorry, Pritchett, here you go.

     He signs the check and hands it to Pritchett who spins on his
     heels and starts quickly for the foyer.

                           PRICE
                I think you're gonna miss the bash of
                a lifetime --

                           PRITCHETT
                 -- my loss --

                           PRICE
                 -- even if I give you a million as
                well?

                           PRITCHETT
                Wouldn't know what to do with it all --

      -- and then, suddenly, we hear the distant sound of heavy
     MACHINES at work. Pritchett freezes for a moment.

                           PRITCHETT
                Oh, no.

                           SARA
                What's going on?

                                                            CUT TO:

     INT. GEAR ROOM -

     Heavy rusted GEARS somewhere in the house, CRUNCHING as
     they begin to turn.

                                                            CUT TO:

     INT. GRAND FOYER -

     Where Pritchett is sprinting like a madman to the exit.

                           PRITCHETT
                Please -- God-in-Heaven, no --

                                                            CUT TO:

     INT. MAIN SALON

     The NOISE inside the room, inside the entire house, is
     deafening. Price senses something:

                           PRICE
                The windows --

     Pritchett makes the long run across the huge room towards:

                                                            CUT TO:

     INT. GEAR ROOM

     The ancient LEVERS snapping down like punches.

                                                            CUT TO:

     INT. MAIN SALON

     BAM! The windows being sealed off by heavy IRON PLATES
     slamming into place.

                                                            CUT TO:

     INT. GRAND FOYER

     BAM! The front door being likewise sealed by a descending
     IRON PLATE -- nearly decapitating Pritchett.

                           PRITCHETT
                You can't do this to me!

     INT. VARIOUS LOCATIONS (NOTE: TBA)

     BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! Every window, door, and portal of
     any kind in the house likewise being slammed-sealed shut.

                                                            CUT TO:

     INT. MAIN SALON

      -- where everybody stands silent, breathless, and not a
     little afraid, as the sound of SLAMMING IRON is heard echoing
     everywhere in the distance.

                                                            CUT TO:

     INT. GRAND FOYER

     Pritchett making a literal last dive for the one window in
     the foyer that is still partially unsealed, its iron plate
     closing fast --

                           PRITCHETT
                 -- NOOOOOOOO!!! --

      -- BAM! The ancient LEVERS smashing down all the way to the
     concrete floor: mission completed.

                                                            CUT TO:

     INT. MAIN SALON

     That final BAM! resounding in the Main Salon. And then
     silence.

                           MELISSA
                Now that is enter-fucking-
                tainment!

     Eddie Moses tries to yank up one of the plates -- all he gets
     for his efforts is two handfuls of rust.

                           EDDIE
                This thing's going nowhere.

                           BLACKBURN
                If this is someone's idea of a
                joke --

      -- an agonized SCREAM in response; it's coming from the
     Foyer --

                           PRICE
                 -- Pritchett's not laughing.

                                                            CUT TO:

     INT. GRAND FOYER

     Price & Guests entering and greeted by the sight of:

     Watson Pritchett - Hair wild, clothes torn, SCREAMING as he
     tries to pry the cast-iron plate off the Foyer window with
     his bare hands --

                           PRITCHETT
                 -- NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! --

      -- he's ripping his fingernails off, blood coursing down his
     arms. PRICE runs to him, yanks him from the window and to the
     floor.

                           PRICE
                Pritchett!!

     Pritchett stops screaming, looks up at Price in utter terror.

                           PRICE
                Blackburn! His hands, do something!

     Blackburn races over, takes one look. Yells to Sara:

                           BLACKBURN
                Bottle of vodka on the sideboard:
                get it!

     She races into the other room. Blackburn takes his
     handkerchief and puts it on Pritchett's wounds. Pritchett
     doesn't so much as whimper, keeps staring at Price. In a
     daze:

                           PRICE
                Pritchett, what the hell just
                happened here?

     Pritchett looks up at him, eyes not quite focused.

                           PRITCHETT
                Lockdown.

     Sara dashes back in with the bottle of vodka.

                           SARA
                What does that mean?

     Blackburn takes the liquor and begins cleaning/disinfecting
     Pritchett's wounds.

                           PRITCHETT
                A mechanism. From the old Asylum. For
                Emergencies. Sealed the whole place
                shut. Top to bottom. That's how come
                they all burned to death in '31. Dr.
                Vannacutt threw the switch. If he was
                gonna die, they all were gonna die,
                and so they were toast.

                           MELISSA
                No wonder they're still pissed off.

                           PRITCHETT
                The only ones who survived were five of
                Vannacutt's staff butchers.

                           BLACKBURN
                Why in God's name wasn't this thing
                removed years ago??

                           PRITCHETT
                It was on my Dad's list of "things
                to do." But the House did him first.

                           EDDIE
                You said that was an accident.

                           PRITCHETT
                I lied. The House is alive and
                we're all gonna die.

                           BLACKBURN
                Oh, for chrissake --

                           SARA
                 -- uh, excuse me, just one quick
                question? How long before this damn
                thing unseals itself?

                           PRITCHETT
                Don't know that it does.

                           SARA
                Well, then, how 'bout maybe we
                call someone?

                           PRITCHETT
                Hasn't been a telephone in this
                House in over 60 years.

     Blackburn, Price and Melissa Marr all chime in unintentional
     unison:

                           BLACKBURN/PRICE/MELISSA
                I've got my cellular.

                           SARA
                Well, flip a coin and somebody dial 911!

                           PRITCHETT
                Won't do any good.

                           SARA
                Why not?