The Haunting (1999) - full transcript

♪ Ring-around-the-rosy ♪

Now, I'm trying to tell you...

that we can't afford to
keep you here anymore.

You already owe two months
worth of back rent.

It's mine, and you're
not taking it away.

Read the will, Nell. It
states, in plain language:

"The executor shall have
the right to dispose of...

any and all personal property
as he shall see fit."

- He's not even real family.
- Yeah, well, maybe not.

But clearly, Mother thought Lou
would be much better equipped...

to deal with these
unpleasant details than you.



"Unpleasant details"?

What have I been dealing
with for the past 11 years?

I've cooked, cleaned,
mopped up her urine!
You call that an "unpleasant detail"?

- Hey, your sister didn't write the will.
- We all know what you've done.

- We're trying to help.
- Do not help me!

Oh, Ritchie. Just go sit
on the couch, okay?

Oh.

Anyway, once probate closes,

we can put this apartment
on the market,

and we all might be able
to make a few bucks.

Also, we know how much you love Mom's
car, so we're giving it to you.

You're taking away my home and
giving me a 20-year-old car?

Absolutely. We'll deduct the value
from the proceeds of the apartment.

Who are you?



Do you understand that
I have nowhere to go?

We've been talking, and... Lou
and I are very busy, and...

we could use someone to help us
with the cleaning and the cooking,

Looking after Ritchie?

Eleanor, help me. I gotta pee.

Ritchie, not now!

Get outta my home.

Well, suit yourself. We'll
let the courts handle it.

Get out of my home.

Honey, let go. That's right.
Oops. Sorry. Okay.

Here you go, honey.
Follow Daddy.

Come live with us, Nell.

You have no idea how
hard it is out there.

No, Jane. You have no idea
how hard it was in here.

Hello.

Yes, this is Eleanor.

Where?

I see it.

"Research subjects.
Nine hundred a week."

Here's how they're organized.

The groups have very
different personalities.

Scored all over the Kiersey Temperament
Sorter, just like you asked for,

and they all score very high
on the insomnia charts.

Oh, what a beautiful profile.

A classic dependent
personality disorder.

However, we were looking
for "suggestible."

Her mother died two months ago.

She really wants to do this.

And what are your
feelings, Mary?

Tell me what your
intuitions say.

I put my favorites on top.

Mm-hmm. What else
have we got here?

"Low self-esteem,
high narcissism,

chronic feeling of emptiness,

identity disturbance."

Good, good. Very good.

Is this where we're going?

That's Hill House. It's
perfect, isn't it?

- The Hill House Project...
- Is absolutely essential
to my research, Malcom.

No, just listen. I grant you,

fear and performance
is a big, sexy idea.

- But as chairman of this
department, I cannot...
- I know you clinical guys...

don't like to ask these
questions, but think about it.

What is fear, anyway?
It's a series of automatic
responses to a given stimulus,

characterized by increased
heart rate, respiratory activity
and adrenaline function.

The only problem with fear is
that it has largely become
inappropriate and nonadaptive.

Do sweaty palms help
to talk to your boss?

Does a racing pulse help
some kid's score on an SAT?

And yet we carry with us these
primordial fear responses...

that do the opposite of what
they were intended to do.

- So why is that?
- David, David, no one is saying...

that these aren't
provocative questions.

But you can't conduct this
research ethically or responsibly.

And on top of that, you're
bringing your insomniacs...

to this house under
false pretenses.

Because the experiment needs
a credible cover story.
Calling it an insomnia study...

allows me to create a highly
suggestive environment...

to investigate the
dynamics of fear.

You don't tell the rats they're
actually in a maze, Malcom. Come on.

What do you want?

Are... Are you Mr. Dudley,
the caretaker?

Yeah. I'm Mr. Dudley, the caretaker.
But what are you doing here?

I'm with Dr. Marrow's group.

I'm supposed to see Mrs. Dudley.
Is she here?

Where do you think?

Why do you need so many chains?

That's a good question.

What is it about fences?

Sometimes the people on either side
of the fence see a locked chain,

they feel a little more comfortable.
Why do you suppose that is?

Mrs. Dudley?

Hello?

Mrs. Dudley?

Hello?

Hello? Mrs. Dudley?

Oh, my...

I'm... I'm, uh...
I'm Eleanor Vance.

- I'm here with the...
- Dr. Marrow's group.

You're the first.

Yeah, I'd... I'd heard
a sound, and that's...

It's make the dinner
or answer the door.
Can't do both.

- Are you Mrs. Dudley?
- So far.

I'll show you your room.

This way.

The Red Room.

You're going to be the first
visitors Hill House has had...

- since Mr. Crain died.
- Really?

These are beautiful.

I know. I've seen 'em.
It's a lot to dust.

I've never seen this
kind of beauty.

You must love working here.

I set dinner on the dining
room sideboard at six.

You can serve yourselves.
Breakfast is ready at nine.

I don't wait on people.

I don't stay after dinner,

not after it begins to get dark.

I leave... before dark comes.

We live in town... nine miles...

so there won't be anyone
around if you need help.

We couldn't even hear you...
in the night.

Why would we?

No one could.

No one lives any
nearer than town.

No one will come any
nearer than that...

in the night,

in the dark.

You'll be staying
in the north wing.

Hi. Don't worry. I'm not
an obsessive packer.

It's just asking people to help me
schlepp this stuff is a cheap...

and exploitative way
of making new friends.

- Here. I'm Theo.
- Hi.

Eleanor, but everyone
calls me Nell.

Well, 'Everyone Calls Me
Nell', don't you love it here?

I love it.
Sort of Charles Foster Kane meets
the Munsters or something.

- I like your boots.
- You do? Aren't they great?

Prada. Milan, not New York.
But they're killing me.

Hey, small price to pay
for such savage kicks.

Wow. Oh, my God.

Oh, this is so twisted.

Seriously twisted.

I set dinner on the dining
room sideboard at six.

Breakfast is at nine.

I don't stay after dinner, not
after it begins to get dark.

I leave before dark comes,

so there won't be anyone
here if you need help.

We couldn't even hear you.

No one could.

No one lives any
nearer than town.

No one will come any
nearer than that.

In the night.

In the dark

In the dark.

My bedroom's right
next door to yours.

I think we share
the same bathroom.

Oh, don't worry. I probably
won't be in here much.

- Light sleeper.
- That's why we're here.

- What do you do, Eleanor?
- I'm between jobs right now.

The last person I was workin' for,
it ended. Over, so... And you?

Well, that depends.

I'm supposed to be an artist,

but I've been distracted
from work by love.

- You know what I mean?
- Mmm, not really.

Hey, don't tell me Boston's
different from New York.

Oh, you mean you have
trouble with commitment.

Well, my boyfriend thinks
so, my girlfriend doesn't.

If we could all live together...
But they hate each other.

Hello? The bag.

You know, it's hard when you're
the only one at the party.

- You know what I mean?
- No.

A blank canvas.

I could paint your
portrait directly on you.

Or maybe not.

So, what about you?

Husbands? Boyfriends?

Girlfriends, Eleanor?

Where do you live?

Mmm. I don't have anyone.

But I do have a little
apartment of my own.

It has a little flower garden.

You can just see the ocean.
And when the wind...

comes in just right, you can
hear the buoys in the harbor.

Wow. That sounds really nice.

You're lucky. But you
know that, right?

Oh, sorry.

Just a little hair.

So, show me the bathroom!

Oh, it's really beautiful.

It is huge.

- Oh, my God!
- This is the bathroom.

- Look at this bathtub.
Can you believe it?

Look at that. Wow!

Look at my bedroom, though.

- Isn't it beautiful?
- Yes.

- Let's go see the Great Hall.
- Uh-huh.

I mean, there's so much carving.
It's everywhere.

- I know.
- Oh, look at this one.

- Isn't this one great?
- No, that's creepy.

Oh, and this one.
This one's weird.

Well, you don't get this from
the Martha Stewart catalog.

I don't like it.

Isn't it based on 'The
Gates of Hell' by Rodin?

Well, it's not just hell.

See, the children, they're
reaching for heaven,

but their souls are
trapped in purgatory.

And these are the demons...

who can hold on to your soul
for as long as they want.

Did you study art?

No, I studied purgatory. I
was there once for 11 years.

It's when your soul is caught
between the living and the dead.

Oh, yeah, I've been there.

It's an 18-hour flight from L.A. to
Paris, and you're stuck in coach.

Do you see?

All ye who stand before these
doors shall be judged.

Well, let's not stand here.
Come on.

Okay.

Whoa.

- Is it real?
- No.

- Shall we go in?
- Yes.

Wow!

Whoo!

- Wow!
- Wow!

It's beautiful!

Oh, lala de da lala

- Would you care to dance?
- Yes.

I'm starting to like this house!

This is great!

Let's get outta here.

God! We're like rats...
rats in a maze.

Oh, God! If I ruin
these boots...

Jesus, they cost me a fortune.

- Let's go back.
- It's gotta be through here.

- I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
- That's all right.

Oh. Hey, I'm sorry. I
didn't mean to scare you.

I'm Luke Sanderson,
just a bad sleeper.

Basic tosser-turner.
And you are?

- Nell Vance.
- What kind of sleeper? Nightmares?

Not really.

- Anxiety attacks?
- No. Uh-uh.

Okay. Obsessive indecision.

Wow. And you? Let me think.

You, I'm gonna guess, are a...

Don't even start.

Wow, you're so dominant.

Thanks. Theo.

Hey, Theo.

Jesus.

Here we are.

- Hey.
- You're Luke.

- Yup.
- You're Theo. You're Eleanor.

Hi, I'm Dr. Marrow.

- Welcome.
- Hello, Dr. Marrow.

- This is Todd. He's just come up.
- Greetings, fellow insomniac.

Mary Lambetta, my assistant.
So how was your drive, Eleanor?

- It was fine. Yeah.
- Good. Good.

Welcome to Hill House, everyone.
Come on.

All right. Let the
good times roll.

Do you know what? The rest of
you may hate your insomnia,

but I'm not sure I
want a cure for mine.

That's when I get all my best ideas,
when I'm waiting to fall asleep.

I'm alone, occasionally,
with no distractions,

my mind's racing
with creative ideas,

and come 3:00 a.m., I
feel like a genius.

Are you kidding me? 3:00 a.m.
I start to feel...

like I'm losing my mind, watching
those infomercials on psychics...

or listening to Tony Robbins
and the psychic hot lines.

- Have you ever seen that late-night TV?
- Oh, yeah. Thank you.

I swear to God. You get a
steady diet of that crap,

and pretty soon you start thinking
about movin' to Montana...

and becomin' a survivalist.

That's why God created
barbiturates, honey.

- Nembutal?
- Mm-mm.

No, Todd, I think we have a classic
Seconal woman on our hands.

In fact, I think I see a
little Jackie Susann in Theo.

- Ow.
- All right, you two.

Enough about pharmaceuticals.

So, look, what do we
all need in life?

- What are the basics?
Food, water, shelter.
- Sex.

Rrreooww.

And sleep. Sleep.

I'm working on a five-year study,
with the help of Mary here,

making profiles
of bad sleepers.

I'm looking for a common
psychological link.

I hope that the work we do here
will someday be able to help
other people like yourselves.

God knows I'm all for helping
people, saving the world,

but doesn't everybody have a
problem sleeping these days?

Life's too frantic.

What about you, Nell?

Um, well, it seems that you
all have trouble sleeping,

because your lives are exciting,
and it's complicated, and you think
about it when you go to sleep.

But, um, I don't know. Nothing's
ever really happened to me,

so I don't have a
reason to sleep badly.

But in your application you
said you had trouble sleeping.

Mm-hmm, yes, but
it's not like them.

It's because, uh, there was
always somebody calling me,

there was always
somebody banging.

Ever since I was little, I
took care of my mother.

And... and she would wake up
in the middle of the night.

She would bang with
her cane on the wall.

And it was just
this relentless...

it was a relentless banging
all through the night.

That's weird, because...

even though, uh, she's dead, I
still hear it and I wake up.

Well, that's why we're here, Eleanor...
to try and help you.

Yeah, Nell. I think what
Dr. Marrow's trying to say is...

that you're a basket case,
just like the rest of us.

Thank you, Mary.

Okay. Okay. Why are we here?

Really, to answer the
most basic question:

What is wrong with you people?

These are standard cognitive
and perception tests.

I'll be giving you a variety of these
during the course of the week.

You are not in competition,
so do not worry about being
the head of the class, okay?

Between all these tests,
you'll have each other...

Todd... and the house
to keep you company.

Luke. Eleanor.

- But we can't go to town.
- No.

And as you were told, there's no
telephone service, there's no TV.

And the caretakers tend to lock the
gate when they leave. However,

I do have my trusty cell telephone,
in case of emergencies, okay?

What's the deal with the
Addams Family mansion?
Because, I gotta be honest,

I don't get a real strong sleep
vibe from this place.

No. Me too.

I wanted to make sure you
didn't sleep too easily.

- Well, congratulations.
- Seriously, isolation is essential...

in the creation of an
experimental model.

This house, who built it?
Who lived here?

Well, actually, that makes for
a very good bedtime story.

Once upon a time, there was
a king who built a castle.

His name was Hugh Crain.

A hundred and thirty years ago,

towns like Concord and Manchester
were the center of American industry.

That's where Crain
made a fortune...

on the backs of workers
in his textile mills.

Now, this man could have
anything he wanted,

but what he wanted
more than anything...

was a house filled with
the laughter of children.

That's why there are
all the carvings.

He married the most beautiful
woman in town, called Rene,

and he built her this house,
or at least some of it.

God, it sounds like a
fairy tale or something.

But that's where the
fairy tale ends.

Hugh and Rene would
have no children.

They all died at birth.

Then, a few years later,
Rene, she passed away,

and Crain became
a total recluse.

But he kept on building,
adding room upon room.

It's as if he was...
he was building a home for the
family he would never have.

No one had seen
Crain for years.

But the townspeople said
that sometimes at night...

they could hear sounds
coming from the old house.

Sounds of children.

So sad.

Ooh! Jesus Christ!

Christ, I need a drink.

I think there's
more to that story.

I can feel it. I-it's
all around us.

It's in the ceiling.

It's in the walls.

It's in the furniture.

It's in this.

- Mary!
- Oh, Jesus. Oh, no.

- Oh, Jesus Christ.
- All right.

What happened? Let me see.
Oh, my God!

- Keep your hand away from it.
- Don't touch it.

- What are you doing?
- This'll stop the blood from
getting into her eye.

Mary, we're going to get you
to the hospital straightaway.

It's gonna be all right.
It's gonna be okay.

Three steps.

Please!

It's all right. It's all right.

- Careful. Be careful.
- Here's the gate key to get back in.

You have my cell number. Call me the
second you've spoken to a doctor.

- All right, Dr. Marrow.
- Hey, I want you guys back
as soon as possible.

- Okay, Mary?
- Okay.

You'll be all right.

She almost lost her eye.

Almost.

Luke, there's something
about the house,

about Hugh Crain
that I didn't say.

- May I ask you not to tell the women?
- Yeah, yeah.

- It's just I don't want
the tests disturbed.
- Okay, sure.

Hey, you guys, wait up.

Okay. You guys wanna hear
something really scary?
I just found this out.

Turns out there's a darker chapter
to the Hugh Crain fairy tale.

Remember his
lovely wife, Rene?

Well, Rene, the town beauty,
she didn't just die.
She killed herself.

- Really? He just told you that?
- Yes.

And you can't say anything, 'cause
he actually swore me to secrecy.

- Why did she kill herself?
- Well, there are the stillborn children,

although I like to think
it was more sinister,

like maybe Hugh Crain was a horrible
monster and drove her to it.

Monster? But he built this house
for the woman that he loved,

like the Taj Mahal.

The Taj Mahal wasn't a palace.
It was a tomb.

And equally overdone.

- Why didn't he tell us?
- Maybe he doesn't trust women.

Yeah. I think
that's probably it.

I think he knew that your fragile,
delicate sensibilities...

After all, you know, I'm a man.
I can handle this kind of...

How'd she kill herself?

He didn't say.

Oh, and ladies, sleep tight.

After dinner and the first bland history
of Hill House successfully relayed,

Miss Vance appears most susceptible
to suggestive history,

evincing a strongly sentimental
reaction to the love-story component.

Mr. Sanderson, who tested at the
bottom of the Mogel Reliability Scale,

was given the second
part of the story.

When he passes the story on, the
experimental haunting fiction...

should manifest itself
within the group.

And dear Mary
almost lost an eye.

I like the way you comb
your hair like that.

Here. This is for you.

- For me?
- Yeah.

It's beautiful.

- No, I'll... I'll do it.
- It's okay.

It's okay.

Mm-hmm.

- Looks good on you.
- Mm-hmm.

You've been out of the world
a long time, haven't you?

Yeah.

Well, the world's missed you.

Happy tossing and turning.

Eleanor.

Now I lay me down to sleep.

I pray the Lord
my soul to keep.

If I should die before I wake,

I pray the Lord
my soul to take.

God!

- You scared the f...
- I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

- Oh, you gotta be careful.
- You all right?

- I'm sorry.
- Oh, no, no, no.
You just don't jump out...

- Are you all right?
- Uh, yeah. N-N-No. Oh!

- What's with the, uh, glove?
- What?

- What's with the glove?
- No, I couldn't sleep.
I was just... Insomnia.

- What's with...
- Ah, well...

- Yeah, you gotta be careful, 'cause I...
- I wasn't. I was just...

No, I know. I'm sorry.
I just...

- Oh!
- Um, interesting group, huh?

Yeah, yeah, yeah. It was good.
I like Theo. She's...

quite an insomniac.

Well, uh, listen, you should
try and get some sleep, huh?

- Yeah, that's a good idea. All right.
- Okay. See you tomorrow.

All right.

- There's some good hallways that way.
- Uh-huh.

- How's this one?
- Not bad.

- Good. Good.
- See you tomorrow.

Okay.

Coming, Mother.

I'm coming.

Nell! Nell!

Nell! Nell!

- What is it?
- I don't know.

- Where's it coming from?
- It's everywhere.

Oh, my God. What's happening?

- Can you feel it, Nell?
- Mm-hmm.

The cold, can you feel it?
Nell, can you feel it?

Nell?

It's moving.

It's over.

It's over, right?

Nell, come back here.

- Come back here!
- No, it's in my room.

It's in my room.

You guys all right?

- Is everything okay?
- Oh, God.

It's Luke.

Hey, is everything okay?
You guys all right?

Luke?

Oh, God.

- What's going on?
- Did you hear it?

- Yeah, I just heard it.
- Was it part of the experiment?

- Was what part of the experiment?
- The noise!

- What did you hear?
- Theo, all I heard
was you screaming,

"Luke, help me, please."

I wasn't screaming for you.

It was in my room, and then
it went into Nell's room.

Here, let me look.

- Are there any lights?
- Yes.

I don't... I don't see anything.
I don't hear anything.

Wow, I sort of got screwed on
the old bedroom selection.

Every room's, like, four
times as big as mine.

Is that it? Is that
what you heard?

Well, I did just take a bath.
I mean, could've been.

Yeah, but then how do you explain
the breath and the cold?

I don't know. A draft.

Maybe someone left a
window open somewhere.

The cold, who felt it first?

- Oh, I think it was me.
- What difference does it make?

Oh, Eleanor, if it was
you, did you say Theo?

- Theo, if it was you, did you...
- Look, I don't need anyone
to tell me I'm cold.

Let's blame it on the
old plumbing then, huh?
What else could it be?

Well, if you don't need me
anymore, I guess that's it.

- My job is done. Good night.
- Good night, Luke.

- Yeah, me too.
- Yeah.

- Will you two be all right?
- Yeah.

You really didn't
hear anything?

No.

Eleanor.

Eleanor.

Find us, Eleanor.

Oh, Eleanor.

Find us.

Okay.

These carvings are
really creepy.

All these fat little cherubs
and angels with furry animals.

It's really bizarre, I think.

I think they're the children
Hugh Crain built the house for.

I don't buy that for a second... that
Hugh Crain was this lovable old tycoon...

with a soft spot for kids.

The guy was obviously
running a sweatshop.

Had children working
16 hours a day,

and then he builds all
this crap as propaganda.

It's like those Teletubbies.
Those things freak me out also.

And they sing, so they're actually even
kind of scarier, if you think about it.

Yeah.

- How are you comin' along?
- I can't get this one.

- What about you?
- I did all right.
But that's another thing.

These tests. It's like, why
do we have to be here?

Why do we have to be in
this weird old house?

I like this house. I think
it's a beautiful house.

Yeah, I guess.

I don't know. I just think
Dr. Marrow's up to something.

I'll tell you another thing.

I'm gonna get to
the bottom of it,

right after I check
on Theo, that is.

See how my old pal
Theo's doing.

- Doing or wearing?
- Yeah, no kidding.

Did you see what she
had on yesterday?

Wow. Yeah, I definitely
got a soft spot for Theo.

Nell, I'm gonna shut this door
and give you a little privacy.

- If there's anyone in there,
we'll find him.
- You just saw something move?

- I saw something in the fireplace.
- Okay. Just relax.

I know I did.

You were here alone?

- Yeah, Luke had just left.
- I didn't see anything, though.

Luke, can you help me?

- Just ashes.
- Charred wood.

- Watch out. Let it go.
- Yep.

Hello? Santa?

- Whoa!
- Jesus! God!

- God, are you all right?
- Yeah, I'm fine.

- What is that?
- A flue.

- A what?
- It's... It's an old flue!

It opens up the chimney.

God!

Is this what you saw?

No.
No, that's not what I saw.

That is not what I saw.

God. Hey, are you okay?

- Luke, are you okay?
- What? No, I'm not okay!

Did you not see that thing?
It almost crushed me.
- Yeah, I saw it.

Jeez, I was only asking!

That's what it was. Of
course you were scared.

- It scared the hell out of me too.
- I know what I saw.

Eleanor, this is a
very confusing house.

You said it yourself.
Nothing is what it seems.

Look at me. I'm not confused.

I saw something, and that wasn't it.
There was something in there.

Hey, you guys should
take a look at this.

"Welcome home, Eleanor"?

- Oh, God.
- What does that mean?

His face.

It's my name. Who did this?

Who wrote this?

Is this one of your
sick jokes, Luke?

What? Come on. Give
me a little credit.

I think I have a better
sense of humor than that.
Do you really think I wrote that?

You found it. You could have.

Oh, with what? With the 20-foot
ladder that I keep in my back pocket?

M-Maybe you wrote it, Theo!
You're the artist!

- Maybe this is your great idea of art!
- Don't be ridiculous.

I wanna know right now! Who wrote this?
Did you write this, Theo?

No! Of course not!
Maybe it was you!

How dare you accuse
me of writing this!

Maybe you like being the
center of attention!

- What are you talking about?
- Let's stop this now. Come on.

Who was it?

Whoever wrote
this, it's cruel.

You don't know me.

I didn't do it.

Eleanor.

Are you all right?

I know you think I did
it, but I didn't.

- Look, people are always...
- No, I'm not making this stuff up.

Hey, I know you all think I'm crazy
or doing this for attention. I'm not.

For what it's worth, I believe
you're a very sensitive woman,

and I believe that people have taken
advantage of you in the past.

Hmm. "Welcome home."

You'll never see it again.
Mr. Dudley's taking care of it.

Come on. There's something
I want you to see.

- Oh, this is beautiful!
- Thought you'd like it.

Well, I wonder what
happened to him.

Yeah, yeah.

Oh, violets...

Somebody must've died here.

Well.

You know, all my life I've
been waiting for an adventure,

and I thought it would
never happen to me.

Adventures are for soldiers...

or for the women the
bullfighters fall in love with.

And here I am.

Paintings are calling out to me,

strange noises in the night,

and all it cost was
five gallons of gas.

Do you really think that someone's
playing with you, Eleanor?

Yeah, it doesn't matter.

I can be a victim, or
I can be a volunteer.

I'm gonna be a volunteer.
Mm-hmm.

Eleanor. Eleanor!

Eleanor, find us.

- Eleanor.
- Hmm?

Eleanor, the ledger.
In the ledger.

What?

It's Crain's study.

"Concord."

Oh, his textile mills.

"Man. Woman. Child."

Child.

"Twelve years."

"Eleven years.

Twelve years."

There's so many of them.

"Ten years.

Twelve years."

They died so young.

"Eleven years."

What happened to you?

- Theo!
- Okay, okay.

- Theo!
- Yeah, what?

There's hundreds of them.

- He kept records of everyone.
- I was havin' the best night's sleep of my life.

I swear.

The names, the dates
and the ages.

The names... they're
crossed out.

- It's dead children, Theo.
- Can we talk about this in the morning?

They showed me. They...

Oh, you're never gonna
believe how I found them.

How'd you find them?

The blood led me
to the bookcase.

The blood?

Little footprints in blood.

Nell, I'm worried about you.

Theo, the house, it's trying
to tell me something.

No. You know what?

Nell, you just gotta
get some sleep, okay?

You've gotta sleep. Come on.
Go to bed.

Okay.

I'm listening.

Dr. Marrow?

Dr. Marrow?

Dr. Marrow?

Dr. Marrow?

Eleanor Vance continues...

her alienation of
the other subjects.

It remains unclear what she
saw in the fireplace...

and whether she truly believes
she did not deface the painting.

Interview with Vance in
greenhouse yesterday...

to ascertain the extent
of her self-delusion...

was inconclusive,
due to subject's...

emotional instability.

Well, I think I know
how experiments work.

Wait a second. Hold on.
Hold on, Theo.

What about all the noises, and
the fireplace and the painting?

- I think it's an old academic
"bait and switch," where...
- What?

Where you pretend that
it's a study on insomnia,

but what he's really interested
in is seeing our reaction...

- to these phenomenons
he's obviously behind.
- No.

It's not Dr. Marrow.

Oh, Nell, I've been...

Are you all right?

God, I've been looking
for you everywhere.

- Are you okay?
- Mm-hmm.

It's not Dr. Marrow.

Then who? Come on, Nell.
If it's not Dr. Marrow...

If you don't think this is really
somehow part of the experiment,

then why would you stay
here another second?

'Cause home is where
the heart is.

Oh, my God!

- What is it?
- Oh, no.

What?

What, Nell? Nell!

If it's not Dr. Marrow, that's
a pretty scary proposition.

No, I'm not.
No, I'm not.

I'm not making this up!

No, I'm not.
I'm not, I know I'm...

There is something...
There's something in here.

I can prove it.
I can prove...
I know I can.

Oh, I know it is.

Carolyn.

Carolyn was his second wife.

Eleanor, the fireplace.

Where?
Where are you?

Where are you?
I'm here.
I hear you.

Here...
That's where you are.

Okay, I'll let you out.
I'll get you out.

I-I will.
Okay.

I'm gonna get you out. I will.
I'll get you out.

I'm with you.
Don't worry.

Oh!
What's that smell?

I'm trying.
I'm trying.

He killed them.

- What?
- He killed them.

The children from the mills.
It's just like you said.

He wanted to fill the house
with the sounds of children.

He took them from his mills
and he brought them here,
but he wouldn't let them go.

He would never let them go.

And I found the skulls,
just like Carolyn did.

- Carolyn? Who's Carolyn?
- Killed who, Eleanor?

- Listen, calm down, now.
- And he had a second wife.

But he couldn't
hide his secret.

You can never hide a secret.

Carolyn found out
what he'd done.

And now he wants me.

Who?
Who wants you?
And why?

- She's delusional.
- But what is happening to her?

She's in a fugue state.
Let's get her to the sofa.

- Wanted to...
fill the house with children, but...
- Get a blanket.

- Come on.
- He turned into a monster.

- It's okay, sweetheart. It's okay.
- No.

Carolyn showed me in the
photograph where she hid 'em.

And they're all locked
together in there.

- He won't let them go.
- Eleanor, listen to me.

Listen to me. Listen to me.
It's not true.

He's still here.

Hugh Crain is still
in the house.

- No.
- Yeah.

I mean, what if she's right?
What if she's right?

What are you sayin'?
Theo, it doesn't do any
good to talk about...

- Stop. Stop! Stop!
- What if she's right?

Now, listen to me, all of you.

Let me explain
what's happening.

You're participating in a study
on group fear and hysteria.

What?
That's why you brought us here?
That's what this is all about?

You brought us here to scare us?
Is that it?

Yes.

You're just waiting for her to
have a total nervous breakdown
before you said anything?

- No!
- What is your problem?

I gave you the clues.
You created the story
as you were meant to.

- But it's over. I'm pulling the plug.
- Oh, that...

- None of this is real.
- No, it is real.

- Eleanor!
- No
- It's not real.

- You have to look at the
bones in the fireplace!
- It's not real!

And then I saw...
I saw his wife, hanging
in the greenhouse!

- I know I saw it!
- I'm sorry.

I'm sorry.
I'm sorry I brought
you here, all of you.

The Dudleys will be here in the morning,
and then we can all go home at once.

- No! I can't believe you're not gonna look.
- Okay, that's enough.

- I'm taking her upstairs.
I think you've done enough.
- I'll help you.

Because it was a
controlled experiment.

A controlled experiment?

She's in total shock!
You can't do that!

- I told you, it wasn't
meant to be like this.
- Oh, come on.

You don't care about us.
You don't care about insomnia.

You just wanted to scare the
hell out of us so we'd fit
into your little test...

- or model or whatever bullshit
you need to understand this!
- Oh, please! Okay!

- You can't do it!
- Now, listen! You listen.

I am trying to help people.
My field of study is
the science of fear.

I try to understand why people
act the way they act, why they
feel the way they feel...

You don't feel.

Where are you going?

I'm gonna find out what
Eleanor was talking about.

What am I doing?

Good night.

Be right back.
I'll get you some tea.

Oh, God, it's looking for me.

Who was holding my hand?

No.

No!

No!

I will not let you hurt a child!

Luke! David!

Dr. Marrow!

Luke!

Eleanor!

No!
That's not me!

No!

No!

Who are you?

Oh, no!

Why do you want me?

Who am I?
Who am I?

Why do you want me?
Why?

Who am I?
What are you trying to tell me?

Welcome home, Eleanor.

Oh, no! No!

It's not true.
No!

- Eleanor?
- What?

Eleanor, don't be afraid.

You can understand me?

The doors, Eleanor.
Only the doors can hold him.

Oh, no!
He's coming!

What?
What's wrong?

What do you want from me?

Help us, Eleanor.
Help us.

What?
What are you trying to tell me?

What?
What do you want from me?

What do you want me to do?

Nell?

- Nell!
- I'm gonna help you.

I'm gonna help.
I'm almost there!

Eleanor.

- I wanna help you.
- Eleanor.

Don't move.
Don't move.

Oh, Nell.

Just stay there.

- Hold on, Eleanor. Hold on.
- Watch out! The cable!

Look out!

It's not gonna hold your weight there!
It's breaking apart!

Don't move, now.
Don't move.

Oh, my God.

No!

Oh, shit.

Eleanor, look at me.

I need you to climb over and
step back on the platform.

Come on. I want you
to come down with me.

Climb over and step on the platform.
Can you do that?

I can't.
The children, they need me.

I have to join them.

Please.
Please, trust me.

Climb off the rail
onto the platform.

- Come on. Come on.
- Just do it, Nell.

Please?

No! No!

Hold on!

Here.

Here.

Thank you.

Hurry.

- Come on. Come on.
- No. He won't let them go.

Even now, he won't
let them go.

- Come on. Come on. We have to go.
- No, he won't...

- I won't leave you. I won't leave you.
- Okay.

She doesn't look good.

Hey, we wanna take her to
see a doctor, right now.

I'm gonna take her to
see a real doctor.

We'll take her to the
hospital in the morning.
The gate's still locked.

We have to wait until
the Dudleys arrive.

What?
That's real compassionate.

Yeah, let's wait
until the morning,

and then maybe tonight you'll have
a chance to scribble a few more...

- "Welcome home, Eleanor"s on the wall.
- I didn't write that stuff, okay?

You'd never write that.
That wouldn't be ethical, would it?

Will you guys just shut up?
Come on!

Somebody's gonna have to
stay with her tonight.
We can't leave her alone.

All right, I'll take
the first watch.

Okay.

The, uh, environment is proving
entirely successful...

in promoting shared
hysteria reactions.

The group is manifesting...

manifesting classic
pathologies of trauma and...

I should have stopped
this when Mary got hurt,

and definitely when
Eleanor was...

Jesus, I need to get
them out of here.

What happened?

What happened?

It's nothin'.
It's not real.

It's Nell!

Nell!

Nell! Nell!

Dr. Marrow!
Dr. Marrow!

- What's going on?
- I can't get the door!

Stay away!

- Nell!
- Eleanor!

- Eleanor!
- We're here!

Eleanor!

- Push!
- Come on!

Oh, my God!

Nell!
Quick! Come on!

We gotta get her out of here.

Oh, God!

Hurry up!

- Get out of the way!
- That's it.

That's it.
Come on! Hit it!

- Come on!
- Come on, Nell! Come on!

Come here!

Get up!

Come on! Pick her up!
We gotta go! Move!

Move! Let's go!

Come on! I'm not staying in this
freak house another second! Come on!

Get it open!

- Come on!
- I can't get up there!

Hurry up!
Come on!

Oh, God!

Dr. Marrow... How did you
know the house wanted me?

What do you mean?

Why did you call and tell
me to look for your ad?

Ad? But... I didn't call you.

You told me to
look in the paper.

Eleanor, the first time I spoke
to you was here at the house.

- God!
- What do we do?

We gotta crash the gate.

We gotta crash the gate.
Nell, I need your car.

Move! Get out of the way!

Luke!

- Luke, are you okay?
- Get out! Get out!
- Open the door!

Eleanor!

Luke!

- Eleanor... please come back!
- You gotta get out! Push the door!

Turn the engine off.

Push the door! You
gotta get out!

- Turn the engine off!
- Luke, turn off the engine!

- It won't go!
- Luke, you gotta get out!

Stand back!

Hurry up! Come on!

- Grab my arm!
- You okay?

Are you okay? You hurt?
Come on!

- Are you okay?
- Oh, my God.

Where's Nell?

- Eleanor?
- Come on. This is crazy.

- Maybe she doesn't want to be found.
- Nell?

Eleanor?

Listen.
Listen.

Oh, she's in there.

Nell?

Eleanor?

Go get her.

Oh, Nell.

Hey.

Come on, sweetheart. You're
gonna have to come with us now.

- No, I can't do that, Theo.
- Of course you can.

We're gonna go to your apartment,
just you and me, and...

We'll sit and we'll listen
to the buoy in the harbor.
Can we do that, Nell?

That sounds so beautiful, Eleanor.

Theo's saying anything she can.
You know I don't have an apartment.

Then we'll go to my loft...
in the city.

You're gonna love it there, I promise.
Come on, Nell. Please?

No.

I'm right where I'm wanted.

I'm home.

I'm home.

Dr. Marrow, please, we don't
have time to baby talk.

You see, this is the room...

where Carolyn had her
baby before she ran away.

And the children, they wanted
me to see this so I would know
this was my home.

Oh, my God.

Yes.
See, Carolyn was my
great-great grandmother,

and the children are my family.

This is where I belong.

I have to stay.
I'm not afraid anymore.

I have to stay for the children.
They need me.

No.

Nell, the children are dead.

No.
Not for him.

He's still haunting them.
But if I'm here,

he can't harm them.

Nell, please! We have to go!
Just grab her!

You have to go now.
You can't stay.

- Come on.
- I'll take you outside.
You're not safe here.

Hurry!
Come on!

Come on!
Hurry!

No!

He's not gonna let you go!

It's too late.

He's not gonna let you go.

The hell he's not.
I'm getting us out of here.
Come on.

Open up!

- Come on! Open up!
- Come on!

This is insane!

There's got to be
another way out.

Oh, Jesus! Oh, God, he's
got glass in his hand.

- Here, wait.
- Get it out.

- Just pull it. Just pull it.
- Oh, Jesus.

- Just pull.
- Okay.

Wrap it up.

You bastard!
Son of a bitch!

Damn you!

Luke, don't!

- What?
- Don't!

I'm gonna burn the house down.

Come on!
Let's burn it down, right now!

Oh, my God!
Luke!

- Get off!
- Luke, get off! Get off!

Oh, my God!
Luke, get out now!
Luke!

Oh, no!

We can't get out.
Why won't he let us leave?

- What do we do, Eleanor?
- He played hide-and-seek with them.

That's why he built the house.
You have to hide.

Hide?
What does he think this is, a game?

- What's going to happen?
- Why does he want us?

No!
Watch out!

Oh... oh!

No!
You're not gonna hurt them!

Get away!

Go, Theo!

- Go!
- Follow us! Follow us!

Theo!

Theo!

Hugh Crain!

Hugh Crain!

The doors, Eleanor.

Bring him to the doors.

- The doors, Eleanor. The doors.
- Hugh Crain!

Nell! Nell!
What happened?

- Where were you?
- Eleanor, are you all right?

No!

You leave them alone!

I'm not afraid anymore.
I'm not afraid of you.

The children need me, and
I'm gonna set them free!

No...

Even in death, you still
wouldn't let them go!

Eleanor, move away.
Move away!

- I'm gonna stop you now.
- Don't!

Don't do it, Eleanor!
He's gonna kill you!

It's not about them.
It's about family.

It's always been about family!

It's about Carolyn... and the
children from the mills,

so you could hear their voices... family.

Well, I'm family, Grandpa,
and I've come home.

No, you're not!

Now, it's just you
and me, Hugh Crain.

Purgatory's over.
You go to hell!

Stay with us, Nell!

No!

No!

Thank you, Eleanor.

Thank you, Eleanor.

Thank you, Eleanor.
Thank you.

Thanks, Eleanor.

Thank you, Eleanor.

Thank you.

Thank you...

Oh, Nell.

Jesus.

City people.

Did you find out what you
wanted to know, Doctor?