The Sarah Jane Adventures (2007–2011): Season 3, Episode 7 - The Eternity Trap: Part 1 - full transcript

13 Bannerman Road is
where Sarah Jane Smith lives.

And it's home to things
way beyond your imagination.

There's an extra-terrestrial
super computer in the wall.

A genetically engineered
boy genius in the attic.

A schoolgirl
investigator across the road.

And a whole universe of adventure
right here on the doorstep.

Ready? Always.

No-one really knows just when
Ashen Hill Manor was first built.

But, through history,
there has always been a house here.

And, so they say, just as long
as there's been stone and oak,

there has always been evil.



They say it was the reputation
of the house

that attracted the magician
Erasmus Darkening.

He entered the service of the young
lord of the manor, the widower,

Lord Marchwood.

Darkening promised that in return
for his protection,

he would replenish the family's
fortunes with the secret
of making gold from base metal.

But after two years working in a
secret chamber far beneath the house

Darkening's alchemy had
failed to bear one ounce of gold.

And the people
on Marchwood's land were uneasy.

There were stories of how
Darkening came among them at night.

Of how he took away people
that never returned

and that he was not human.

Elizabeth?

Joseph?



Elizabeth?! Joseph?!

My children, where are you?!

No matter how long, no matter how
hard their father searched for them,

they were never ever seen again.

My children!

My children!

And they say he searches still.

It's a good story, Professor,
but I don't believe in ghosts.

Of course you don't. And neither do
I. But Ashen Hill Manor

is reputedly one of the most
haunted locations in the UK.

So let me get this right,
if you don't believe in

ghosts, Sarah Jane, and you don't
believe in ghosts, Professor, then...

What are we doing here?
To see if we're right.

To find out scientifically one way
or the other.

In that case, I'm delighted you
invited me along to cover the story.

We're set up through here.

Are you are sure about this?
I mean...

there's are no such things as ghosts,
is there? Clyde, I don't believe you.

After all the things we've seen,
you're scared of ghosts!

Who said anything about scared?

Did I mention "scared"?
I don't think so.

Don't worry. I'm sure.

Whatever people may think
they've seen at Ashen Hill Manor,

it has more to do with
imagination than the supernatural.

Introductions - Sarah Jane Smith,
journalist. My assistant from the

Pharos Institute, Toby Silverman.
Hello, Toby.

This is Rani and Clyde.

Sort of Sarah Jane's apprentice.
And I'm carrying the sandwiches.

So are you the technical genius?
I don't know about that.

I'm just interested in the
quantifiable effects of meta-normal

energies on
the established phenomena.

We should've brought Luke.

Only he said that people
who believed in ghosts

were still living in the Dark Ages.

Or something like that.

Luke is my son.

Toby is the son of Professor
Sir Rupert Silverman.

The physicist?
What does your father think of his
son dabbling in the paranormal?

I ought to get on with putting
my monitoring equipment together.

Yes, of course.

This house has a long
history of psychic activity.

Then there are the disappearances.

Disappearances? Nobody said
anything about any disappearances.

No, they didn't.

There's something else, isn't there?
The Scrivens family,

who legally still own the house,
a mother, a father and two children,

vanished one night 20 years ago.

The keys were found
still in the doors.

Locked from the inside.

Toby! What on earth are you doing?

My screwdriver. I just put it down
there and it's gone, it's vanished.

What's that? EMF meter. Paranormal

activity causes a fluctuation
in the electro-magnetic field.

Save your batteries, Professor.

The only ghost at work here
is the spirit of Sir Isaac Newton.

Gravity. It fell and rolled away.

Come on. Let's have a look around.

At least we know
Lord Marchwood was real.

I've no doubt he was.

And his children probably
disappeared, too. Perhaps

Lord Marchwood did spend the rest of
his life looking for his children.

But the afterlife? I doubt it.

Ah, it's so sad how this house
has fallen into disrepair.

It must have been quite wonderful.

Professor Rivers
couldn't have picked

a creepier place for a ghost hunt.

It's felt like someone's been
watching me since we got here.

It's psychological,
you know this place is

supposed to be haunted and your
imagination starts to work overtime.

No wonder Luke
wanted to stay at home.

I could get bored of jumping
at my own shadow pretty fast.

What about the disappearances?

An entire family
vanishes into thin air.

Whether or not you believe in
ghosts, that's just sinister.

I've seen so many strange things in
my life, wonderful and frightening,

yet all of it had a scientific
explanation of some kind.

The trouble with ghosts is
that there simply isn't any

scientific basis for them to exist.

BELL TOLLS

What's that? Dinner time?

I didn't see any bell tower.

That's because there isn't one.

BELL CONTINUES RINGING

Miss Smith?

Didn't you hear it?
The bell. The church bell.

What bell?

There's no bell tower,

there's nothing.

But why did we hear something
like Quasimodo on a joy ride

and Professor Rivers
and Toby heard nothing?

It doesn't make sense.

I'm telling you, I don't care whether
Sarah Jane believes in ghosts or not,

there's something seriously
freaky about that place.
GROWLING

Let's check up here.

"The History Of Ashen Hill Manor."

Perfect.

Look at this place, it's beautiful.

Yeah, I bet Castle Dracula
looked OK on a sunny day too.

Look.

Doesn't look like
it's been used years.

Well, that would be because
everyone just disappears.

Are you scared?

Clyde Langer, scared?

I've taken on just about every
creep in the universe right.

I ain't afraid of no ghost.
Good. Come on, then.

Oh, it smells
like cucumber farts in here.

It's just old and damp.

It must have been
wonderful here years ago.

A picnic by the fountain.
Taking the boat out on the lake.

If you like to paddle.

WATER RUNS

Who turned that on?

CHILDREN'S LAUGHTER
Who's there?

Is there someone out
here messing with us?

Cos we're not falling for it, OK?
DOOR OPENS

I'm not hearing this.
WALTZ MUSIC

You don't believe that?
Wait till you see this.

Wet footprints?

RADIO BROADCAST CRACKLES

CHILD SOBS

Hello?

What are you doing?

If it's a ghost, it can't hurt us.
It's already dead.

Besides, listen to her.

CHILD'S SOBS CONTINUE

Hello?

Are we feeling freaked yet?

What's wrong?

I think what you experienced
was a stone tape manifestation.

Some of us are a bit new to this
kind of thing, you might need to
explain.

It's the theory
that events can be recorded

on physical matter, normally stone,

and then, under certain
circumstances, they get played back.

It's the most convincing explanation
for most so-called hauntings.

The house is built on a giant slab
of granite bedrock, which research

suggests is a great conductor
of these psychic recordings.

There are stories about the Grey
Lady that walks the castle rampart,

or sometimes a legion of Roman
centurions marching along a road.

Only people only ever
see them from the knee up.

Because the Roman Roads were lower?

Exactly.

I heard about this castle
where some lord was murdered

by his jealous brother. He lopped of
his head and every Hallowe'en,

it rolls down the castle steps.

The man in the mirror, he didn't
look like any sort of recording.

If it was a disembodied spirit,

let's hope he shows
up again tonight.

It's after eight and it's gone dark.
It's time to begin the experiment.

If I could have everybody's
mobile phones, please.

What for? Mobiles
can interfere with our equipment.

We can keep in touch throughout
the house with walkie-talkies.

I'd like to speak to Luke
first. And Clyde and Rani should

call their parents. Of course.

We'll be in the control hub
running final checks. Toby.

Hi, Mum. Everything's cool.

Just bedding down for the
night in the old haunted house.

I haven't seen any ghosts yet but
I reckon they're on a skeleton staff.

And yes, we've had dinner,
we had ghoul-lash.

The EMF network?

All meters through the
house operating and on-line.

Thermostats? Operating and on-line.

Video cameras?

Toby?

Sorry. For a moment...

I thought I saw...

You saw what?

Oh, nothing. All cams are fine. Good.

Oh, no.

Hang on, nursery cam's on the blink.

Mm-hm, I'll go and check it.

Apparently Luke's been driving Dad
round the bend all afternoon.

What? Luke's your dad's star pupil.

He's probably just
secretly planning your wedding.

Ugh. Not any more.
Dad taught him to play chess today.

And Luke beat him six times
before he went home.

Oh, I bet he had
your father in pieces.

I closed this book. I know I did.

Is there a draught in here?

Someone tell me the window is open.

Please. It isn't.

Must be a draught
coming down the chimney.

That's him!
That's the man from the pavilion.

That's Erasmus Darkening.
The magician?

I bet he made a mean balloon
giraffe at kids' parties.

That's better, Professor.

Oh. The camera doesn't do
you any favours. I heard that.

Where is the Professor?

Something seriously
freaky just happened.

Which I'm sure has
a rational explanation.

She's in the nursery. Won't be long.

Happy with the positioning, Toby?
Right on target.

Miss Smith wants to talk to you.

I'll be down in a minute.

MOBILE PLAYS LULLABY

I refuse to believe that book was
opened by any ghost,

and certainly not the ghost
of a supposedly evil magician
from the 17th century.

Well, something
opened it, Sarah Jane.

And there wasn't any breeze,
we'd have felt it.

That was definitely
the man in the pavilion.

Oh! Wow! Look at that!

What is it? EMF readings throughout
the house are spiking.

Something's happening.

SHE SCREAMS

What happened? Where did she go?

She's vanished.

Come on! Better check the landing.

Professor Rivers didn't strike me as
the kind that plays hide and seek.

'Hello? Hello?

'Is anybody there?'

Professor? Where are you?

You had us all worried for a second.

'Hello? Where am I?

'Is anybody there?
Can anybody help me?'

Professor! Celeste!
Wherever Professor Rivers has gone,
she can't hear you.

But where is she? I don't know.
But these readings are like

nothing I've ever seen before.
What is that?

It's like your EMF meter
only more useful.

LULLABY PLAYS

Who set that off?

Poltergeist activity.

This room is famous for it.

Or perhaps just
a freak mechanical fault.

I just got head-butted
by a rocking horse!

No, you must've knocked it.
I didn't! I know I didn't!

The electro-magnetic signature
is increasing by five milli-Gauss...

eight...ten.

This is astonishing!

No, this is freaky!

These readings are going crazy.

(CHILD'S VOICE) # Ring a-ring o'
roses, a pocketful of posies... #

We have to get out of here.
# A-tissue! A-tissue... #
This is amazing!

Look!

Come on, now!

It's locked! It can't be.
The energy in here is building!

I don't want to be
in here when it peaks.

# A pocketful of rosies... #
Come on! # A-tissue...

# We all fall down! #

Still say there's no such
thing as the paranormal then?

I only wish the Professor were
here to see it... And my father.

Your watch.
Did it pick up something alien?

The readings were confused. Alien?

Now, that's more like it.

Aliens, I can handle. We have to
track down the source of whatever

is happening here, we have to stop
it and get Professor Rivers back.

And how do we do that?
We do what we always do.

We look for clues.

My readings are different now.
Still energy signatures that I don't

recognise...neither human nor alien,
but less intense, almost dormant.

The EMF readings have gone
back to normal as well.

Those readings in the nursery
were completely unnatural.

Unnatural, but not supernatural.

There's an energy source
in this house.

If we can locate that, we'll be on
our way to finding the Professor.

So we split up yeah?
Oh, I don't think so, Rani.

Professor Rivers managed
to disappear in the blink of an eye.

The same thing may have been
happening here for centuries. Yeah.

But it's a big house, and we don't
know how much time we might have.

All right, but don't take
any unnecessary risks.

Hey, there's nothing to worry
about,

we all know Luke is the loose cannon
in the gang.
I'll check through the house.

Yes, have a look around,
but be careful.

OK. The study.

Always a good place for clues.

This place doesn't look like
it's been touched since
the last people disappeared.

Yeah. Just be careful. Around here I
wouldn't be surprised if there really

was a skeleton in the cupboard.

Oh, jumping at shadows, now.

CHILD'S VOICE:
Please, you must leave here.

You're Lord Marchwood's children.
But you can't be.

We want our father. Your father?

He keeps us from him. Who does?
You must leave the house

before he comes for you,
all of you.

Who? Who will come?
Was it you that opened the book?

Were you trying to warn us
about Erasmus Darkening?

He will take you all,
you will never leave.

Don't go. I want to help you!

FAINT GROWLING

Clyde, look at this. Someone was

researching the house and
the people that disappeared.

It didn't do them much good,
did it? They still all disappeared.

Look, this list goes
all the way back to 1655,

Lord Marchwood and his children.

And your friend Erasmus Darkening.

I am unable to find any historical
records of Erasmus Darkening.

But Marchwood's household accounts
prove he existed.

Stories that Darkening was
responsible for disappearances

from local villages are
impossible to substantiate.

Perhaps the answer lies
in the secret passage.

Did you say secret passage? Mm-hm.

As in whoever wrote that went looking
down it and maybe never came back.

We should show this to Sarah Jane.

Oh, no, wait, wait, wait. What is it?

It's a list of the secret passages.

Well, guess what?

There's one in Toby's control room.

Hello? Is there anybody out here?

Whoever you are, I'm not
here to hurt you. I promise.

Save yourself, my lady!
Get thee to the Netherworld!

Hello?

When me and Luke were being held
prisoner by those nutty Gorgon nuns

he got us out by opening
a secret passageway.

It's just a question of finding
a panel or something to press.

Hey presto!

I think we've hit a brick wall.

Now that's magic.

It looks pretty dark down there.
Yeah.

Never leave home without one.

Especially if you're going somewhere
with Sarah Jane Smith. You coming?

Well, someone's got to hold
your hand haven't they? Go on.

Couldn't
you have brought a bigger torch?

What and spoil the look of my jacket?

I'm not just an action hero,
you know. I am a style icon.

Yeah. Yeah.

Whoa! Very Spiderman!

Come on.

It's all right, Toby. It's only me.
Are you all right, Miss Smith?

I'm not sure.

Well, they do exist, Miss Smith.

And we could be on the verge
of something so enormous here.

Is that why you're so jumpy?

Oh, I'm not jumpy, I'm excited.

This could be the scientific
discovery of all time.

The ultimate question answered.

Is there life after death?

And that would mean you could
prove yourself to your father?

I'm presuming that he doesn't
approve of your area of research.

Science has a very short-sighted
view of the paranormal.

For a good reason. There is nothing
scientific about ignoring phenomena

just because it doesn't fit in with
your view of the universe, Miss
Smith.

Toby, my view of
the universe is very detailed

and I understand humanity's need to
believe in some sort of afterlife,

but whatever is happening here,
ghosts do not exist.

Well, I have those EMF
readings for you. Darkening!

Where?

He's gone.

Are you sure
you don't believe in ghosts?

Look at this place.

I take it all back.

Everything else...
that was not creepy.

This place,

this is creepy.
This is Creepsville, Transylvania.

Look at this stuff.

This is Hogwarts Tim Burton Style.

It's Harry Potter
Has A Close Shave Off Sweeney Todd.

Clyde, do you know where we are?

Well, it isn't Santa's workshop.

According to the legend,
Erasmus Darkening spent two years

working in a secret chamber beneath
Ashen Hill Manor. This is it.

It's all for real.

He hasn't been around in a while.

Maybe this is the reason
for whatever's going on here.

If this part of the legend is true.
Then maybe he really did make those

two kids disappear.
And Professor Rivers?

Rani, this guy lived
hundreds of years ago.

And I know what I saw in the
pavilion. It was him. Darkening.

Well, I have to admit it,

I've seen some weird stuff,

but there's weird and then there's...

..this place.

What was I saying again?

It's like electronics but
from hundreds of years ago.

And it's still working.

MAN LAUGHS SPOOKILY
Who's there?

Welcome to my dominion.

My halls of granite.

You crossed my threshold of your
own free will and now by my will,

you shall stay.

For all eternity.

Release us from this purgatory.

Whatever is going on in this house
is far more dangerous
than a haunting.

Get down!

What was that?
The poltergeist activity.

I think it's following us!
It doesn't matter what you shut out,

you never know what you're
locking yourself in with.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd