Sights and Sounds

Excerpt from Willow Hills

FADE INTO EXT. OF ESCALANTE HOME

The home is a newly restored, all-white, plantation home. A white porch wraps around the whole house and there is a friendly vibe that comes off of the exterior of the house.

SLOW FAD INTO INT. OF ESCALANTE HOME

We see the tall, dark wood ceilings, and are mainly focused on the long dark wood stairs, that lead to the bedrooms.

V.O. ANGELICA ESCALANTE

(softly)

My mom was never going to buy this

house...My brother, DANIEL had a

dream about this house weeks before

we went to visit it.

PAN TO:

Empty kitchen. The INT. of the house is not as friendly as the outside. Though everything seems to be kept clean and orderly, there is a feel of insanity and mystery that floats through the old house.

V.O. ANGELICA ESCALANTE

My brother was a deeply religious

boy, and believed his dreams where

sent to him by God. I just couldn’t

believe that at the time.

CUT TO:

ROBERT ESCALANTE, 38, well-dressed and coming home from work. He enters his home.

V.O. ANGELICA ESCALANTE

My father was very interested in

the Catholic church. He wasn’t

religious at all he just found

everything about it interesting. He

spent his time reading the bible

and reading about demons, ghost,

and angels.

ROBERT LOOSENS his tie and takes a seat on his couch with a sigh.

CLOSEUP ON:

A black, leather bound book with jagged paper edges. No title. ROBERT PICKS UP this book.

FULL VIEW:

ROBERT places the book on his lap and skims through the pages.

V.O. ANGELICA ESCALANTE

He always told me about the voices

in his head, and he would always

tell me that I had a gift like my

brother’s.

ROBERT PULLS out a small SILVER KNIFE and lightly traces the edge on his neck.

V.O. ANGELICA ESCALANTE

He told me I was his angel...

CUT TO:ROBERT LAYING ON THE FLOOR OF HIS LIVING ROOM.

Blood SPILLS out of his slit throat and pools around his

face.

WIDE SHOT: ANGELICA ENTERS LIVING ROOM.

She seems content. But then she turns pale, and her eyes fill with horror.

She SCREAMS at the sight of her dead father, and SCREAMS once more when she sees his ghost STARING down at his own dead body.

ANGELICA

(Her voice trembles)

Dad?

ROBERT blankly LOOKS up at her, and then back down at his own body.

ROBERT

(Whispers)

They were so loud

ROBERT CLOSES his eyes, and VANISHES into thin air. ANGELICA FALLS to her knees, crying.

ANGELICA

(Screams)

MOM!

DISSOLVE TO:

INT. OF ESCALANTE HOME-MORNING

One year later.

ANGELICA,17, stands in her brightly lit bedroom, painting a tree on a canvas propped up by her window. Her brother, DANIEL, also 17, enters. They are twins, and have the same dark brown eyes. ANGELICA LOOKS over her shoulder at him and warmly smiles.

DANIEL

Shouldn’t you be getting ready for

school?

ANGELICA

I should, but I’m not going today.

DANIEL

You plan on staying in this house,

alone?

ANGELICA NODS her head and continues to paint. DANIEL leaves his sister’s room and enters the kitchen. His cousin, FELICITY, 16, is cutting a GREEN APPLE. She loathes him. She gives him a quick glance as his comes in, but then pays no more attention to him as he pours himself some cereal. Their mom, FELICITY’S aunt, CARISSA, 37, has already left for work.

FELICITY

Where’s ANGELICA?

DANIEL

She doesn’t feel good.

FELICITY rolls her eyes. Typical. She walks out of the

kitchen, out onto the front porch, and SLAM! the door closes behind her. DANIEL leaves his half-finished breakfast on the counter top, and also leaves.

When ANGELICA hears DANIEL softly shut the door, she stops painting and LOCKS her bedroom door. She pulls out a small notebook and begins to get a reading on the house. She scribbles in each ghost in the house and whatever else she can read about them.

First one is, MATT, the youngest ghost in the house. Second, NATHAN, a middle aged man. He was a priest. ANGELICA is about to read how many ghosts are in the house when she gets distracted with different information. She scribbles down MS.SUE, the previous owner, and MATT’S mother. ANGELICA’S heart begins to race. She slams her notebook close and throws it across her room.

CUT TO-AFTERNOON-PARLOR ROOM

DR. BENNETT is seated comfortably on a black, velvet

armchair and patiently waits for ANGELICA to speak.

ANGELICA

The pills make me a bit dizzy.

SMASH CUT TO:

ANGELICA in her bathroom, holding one small tablet in her hand, then flushing it down the toilet.

CUT BACK TO:

DR. BENNETT is trying to read ANGELICA’S body language. ANGELICA is still, and calm.

DR. BENNETT

Your mother said you skipped school

today... why did you choose to miss

the first day of school?

ANGELICA

I wasn’t feeling very well.

ANGELICA is annoyed with the questions, but she has to make DR. BENNETT believe that she is getting better.

CLOSE UP ON DR. BENNETT’S eyes. She is lost, unsure of how to deal with a schizophrenic like ANGELICA.

DR. BENNETT

Are you still seeing ghost?

ANGELICA

Of course not. Ghost aren’t real.

DR. BENNETT nods her head and scribbles down something on a piece of paper. ANGELICA NARROWS her eyes to try to read the writing, but it is too small.

PAN TO EXT. OF PARLOR ROOM:

FELICITY stands around the corner from the PARLOR ROOM, listening to the discussion. She wants to know if she is really living with a crazy person or not.

V.O. DR. BENNETT

When I come back next week we’ll

see if we should lower your dosage.

FELICITY FLEES from her hiding spot and races up the stairs to her bedroom. She BUMPS into DANIEL and he blocks her from continuing up the stairs.

DANIEL

I don’t appreciate you listening in

on ANGELICA’S private conversations

with DR. BENNETT.

FELICITY

(Firmly)

I could care less.

She SHOVES DANIEL out of the way and hides away in her

bedroom. ANGELICA walks DR. BENNETT to the front door as DANIEL watches from the stairs. When the door is shut and locked DANIEL goes down to meet ANGELICA in the living room.

DANIEL

DR. BENNETT looks expensive.

ANGELICA

Yeah, mom must be spending a

fortune on her to help me.

DANIEL

Do the pills block you?

ANGELICA

Yeah, and they give me splitting

headaches.

DANIEL

Well stop taking them.

ANGELICA rolls her eyes at him.He CROSSES his arms over his chest and gives her a stern look.

DANIEL

ANGELICA, you’re not crazy...you

know that, right?

ANGELICA doesn’t meet his eyes.

ANGELICA

I just don’t know what to think

right now...and after everything

that happen... I just don’t know if

i can actually be a normal person

again.

DANIEL

I know many tragic things have

happened, but you’re not

schizophrenic.

ANGELICA shrugs, still unmoved by his words.

ANGELICA

(whispers)

I just don’t like this house or

this town...

DANIEL

There is evil here ANGELICA. That’s

why you feel the way you do. We

were sent here to banish it.

ANGELICA glances up at him. She thinks he’s insane. She walks away from him, leaving him alone in the living room.

FADE TO KITCHEN-MIDNIGHT

CARISSA enters the kitchen, and walks straight to the

fridge. She pulls out a beer, uncaps it, and takes a long drink. She can’t sleep again. She CLENCHES the edge of the counter top and tightly shuts her eyes.

ANGELICA GLIDES into the kitchen, unnoticed, and looms next to CARISSA. CARISSA OPENS her eyes and lightly GASPS at the sight of ANGELICA.

CARISSA

You should be in bed.

ANGELICA

So should you.

CARISSA

I’m the mom, I’m allowed to stay up

until midnight.

ANGELICA

Well I can’t. Those pills give me

anxiety.

CARISSA

Those pills are suppose to help

you.

CARISSA takes another drink of her beer.

ANGELICA

When did you start drinking?

CARISSA ignores her questions and pushes her beer aside.

CARISSA

DR.BENNETT said that you’re making

progress... but you still won’t

talk about your dad.

ANGELICA

Neither do you, so why should I?

CARISSA

(firmly)

Because you need to get better.

ANGELICA

I was never sick!

CARISSA stares at ANGELICA in shock. ANGELICA clenches down on her jaw and stares into CARISSA’S eyes with passion. CARISSA lets out a low whimper, and her eyes fill with tears.

CARISSA

You tried to kill yourself baby...

I can’t lose you too.

CARISSA places her hand on top of ANGELICA’S hand. ANGELICA quickly moves her hand away and balls her hand up into a fist. Frustration boils through ANGELICA.

ANGELICA

(softly)

You still don’t understand.

CARISSA slams her hand down on the counter.

CARISSA

What don’t I understand?! You think

a ghost tried to drown you!

ANGELICA

It was a demon!

BANG! ANGELICA and CARISSA run out of the kitchen and find the front door thrown open. DANIEL and FELICITY come out of their rooms and rests at the top of the stairs. Outside, the wind roars.

CARISSA begins to close the door. Just as she is about to close it, ANGELICA catches a glimpse of a young boy standing outside of the porch. The boy has deep cuts across his face, and he stares deeply into ANGELICA’S eyes.

The door is closed.

CLOSE UP ON:

ANGELICA’S lips which hang open just a bit.

ANGELICA

(low whisper)

Matt.

FADE TO DARKNESS