Janet Franklin is the Head of an Institute in Connecticut that studies paranormal activity.   She has just written a book on her findings, and is ready to promote it around the country.  

A chapter in her book discusses the possible existence of a place between the living world and the dead world.    Janet describes this place, as the “middle plane”, and is determined to find out how people reach it.

Janet is also awaiting an important phone call from the owners of a haunted house in New Hampshire.  She is worried that the institute will receive the go-ahead to study the house whilst she away, but her assistant, Michael Reeves, persuades her to continue with the tour – claiming that they will wait for her before moving into the house.

Inevitably, the institute do receive the go-ahead whilst Janet is on her tour.  Michael goes behind Janet’s back and moves into the house immediately, but when Janet finds out, she rushes to the house as quickly as she can. 

When she gets there, she finds out that Michael has his own plans for the study, and that the ghosts haunting this house could hold the key to the “middle plane”…

Dialogue guide:

The events in this film will take place in three different “planes”. 

In an attempt to avoid confusion, character dialogue will be coded depending on the world the character is in.  

The code is listed below.

1. Living world:  Normal text

2. Middle Plane:  Italic text

3. Ghost World:  Bold text

Scene 1:

The camera pans through a small office where we see posters of ghosts and other paranormal imagery covering the walls. 

Most of the workers look relaxed and are studying books and newspapers or using computers to note down their findings.

As the camera moves towards the end of the office area, we see a young woman rushing about, trying to bundle things into her briefcase as quickly as possible.

She is shouting at other people around her, and looks a bit flustered…

Janet Franklin:  “I want you to contact me immediately if anything happens with that case.  I’ve spent the last two years waiting for something like this.”

Michael Reeves:  “Don’t worry yourself – we’ve had phone calls like this before.  It’s probably just another hoax.”

Secretary:  “I think Michael’s right, Janet!  They’ve probably just read your book, and want you to turn up for a chat and a cup of tea.”

Janet:  “They sounded totally sincere to me!  If we get the all clear to move into the house, I want you to phone me before you do anything.    You won’t have any excuses – you can phone my mobile or call the University!”

Michael:  “I’ll keep you up to date if we here from them again.   Now get going – those spotty students must be dying to see you.”

Janet:  “Right… that’s me ready!  I’ll be back in two days – I don’t want this place to fall apart whilst I’m gone.”

Michael:  “I’ll make sure of it.”

Janet makes her way out of the office.

Scene 2:

Janet is seen leaving the office building, and is now getting into a nearby parked car. 

She throws her brief case in the back seat and prepares to drive off. 

Janet is about to drive onto the main road, when she remembers something.  She picks up her mobile phone and starts typing a number…

Janet: (speaking into the phone)  “Lisa… I almost forgot!  I need you to rearrange my meeting with the Head of School for next week?”

Janet steers the car onto the main street and starts to drive off…

Janet:  “My diary should be on my desk – just book me in for whenever suits him. 

I’ll be in the shit for this, so keep him sweet until Friday, alright?      Bye!”

Janet puts away the phone and concentrates on her driving.  The camera pans into the distance as we see Janet’s car heading towards the motorway…

Scene 3:

The camera returns to Janet’s car where we see her approaching a sign that says, “Welcome to New Jersey”.  She drives past the road sign and heads towards the city. 

The camera returns once again to show Janet parking her car in a University car park. 

Students are walking around the grounds as Janet leaves her car and locks the door behind her.  She glances at some of the students and then looks at the entrance to the University Building.  Janet begins to walk past moving cars and students towards the entrance. 

There is a large sign above Janet’s head, saying “Welcome to Rowan University”. 

She enters the building and goes to the main reception area where a lady behind a desk is waiting…

Janet:  “Hi… I’m Professor Janet Franklin.  I’m holding a lecture today at 4pm.”

Receptionist:  “Ahhh, Miss Franklin.  We’ve got a guest badge ready and waiting for you – just here!”

The receptionist opens a drawer under her desk and reveals the guest badge that Janet is to wear during her lecture…

Receptionist:  “The students are very excited about your visit, Miss Franklin – I hope you’ve come prepared!”

Janet:  “Well, I’ve got some slides with me, but I was hoping to get into the hall a few hours in advance.”

Receptionist:  “That shouldn’t be a problem!  I’ll just phone down Professor Watkins for you.  You’ve spoken to him, haven’t you?”

Janet:  “Only briefly, but he should be expecting me.”

Receptionist:  “I see!  Just one moment.”

The receptionist lifts up her phone and dials a short code.  She waits a few seconds and then gets a reply…

Receptionist:  “Hello…  Professor Watkins?  I’ve got a Miss Franklin waiting for you downstairs.   Okay, I’ll tell her.”

The receptionist puts the phone down and looks towards Janet.  Janet smiles.

Receptionist:  “The Professor will come down and meet you in just a moment.  Would you like some tea or coffee whilst you’re waiting?”

Janet:  No thanks, I’m fine.”

Janet moves away from the reception desk and walks towards a nearby notice board.  On the notice board is an advertisement for her lecture. 

The camera shows the text on the advertisement.  It reads “An afternoon with Janet Franklin – writer of the best-selling paranormal studies book, ‘A Ghost World Apart’.”

Janet looks slightly nervous as she turns around to see the Professor waiting for her at the reception desk.  He notices Janet, and starts walking towards to her…

Professor Watkins:  “Miss Franklin, it’s a pleasure to meet you!”

Janet and Professor Watkins shake hands…

Professor Watkins:  “We really appreciate you coming along today.  A lot of the students are really excited about the lecture.”

Janet looks slightly nervous.

Janet:  “That’s nice to hear!   I never realised my book was getting such a good reception until earlier this week.    I’ve already had several phone calls about holding student lectures, but unfortunately, I have to get back to work as soon as possible.”

The Professor looks interested.

Professor Watkins:  “Have you got an investigation lined up?

Janet:  “Yeah – and it could be a big step forward for my institute.   I’m just hoping what we’ve heard is true.”

Professor Watkins:  “Tell me a bit more.  I’ve read your book, and some of your theories are very intriguing.”

Janet:  “Well, on Friday of last week, I received a phone call from a lady in New Hampshire.   She’s just moved into a new house, and is almost certain the place is haunted – we’re just waiting for the all-clear before we begin research on the building.”

Professor Watkins:  “Sounds promising!   So, this could be your first research opportunity since the apartment haunting you talked about in your book – is that right?”

Janet nods in agreement.

Janet:  “Yeah, that was the last case we had.  The Woodend Apartments were a real eye-opener, but this house has a lot more background to it – there’s much more potential.”

Professor Watkins:  “You’ll have to keep me up to date on that one!”

Janet:   “Not a problem – I’ll keep in touch!  And you never know, I might write about it in my next book!

Professor Watkins:  “Sounds like a sneak preview to me! 

Janet and the Professor share a smile.

Professor Watkins: (suddenly looking excited) “I almost forgot to ask!  What topics are you going to cover in the lecture?  I’m only asking, because I love that chapter about the “middle plane”.   I think it’s a fantastic concept, but you don’t really expand on it enough!”

Janet:  “I’ve only prepared a little bit about the middle plane, but I can rustle up something extra for you!”

Professor Watkins:  “That would be brilliant!  I’m dying to ask you a few questions about it – along with the students as well!”

Janet:  (smiling)  “Sounds fine!”

Janet and the Professor reach the lecture hall.

Professor Watkins:  “Here we are!”

The Professor opens the door to the lecture hall, and leads Janet into the main area.  Janet looks around the hall as the Professor checks his watch…

Professor Watkins:  “That’s three o’ clock now – so I’ll just leave you to it.   Do you know how to work the projector equipment down there?”

Janet looks towards the projector on the roof, and then towards the computer on the lecture stage.

Janet:  “It all looks fairly familiar to me.”

Professor Watkins:  “Good!  If you need my help, just come back to the reception desk and Angie can contact me, okay?”

Janet:  “Yeah, that’s fine.”

The Professor leaves the lecture hall as Janet heads towards the lectern at the front of the lecture stage… 

She reaches the lectern, and then puts her briefcase on the floor.  She looks nervous as the camera pans up to the roof.  The camera fades out to black.

Scene 4:

The scene opens with Janet talking to the students in the lecture hall.  She is reaching the end of her lecture, and is ready to conclude by talking about the “Middle Plane” …

Janet:  “…to conclude the lecture today, I’m going to talk about something that I call the ‘middle plane’.” 

Janet presses some buttons on the computer in front of her, and a projection slide appears on the lecture room wall…

Janet:  “In simple terms, the middle plane can be described as a place that exists between the living world and the ghost world.

People who find themselves caught within the middle plane have the ability to influence and interact with the living world or the ghost world at their own will. 

It may seem like a far-fetched concept, but the findings I made during the Woodend Apartments case have been enough to convince me that such a place exists. 

Three of the ghosts that haunted those apartments had the ability to interact with household objects to a much greater extent than any Poltergeist.  They were also able to appear and disappear at will…”

One of the students in the room raises his arm to signal that he wants to ask a question.  Janet eventually notices the student.

Student:  “How do people get into the middle plane?  I’ve just finished reading your book, but you never explain how people get there.”

Janet:  “That’s a question I’m getting used to these days!  I haven’t been able to confirm anything yet – but I do have a theory.  When a ghost decides to haunt a building, it’s usually because they lived there before their death, and they feel comfortable with the surroundings. 

Ghosts rarely mean to hurt or scare people, but on some occasions, they can be vindictive, and might seek revenge on someone who hurt them in the past.

If a ghost can exact revenge, then their victim may receive further punishment in the after-life.  I believe this punishment could come in the form of banishment to the middle plane…”

Student 2:  “Do you have any evidence to back-up your theory?”

Janet:  “I’m still working on conclusive evidence, but bear with me for a few more minutes and I’ll explain…

When I started my study at the Woodend apartments, an old couple told me about a family in the flat above them who had been driven to suicide by ghosts that stayed there.    Soon after that, I discovered some domestic violence was going on within the family, and that the ghosts may have had some reason to punish them. 

Over the last few months, I’ve been looking for information on this family, and I’ve discovered that the apartment was left to them in the will of a deceased relative.  If domestic violence was a problem within this family and their relatives, then this could explain the ghost’s actions. 

I admit – it’s a very patchy theory – but I always believe there’s an explanation for the activity of every ghost.”

Student 2:  “Even if you did discover that the family were abusive, how would you confirm that they were being punished by the ghost?”

Janet:  “I reckon that’s one thing I’ll never be able to confirm for sure, but I’ll always have the motivation to try.”

Professor Watkins:  “Maybe once you reach the afterlife yourself, Miss Franklin, you could confirm the theory?!”

Janet: “I’ve never really thought of that, but it would make dying a more attractive prospect!”

Professor Watkins looks slightly shocked by Janet’s answer, but eventually smiles back at her before looking around the lecture room.

Professor Watkins:  “Well, I think that’s enough for today!  I’d just like to thank Miss Franklin for coming along at such short notice.  I’m sure you’ll agree that her lecture has been both fascinating and thought provoking.  A round of applause for Miss Franklin!”

The students begin clapping and Janet looks slightly embarrassed at all the attention she is getting… 

The clapping eventually subsides and Professor Watkins starts ushering the students towards the exit door of the lecture room.

Janet starts to pack documents into her briefcase, and waits for Professor Watkins to approach her.  Professor Watkins eventually moves towards her as the last few students exit the room…

Professor Watkins:  “Thank you very much for coming along today, Miss Franklin!  The students really enjoyed it!”

Janet:  “It was a pleasure!  I’d liked to have stayed and chatted for a while, but I need to get back to the office as soon as possible.”

Professor Watkins:  “I totally understand!  But please keep in touch.”

Janet:  “I will!”

Janet walks out of the lecture hall with Professor Watkins.

Scene 5:

Janet and Professor Watkins can be seen walking towards the main reception area.  Students walk by them in the corridor as the reception area comes into shot. 

The camera pans over to show the receptionist noticing Janet and the Professor.  The receptionist begins to look excited…

Receptionist:  “Miss Franklin!  I received a phone call from your office – they’ve moved into the haunted house to begin studying!”

Janet looks shocked.

Janet: “When did you get the call?”

Receptionist:  “About an hour ago – but I didn’t want to interrupt your lecture!”

Janet:  “And they said they’d already moved into the house?!”

The Receptionist looks embarrassed

Receptionist: “Yes.”

Janet:   “I can’t believe this!  I told them not to do anything until they contacted me!”

Professor Watkins:  “I don’t think you should travel tonight, Janet!  It’s already getting dark and the rush-hour traffic can be hellish!”

Janet:  “I have to get back to my office!  This is the biggest case we’ve had in years!”

Professor Watkins:  “But it’s a five hour journey in good traffic!  You should book into your hotel – I’ve arranged everything for you!”

Janet:  “I can’t – my work has to come first!  I’m going to kill Michael when I get my hands on him!”

Janet’s eyes suddenly begin to bulge as she realises something…

Janet:   “Who left the message for me?!”

Receptionist:  “It was someone called Michael.”

Janet: “I knew it!  He’s been looking to get one over on me for years.  I’m going to murder him!”

Janet storms out of the building.

Professor Watkins:  “Janet!  Wait!

Scene 6:

Janet can be seen running to her car in the University car park.  She looks very flustered as she opens the car door and grabs the mobile phone in her glove-department.  She types a number into the phone and sits down in the driver’s seat…  Someone answers the phone.

Janet:  (Angrily)  “Hello!  Lisa?”

• Lisa:  “Yes!?”

Janet:  “It’s Janet.  What the hell’s going on over there?”

• Lisa:  “I’m so sorry Janet!  Michael got a phone call about the house
  just after you left this morning – he moved everything out whilst I was on
  my lunch break!”

Janet:  “It’s not your fault, Lisa – I’m sorry.  I need to get back to the office, but I’m still in New Jersey!”

• Lisa:  “I tried to stop them Janet, but Michael
  just told me to stop interfering!”

Janet:  “He’s a fucking back-stabber!  I told him not to do this, but he’s still got a grudge against me!”

• Lisa:  “I told the head of school that Michael
  was acting against your orders, but he took no notice!”

Janet: (shaking her head)   “I’ve got to get going Lisa – I have to get to the house!  Is there any chance you could leave the office and drive over there for me?   I need someone to keep an eye on Michael.”

• Lisa:  “I could get over there in an hour or so
  – is that alright?”

Janet:  “That should be fine.  I’ll phone you if I’m going to be any later than midnight.”

• Lisa:  “Okay, I’ll see you soon.”

Janet puts down the phone and starts the car.  She drives off just as the Professor notices where she was parked…

Scene 7:

We see Janet’s car reaching the motorway outside of New Jersey just as the sun is going down.  The camera pans back to reveal a clear route down the motorway, with traffic moving along freely into the distance.  We hear Janet pick up the phone in her car… 

Janet:  “It’s me again, Lisa.  The traffic report is pretty good, so I should see you before midnight.”

*  Lisa:  “Okay Janet.  Take care on the road!”

Janet:  “I will.”

The camera fades out to black.

Scene 8:

The camera pans towards a large Victorian-style house concealed within a wooded area.  We see lights switch on and off within the building, and birds flying into a distant forest.  It is now very dark and clearly getting into the late hours of the night. 

The camera pans further out, to reveal a small number of vehicles parked in the driveway leading to the house.  Janet’s car is then seen approaching the house at great speed.  The camera moves towards the car as Janet parks next to the house.  We see Lisa emerge from the front door of the house to greet Janet as she leaves her car… 

Janet:  “What are they up to Lisa?”

Lisa:  “They’ve got all sorts of equipment set-up, Janet.  You’re not going to be happy!”

Janet:  (shaking her head)  “Have you seen Michael yet?”

Lisa:  “Yeah – he’s just through here.”

Lisa gestures towards the main living room as Janet storms into the house.  Janet immediately notices the large amount of equipment being set-up in the room by her workers, and begins to look angry. 

The workers stop as they see Janet enter the room…

Janet:  (very angrily)  “WHERE THE HELL IS MICHAEL?!!”

The workers stop hauling equipment around the room as Michael walks nonchalantly into view…  Janet notices Michael, and quickly walks towards him.

Janet:  “What the fuck are you doing here?!!  I told you specifically to wait for me if we got the go-ahead!”

Michael:  “You really need to calm down Janet!  I’ve already discovered some interesting stuff!”

Janet looks infuriated as she stares into Michael’s eyes.  She stands in astonishment for a moment before slapping him full-force across the face. 

Michael stands back in shock as everyone else in the room awaits his reaction…

Michael:  “That was uncalled for!  I make the effort to prepare all this equipment for you, and this is my repayment!?”

Janet looks around the room at her workers and the equipment…

Janet:  “Michael, I don’t even recognise half of the equipment you’ve set-up here!  I can tell when you’re up to something, and you’re definitely up to something right now!”

Michael:  “Even if I was, you don’t have to act so violently!  This is all standard hardware apart from a few bits and pieces!”

Janet:  “Exactly!  These are bits and pieces that neither Head of school – nor me for that matter – have ever seen or cleared for use!  I’m going back to the office in the morning, but in the meantime, I want you to stop what you’re doing.”

Michael:  “The Head of school has already given me the go-ahead, Janet.  I wasn’t going to hold back just because you had to promote your stupid little book to a bunch of students!”

Janet is about to turn away from Michael, but changes her mind when she hears the comment about her book.

Janet:  (trying to remain calm)  “One day you’ll get your work published too Michael, but there is no need to take your jealousy out on me!”

Michael:  “A lot of the findings in that book were made by me – yet you take all the credit for it!  I think I have reason to complain!”

Janet:  “Michael!  I give you more than enough credit in my book!  I knew you would react like this!”

Michael and Janet look exasperated and decide to stop the argument for just now…

Janet:  “I think we should discuss this later on, Michael.  I’ve been driving for almost thirteen hours today –a bit of rest would do me good!”

Michael: “There’s a spare room upstairs and then immediately to your left.  You can get some rest there.”

Janet nods in agreement and makes her way towards the stairs.  She looks towards Lisa as she reaches the stairway…

Janet:  “Lisa.  Can you join me for a minute please?”

Janet and Lisa begin walking up the stairs as Michael signals to the workers to continue with what they were doing.

Scene 9:

Janet and Lisa are in the spare room upstairs.  Janet puts her suitcase on the bed and turns to Lisa…

Janet:  “I’m going to get some sleep for now, but I may drive back to the office later on in the night.  You can stay here or head home Lisa – it’s up to you.”

Lisa:  “I think I’ll stay here, Janet.”

Janet looks confused.

Janet:   “Michael’s been here since the early hours of the morning, hasn’t he?  

Lisa:  “Yes.”

Janet:  “He’s had more than enough time to set-up that equipment before I got here.  I think he’s covering something up!”

Lisa:  “I have to agree with you.  He was talking to the owners of the house for hours this morning, but he had all the hardware in place before midday!”

Janet:  “I need to get my head together before I start anymore arguments.   Did you see him do anything else suspicious?”

Lisa:  “He had Joseph and Richard wearing some sort of strange goggles earlier this evening – that was a bit unusual.  He’s certainly more prepared than he’s letting on!”

Janet:  “I’m going to be in charge tomorrow, so he’d better stop what he’s doing.”

Lisa:  “I’ll let you get some sleep, Janet.  I have a room just two doors down the hall, so give me shout if you need anything.”

Janet:  “Thanks Lisa – I owe you one!”

Lisa leaves the room as Janet decides to lie down on the bed and get some sleep.  She sighs to herself and then closes her eyes.  The camera fades out.

Scene 10:

The scene opens in Janet’s room.  The camera pans around the room to reveal a bedside clock that shows 4.00 am…  A banging noise can be heard from somewhere else in the house.

Janet is woken by the noise and sits up in bed.

She checks the time on the clock before sighing and then walking to the bedroom door.

Janet looks into the hallway for movement… She looks left and then right, but there is nothing to explain the noise she just heard.

Just as she turns her back to the open doorway, we see a strange ghost-like figure pass by her in the hall.  Janet shakes in fear as a cold shiver goes down her spine.  She realises something has passed by her door, and quickly looks into the hall for evidence…

She gasps in fear as she notices a ghost-like man about to enter a room nearby.  The ghost looks back at her before disappearing through the door.

Janet is shaking in fear, but nevertheless, she moves down the hallway towards the door the ghost has just disappeared into. 

She reaches the door, and slowly opens it to reveal a staircase leading downwards.  At the bottom of the stairway is an old wooden door with a dusty, glass-window – it looks as if this door will lead to the cellar of the house.

Janet decides to creep down the stairs cautiously towards the cellar door…  As she reaches the bottom of the stairs, the ghost emerges from the cellar door.  Janet is so shocked that she cannot move or scream.  The ghost passes through her body and heads up the stairs.

After a few seconds we see the ghost leave the area and Janet regain her composure.  She looks behind herself to see an empty staircase, and then turns back to the cellar door.  She takes a deep breath and then slowly turns the door handle… 

She opens the door to reveal an old, dark cellar with wooden boxes and coal lying around.  As Janet looks around, she notices a furnace at the far end of the room, and a strange set of metal swing-doors that might lead to a room below the cellar.

Janet decides to approach the swing-doors with caution.  She notices a large pile of coal around the doors and wonders whether there is a storage room behind them.

Suddenly, a shuffling noise can be heard within the coal room.

As Janet looks closer through the metal bars in the swing-door, we see a small figure dressed in white, pass by her view.  Janet looks shocked and moves back slightly…

Janet:  “Who’s there?”

Ghost child:  “Shhh!  Daddy might hear you!”

Janet gasps in astonishment.  She then moves closer to the swing-doors…

Janet:  “Do you want me to help you?”

Ghost Child:  “Open the doors!  Quickly – before Daddy comes back!”

Janet looks around the cellar – hoping that she is safe from the person the child is talking about.  She then opens the swing-doors and descends the stairs… 

The child becomes scared of Janet’s presence, and runs into a corner of the coal room to hide…

Janet then screams in shock as a rumbling noise can be heard directly above her in the cellar.  Janet calms down, and realises that the coal in the cellar above has covered up the swing-doors.

There is only a small ray of light shining into the coal-room, but it is enough for Janet to see a few things around her.  She notices that the coal-room has a low, stone ceiling, and that there is only a small amount of coal lying around.  Janet begins creeping around the room looking for another way out – but the swing-doors seem to be her only exit. 

Suddenly she notices the child standing in the far corner of the room.  The child is clearly scared and begins moving around the room – looking for a way past Janet.

Janet:  “Don’t be frightened!  What’s your name?”

Ghost Child:  “My name’s Annie….  What’s yours?”

Janet:  “I’m Janet.  Why are you hiding from your daddy?”

Annie:  “You have to keep quiet – he’ll hear you!  Those men with the strange eyes made him very angry!”

Janet:  (nodding to the girl)  “I’ll be quiet.”

Janet continues to check for another way out of the coal room, but cannot find one.

Janet:  “Is there another way out of this room, Annie?”

Annie:  “There is – but you can’t use it!  It’s my secret tunnel, and nobody else’s!”

Janet:  “What happened to you, Annie?  If you tell me, I might be able to help you.”

Annie begins to look sad and upset.

Annie:  “My Uncle Steven put me in this room, but he never came back for me!  He said he would, but Mum and Dad didn’t let him.”

Janet:  “What did your Mum and Dad do to him?”

Annie:  “I don’t know what they did to him.  Sometimes I can see it in my head, but I’m too scared to look.”

Janet:  “If you know what happened, then maybe we can help Daddy to calm down.”

Annie:  “If you hold my hand, you can see it too – but it’s horrible… so don’t blame me if you get scared.”

Janet:  “It’s alright – I’ll hold your hand, and we can be brave together.”

Annie eventually holds out her hand, and Janet approaches her slowly.  Janet takes a deep breath before closing her eyes and taking Annie by the hand. We see a flash of light and then darkness… for a moment.

Scene 11:

We enter a flashback where Janet is the spectator.  She is standing alone in the cellar, where it is very dark and the atmosphere is foreboding.

Suddenly there is another flash of light… the camera returns moments later to give us Janet’s view of the cellar.

She immediately looks around the cellar to check if there is anyone else in the room with her.  As she does so, we hear footsteps and whispering coming from the staircase in front of her…  Janet tries to move from her place in the middle of the cellar, but she can’t.

As Janet begins to panic, the handle on the cellar door begins to turn… The door slowly opens to reveal Annie and the ghost that woke Janet in the middle of the night.  It is soon clear that the other ghost is the Uncle Steven that Annie talked about.

Janet tries to move once again – but to no avail.  She watches on as Uncle Steven closes the cellar door behind him and then leads Annie towards the coal room…  Janet begins to shiver in fear as Uncle Steven pulls Annie ever nearer to the swing-doors…

Janet:  “Annie!!  Don’t go with him!”

Uncle Steven turns his head to look in the direction of Janet.  He begins to stare at her… but then looks away.  Janet is frightened that Uncle Steven has seen her, but he soon turns his attention to Annie and then kneels down to open the coal room door…

Janet begins to weep as Annie is ushered into the coal room and then locked inside by her Uncle.  Uncle Steven finishes locking the door and then heads back cautiously to the cellar door. 

He stands at the cellar door for a moment  – looking through the window for movement.  He eventually opens the cellar door and starts climbing the stairs…

Janet is suddenly released from her frozen position in the middle of the cellar, and is now able to move freely. She immediately runs to the coal room door…

Janet:  “Annie – you need to get out of there!  Use your secret tunnel!”

Janet looks over her shoulder for Uncle Steven, but thankfully he is not there.

Janet gets no reply from Annie, so decides to look closer into the coal room…

As she does so, Annie grabs the metal bars on the swing-door and peers out into the cellar. 

Janet screams in fright as the little girl stares at her from the darkness.

Janet:  “Oh God!”

Back in the real world, Annie is starting to get scared…  We hear her trying to convince Janet to end the flashback.

Annie:  “I don’t want to see anymore – I’m frightened!”

Janet:  “I’m still here, Annie!  You have to be brave and show me the rest.”

Annie:  “But I always stop after I hear the banging noise.”

Janet:  “What banging noise?”

Suddenly, a loud banging noise can be heard from above.  Janet and Annie look towards the roof before looking at each other…  Janet now feels very frightened and trapped within the cellar. 

Janet:  “What should I do, Annie?”

Annie:  “I can’t do this anymore!”

Janet realises that she must show courage to help Annie along…

Janet: “I’m going to find out what happened to your Uncle – you have to be brave for me!”

Annie:  “Be careful – I can hear footsteps!”

Janet stops moving so that she can listen for the footsteps…

She hears the footsteps moving around in the room above her, and decides to find out what is happening.

Janet jumps in fright as another loud banging noise can be heard from above.  As she looks towards the roof in anticipation of more noises, the cellar door begins to open…

As the door swings open, Uncle Steven appears with blood all over his clothing… Janet screams in shock, and begins to panic as he moves closer to Annie and the coal room doors…

We see Annie look out in fear as Uncle Steven reaches towards her.  Suddenly he disappears and all is quiet.

Janet eventually raises the courage to look towards the coal room doors again, but there is no sign of Annie…

Janet:  “Annie – are you there?”

Suddenly, there is a flash of light…

Scene 12:

We see Janet opening her eyes – she has returned to real-life again, where Annie and her are trapped in the coal room…

Janet looks around the coal room and notices Annie standing in one of the corners.

Janet: “What’s wrong, Annie?”

Annie:  “Shhh! –  Daddy’s coming!”

Janet starts to panic as she realises there are few places to hide in the coal room…

Janet:  “Where can I hide, Annie?”

Annie:  “Hide in one of the corners!  Quickly – he’s seen me!”

Janet squeezes into one of the corners of the coal room and tries to calm herself…

Annie:  “Try not to breathe so much – he can see it in the air.”

Janet closes her eyes for a moment and tries to relax her breathing…  As she does so, we see the ghost of Annie’s father emerge from the far end of the coal room….

As he glances around the room, we see his dark, menacing eyes focus on the ray of light piercing through the coal that is covering the swing-doors. 

He walks towards the doors to inspect what has happened… 

As he does so, Janet comes into camera shot – she is hiding in the corner next to the swing-doors, and is finding it hard to hold her breath…

Annie’s father is about to search a different area of the coal room when he suddenly notices a white haze appearing from the corner in which Janet is hiding… 

It becomes clear that this white haze is Janet’s breath floating on the air.  Annie’s father now looks interested and starts approaching Janet…

Janet realises that she’s been discovered, and immediately runs for the coal room doors…  She tries to force the coal away from the doors, but it’s no use – Annie’s father has seen her, and he is now approaching very quickly…

As Janet runs away from Annie’s father, she cracks her head against a low part of the stone ceiling…  She then collapses to the ground, and hits her head for a second time.

Janet lies on the floor motionless.  The camera fades out.

Part 2 of Between will be available just shortly