Edited version 2

Copyright, Alistair Bell 2003

Synopsis:

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”…

Locations:

The film is set in the 3 locations listed below.

1. The Institute for Paranormal studies in Connecticut
2. Rowan University in New Jersey
3. Haunted House – New Hampshire

Character Descriptions:

Institute for Paranormal Studies

There are many people working at the Institute in Connecticut, but the main characters are listed below.

1.Professor Janet Franklin – 47 years of age.
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 entitled: “Between living and dead”, looks at the myth of a world that exists between the living and ghosts.
It is creating great interest amongst readers and critics.

2. Michael Reeves – 56 years of age.
   
   Janet’s assistant at the institute.
   
   He has his own hidden agenda.
   
   A bit of a sly person, who might just stab you in the back.
   
   However, he does receive a lot of respect from most people at the institute.

3. Lisa Rogers – 37 years of age.

Janet’s receptionist at the institute.

Very loyal to her.

4. Joseph Banks – 27 years of age

One of the senior workers at the institute

5. Richard Oakes – 49 years of age

Another senior worker at the institute

Rowan University

6. Professor Watkins – 51 years of age.
   
   A lecturer at Rowan University in New Jersey.
   
   He studies paranormal activity amongst other subjects.

7. Receptionist – 39 years of age.

Works at Rowan University.

The Ghosts:

A family of four ghosts are discovered at the haunted house in New Hampshire.
Their past is shrouded in mystery, but we soon discover something sinister led to their deaths.

1. Annie

2. Uncle Steven

3. Annie’s Mother

4. Annie’s Father

Dialogue guide:

The events in this film will take place in three different “worlds”.
In an attempt to avoid confusion, character dialogue will be colour-coded depending on the world the character is in.
The colour code is listed below.

1. Living world: Normal text colour
2. Middle Plane: Green text colour
3. Ghost World: Blue text colour

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 hell 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.

End of Part One

Scene 13:

We see Janet opening her eyes. She stands up and glances around the coal room with a confused look on her face.
Annie then appears from a corner of the coal room… she checks that her father has left, and then approaches Janet.

Annie: “Are you okay?”

Janet seems bewildered as Annie looks at the ground whilst talking to her…

Janet: “I’m fine… What are you looking at, Annie?”

Janet looks towards the ground, and is completely shocked when she sees herself lying there – dead. Janet stumbles backwards in amazement with her hand over her mouth…

Janet: “What’s happened to me?”

Janet realises that she has died and left her own body, but she cannot understand why Annie cannot see her.

Janet: “Annie – I’m here!”

Annie suddenly notices Janet standing nearby…

Annie: “How did you do that?”

Janet: “I don’t know, but at least you can see me now.”

Annie: “My Uncle can do things like that as well – he disappears and reappears whenever he wants to! He used to scare the living people away from our house, but he’s stopped ever since those men with the strange eyes came along.”

Janet: “Do you know where your Uncle is right now?”

Annie: “He’s hiding somewhere in the house. Daddy and the strange men scared him away.”

Janet: “Are you not scared of your Uncle anymore?”

Annie: “Only when he’s arguing with Daddy. Sometimes hey shout at each other during the night, and it scares me. I just stay in here until they stop, but recently it’s got worse, so I’ve been hiding a lot.”

Janet starts thinking to herself, and then reaches towards the coal room wall… As she does so, her hand passes through the wall and into the cellar…

She takes her hand back into the coal room, and then thinks to herself again…

Janet: “I need to leave you for a while Annie – I have to speak to my friends.”

Annie: “But you’ll just frighten them – you’re not like them anymore.”

Janet: “I’m sorry, Annie – I have to see them. I’ll speak to you tonight. Just take care for the time being, okay?”

Annie: “Watch out for Daddy and those strange men – I don’t want them to get you.”

Janet: “I’ll be alright. Shall we meet in this room later on?”

Annie: “Yeah. But I might see you before then!”

Janet smiles at Annie and then moves towards the coal room doors.
She then slowly puts her hand through the wall, and then walks right through to the cellar.

It is now morning and the sun is shining into the cellar. Janet looks around and takes a deep breath…
The camera then pans through the cellar stairs and into the main living room of the house. In the living room, we see Michael and Lisa talking to the workers.

Michael stops his conversation with one of the workers and starts approaching Lisa….

Scene 14:

Michael has walked up to Lisa, and is ready to talk to her.

Michael: “Any sign of Janet this morning?”

Lisa: “She isn’t in her room. But she did say she was going to drive back to the office during the night.”

Michael: “Oh well – I’m sure she’s fine.”

Michael turns away from Lisa and looks at the workers in the room…

Lisa: “I hope you’re going to wait for her before you do anything else.”

Michael: “I can’t wait any longer, Lisa! Janet should have told me her plans last night. She’s just hindering our progress now.”

Just as Lisa is about to reply to Michael’s remark, one of the workers can be heard shouting from another area of the house…

Worker 1: “Michael – come here quickly!”

Michael and Lisa are shocked into action, and start running towards the worker… They eventually see the worker on the landing above them, and run up the stairs to join him…

Michael: “What happened?”

Worker 1: “One of the ghosts just came out from this door and walked along the corridor.”

Michael: (excitedly) “Which direction did it go?”

The worker points down the corridor in the opposite direction of Janet’s bedroom.

Michael: “Bring up some of that extra equipment – quickly!”

Michael runs to the end of the corridor where there is a single door at the far end. He turns to Lisa as he reaches for the door handle…

Michael: “This is the sort of thing we can’t wait for! Janet would do exactly the same thing if she was in my position.”

Michael slowly opens the door to reveal a large bedroom…
He quickly notices the spirit of Annie’s father standing near the wardrobe at the other end of the room.
Annie’s father turns to look at Michael, and stares right into his eyes. A sudden flash of light sends pain shooting through Michael’s head, and he groans in pain…
After opening his eyes, Michael realises that he is experiencing a flashback…

We see Annie’s father standing next to the bed. He is folding up clothes to be put in the wardrobe, and has an agitated look on his face…
We notice anger building up in his eyes, and after putting an item of clothing to one side, he opens his mouth and screams in Michael’s direction.
Michael stumbles back in shock as Annie’s father storms towards him in a fit of rage… But we soon realise that Michael is not the target of this rage, when the man passes right by him as if he wasn’t even there.

Michael then turns around to see Lisa frozen in fear – her body and face motionless. Michael is about to take a closer look at Lisa, when Annie’s father storms back into the room… Michael is shocked again, when he notices that Annie’s father is pulling a young woman into the room by her arm.

Annie’s father passes Michael again, and throws the women onto the bed. He is enraged by something the woman has done, and begins shouting at her…
After exchanging words, the woman stands up to Annie’s father with tears streaming down her face… Annie’s father seems oblivious to what the woman is saying, and he begins clenching his fists in anger …

Michael then flinches in pain as we see a little girl pass by his side… she eventually comes into camera shot and we realises that it is Annie.

Annie’s father notices his daughter, and after looking at her for a moment, he begins to calm down…
Suddenly there is a flash of light, and we return to real life once again…

Scene 15:

Michael and Lisa collapse with exhaustion, and begin rubbing their eyes…

Michael: “What the hell was that?”

Lisa: “I don’t know! But I’m going to need some fresh air.”

Lisa stands up uneasily and begins walking down the corridor… As she does so, we notice one of the workers in the corridor. He is regaining his composure after experiencing the same flashback… Michael stands up and looks towards the worker…

Michael: “Richard! Tell Joseph and Melanie to get up here with that extra equipment.”

Richard walks briskly towards the stairs, as Michael tries to get his breath back…

Scene 16:

The camera is looking into an upstairs window of the haunted house from a small distance…
It is now late afternoon, and the sun is beginning to fall… The camera pans through the window and into a large bedroom where Michael and some of the workers are talking. Other workers move into the room – carrying small pieces of equipment in their arms…
The camera moves towards Michael, Lisa and Richard…
Lisa is now holding a mobile phone to her ear…

Michael: “I want at least three of you to stay in this room during the night. We’ll wait for the ghost to return, and then make a move to capture him.”

Lisa comes into camera shot. She has cancelled her phone call, and is looking very concerned.

Lisa: “I’m worried about Janet. I’ve phoned her mobile and tried to contact her at home, but there’s no answer.”

Michael: “Have you phoned work? I thought she was heading back there to pick some thing up?”

Lisa: “I’ve already done that, but security say she never turned up last night, or this morning.”

Michael begins to look concerned as well…

Michael: “After I get things set-up in here, I’ll get someone to search the house for her.”

Lisa: “Can’t you get someone to look now? It’s going to be dark soon!”

Michael suddenly has a thoughtful look in his eyes…

Michael: “We didn’t check if her car was still here!”

Michael runs into the hallway, and quickly looks out the window to see if Janet’s car is still sitting in the driveway. He immediately notices that her car is still there, and after checking that none of the other vehicles have gone, he turns to Lisa.

Michael: “Her car is still there. Have you checked her room recently?”

Lisa: “I checked it a few minutes ago. We would have noticed if she’d returned anyway.”

Michael now looks even more concerned, and eventually turns to Richard for help…

Michael: “Richard! Could you give Lisa a hand in searching the house? Janet’s gone missing. We want to make sure she isn’t in the house before it gets too dark.”

Richard: “Okay. Which part of the house should I search?”

Lisa: “I’ll check the rooms on this side of the house, if you want to do the East wing?”

Richard: “No problem – I’ll get moving!”

Richard grabs his coat from a nearby desk and sets off to the East wing of the house. Lisa is also about to start her search when she suddenly decides to talk to Michael…

Lisa: “I think we should phone the police if she doesn’t turn up before the morning. The ghosts in this house seem to be very aggressive – something might have happened to her.”

Michael: “That sounds like a sensible idea. I want you to take care when you’re searching the house as well – the ghosts are bound to react in some way during the next few days.”

Michael walks over to a desk in the large bedroom and picks up a communication device…

Michael: “Take this walkie-talkie, so you can keep in touch. Richard already has one with him, so he’s okay.”

Lisa: “Thanks. I’ll be in touch if I need any help.”

Michael: “Take care.”

Lisa smiles, and takes the walkie-talkie from Michael’s hand. She then buttons up her coat, and begins her search of the West wing of the house.
The nearest door to Lisa is the one that leads downstairs to the cellar where we last saw Janet…

Scene 17:

The scene opens in the cellar – it is very dark and quiet, and there is no one to be seen. We eventually see Lisa enter the room with a slight look of fear on her face…

Lisa: “Janet! Are you in here?”

Lisa walks cautiously into the cellar and starts looking around for Janet… As she does so, we hear a shuffling noise from within the coal room…

Lisa: “Janet? Is that you?”

Lisa walks closer and closer towards the coal room in an attempt to discover what the noise is… The camera then moves towards the pile of coal covering the metal swing-doors down to the storage room…
A few lumps of coal suddenly fall from the pile, and this gives Lisa an immediate fright. She flinches back for a moment, and then continues approaching the swing-doors – eventually going into a crouching position…

Suddenly, a thin, ghost-like hand appears from the pile of coal. Lisa covers her mouth in shock as the hand begins to move pieces of coal away from the swing-doors…

The hand eventually stops moving, and we begin to see the rest of the ghost emerge slowly from the coal pile…
First its arm, and then its long, black hair gradually surfaces into view… Lisa stumbles back.

As the top section of the ghost comes into view, we realise that the spirit is a young woman with long, black, straight-flowing hair. Lisa is gasping with fear as the ghost begins to raise its head…
We see a close-up of Lisa’s terrified face, and then the camera turns to black….

Scene 18:

The scene opens in the cellar – we see Lisa lying motionless on the floor… The camera begins to pan slowly past her body from a short distance… We hear a shuffling noise from nearby, and then a soft whisper from the coal room…

Annie: “Mummy!”

The camera continues to pan round the room… We hear another whisper – this time a little bit louder…

Annie: “Mummy!”

Janet suddenly appears from out of nowhere… she notices Lisa lying on the floor, and then hears Annie whisper once again.
Janet kneels down to Lisa with a worried look on her face…

Janet: “Annie. What happened here?”

Annie seems surprised by Janet’s sudden appearance, and answers with a nervous voice…

Annie: “The people with the strange eyes must have got her!”

Janet studies Lisa’s body, and then turns her attention to Annie…

Janet: “You have to show me these people with the strange eyes, Annie. If they’re scaring you, and hurting my friends, then we need to do something about it.”

Annie: “They come out at night, and creep around the house looking for me and Daddy, so we should be careful they don’t find us first.”

Janet looks very thoughtful as she tries to gain information from Annie about the people with the strange eyes…

Janet: “Can you not hide from them, Annie?”

Annie goes silent for a moment…

Annie: “It’s in their eyes – even if you try to disappear, they can still see you.”

Janet sighs to herself…

Janet: “I need to see them, Annie.”

Annie: “But they’ll hurt you!!”

Janet: “I think I could hide from them. But I need your help.”

Annie: “I’ll show you where they are, but I’m not going near them!”

Janet: “That’s alright.”

Annie: “Can I come out of the coal room?”

Janet: “Of course you can. I’ll keep you safe.”

Annie emerges from the coal room and walks quietly up to Janet. It is now obvious that Annie is a small girl of about four years of age.
Annie looks up at Janet and waits for her reaction…

Janet: “Shall we go then?”

Janet offers her hand to Annie, and she obliges by grabbing it tightly…

Scene 19:

We see Janet and Annie climbing up the cellar stairs to the hallway on the first floor… They reach the door at the top of the stairs, but before they go any further, Annie decides to say something…

Annie: “As soon as I see them, I’m going to run away. I think you should too!”

Janet smiles nervously at Annie and then turns to the door…

Janet slowly turns the door handle and begins to look into the hallway…
As she does so, the camera goes into a distorted view where everything around Annie and Janet is blurred to different extents – as if strange clouds of mist with different densities are floating around the house…
Janet and Annie are aware of the distorted view, and take caution as they enter the hallway…
Annie seems terrified by what is happening…

Annie: “This always happens when they’re about. Can I leave now?”

Janet looks nervous…

Janet: “Stay with me for just a little bit longer.”

Janet and Annie continue to creep around the hallway, when suddenly a door opens nearby… Because their view is still distorted, Janet strains her eyes to see what is happening…

The door opens completely, to reveal the large bedroom where Michael and Lisa had their strange flash back… Annie grips even harder to Janet’s hand as we see two figures appear from the room.

The two figures begin to move rapidly towards Janet and Annie – their eyes piercing the strange mist like streams of light through fog…
Annie screams in fear as the two figures open their arms – as if to block off her escape route… Janet is astonished by what is happening and tries her best to calm Annie down… It is obvious that these are the people with the strange eyes that Annie has talked about.

Janet: “Stay with me, Annie!”

Janet and Annie begin to circle each other in a state of panic as two more people surround them and try to cut out their escape routes…

The camera then turns to the viewpoint of one of the people with strange eyes… We see the blurred outline of Janet and Annie’s bodies, and then watch as the person catches a glimpse of Janet’s face through their strange tunnel-like view…
Janet looks straight at the camera, and then looks away… Suddenly, she disappears, and the camera returns to the previous view where we see Annie trying to evade the people with strange eyes.

Annie tries to run in different directions to escape the strange people – but to no avail. She screams for help from Janet, but Janet is nowhere to be seen.

Suddenly, we catch a glimpse of the people with strange eyes being attacked by an unseen force… They lurch back in pain as the unseen force attacks their eyes.
Within moments, all four of the strange people are lying on the ground. Annie takes her chance to escape, and runs straight through the door leading to the cellar stairs…
Janet appears nearby, and follows her through the door… We then hear a clear voice…

Michael: “Where did they go?”

Worker 2: “Down the stairs, I think!”

Michael: “Clear the area for just now – we need to calm things down!”

We notice two figures appear from the bedroom with strange instruments in their hands… They begin pointing the instruments into the air and spraying something from them… Within moments, the air is clear, and we can see perfectly well again.
Michael is standing in the hallway with a number of his workers… The workers then stand up and we see strange goggles in their hands…

Michael: “Okay people. These ghosts are getting very unpredictable. We’re not going to leave, but we need to take extreme caution from now on.”

The workers turn to Michael, and look at him as if he’s completely mad…

Michael: “Don’t look at me like that – you’re part of something amazing here. You should be thanking me!”

The camera moves away from Michael, and we see one of the workers looking confused…

Worker 2: “Michael – I need to say something.”

Michael turns to face the worker…

Michael: “What’s wrong, Joseph?”

Joseph: “When those ghosts were in the hallway – I’m sure I saw Janet. But I thought she was still missing?”

Michael looks shocked and concerned…

Michael: “Yes – she’s supposed to be missing.”

One of the other workers starts to take an interest in the conversation…

Worker 3: “I thought I saw her as well.”

Michael looks extremely concerned…he glances towards the door leading to the cellar stairs…

Michael: “We need to go down those stairs as soon as possible. There’s something going wrong here.”

Michael runs towards the first-floor landing, in order to shout down at the other workers…

Michael: “We have a change of plan people! Get up here now!”

Michael returns to the hallway and then realises something that shocks him…

Michael: “Where’s Lisa?!!”

Joseph: “Oh shit… she was going to check this side of the house!”

Michael swallows nervously, and then looks towards the door leading to the cellar stairs…

Michael: “Get some goggles and spray guns together! We’re going through that door as soon as we’re all ready.”

The workers regain their composure, and start preparing equipment in the large bedroom…

End of part two

Scene 20:

We return to the cellar, where we see Janet looking around for Annie…

Janet: “Annie! You’re okay now – they’ve gone.”

Annie: “They’re going to come down here and hurt us! We have to hide in the coal room!”

Just as Janet is about to reply to Annie, we see Lisa beginning to wake-up on the floor… Janet is surprised that Lisa is waking up, but decides to join Annie in the coal room…

As Lisa begins to sit up, we here footsteps and voices coming from the cellar stairs…
Michael eventually emerges from the cellar door with Joseph and Richard with him. They immediately notice Lisa and run to her aid…

Michael: “Lisa! Are you okay?”

Lisa: “I think so. But we have to get out of here – there’s something in that storeroom over there!”

Lisa’s face goes white with fear as she points to the coal room doors… Michael, Joseph and Richard look towards the swing-doors, and they also begin to look frightened…

Michael: “Joseph – can you go upstairs and get me a couple of torches. I also need you to wear some goggles and get a spray gun.”

Joseph: “Okay.”

Joseph makes his way to the cellar door, and then starts climbing the stairs… Richard helps Lisa to her feet, whilst Michael turns his attention to the coal room…

Michael: “You’d better take Lisa upstairs. I need you to get back down here as soon possible – and bring Melanie and Joseph with you.”

Michael has a look of fear in his face as he stares towards the coal room…
Richard and Lisa exit the cellar – leaving Michael on his own.

Michael moves towards the coal room…

Michael: “Are you down there, Janet?”

There is no answer… but Michael is not deterred. He continues to walk closer to the coal room…
Michael eventually reaches the swing-doors, and begins removing the last pieces of coal that are covering the entrance…

Suddenly, the female ghost with the long, black hair emerges from the coal room just as Michael is about to open the doors. He stumbles back in astonishment as the ghost-woman crawls up the stairs from the coal room, and begins lurching towards him…
Michael is frozen in fear as she moves ever closer – her head rising with every step…

Janet then suddenly appears from behind the ghost. She attempts to save Michael, but as she does so, Annie appears…

Annie: “Mummy!”

As Janet grabs hold of the woman’s arm, we witness a strange sequence of images that flash before our eyes…

In the first image, we see Annie’s mother standing next to the bed in a large room – she begins shaking violently. We do not see her face – her long hair covers it.

In the second image, we see Annie standing next to her mother in the same bedroom… her mother begins to shake violently once again…

In the third image, we see Annie’s father standing next to the mother. He raises his arm slowly…

In the fourth image, we see Uncle Steven standing next to Annie’s mother – she begins shaking even more violently as Uncle Steven’s eyes twitch back and forth…

During the fifth image, we hear unearthly screams. These screams are accompanied by quick flashes of Uncle Steven lying on the bedroom floor with blood seeping from his head, and Annie’s father lowering his arm away from Annie’s mother…

We then see quick flashes of Annie’s mother in a violent rage – she is swinging her arms towards the camera and screaming loudly…
Finally, we see an image of Annie’s mother striking her husband on the head with a strange object…

We now return to real-life – back in the cellar.

Scene 21:

Janet awakes from the flashback, and immediately notices the cellar filling-up with a strange mist.
She recognises the mist from earlier on – when the people with the strange eyes tried to capture Annie…

There is now a great commotion in the room.
Richard and Joseph are trying to put strange goggles over their eyes, and Michael is backing away from a machine pumping chemicals into the room.
The mist is making visibility very low, but we notice Annie’s mother making her way to the cellar door – she is dragging Annie along the ground by her hair in an extremely violent manner…
Richard, Joseph and Michael stand in amazement, as Annie’s mother walks by them and passes through the cellar door.

Janet: “Annie!”

Janet begins to run after Annie and her mother – leaving Michael and the others in a state of commotion in the cellar…

Janet appears on the other side of the cellar door, and immediately looks up to the top of the stairs, where we see Annie looking down at us with a very sad look on her face…

Annie: “I didn’t want to tell you about my Mummy. Sometimes she hurts people – but it’s not her fault.”

Annie’s mother suddenly appears at the top of the stairs… She takes a quick glance at Janet, and then grabs Annie’s hand and pulls her into the hallway…

Janet: “Leave her alone!”

Janet rushes up the stairs in pursuit…
She eventually reaches the hallway upstairs where we catch a glimpse of Annie’s mother disappearing into a nearby bedroom…

Janet: “NO!”

Janet follows Annie’s mother into the bedroom, but she is surprised by what she finds behind the door…

We see Annie cowering in the far corner of the room as her parents argue with each other nearby…
Janet is not sure what to do, but she watches as Annie creeps towards the bedroom door in a bid to escape. Unfortunately, her mother notices her movement…

Annie’s mother: “Annie! Get over here, now!”

Annie turns away from the bedroom door, and looks at her mother…

Annie’s father: “I won’t let you hurt her again, Rachael!”

Uncle Steven suddenly walks through the bedroom door and stands next to Janet – he immediately notices something is wrong…

Annie’s father: “Steven! Get Annie out of here!”

Uncle Steven looks shocked, but he quickly offers his hand to Annie…

Just as Annie is about to grab Uncle Steven’s hand, he disappears.
Janet looks confused, but soon realises that Annie is now reaching out to her. Annie looks into Janet’s eyes, and then whispers something…

Annie: “We can hide in the cellar – I know a secret tunnel down there.”

Janet is amazed by what is going on, but takes Annie by the hand and heads towards the bedroom door…

Janet opens the door and leads Annie along with her. As they close the door behind them, we notice Annie’s mother screaming and then running at her husband in the bedroom – a fight is obviously about to take place.

Scene 22:

Janet and Annie enter the cellar, and run as quickly as they can to the coal room.
They are about to reach the swing-doors, when Annie turns to Janet…

Annie: “I’ll hide in the coal room – but don’t let Mummy come down here.”

Janet nods in agreement…

Janet: “Okay.”

Janet helps Annie into the coal room, and then heads back to the cellar stairs. As she begins to climb up the stairs, we hear a loud banging noise from nearby.
Janet stops suddenly and listens for a moment… we hear footsteps from the hallway above.
Janet breathes heavily with fear as she follows the footsteps with her eyes – judging the movement of the person in the hallway.

After a few seconds, we see the door opening at the top of the stairs…
Janet’s breathing is now even heavier, as Annie’s mother comes slowly into view from behind the door…

Janet stands motionless on the stairs as Annie’s mother creeps down towards her – step… by step… by step…

Annie’s mother is now standing within a few feet of Janet…
They both look at each other for a moment – but Annie’s mother breaks the silence by launching herself at Janet…The two women fall down the stairs, and burst through the cellar door.
As Janet struggles to get away from Annie’s mother, the coal room door opens, and Annie looks out.

Janet: “Stay in there, Annie!”

Annie’s mother pushes Janet out of the way so that she can get to her daughter… Annie runs back into the coal room just as her mother reaches out to grab her.

Janet: “Get away from her!”

As Janet gets back to her feet, we notice a garden spade lying nearby.
Janet takes the spade and hits Annie’s mother on the head with it.

Annie’s mother screams with pain, and then stumbles forward. She quickly turns around to face Janet – just as she is taking a second swing with the spade… The sharp edge of the tool sinks into the skull of Annie’s mother, and she collapses to the floor…

Janet drops the spade in exhaustion, and falls to her knees next to Annie’s mother…
Janet watches as Annie’s mother twitches in pain – blood dripping down the side of her head. The dying woman gasps for air, before gradually slipping away to an eternal sleep…

Janet looks into the eyes of Annie’s mother, and then begins weeping to herself…

As we watch Janet crying, Michael, Richard and Lisa appear behind her in the cellar.

Michael: “Janet – are you okay? What happened here?”

Michael runs to Janet, and begins to comfort her…
As he holds her in his arms, Janet realises that she has returned to normal again, and looks up at Michael…

Janet: “Annie! Where’s Annie? I left her in the coal room!”

Janet manages to stand up by herself, and walks awkwardly towards the coal room door. Michael looks confused, and decides to catch-up with her…
Janet begins to weep again, as she frantically moves pieces of coal away from the swing doors…

Michael: “Janet – you have to calm down!”

Janet eventually moves all the pieces of coal, and quickly opens the swing-doors…
Michael looks towards Richard…

Michael: “Richard – can you bring me a torch?”

Richard hands a torch over to Michael, as Janet enters the coal room…
Moments later, we hear Janet speak.

Janet: “Oh god!”

Michael walks down the stairs into the coal room to join Janet. As he does so, the camera pans across to show Annie’s dead body lying next to Janet…

Janet: “It’s Annie – she’s safe now!”

Janet clutches Annie’s body to her chest, and begins smiling.

Michael: “What do you mean, she’s “safe”?

Janet: “I know what happens to people in the middle plane! I had the chance to help Annie – and I did!”

Michael is happy to see that Janet is alive and well, but he is concerned about the way she is acting. He is also worried about the dead body she has discovered.

Michael: “We need to get you to a hospital, Janet. You’re not well.”

Janet continues to sob over Annie’s body, as Michael gestures to Richard for assistance.
Richard and Michael help Janet to her feet.

The camera fades out to black…

Scene 23:

Six months later…

We return to the Institute for Paranormal Studies. The camera pans from outside of the building into an office area where we see Janet working at a computer – she looks fit and well.
Michael comes into view, and approaches Janet’s desk.

Michael: “Are you almost finished?”

Janet: “I’m just concluding the last chapter.”

Michael looks surprised at her progress…

Michael: “Well done! At this rate, our book should be on the shelves before Christmas.”

Janet: “Just as long as the publishing company believe my side of the story!”

Michael: “They will. You’ve got all the details to back up your findings, so they’ve got no reason not to!”

Janet has an uncertain look on her face.

Janet: “I’m not so sure. When they read the second half of this book, they’ll probably put it onto their fiction list!”

Michael: “It’ll be fine! From tomorrow onwards, we’ve got the chance to promote it as a true-life story – not fiction.”

Janet smiles to herself…

Janet: “I can’t wait to see Professor Watkins again! He called me last night you know.”

Michael: “I heard!”

Janet: “He wants to ask you about that equipment you made!”

Michael smiles and then shakes his head…

Michael: “Even when the book comes out, that equipment is going to be kept a secret!”

Janet begins to lose her smile as she contemplates to herself…

Janet: “Do you think it’s a good idea going back to the Woodend apartments?”

Michael: “Of course it is! With my equipment and your first-hand knowledge, we’re going to make all sorts of findings!”

Janet looks as if she is about to cry…

Janet: “I’m still getting those nightmares about Annie. I don’t know if I could go through another incident like that!”

Michael looks concerned for Janet, and begins to comfort her.

Michael: “Okay. We can discuss it together once we get back from the book tour.”

Michael decides to leave Janet alone so that she can finish the book…

We see Janet thinking to herself for a moment – she smiles softly and then continues typing. The camera begins to move away from Janet and her desk. As it does so, we see newspaper cuttings that cover the events that took place at the haunted house in New Hampshire.

A number of headlines can be noticed as the camera gradually pans away. One article has the following title: “Paranormal Professor unearths grizzly past of New Hampshire Family”. Another headline reads: “Three bodies discovered at New Hampshire house.”
The camera continues to pan away from Janet. Fade to black.