13 Ghosts (1960) Movie Script
The La Brea tar pits became
traps for all kinds of animals.
They would either wonder out on the tar
or be driven into it by their enemies.
The tar would trap them and slowly kill them.
Now, some of you are going to ask:
How did birds get into the pit?
The Vultures and condors fed on whatever
had the misfortune to be trapped.
And sometimes the birds themselves
got caught in the tar...
... And were pulled down to thier death.
If any of you would like to see where
these birds and animals came from...
... the pits are in the Wilshire district of Los Angeles.
Go over there sometime and try to imagine...
... what it was like 40,000 years ago,
when monsters like these...
... wandered around, where now
expensive cars roam.
Why did huge beasts...
...so much more powerful than man...
... disappeared from the face
of Earth, while man...
... a relatively puny thing, survived?
Psst.
Excuse me. Just a moment.
- What's the trouble, Mr. Van Allen?
- You're wife's on the phone.
But I'm lecturing.
I told her that.
Will you take over for me, Ben?
Yes, of course.
Oh, Cy... where are you?
Explaining how man survived the Pleistocene Age.
How did he?
And why?
Hello honey. What's the trouble?
The moving men are here, and they're
taking the furniture away, again.
Won't they wait?
No, they won't wait.
Not even til tomorrow?
The payments are three months overdue now.
Three months? I distinctly remember...
Somehow you didn't make the payments, Cy...
...But if we can make them now,
plus a month in advance....
Let's do that.
How much money do we have in the bank?
About 2 dollars.
Hmm. I get paid soon.
You don't get paid for almost a month,
and we owe it all anyway.
Do you suppose Mr. Van Allen...?
- No.
Mr. Van Allen doesn't
make much more than I do...
... And he's got three children.
Oh! What's the matter?
Nothing.
Good thing we own the mattresses.
Did you get Buck a birthday present?
Ah, Yeah, yeah.
Don't forget to bring it. Bye.
Bye honey.
Why do they always take our furniture?
Because your father is a wonderful
man....just forgetful.
Like me?
Like you, Buck. Sometimes.
Well the rats and the prends are just useful anyway.
Socks and things.
You gave him that one?
Oh there's nothing wrong with ghost stories, daddy.
Unless that's all you read.
He's got every spooky book ever printed.
Ow! Hey!
Do you believe in ghosts, Buck?
Sure.
You want some cake?
Cake?
Oh, yeah, yeah.
No no no. You've got to make a wish first.
I already have.
Well, how will anybody know if
your wish comes true, if you don't wish out loud?
Suppose I don't want to anyone to know.
Then you wished for something bad.
I have not, Medea.
Well, If you can't wish out loud,
then there must be something wrong with it.
Don't you want us to know what you're wish is, darling?
I wished we had a house with furniture,
that nobody could take away from us.
Mr. Cyrus Zorba?
A telegram for you.
"With regards to matter of great importance to you...
... you are requested to present yourself
in the office of attorney Benjamin Rush...
... tomorrow morning at 10 oclock.
Signed, Benjamin Rush"
Who?
Benjamin Rush, attorney.
Well it's not anybody we owe.
At least I don't think so.
Could be the lawyer from a collection agency.
Oh. Could be.
What are you going to do?
Go. What else?
Suppose you just run away?
Why run away, before you find
out what's chasing you?
Well, I read about a man waited to find out...
... But he never did, because it ate him.
Benjamin Rush, attorney at law.
Ooh, he's in the Petro building.
You have'nt done anything you
could be arrested for, have you daddy?
No.
Not lately.
So, you inherit the house,
which is the bulk of the estate.
- Furnished?
- Ah, yes.
It's pretty old-fashioned, but is furniture.
Is Buck pshycic or something?
Ma'am?
Our ten year old son, Buck.
His birthday wish was for a house with furniture.
Yeah.
What sort of a house is it?
I affraid you're gonna be
disappointed, Mr Zorba.
It's one of those sprawling old
mansions they built 50 years ago.
Well, that's better than a third
mortgage and no furniture.
Well, don't decide to move in until you've seen it.
Here's the key and the address.
This is really strange.
I thought my uncle died
10, 12 years ago in India or someplace.
No. He died here last week.
Everything about your uncle was strange.
Including his will.
Is that the rich uncle you used to
talk about before we got married?
Uh huh. And he's been here,
in Los Angeles, all these years...
... And didn't let me know?
Well, he wanted the world
to think he was dead.
He left you this, too.
What is it?
I don't know.
Is this all? The house and the
package? No other...
Well there's no money, if that's what you mean, Ma'am.
Dr. Zorba must have been quite wealthy, at one time.
Apparently, he spent it all on his experiments.
I seem to remember he was fooling around with the occult.
Spirits from the other world.
Ghosts.
Dr. Zorba collected ghosts
from all over the world.
You inherit them, too.
Come on.
They go with the house.
I'll get a notary.
Cy, this is too much.
A mysterious uncle rising from the grave...
... The old mansion, complete with ghosts.
Is it a gag?
I did have an uncle named Plato Zorba.
And here's his last will and testament.
I want to see what's in the package?
Wouldn't it be lovely if it was just full of stocks or bonds.
Or just plain money.
Yeah.
Think we ought to open it?
Well, he said it was yours.
Suppose it has to do with those experiments.
You know. You open the box and
all that trouble comes out.
Pandora.
It's probably a hand painted Christmas tie.
Open it.
You open it.
Oh, hi.
Hello. Are you Buck?
Yeah.
I'm Ben Rush.
You're the lawyer.
Uh Hm. Are you all moved in?
Wasn't anything to move, except us.
It's a great house.
Furniture all over....books.
There's a lot of it I haven't even seen yet.
It's got ghosts.
So I hear.
Know about em'?
Well, I've heard a lot about em'.
You ever seen one?
No. Is your father home?
He will be soon. We got a witch too.
A live one?
Go ring the bell.
She'll come to the door.
Oh, shucks.
What did you have to open the door for?
Couoldn't you wait for the witch?
You better stop calling her that,
or she'll cut your tongue out.
Hi, i'm Medea Zorba.
Hi.
Won't you come in?
I told you. She's even got a broom.
I see what you mean.
You must be Ben Rush, the lawyer.
Um hmm.
Mmm. No skates. We own this house.
Or do we?
It's your house.
Who's boss around here?
In the "no skates" department, I am.
Yeah, that's what I thought.
Was the my father's uncle?
Um hm.
He was a fine looking man.
I never saw him like that.
By the time I met him, they'd almost
completely destroyed him.
They?
His ghosts.
Oh, Benjamin Rush, attorney at law.
Living in the twentieth century?
Plato Zorba, scientist, same century.
Collected ghosts.
You're not serious?
I didn't believe in them any more than you do,
until I'd known him a while.
You can take my word for him.
There are ghosts in this house.
We're standing here talking as if you
thought we were in the Middle Ages.
But if you had seen him as I did...
...back broken...
...face torn to shreds...
... lips ripped away...
You really think we inherited a haunted house?
I wish your family hadn't moved in.
Oh, hello, Mr. Rush.
Hi.
Hi, honey.
Here are the rest of those papers,
all signed and notarized.
But I... What about the taxes.
The insurance. This housekeeper?
Why don't we ask Mr. Rush to stay for supper?
Well I'd love to.
Even if you do call me Mr. Rush.
I'll tell mother... Ben.
You the head of this department too?
You walk down. You don't slide.
You know something? If you don't watch out,
you're gonna grow up to be a witch.
For a guy with no money,
he sure could get complicated.
Well, we've got ourselves a house.
The timing was perfect.
More coffee, Ben?
No thanks.
Daddy?
Please, dear.
What have youo decided to do about the witch?
We mustn't call her that.
It's a perfect name.
You know, I have a feeling she doesn't like me much.
I have a feeling she doesn't like anybody much.
We told her we couldn't pay her,
and didn't need her....
... But she asked us if she could stay on
here, til shefound something else.
Practically begged us.
I guess she's got some money of her own.
After all, she lived here for years...
... And Dr. Zorba paid her a good salary.
Hey, look what I found.
What does "ui-ja" mean?
Why, I haven't seen one of these for years.
It's a ouija board. See?
"Oui" French for yes.
"Ja" German for yes.
How to play it?
Where'd you find it?
Over there.
I pushed something on the
fireplace and it opened.
There's a gadget that goes with it, Buck.
I think they call it a "planchette".
I pushed this.
Here it is.
Looks like it might be old Latin.
How do you use this, Daddy?
"Ouija, the mystifying oracle.
Most modern method of fortune telling.
Anybody want to try?
I have a friend at the university who can probably translate this.
I'll take it over to him tomorrow.
My boss, Mr. Van Allen,
talks Latin in his sleep.
If he can't translate it, no one can.
You want your fortune told?
Now, here's how it works.
Everybody puts one finger on this.
Just lightly.
Then, somebody asks a question.
We all concentrate on it,
and the Ouija will answer it.
Oh, come on Cy.
It will. It's magic.
Come on. Everybody put a finger on it.
Okay. Just lightly.
Okay. Now somebody ask a question.
Oh. By the way.
If you ask a silly question, it won't answer.
Ben, you ask a question.
Alright.
Here's the question.
Is Medea in love?
Concentrate now.
No cheating.
You see?
It was a silly question.
Can I ask a question, Daddy?
All right, Buck.
Lightly.
Are there any ghosts in this house?
I was pushing toward "No",
but you all ganged up on me.
No, I was helping you, Ben.
And I think this is silly.
You don't want to play?
It's rigged.
how can you say that after
what you told me this afternoon?
That's a toy.
You want to play, Daddy?
I think I'll go along with Hilda and Ben.
Let's stop.
Do you want to try it with me, Buck?
You ask the question, Buck.
How many?
How many what?
It knows.
Thirteen what?
Ghosts.
You ask it.
Are they going to hurt us?
Don't fool around with that thing
anymore, Medea.
Let's ask it, but don't touch it.
You ask it.
Are they going to kill any of us?
Don't ask it when.
I don't want to know.
But it was just floating in the air.
There was nothing touching it.
There's probably a very
simple explanation for it.
I don't know what it could be.
Oh, Cy. I'm frightened.
Of what?
A silly game?
Ghosts.
Oh now listen, honey.
Maybe Zorba was a very strange man who...
... could see ghosts and do supernatural things.
But we aren't him.
We're just ordinary people
who don't have any supernatural powers and...
...don't want any.
Here it is.
The codicil 11.
If we don't elect to live in this house...
... it goes to the state as part of a park system.
And once we move in, we have to stay.
You mean we can't sell it even if we want to?
Nope.
If we don't live here, it goes
to the state. Golly.
Living in this house make a difference
between sinking and swimming.
Just not paying rent
saves half salary.
- Cy, why is it so cold?
- I do not know.
Window open I guess.
But it's freezing!
What's that?
The wind probably.
I'll say goodnight to the children.
Leave the door open!
Okay.
Yeah.
- Medea.
Come in.
Hi.
Hi.
Old Doc Zorba sure went in
for antiques, didn't he?
I sort of like them.
I hope you're not too upset by...
what happened.
Just a game.
I know. Silly, wasn't it?
I think all this spook talk of Ben's
is...got us all imagining things.
Daddy?
Yes, darling.
Do you really think there are
ghosts in this house?
Oh. Of course not.
Now. It's time for all pretty girls
to go to sleep.
Good night.
Don't worry.
I'll leave this open.
Fine.
All clear on the off spring front.
I'm going down and get a book.
Be back in a minute.
Thirteen...
Thirteen...
Thirteen...
Thirteen...
Any luck?
Luck?
Can't you read it, Van?
Yes I can read it. It's Latin.
Well...What's it about?
What's it about?
Cy.
At first I thought your uncle
was another one of those fakes.
But now I'm not so sure.
Here.
I found this in the university publications.
It's printed 10 years ago.
" The Professor who advertises
for haunted houses...
... so he can photograph ghosts ...
... is Dr. Plato Zorba,
a scientist of unquestioned repute.
Dr. Zorba's experience with ghosts
in many parts of the world...
... convinced him they are
unhappily earth bound ...
... because of unsolved problems.
Dr. Zorba has perfected a device
with which he can see ghosts...
... and is working on a method of
ultraviolet ray photography...
... which will enable him to take
permanent pictures...
... of the supernatural world. "
He wasn't a fake.
This....this is a record of years
of work in the world of spirits.
If any of this is true,
I don't say all, just any of it...
... then your uncle had penetrated
farther into the supernatural...
... than any man in history.
He captured 11 ghosts.
Captured?
Dr. Zorba proved, that if you could see
a ghost, you could control it...
... to a certain extent.
Yes, I think so.
There is a section describing exactly how
he made the lenses for those glasses.
It took him years.
And then traveled all over the world.
He found one ghost in a castle in Ireland.
Another one in the catacombs below Rome.
He caught one in a village in Italy.
Another one in Tibet.
I wonder which ones I saw last night.
Each ghost has a separate section.
This is the last one...
... Ghost 12.
You said 11.
Twelve.
"I, Plato Zorba, am the 12th...
Earth bound not for the crimes I've committed...
... but for crimes
committed against me...
... and which I shall revenge
before I be released...
... from haunting the Earth ".
And here's a curious thing...
he wrote, "ghost 13".
The rest of the page is blank.
Paleontology. Van Allen.
Yes. Hold on.
Oh. Hello?
Cy? I want you to come home.
I'm pretty busy, honey.
What's the trouble?
There is no use trying to tell you.
I want you to come home right away.
Cy?
I'm on my way.
I've got to go home, Van.
The ghosts?
I don't know.
Have they hurt anyone?
I don't know.
Hilda?
Hilda!
Hilda!
You.. you alright?
The kids?
Well then?
You come in here.
Well, what happened?
They came off the shelves and broke.
You mean they..they fell off?
They came off!
I've had enough, Cy.
Stop it! Stop it I say!
That was Emilio.
Who?
Emilio. He was an Italian chef.
They killed his wife.
He killed his mother in law too.
And his sister in law.
With a meat cleaver.
Whack. Whack. Whack.
You better stand over there.
What for?
He doesn't mess up the kitchen often...
... But when it does, wow!
Now Emilio is through.
Now I'm through.
Who told you all this?
The witch. Elaine.
She knows alot we don't know.
Like what?
- Well...
... She knows most of the ghosts.
She's even seen some of em'.
She's about the creepiest
person I've ever met.
Don't you think so?
Well, she's uh...different.
Maybe she one of the ghosts herself.
What then?
Ooohhh.
Suppose they hurt one of the children.
I don't think they would.
A few more inches and that cleaver
would have cut off your head.
And look at the burn on your hand.
So how can you say that they won't
hurt Buck or Medea, or you again?
Things will calm down, Hilda.
Oh, Cy, let's get out of here.
We're in danger.
You sent for me?
Yes, Elaine.
There are some questions
I'd like to ask you.
How long did you
work for Dr. Zorba?
For many years.
You knew about his experiments
with the supernatural?
I helped him.
When he was alive,
he could control them, but now...
I'm afraid...
I never was before...
... But now I am.
I can't help feeling that
our living here...
... everything that
has happened to us
is all part of a plan...
... That Dr. Zorba wants
us to do something.
But what?
I can't help you.
He used to trust me,
and in those days I helped him...
... with the cameras and lenses.
But towards the last...
he trusted no one.
Were you and Ben the only friends he had?
Ben only. He turned against me.
He was doing foolish things and
I wanted him to stop, but he would not.
His experiments?
Those too.
But mainly I objected when he
converted everything into cash.
Stocks, bonds, real estate, everything.
And then he withdrew all his
accounts from the banks.
It was foolish.
What did he do with the money?
No one knows.
There is no record of it.
Ben and I spent days searching the
house for it after he died, but found nothing.
Maybe he spent it.
On what? He had everything he needed.
Besides, he never left the house.
Maybe he gave it away.
I knew Plato Zorba very well.
He never gave away anything.
This house is not a gift, really.
It's a burden. Perhaps a curse.
The last thing he wrote...
...was about a crime committed against him.
What did he mean by that?
I don't know.
How did he die, Elaine? And where?
I'll show you.
I'll stay here.
This was Dr. Zorba's bedroom.
That is where he died.
How did he die, Elaine?
The spirits from the other world.
Is that what you told the coroner?
He wouldn't have believed me any more than you.
The official cause of death was suffication.
Who saw him last?
I mean, was anyone here
when he died?
I was here, in the house, but I
didn't see him that night at all.
He and Ben were working on his will.
Did Ben see him die?
Oh no. Ben had gone.
Dr. Zorba died sometime later that night.
I found him the next morning there.
What did the police say about it?
They talked mostly to Ben.
I called him first.
I hated this room.
For years I never came in here.
But that morning I did.
I don't know why.
Something seemed to be pulling me to this place.
If you stay here, you too, will learn
not to come into this room.
What do you mean,
"if I stay here"?
You should get out of this house now!
Tonight!
It was a wonderful evening, Ben.
Thanks.
How about some coffee before you go?
No Thanks. Not tonight.
I wish you and your family were
staying somewhere else.
This place gives me the creeps.
It always has.
Don't start on that again.
I worry about you, Medea.
Just for me, will you try to be a little careful?
For you, I'll pull the covers
over my head tonight.
See you tomorrow?
Well, I hope so.
Don't worry, Ben. I'll be careful.
Thanks again. Good night.
Good night.
Daddy, Daddy!
Darling. Darling.
What happened?
Come in here .
Oh, good morning.
Well, how is she?
I'm getting her breakfast now.
godd thing there were some
of those pills left.
Did you call Buck?
Yeah. Yeah, I yelled as I went by.
Back you lion, back!
I'm Shadrack the Great.
Back!
Down you lion, down!
I'm Shadrack!
I met a lion.
That's good.
And a man without a head.
Mmm Hmm
Now you take this to up to Medea, dear.
And then you come back
and eat your own breakfast, hmm?
Morning, Buck.
Hi, Ben.
Medea is in bed.
She saw a ghost last night.
I just saw a lion and a man without a head.
What do you know.
No head at all?
I think the lion bit it off
because the man was looking for her.
I've got some papers for your dad.
He's gone to work.
I have to bring Medea her breakfast.
Buck?
Hmm?
Where did you get all that money?
I found it on the floor.
When?
Just before you rang the bell.
Exactly where did you find it?
Right there.
Exactly?
Somewhere around there.
Think it belongs to some ghost?
Well you found it.
It belongs to you.
You mean I can keep it?
Sure.
It was just laying on the floor?
Just those two?
That's a lot of money, $ 200.
Buck.
What were you doing just
before you found the money?
Skating?
No skating in the house.
Sliding down the bannister?
Are you going to tell Medea?
Well, we're pals.
Don't you know that?
I keep your secrets and you keep mine.
Okay?
Okay.
But I don't have any secrets.
Well I'll give you one.
You take Medea's breakfast
up to her and then come right back.
And don't tell her I'm here.
Promise?
I can keep a secret.
And don't say anything about
finding the money.
I'll be right back.
Here's your breakfast.
I just saw a lion and a man without a head.
What did you see last night?
An apperition. At the window.
Do we have them too?
I guess we're the only family in the whole world...
... with thier own apparition and ghosts.
Why don't you get up?
As long as you bring me breakfast
in bed, why should I get up?
Where's mother?
In the kitchen.
Where's Elaine?
I don't know. Well, I got to go.
What's so important?
Got to keep a secret.
What secret, Buck?
You didn't tell her?
Nope.
Good man.
Now I'm gonna tell you the biggest
secret you ever heard.
If you promise not to
tell a living soul.
I won't even tell a ghosts,
and the're not living.
There's a treasure hidden in this house.
Pirates?
Sort of.
Before old Dr. Zorba died,
he hid all his money.
This must be some of it.
Well there's alot more,
and you and I are gonna find it.
If Medea will get up,
we'll make her hunt too.
No, no. That's the secret.
You and I are going to find the
money all by ourselves.
Aren't we gonna give dad any?
Or mother or Medea?
We're gonna give it all to them.
But let me ask you this...
Suppose we have to uh... maybe
cut a hole in the wall someplace.
Now, if you told your dad,
what would he say?
well, he might not understand.
That's why this has to be
just between you and me.
Okay. When do we start?
First, you've got to hide that.
Next, I've got to make some plans.
And tonight we start.
Maybe I could hunt around some today!
Okay. But be careful.
If anybody comes in while you're hunting,
you act like nothing is happening.
Now, don't tell anybody about finding the money.
And don't tell anybody about the treasure hunt.
and Buck...
... Don't tell anybody I was here this morning.
Right?
Right.
Ben?
Suppose somebody asks me...
right straight out...
"Was Ben here today?"
I wasn't here, Buck.
Now that's the way it has to be.
Who was that, Buck?
Huh?
Who went out?
Nobody, Medea.
And besides, it's a secret.
Come in.
Hello, Ben.
If you're busy, I can come back later.
No no.
I'm glad you're here.
I wanna talk to you.
Sit down.
Ben, we've been in that
house two nights.
The first, I got this.
Last night, they attacked Medea.
Medea!
They didn't hurt her.
Why Medea?
Was she wearing those glasses Zorba made?
No.. no she wasn't.
What's going to happen, Ben?
Is my family going to be
terrorized every night?
Maybe this is the answer, Cy.
I think I can legally get the state
to pay you for the house and grounds...
But the will said...
You've only been in the house three days.
The longest days in my life.
I bet you'll be glad to get
your family out of there.
See, we can say you never
actually took possession.
Now how soon can you move?
Right away, I guess.
Good.
If I we're you I wouldn't spend
another night in that house,
under any circumstances.
Zorba, Paleontology.
Oh, hi ya, Buck.
Yes, yes. It's alright.
A secret?
Well, tell me about it, son.
Alright, Buck. Just as you say.
See you later.
Buck's all excited.
Any trouble?
He's got a secret.
A big surprise for me.
What is it?
He wouldn't tell me.
I think you could cut his arm off,
and he still wouldn't tell.
Good kid.
Well, can you move today?
We haven't much to move, except ourselves.
I think I'll be able to get
you $ 10,000 from the state.
Hey, Cy. This will interest you.
Oh. So sorry.
I can speak to you later.
No, no, Van. Stay.
Ben Rush, this is my boss, Mr. Van Allen.
How do you do, sir?
How do you do.
Listen to this.
Almost the last thing Dr. Zorba wrote.
"Today I finished converting
my assets into cash...
... and put it where unscrupulous
men can no longer steal it from me."
I wonder where that is.
If he never left the house?
Don't forget...he wrote this
about... only a month ago.
What do you think, Ben?
Maybe we shouldn't be in
such a hurry to move.
Well it isn't likely. I handled Zorba's
affairs for a year.
I don't think he could've kept any
large amount of money secret from me.
Well, after reading this, I wouldn't be
surprised at anything...
... natural or supernatural, Zorba did.
For instance, he spoke with the
spirits of the dead like uh...
... you and I chat with the grocer.
He and a medium called
Elaine Zacharides...
...used to sit around at a Sance...
... talking with people dead for 5 centuries.
All you have to do is find Elaine Zacharides.
I don't have to find her.
She's the housekeeper.
Would she hold a Sance with you?
I don't know.
I doubt it.
She's pretty stubborn.
Anyway, you're moving out
so there won't be time.
But, if she'd do it, we'd take time.
Maybe..maybe she'd hold a Sance tonight.
Then we could move out tomorrow.
If we could bring the spirit of Zorba back...
... I wonder what we'd find out.
What's a Sance?
You talk to spirits.
Buck, why don't you go and pack your things?
How does it work?
I do not know.
Hand me the dress, will you?
How does Elaine know?
I do not know.
Oh, I'll be so glad to get out of this house.
Well, what happens?
Oh, you sit around the table holding hands.
Buck, will please go and help mother?
What good does that do?
The spirits talk to you.
What do they say?
I do not know.
Buck, will you please go!
Why pack?
We're not going to anywhere.
You heard dad.
Were leaving first thing in the morning.
Medea?
Yes, Buck.
Suppose you had a secret.
How you would keep it?
You have a secret?
What is it?
Well, it's a...
Hey, I'm not going to tell you what it is.
Well who is it with?
Ben.
Oh.
What's it about?
Well, is it alright to say what it's about?
Sure, as long as you don't tell the secret itself.
Well, you see, Ben and I...
Need any help?
No, I just finished packing, mom.
Good. If it weren't for this Sance
nonsense, we could leave right now.
I can go to the Sance, can't I mom?
Absolutely not.
Aw, I've never been to one.
It'll be fun.
Boy, maybe somebody will get murdered.
Well you can't go to this one.
Anyway, it's past your bed time.
I'll tell you everything that happens.
Yeah well, that's not like seeing it.
Right in here. We're ready to start.
Will you sit there, Mr. Zorba?
Your wife here, your daughter here.
The most important thing, is concentration.
Let your minds think of nothing
except bringing back to this room...
... the spirit of Zorba.
We will now join hands.
Cy, do you think this is really necessary?
Please, honey.
What can we expect ?
I mean, what will happen?
Perhaps nothing. Perhaps anything.
Doctor Zorba and I experienced
total recall with some spirits.
With others we could
make no contact at all.
If he comes back, he
may speak through me...
... or he may choose one of you
One of us?
Yes. Although I'm the medium,
he may choose one of you.
He may even appear.
There's no way to tell.
What can happen?
I mean, say he does come.
Can we carry on a conversation?
It's possible.
Let us try for just a short time.
It's very difficult being a medium.
And dangerous.
Besides, as I told you, Dr. Zorba
no longer trusted me.
Now will you please turn out the lights.
And then we must all concentrate.
Just...just a moment, please.
Ready?
The treasure!
Buck. You're suppose to be in bed.
I...uh...
All we're doing is sitting around
the table. Nothing is happening.
I'm not trying to see your old ghosts.
I'm waiting for Ben.
We've got a secret.
Ben? He's not coming here tonight.
He might.
Is a pretty big secret.
Yes. You told me.
But it can wait until tomorrow.
Can't I wait up five more minutes,
if I promise not to peek?
Okay. Five minutes.
I'm sorry.
Dr. Zorba...
Dr. Zorba...
Dr. Zorba...
Dr. Zorba...
Zorba...
Zorba..
In death...
In death...
Do not move!
No matter what happens, do not move.
Ben, I found it! Come on.
See?
Good work, Buck. Good work.
Does anybody else know?
Of course not. Let's tell em'. Ow!
You're hurting!
Oh, I'm sorry, Buck.
We can't tell anyone yet.
But we're moving out tomorrow.
That's right. We've got to get ready...
... so when they're all set to go...
bam! We give them money.
Then we won't have to move.
Right. Now, we got alot to do tomorrow.
I think you better turn in, Buck.
You know. Get all the rest you can.
I'm not sleepy.
Not sleepy?
I'm gonna be waking
you so early in the morning...
... the sun won't even be up.
We've got work to do.
And then we'll em'?
Tomorrow. So, sleep now.
I'm gonna hit the sack myself.
Okay. Good night.
You can wake me anytime.
I won't mind.
Good night, Buck.
Go right to sleep.
Cy! Help him!
No! You mustn't! Stay where you are!
Thirteen, thirteen...
Dead tonight...
... One of you...
Are you alright?
Bring him back. Please.
We must know more.
It is of no use.
There is Interference.
The ghosts are restless, angry.
Tonight death walks again...
... in this evil house.
Suddenly I...I became cold.
And for an instant,
I seemed to black out.
And then...
... then I heard a strange voice come from me...
But I can't remember.
You... I mean the voice said...
"Death tonight"
and then the number 13.
And then he...
... he said it would be one of us.
- Where are you going?
Oh. Just to see if Buck's alright.
It's Ben! It's Ben!
The bed it's hurting him!
... 98, 99, hundred!
I never thought I'd get tired of this.
Daddy? Why did Ben
dress as Zorba's ghost...
...and appear at my window?
He was trying to frighten you.
He knew this money was hidden here.
After he murdered Zorba he tried to find it.
Then we moved in. He
wanted us out of here.
Where do you think our new
house ought to be?
New house?
What do we want with a new house?
Boo. Boo.
Buck!
Buck! Take that thing off.
Can I keep it?
Breakfast is ready.
Well, I'm starved.
Elaine. Do you think there are
still ghosts is this house?
No. The earthbound spirits
have been released.
Don't you want your breakfast?
I'm guarding the money.
Elaine?
Yes, Buck.
You really are a witch, aren't you?
Ask me no questions
and I'll tell you no lies.
And the ghosts? They haven't
really gone, have they?
They'll be back.
They'll be back.
Real soon, I hope.
traps for all kinds of animals.
They would either wonder out on the tar
or be driven into it by their enemies.
The tar would trap them and slowly kill them.
Now, some of you are going to ask:
How did birds get into the pit?
The Vultures and condors fed on whatever
had the misfortune to be trapped.
And sometimes the birds themselves
got caught in the tar...
... And were pulled down to thier death.
If any of you would like to see where
these birds and animals came from...
... the pits are in the Wilshire district of Los Angeles.
Go over there sometime and try to imagine...
... what it was like 40,000 years ago,
when monsters like these...
... wandered around, where now
expensive cars roam.
Why did huge beasts...
...so much more powerful than man...
... disappeared from the face
of Earth, while man...
... a relatively puny thing, survived?
Psst.
Excuse me. Just a moment.
- What's the trouble, Mr. Van Allen?
- You're wife's on the phone.
But I'm lecturing.
I told her that.
Will you take over for me, Ben?
Yes, of course.
Oh, Cy... where are you?
Explaining how man survived the Pleistocene Age.
How did he?
And why?
Hello honey. What's the trouble?
The moving men are here, and they're
taking the furniture away, again.
Won't they wait?
No, they won't wait.
Not even til tomorrow?
The payments are three months overdue now.
Three months? I distinctly remember...
Somehow you didn't make the payments, Cy...
...But if we can make them now,
plus a month in advance....
Let's do that.
How much money do we have in the bank?
About 2 dollars.
Hmm. I get paid soon.
You don't get paid for almost a month,
and we owe it all anyway.
Do you suppose Mr. Van Allen...?
- No.
Mr. Van Allen doesn't
make much more than I do...
... And he's got three children.
Oh! What's the matter?
Nothing.
Good thing we own the mattresses.
Did you get Buck a birthday present?
Ah, Yeah, yeah.
Don't forget to bring it. Bye.
Bye honey.
Why do they always take our furniture?
Because your father is a wonderful
man....just forgetful.
Like me?
Like you, Buck. Sometimes.
Well the rats and the prends are just useful anyway.
Socks and things.
You gave him that one?
Oh there's nothing wrong with ghost stories, daddy.
Unless that's all you read.
He's got every spooky book ever printed.
Ow! Hey!
Do you believe in ghosts, Buck?
Sure.
You want some cake?
Cake?
Oh, yeah, yeah.
No no no. You've got to make a wish first.
I already have.
Well, how will anybody know if
your wish comes true, if you don't wish out loud?
Suppose I don't want to anyone to know.
Then you wished for something bad.
I have not, Medea.
Well, If you can't wish out loud,
then there must be something wrong with it.
Don't you want us to know what you're wish is, darling?
I wished we had a house with furniture,
that nobody could take away from us.
Mr. Cyrus Zorba?
A telegram for you.
"With regards to matter of great importance to you...
... you are requested to present yourself
in the office of attorney Benjamin Rush...
... tomorrow morning at 10 oclock.
Signed, Benjamin Rush"
Who?
Benjamin Rush, attorney.
Well it's not anybody we owe.
At least I don't think so.
Could be the lawyer from a collection agency.
Oh. Could be.
What are you going to do?
Go. What else?
Suppose you just run away?
Why run away, before you find
out what's chasing you?
Well, I read about a man waited to find out...
... But he never did, because it ate him.
Benjamin Rush, attorney at law.
Ooh, he's in the Petro building.
You have'nt done anything you
could be arrested for, have you daddy?
No.
Not lately.
So, you inherit the house,
which is the bulk of the estate.
- Furnished?
- Ah, yes.
It's pretty old-fashioned, but is furniture.
Is Buck pshycic or something?
Ma'am?
Our ten year old son, Buck.
His birthday wish was for a house with furniture.
Yeah.
What sort of a house is it?
I affraid you're gonna be
disappointed, Mr Zorba.
It's one of those sprawling old
mansions they built 50 years ago.
Well, that's better than a third
mortgage and no furniture.
Well, don't decide to move in until you've seen it.
Here's the key and the address.
This is really strange.
I thought my uncle died
10, 12 years ago in India or someplace.
No. He died here last week.
Everything about your uncle was strange.
Including his will.
Is that the rich uncle you used to
talk about before we got married?
Uh huh. And he's been here,
in Los Angeles, all these years...
... And didn't let me know?
Well, he wanted the world
to think he was dead.
He left you this, too.
What is it?
I don't know.
Is this all? The house and the
package? No other...
Well there's no money, if that's what you mean, Ma'am.
Dr. Zorba must have been quite wealthy, at one time.
Apparently, he spent it all on his experiments.
I seem to remember he was fooling around with the occult.
Spirits from the other world.
Ghosts.
Dr. Zorba collected ghosts
from all over the world.
You inherit them, too.
Come on.
They go with the house.
I'll get a notary.
Cy, this is too much.
A mysterious uncle rising from the grave...
... The old mansion, complete with ghosts.
Is it a gag?
I did have an uncle named Plato Zorba.
And here's his last will and testament.
I want to see what's in the package?
Wouldn't it be lovely if it was just full of stocks or bonds.
Or just plain money.
Yeah.
Think we ought to open it?
Well, he said it was yours.
Suppose it has to do with those experiments.
You know. You open the box and
all that trouble comes out.
Pandora.
It's probably a hand painted Christmas tie.
Open it.
You open it.
Oh, hi.
Hello. Are you Buck?
Yeah.
I'm Ben Rush.
You're the lawyer.
Uh Hm. Are you all moved in?
Wasn't anything to move, except us.
It's a great house.
Furniture all over....books.
There's a lot of it I haven't even seen yet.
It's got ghosts.
So I hear.
Know about em'?
Well, I've heard a lot about em'.
You ever seen one?
No. Is your father home?
He will be soon. We got a witch too.
A live one?
Go ring the bell.
She'll come to the door.
Oh, shucks.
What did you have to open the door for?
Couoldn't you wait for the witch?
You better stop calling her that,
or she'll cut your tongue out.
Hi, i'm Medea Zorba.
Hi.
Won't you come in?
I told you. She's even got a broom.
I see what you mean.
You must be Ben Rush, the lawyer.
Um hmm.
Mmm. No skates. We own this house.
Or do we?
It's your house.
Who's boss around here?
In the "no skates" department, I am.
Yeah, that's what I thought.
Was the my father's uncle?
Um hm.
He was a fine looking man.
I never saw him like that.
By the time I met him, they'd almost
completely destroyed him.
They?
His ghosts.
Oh, Benjamin Rush, attorney at law.
Living in the twentieth century?
Plato Zorba, scientist, same century.
Collected ghosts.
You're not serious?
I didn't believe in them any more than you do,
until I'd known him a while.
You can take my word for him.
There are ghosts in this house.
We're standing here talking as if you
thought we were in the Middle Ages.
But if you had seen him as I did...
...back broken...
...face torn to shreds...
... lips ripped away...
You really think we inherited a haunted house?
I wish your family hadn't moved in.
Oh, hello, Mr. Rush.
Hi.
Hi, honey.
Here are the rest of those papers,
all signed and notarized.
But I... What about the taxes.
The insurance. This housekeeper?
Why don't we ask Mr. Rush to stay for supper?
Well I'd love to.
Even if you do call me Mr. Rush.
I'll tell mother... Ben.
You the head of this department too?
You walk down. You don't slide.
You know something? If you don't watch out,
you're gonna grow up to be a witch.
For a guy with no money,
he sure could get complicated.
Well, we've got ourselves a house.
The timing was perfect.
More coffee, Ben?
No thanks.
Daddy?
Please, dear.
What have youo decided to do about the witch?
We mustn't call her that.
It's a perfect name.
You know, I have a feeling she doesn't like me much.
I have a feeling she doesn't like anybody much.
We told her we couldn't pay her,
and didn't need her....
... But she asked us if she could stay on
here, til shefound something else.
Practically begged us.
I guess she's got some money of her own.
After all, she lived here for years...
... And Dr. Zorba paid her a good salary.
Hey, look what I found.
What does "ui-ja" mean?
Why, I haven't seen one of these for years.
It's a ouija board. See?
"Oui" French for yes.
"Ja" German for yes.
How to play it?
Where'd you find it?
Over there.
I pushed something on the
fireplace and it opened.
There's a gadget that goes with it, Buck.
I think they call it a "planchette".
I pushed this.
Here it is.
Looks like it might be old Latin.
How do you use this, Daddy?
"Ouija, the mystifying oracle.
Most modern method of fortune telling.
Anybody want to try?
I have a friend at the university who can probably translate this.
I'll take it over to him tomorrow.
My boss, Mr. Van Allen,
talks Latin in his sleep.
If he can't translate it, no one can.
You want your fortune told?
Now, here's how it works.
Everybody puts one finger on this.
Just lightly.
Then, somebody asks a question.
We all concentrate on it,
and the Ouija will answer it.
Oh, come on Cy.
It will. It's magic.
Come on. Everybody put a finger on it.
Okay. Just lightly.
Okay. Now somebody ask a question.
Oh. By the way.
If you ask a silly question, it won't answer.
Ben, you ask a question.
Alright.
Here's the question.
Is Medea in love?
Concentrate now.
No cheating.
You see?
It was a silly question.
Can I ask a question, Daddy?
All right, Buck.
Lightly.
Are there any ghosts in this house?
I was pushing toward "No",
but you all ganged up on me.
No, I was helping you, Ben.
And I think this is silly.
You don't want to play?
It's rigged.
how can you say that after
what you told me this afternoon?
That's a toy.
You want to play, Daddy?
I think I'll go along with Hilda and Ben.
Let's stop.
Do you want to try it with me, Buck?
You ask the question, Buck.
How many?
How many what?
It knows.
Thirteen what?
Ghosts.
You ask it.
Are they going to hurt us?
Don't fool around with that thing
anymore, Medea.
Let's ask it, but don't touch it.
You ask it.
Are they going to kill any of us?
Don't ask it when.
I don't want to know.
But it was just floating in the air.
There was nothing touching it.
There's probably a very
simple explanation for it.
I don't know what it could be.
Oh, Cy. I'm frightened.
Of what?
A silly game?
Ghosts.
Oh now listen, honey.
Maybe Zorba was a very strange man who...
... could see ghosts and do supernatural things.
But we aren't him.
We're just ordinary people
who don't have any supernatural powers and...
...don't want any.
Here it is.
The codicil 11.
If we don't elect to live in this house...
... it goes to the state as part of a park system.
And once we move in, we have to stay.
You mean we can't sell it even if we want to?
Nope.
If we don't live here, it goes
to the state. Golly.
Living in this house make a difference
between sinking and swimming.
Just not paying rent
saves half salary.
- Cy, why is it so cold?
- I do not know.
Window open I guess.
But it's freezing!
What's that?
The wind probably.
I'll say goodnight to the children.
Leave the door open!
Okay.
Yeah.
- Medea.
Come in.
Hi.
Hi.
Old Doc Zorba sure went in
for antiques, didn't he?
I sort of like them.
I hope you're not too upset by...
what happened.
Just a game.
I know. Silly, wasn't it?
I think all this spook talk of Ben's
is...got us all imagining things.
Daddy?
Yes, darling.
Do you really think there are
ghosts in this house?
Oh. Of course not.
Now. It's time for all pretty girls
to go to sleep.
Good night.
Don't worry.
I'll leave this open.
Fine.
All clear on the off spring front.
I'm going down and get a book.
Be back in a minute.
Thirteen...
Thirteen...
Thirteen...
Thirteen...
Any luck?
Luck?
Can't you read it, Van?
Yes I can read it. It's Latin.
Well...What's it about?
What's it about?
Cy.
At first I thought your uncle
was another one of those fakes.
But now I'm not so sure.
Here.
I found this in the university publications.
It's printed 10 years ago.
" The Professor who advertises
for haunted houses...
... so he can photograph ghosts ...
... is Dr. Plato Zorba,
a scientist of unquestioned repute.
Dr. Zorba's experience with ghosts
in many parts of the world...
... convinced him they are
unhappily earth bound ...
... because of unsolved problems.
Dr. Zorba has perfected a device
with which he can see ghosts...
... and is working on a method of
ultraviolet ray photography...
... which will enable him to take
permanent pictures...
... of the supernatural world. "
He wasn't a fake.
This....this is a record of years
of work in the world of spirits.
If any of this is true,
I don't say all, just any of it...
... then your uncle had penetrated
farther into the supernatural...
... than any man in history.
He captured 11 ghosts.
Captured?
Dr. Zorba proved, that if you could see
a ghost, you could control it...
... to a certain extent.
Yes, I think so.
There is a section describing exactly how
he made the lenses for those glasses.
It took him years.
And then traveled all over the world.
He found one ghost in a castle in Ireland.
Another one in the catacombs below Rome.
He caught one in a village in Italy.
Another one in Tibet.
I wonder which ones I saw last night.
Each ghost has a separate section.
This is the last one...
... Ghost 12.
You said 11.
Twelve.
"I, Plato Zorba, am the 12th...
Earth bound not for the crimes I've committed...
... but for crimes
committed against me...
... and which I shall revenge
before I be released...
... from haunting the Earth ".
And here's a curious thing...
he wrote, "ghost 13".
The rest of the page is blank.
Paleontology. Van Allen.
Yes. Hold on.
Oh. Hello?
Cy? I want you to come home.
I'm pretty busy, honey.
What's the trouble?
There is no use trying to tell you.
I want you to come home right away.
Cy?
I'm on my way.
I've got to go home, Van.
The ghosts?
I don't know.
Have they hurt anyone?
I don't know.
Hilda?
Hilda!
Hilda!
You.. you alright?
The kids?
Well then?
You come in here.
Well, what happened?
They came off the shelves and broke.
You mean they..they fell off?
They came off!
I've had enough, Cy.
Stop it! Stop it I say!
That was Emilio.
Who?
Emilio. He was an Italian chef.
They killed his wife.
He killed his mother in law too.
And his sister in law.
With a meat cleaver.
Whack. Whack. Whack.
You better stand over there.
What for?
He doesn't mess up the kitchen often...
... But when it does, wow!
Now Emilio is through.
Now I'm through.
Who told you all this?
The witch. Elaine.
She knows alot we don't know.
Like what?
- Well...
... She knows most of the ghosts.
She's even seen some of em'.
She's about the creepiest
person I've ever met.
Don't you think so?
Well, she's uh...different.
Maybe she one of the ghosts herself.
What then?
Ooohhh.
Suppose they hurt one of the children.
I don't think they would.
A few more inches and that cleaver
would have cut off your head.
And look at the burn on your hand.
So how can you say that they won't
hurt Buck or Medea, or you again?
Things will calm down, Hilda.
Oh, Cy, let's get out of here.
We're in danger.
You sent for me?
Yes, Elaine.
There are some questions
I'd like to ask you.
How long did you
work for Dr. Zorba?
For many years.
You knew about his experiments
with the supernatural?
I helped him.
When he was alive,
he could control them, but now...
I'm afraid...
I never was before...
... But now I am.
I can't help feeling that
our living here...
... everything that
has happened to us
is all part of a plan...
... That Dr. Zorba wants
us to do something.
But what?
I can't help you.
He used to trust me,
and in those days I helped him...
... with the cameras and lenses.
But towards the last...
he trusted no one.
Were you and Ben the only friends he had?
Ben only. He turned against me.
He was doing foolish things and
I wanted him to stop, but he would not.
His experiments?
Those too.
But mainly I objected when he
converted everything into cash.
Stocks, bonds, real estate, everything.
And then he withdrew all his
accounts from the banks.
It was foolish.
What did he do with the money?
No one knows.
There is no record of it.
Ben and I spent days searching the
house for it after he died, but found nothing.
Maybe he spent it.
On what? He had everything he needed.
Besides, he never left the house.
Maybe he gave it away.
I knew Plato Zorba very well.
He never gave away anything.
This house is not a gift, really.
It's a burden. Perhaps a curse.
The last thing he wrote...
...was about a crime committed against him.
What did he mean by that?
I don't know.
How did he die, Elaine? And where?
I'll show you.
I'll stay here.
This was Dr. Zorba's bedroom.
That is where he died.
How did he die, Elaine?
The spirits from the other world.
Is that what you told the coroner?
He wouldn't have believed me any more than you.
The official cause of death was suffication.
Who saw him last?
I mean, was anyone here
when he died?
I was here, in the house, but I
didn't see him that night at all.
He and Ben were working on his will.
Did Ben see him die?
Oh no. Ben had gone.
Dr. Zorba died sometime later that night.
I found him the next morning there.
What did the police say about it?
They talked mostly to Ben.
I called him first.
I hated this room.
For years I never came in here.
But that morning I did.
I don't know why.
Something seemed to be pulling me to this place.
If you stay here, you too, will learn
not to come into this room.
What do you mean,
"if I stay here"?
You should get out of this house now!
Tonight!
It was a wonderful evening, Ben.
Thanks.
How about some coffee before you go?
No Thanks. Not tonight.
I wish you and your family were
staying somewhere else.
This place gives me the creeps.
It always has.
Don't start on that again.
I worry about you, Medea.
Just for me, will you try to be a little careful?
For you, I'll pull the covers
over my head tonight.
See you tomorrow?
Well, I hope so.
Don't worry, Ben. I'll be careful.
Thanks again. Good night.
Good night.
Daddy, Daddy!
Darling. Darling.
What happened?
Come in here .
Oh, good morning.
Well, how is she?
I'm getting her breakfast now.
godd thing there were some
of those pills left.
Did you call Buck?
Yeah. Yeah, I yelled as I went by.
Back you lion, back!
I'm Shadrack the Great.
Back!
Down you lion, down!
I'm Shadrack!
I met a lion.
That's good.
And a man without a head.
Mmm Hmm
Now you take this to up to Medea, dear.
And then you come back
and eat your own breakfast, hmm?
Morning, Buck.
Hi, Ben.
Medea is in bed.
She saw a ghost last night.
I just saw a lion and a man without a head.
What do you know.
No head at all?
I think the lion bit it off
because the man was looking for her.
I've got some papers for your dad.
He's gone to work.
I have to bring Medea her breakfast.
Buck?
Hmm?
Where did you get all that money?
I found it on the floor.
When?
Just before you rang the bell.
Exactly where did you find it?
Right there.
Exactly?
Somewhere around there.
Think it belongs to some ghost?
Well you found it.
It belongs to you.
You mean I can keep it?
Sure.
It was just laying on the floor?
Just those two?
That's a lot of money, $ 200.
Buck.
What were you doing just
before you found the money?
Skating?
No skating in the house.
Sliding down the bannister?
Are you going to tell Medea?
Well, we're pals.
Don't you know that?
I keep your secrets and you keep mine.
Okay?
Okay.
But I don't have any secrets.
Well I'll give you one.
You take Medea's breakfast
up to her and then come right back.
And don't tell her I'm here.
Promise?
I can keep a secret.
And don't say anything about
finding the money.
I'll be right back.
Here's your breakfast.
I just saw a lion and a man without a head.
What did you see last night?
An apperition. At the window.
Do we have them too?
I guess we're the only family in the whole world...
... with thier own apparition and ghosts.
Why don't you get up?
As long as you bring me breakfast
in bed, why should I get up?
Where's mother?
In the kitchen.
Where's Elaine?
I don't know. Well, I got to go.
What's so important?
Got to keep a secret.
What secret, Buck?
You didn't tell her?
Nope.
Good man.
Now I'm gonna tell you the biggest
secret you ever heard.
If you promise not to
tell a living soul.
I won't even tell a ghosts,
and the're not living.
There's a treasure hidden in this house.
Pirates?
Sort of.
Before old Dr. Zorba died,
he hid all his money.
This must be some of it.
Well there's alot more,
and you and I are gonna find it.
If Medea will get up,
we'll make her hunt too.
No, no. That's the secret.
You and I are going to find the
money all by ourselves.
Aren't we gonna give dad any?
Or mother or Medea?
We're gonna give it all to them.
But let me ask you this...
Suppose we have to uh... maybe
cut a hole in the wall someplace.
Now, if you told your dad,
what would he say?
well, he might not understand.
That's why this has to be
just between you and me.
Okay. When do we start?
First, you've got to hide that.
Next, I've got to make some plans.
And tonight we start.
Maybe I could hunt around some today!
Okay. But be careful.
If anybody comes in while you're hunting,
you act like nothing is happening.
Now, don't tell anybody about finding the money.
And don't tell anybody about the treasure hunt.
and Buck...
... Don't tell anybody I was here this morning.
Right?
Right.
Ben?
Suppose somebody asks me...
right straight out...
"Was Ben here today?"
I wasn't here, Buck.
Now that's the way it has to be.
Who was that, Buck?
Huh?
Who went out?
Nobody, Medea.
And besides, it's a secret.
Come in.
Hello, Ben.
If you're busy, I can come back later.
No no.
I'm glad you're here.
I wanna talk to you.
Sit down.
Ben, we've been in that
house two nights.
The first, I got this.
Last night, they attacked Medea.
Medea!
They didn't hurt her.
Why Medea?
Was she wearing those glasses Zorba made?
No.. no she wasn't.
What's going to happen, Ben?
Is my family going to be
terrorized every night?
Maybe this is the answer, Cy.
I think I can legally get the state
to pay you for the house and grounds...
But the will said...
You've only been in the house three days.
The longest days in my life.
I bet you'll be glad to get
your family out of there.
See, we can say you never
actually took possession.
Now how soon can you move?
Right away, I guess.
Good.
If I we're you I wouldn't spend
another night in that house,
under any circumstances.
Zorba, Paleontology.
Oh, hi ya, Buck.
Yes, yes. It's alright.
A secret?
Well, tell me about it, son.
Alright, Buck. Just as you say.
See you later.
Buck's all excited.
Any trouble?
He's got a secret.
A big surprise for me.
What is it?
He wouldn't tell me.
I think you could cut his arm off,
and he still wouldn't tell.
Good kid.
Well, can you move today?
We haven't much to move, except ourselves.
I think I'll be able to get
you $ 10,000 from the state.
Hey, Cy. This will interest you.
Oh. So sorry.
I can speak to you later.
No, no, Van. Stay.
Ben Rush, this is my boss, Mr. Van Allen.
How do you do, sir?
How do you do.
Listen to this.
Almost the last thing Dr. Zorba wrote.
"Today I finished converting
my assets into cash...
... and put it where unscrupulous
men can no longer steal it from me."
I wonder where that is.
If he never left the house?
Don't forget...he wrote this
about... only a month ago.
What do you think, Ben?
Maybe we shouldn't be in
such a hurry to move.
Well it isn't likely. I handled Zorba's
affairs for a year.
I don't think he could've kept any
large amount of money secret from me.
Well, after reading this, I wouldn't be
surprised at anything...
... natural or supernatural, Zorba did.
For instance, he spoke with the
spirits of the dead like uh...
... you and I chat with the grocer.
He and a medium called
Elaine Zacharides...
...used to sit around at a Sance...
... talking with people dead for 5 centuries.
All you have to do is find Elaine Zacharides.
I don't have to find her.
She's the housekeeper.
Would she hold a Sance with you?
I don't know.
I doubt it.
She's pretty stubborn.
Anyway, you're moving out
so there won't be time.
But, if she'd do it, we'd take time.
Maybe..maybe she'd hold a Sance tonight.
Then we could move out tomorrow.
If we could bring the spirit of Zorba back...
... I wonder what we'd find out.
What's a Sance?
You talk to spirits.
Buck, why don't you go and pack your things?
How does it work?
I do not know.
Hand me the dress, will you?
How does Elaine know?
I do not know.
Oh, I'll be so glad to get out of this house.
Well, what happens?
Oh, you sit around the table holding hands.
Buck, will please go and help mother?
What good does that do?
The spirits talk to you.
What do they say?
I do not know.
Buck, will you please go!
Why pack?
We're not going to anywhere.
You heard dad.
Were leaving first thing in the morning.
Medea?
Yes, Buck.
Suppose you had a secret.
How you would keep it?
You have a secret?
What is it?
Well, it's a...
Hey, I'm not going to tell you what it is.
Well who is it with?
Ben.
Oh.
What's it about?
Well, is it alright to say what it's about?
Sure, as long as you don't tell the secret itself.
Well, you see, Ben and I...
Need any help?
No, I just finished packing, mom.
Good. If it weren't for this Sance
nonsense, we could leave right now.
I can go to the Sance, can't I mom?
Absolutely not.
Aw, I've never been to one.
It'll be fun.
Boy, maybe somebody will get murdered.
Well you can't go to this one.
Anyway, it's past your bed time.
I'll tell you everything that happens.
Yeah well, that's not like seeing it.
Right in here. We're ready to start.
Will you sit there, Mr. Zorba?
Your wife here, your daughter here.
The most important thing, is concentration.
Let your minds think of nothing
except bringing back to this room...
... the spirit of Zorba.
We will now join hands.
Cy, do you think this is really necessary?
Please, honey.
What can we expect ?
I mean, what will happen?
Perhaps nothing. Perhaps anything.
Doctor Zorba and I experienced
total recall with some spirits.
With others we could
make no contact at all.
If he comes back, he
may speak through me...
... or he may choose one of you
One of us?
Yes. Although I'm the medium,
he may choose one of you.
He may even appear.
There's no way to tell.
What can happen?
I mean, say he does come.
Can we carry on a conversation?
It's possible.
Let us try for just a short time.
It's very difficult being a medium.
And dangerous.
Besides, as I told you, Dr. Zorba
no longer trusted me.
Now will you please turn out the lights.
And then we must all concentrate.
Just...just a moment, please.
Ready?
The treasure!
Buck. You're suppose to be in bed.
I...uh...
All we're doing is sitting around
the table. Nothing is happening.
I'm not trying to see your old ghosts.
I'm waiting for Ben.
We've got a secret.
Ben? He's not coming here tonight.
He might.
Is a pretty big secret.
Yes. You told me.
But it can wait until tomorrow.
Can't I wait up five more minutes,
if I promise not to peek?
Okay. Five minutes.
I'm sorry.
Dr. Zorba...
Dr. Zorba...
Dr. Zorba...
Dr. Zorba...
Zorba...
Zorba..
In death...
In death...
Do not move!
No matter what happens, do not move.
Ben, I found it! Come on.
See?
Good work, Buck. Good work.
Does anybody else know?
Of course not. Let's tell em'. Ow!
You're hurting!
Oh, I'm sorry, Buck.
We can't tell anyone yet.
But we're moving out tomorrow.
That's right. We've got to get ready...
... so when they're all set to go...
bam! We give them money.
Then we won't have to move.
Right. Now, we got alot to do tomorrow.
I think you better turn in, Buck.
You know. Get all the rest you can.
I'm not sleepy.
Not sleepy?
I'm gonna be waking
you so early in the morning...
... the sun won't even be up.
We've got work to do.
And then we'll em'?
Tomorrow. So, sleep now.
I'm gonna hit the sack myself.
Okay. Good night.
You can wake me anytime.
I won't mind.
Good night, Buck.
Go right to sleep.
Cy! Help him!
No! You mustn't! Stay where you are!
Thirteen, thirteen...
Dead tonight...
... One of you...
Are you alright?
Bring him back. Please.
We must know more.
It is of no use.
There is Interference.
The ghosts are restless, angry.
Tonight death walks again...
... in this evil house.
Suddenly I...I became cold.
And for an instant,
I seemed to black out.
And then...
... then I heard a strange voice come from me...
But I can't remember.
You... I mean the voice said...
"Death tonight"
and then the number 13.
And then he...
... he said it would be one of us.
- Where are you going?
Oh. Just to see if Buck's alright.
It's Ben! It's Ben!
The bed it's hurting him!
... 98, 99, hundred!
I never thought I'd get tired of this.
Daddy? Why did Ben
dress as Zorba's ghost...
...and appear at my window?
He was trying to frighten you.
He knew this money was hidden here.
After he murdered Zorba he tried to find it.
Then we moved in. He
wanted us out of here.
Where do you think our new
house ought to be?
New house?
What do we want with a new house?
Boo. Boo.
Buck!
Buck! Take that thing off.
Can I keep it?
Breakfast is ready.
Well, I'm starved.
Elaine. Do you think there are
still ghosts is this house?
No. The earthbound spirits
have been released.
Don't you want your breakfast?
I'm guarding the money.
Elaine?
Yes, Buck.
You really are a witch, aren't you?
Ask me no questions
and I'll tell you no lies.
And the ghosts? They haven't
really gone, have they?
They'll be back.
They'll be back.
Real soon, I hope.