Beneath (2007) Movie Script

Why do we celebrate them dying?
We're not celebrating.
We're honoring them.
It's our responsibility.
I have something for you. Here.
This is yours.
Well, Mom gave it to me
when I turned 14,
and now I'm giving it to you.
- Let me have the keys!
- Yeah, right.
Oh, come on! Dad let you drive
when you were my age.
Oh, yes!
Vanessa! Get down!
You'll get us in trouble!
Think about your daughter.
You're an old married lady, don't forget.
Not so old.
Christy! Slow down!
Christy!
Give me the wheel! Christy!
No!
Christy.
- Vanessa.
- I can't move my legs.
Vanessa!
- Hey, sunshine.
- I think I'm dying, Joseph.
No. You're the one that's living.
Death is always hardest on the living.
I thought for sure
she was going to pull through.
- It's just not fair.
- I know, Joseph.
She's still alive!
What is it? Please! Please!
Christy! Christy!
- John! She's still alive!
- Oh, God.
Dr. Perry, please,
I really need this internship.
Look, you do good work.
When you're here,
when you are on time,
when you're under control,
which, as far as we're concerned,
isn't often enough.
We need someone who can do the job.
You're a liability.
Christy. This is John. John Locke.
I hope this is the right Christy.
It was hard to find this number.
I know it's been a long time,
but I thought you should know.
Joseph, our caretaker,
has passed away.
Heart attack, early this morning.
We're having services Saturday.
I don't expect you'll make it back,
and that's fine. Seriously.
He died peacefully,
from what we can tell.
Anyway, I hope everything else is okay.
Mrs. Locke.
It's been a long time
since you graced us with your presence.
You could've made time to visit.
Joseph missed you.
Christy?
Hi, John.
- I didn't think you would be here.
- Neither did I.
Amy, this is your aunt Christy.
Look at you. You're huge.
- How long are you in town?
- I don't have definite plans.
Well, hopefully you'll have time
to come up to the house and visit.
Christy?
Hi!
- My goodness!
- Debbie Houston!
I've missed you so much.
I sure wish you were in town for longer.
Oh, listen. Here's my number.
Give me a call so we can catch up.
- I hear. I promise.
- Okay. You'd better.
Hi, Auntie Christy.
Hi. Call me Christy.
Aunt Christy sounds so old and homely.
You look like my mom.
What are you doing back here
all by yourself?
Why did you go away?
I went to prep school.
Grandma says
you started seeing things,
things that weren't there,
but I think Grandma's mean.
Are you coming back?
I don't know, Amy.
- Something weird happened to Joseph.
- What do you mean?
- Do you believe in dark things?
- Dark things?
Like monsters, ghosts. Bad things.
Can you keep a secret?
Grownups make up most of that stuff
just to scare little kids.
A dark thing killed Joseph.
It lives in my walls. I hear it crying.
- Did you tell your dad about this?
- He doesn't believe in dark things.
Hi, John. This is Christy.
I've decided to stay in town
for a couple of days
and I was wondering
if I could come out to the house.
I'm sure Amy would like that.
I'll ask Maman and see if she'll set
another place for you for dinner.
Thanks, Mr. Morris.
So how long are you staying?
I don't know. Couple of days, maybe.
I haven't been here in so long,
I forgot how nice it is to be back.
And your school
doesn't have a problem with that?
No. I called them.
They said it should be fine.
You know, I'm pre-med now.
- Are you still practicing medicine?
- Not for years.
I'm a consultant
for pharmaceutical companies.
Chicago and Denver mostly.
I keep an office in town.
This is home.
And the family still has business
with the mine.
I thought it closed.
It's still closing.
It's not as easy as you'd think.
Safety regulations,
environmental hazards,
unlawful termination suits.
You name it. It never dies.
She eats by herself in her room.
- Grandma's a weirdo.
- Amy!
She is. And she's always speaking
in this stupid language.
Enough!
Excuse me.
Not here.
Not here.
Lose your way?
Mrs. Locke, you scared me.
Shouldn't you be eating
the meal I prepared for you?
I got lost.
My dad got me a digital camera
for my birthday.
I've taken 928... No, 929 pictures.
I take pictures 'cause I can't draw,
but my dad says
my mom was good at drawing.
Yeah, she taught me how to draw.
One more minute, Grandma?
- Can I show you the rest tomorrow?
- Yeah.
- You're gonna be here, right?
- Absolutely.
I wouldn't know what to do
without Maman.
She runs this house like a machine.
She always has.
You have a lot of pictures.
Amy likes them.
She barely remembers her mother.
Do you think she's at peace?
"An honest life ends
in a peaceful death."
A proverb.
These are almost all that's left of her.
The house looks really different.
What happened
to the rehabilitation room
you built for Vanessa,
the one with the pool?
I tore it out. It's a time I'd rather forget.
You remind me of her
when we first met.
- How old are you now?
- Twenty.
I can't believe it's been that long.
You weren't much older than Amy
when we first met.
You know, Amy's really upset
about Joseph's death.
He was her best friend.
She thinks he was killed
by a ghost or something.
- She called it a dark thing.
- Dark thing?
She said she hears it in the walls.
- Did she ever mention pirates?
- Pirates?
Her and Joseph used to pretend
the north wing was overrun with pirates.
They would fight them off
all afternoon sometimes.
- Sounds fun.
- It was.
This will be difficult for her.
So where are you staying?
- I assumed I was...
- Maman doesn't like guests.
I'm not a guest. I used to live here.
That was a long time ago.
Amy?
Amy, I have to go home now.
- Auntie Christy?
- What the hell was that?
It's my camera.
I set it to go off every half hour.
Why on earth would you do that?
I want a picture of the dark thing.
This is from two nights ago.
Here's the next.
And the next.
They're all the same.
Wait.
I didn't open it.
See? There's nothing there.
- What's wrong?
- Nothing.
Please, don't go.
I'm gonna be back tomorrow, okay?
I promise.
Get some sleep, okay?
Hi, Debbie. It's Christy. Yeah.
Kind of got stuck here tonight.
That would be great.
Thank you.
- Beer?
- No, thanks.
Pregnant?
No!
No, I'm just taking some medication.
So you're not dating anyone, then?
No, I'm too busy,
and I'm too young to have
a serious relationship, you know?
- No.
- I'm sorry.
- That's okay.
- I guess not.
No, I've just had some trouble.
- Hey, sweetheart.
- Hey!
I'm telling Jeff about your friend
who deep-fried her sister
and then went apeshit at the funeral.
Turns out he was there when
they were pulling them out of the car.
Guys! I'd like you to meet
my good friend from junior high.
Christy.
Wescot.
You probably don't remember me.
I'm Jeff. Jeff Burdan.
Well, I'm Randy. I'm an asshole
and possibly retarded,
so you can take your pick.
All of the above.
Let me show you to your room.
Christy!
Jeff, what's going on?
- You got her? You got her?
- I got her.
- What do you need?
- Get the door!
Christy! Christy, it's okay!
Christy, it's okay!
Help me! Help me!
Oh, my God! Jeff!
How long were you outside?
I don't know.
- We put you to bed two hours ago.
- Two hours?
Sometimes I black out.
This was on the bed
when we brought you in here.
It was open.
My counselor made me draw in here
after the accident.
Helped me deal with nightmares,
things I see.
Vanessa and I were always really close.
We connected.
Then the crash.
Suddenly, she was screaming
in my head or I was in hers
or something.
For the next six months,
when they were treating her,
I couldn't disconnect.
The things that she had to go through...
She couldn't speak, but in her head,
she was constantly screaming.
Six months later, she died.
It's the same nightmare over and over.
Somebody's closing my sister
in a coffin,
but we're still alive, clawing to get out.
An artist.
A shy one at that.
- Hi, Dr. Cestia.
- You look great, Christy.
How can I be of assistance?
Let's see. Here we go.
Now, technically,
only John can access this file,
but you're family,
and I'm happy to answer
any questions you might have.
Did you see Vanessa between
the accident and when she died?
Yes, I was up to the house
once or twice.
Mrs. Locke,
did she take good care of her?
Oh, Mrs. Locke was Mrs. Locke,
not the most lovable person,
God rest her soul.
- But as far as...
- Did you say "God rest her soul"?
No one told you?
Mrs. Locke was found dead
this morning.
Slipped in the shower,
fractured her skull. I'm sorry.
Dr. Cestia, when someone dies,
what process do you go through
to confirm it?
Death is rarely misdiagnosed, Christy.
But can it be? I mean, is it possible that
somebody could be
pronounced dead prematurely?
Christy, let Vanessa go.
I remember what happened
at the funeral home.
This whole town does.
Burying someone alive can't happen,
even if they were
wrongly pronounced dead.
There's more than one test.
They need to be embalmed.
They need...
It's just impossible.
Excuse me, I need to take this.
I apologize. I'll be right back.
Yeah?
Yeah. Yes.
Yeah.
Okay, at this...
Actually this is... Yeah. Okay.
Friday? Saturday?
Monday and Thursday the 14th. Yeah.
Yeah.
Hey, thanks a lot. I appreciate it.
Yes, I'll talk to you soon. Okay.
Sorry about that. I've been waiting
for that call. The coroner.
Thank you so much
for all your time, Dr. Cestia.
John and Amy
probably really need me right now, so...
I'm sure they'd like that.
- Thanks.
- Say hello for me.
I will.
Hi, can you tell me
if a Claire Wells works here?
Wells? No, no one by that name.
Can I help you with anything else?
No. No, thanks.
- Christy. This is Jeff. You got a second?
- How did you get this number?
I talked to John.
He asked me to track you down.
I don't know how to tell you this,
but last night, there was an accident.
- Mrs. Locke...
- Mrs. Locke died. I know.
I'm waiting for a bus to get to John's.
Wait there. I'll give you a lift.
Something on your mind?
Do you know anybody
named Claire Wells?
Yeah, she used to work at the hospital.
She moved back East years ago. Why?
She was my sister's rehab nurse.
When I was in the facility,
she was living at Vanessa's.
I never met her.
I checked Vanessa's medical records.
One of the drugs that they had her on,
if it was wrongly administered,
it could induce a coma.
Look, I know we might not be
in a big city,
but our doctors don't mistake
comas for death.
I never saw her dead.
I just want some answers.
We're sorry. The number
you have dialed is not in service.
Please check the number...
My dad says it was an accident,
but it was the dark thing. I know it.
- So you ran all this by your dad?
- No.
Grandma said Dad sent you away
because that's what he does
to little girls who tell stories.
That's ridiculous.
Nobody's gonna send you away.
What did you see last night?
I heard it. It was really noisy.
Grandma had the marks
of the dark thing on her neck.
But you've never seen it.
No. But it touches my cheek
and the back of my hair
when I'm asleep.
I'm too scared to open my eyes.
Oh, I drew a picture for you.
Amy?
Amy?
Amy!
Amy!
Amy!
Amy?
Amy?
Amy, what are you doing?
Amy?
What happened
to the rehabilitation room
you built for Vanessa,
the one with the pool?
I tore it out. It's a time I'd rather forget.
Amy!
Grandma had the marks
of the dark thing on her neck.
Wait here. Do not leave.
We locked the doors to the north wing
for a reason.
How is she?
She bumped her head pretty hard.
It's difficult to tell
what the real damage is without an MRI.
She's in and out of consciousness.
John, I'm so sorry. I went over
to talk to you, and you weren't there,
and so I just made dinner for Amy
because she was home all alone.
She was alone? I hired a sitter.
She was supposed to be there by 10:00.
House was empty.
- I can't do this without Maman.
- I'm sorry.
You already said that!
About your mom.
She always made sure
the entrances were locked.
I never wanted Amy
to even know they existed.
What are they?
I've never seen them before.
The passageways
were designed for escape.
- From what?
- The mines.
I didn't know.
No one does.
Not anymore.
Amy had a kitchen knife
when I found her.
I think she went into the walls
to find something.
My daughter has some unique fears.
I'd appreciate you
not fueling her obsession.
- She thinks it's real.
- She was playing in the dark and fell.
Don't try to make more of this.
I saw Vanessa's rehabilitation room.
I thought you said you tore it out.
I tore it out. I closed it off.
I've moved on. You should do the same.
I don't know
what you're trying to get out of this,
where you're going with this,
but it's not gonna bring back Vanessa.
I walked away from it, John.
She died and I walked away.
I thought that if anybody
would understand that, it would be you.
I understand. Guilt is good.
It's the price we pay for an honest soul.
I have to go back and see about Amy.
Do you need directions to the cemetery?
No, thanks. I know the way.
You want Vanessa Locke's file?
I'm sorry. I wish I could help,
but we can't give out personal...
You're her sister.
The director's not here,
- and I don't have access.
- Look, nobody would have to know.
- I can just...
- I have a form that you can fill out.
You can request the information.
Did you know Vanessa's body
wasn't embalmed?
That's pretty strange, right?
Strange isn't a crime.
What did I tell you about
poking your nose in too many places?
- People talk.
- Doesn't make any sense.
Look, I can get Claire Wells' number.
She'll put your mind at rest,
keep you out of everyone's hair.
I already found it,
but it's been disconnected.
Do you know
if she has any other family in town?
No. Claire's mom died a few years ago.
Her dad lives on site up at the old mine.
He used to be a foreman.
Now he's just mainly security.
It's dangerous up there.
Mr. Wells?
Hello?
Hello!
What the hell do you think you're doing?
Get the hell out of my house!
- You're trespassing here!
- I'm looking for Claire Wells.
- I have some questions for her.
- Claire's not here.
Do you know when she'll be back?
I haven't spoken to my daughter
in six years, Miss Wescot.
- How...
- I never forget a face,
or your performance
at your sister's funeral.
You came here for a reason?
I had some questions
about Vanessa's death,
I thought that Claire
might have some answers.
Worst thing she ever did
was get mixed up with your family.
- What do you mean?
- John!
All of them, even before.
They're no good.
They're not good people.
They ruined my family,
closing down this mine,
trying to save their asses.
And they thought Claire was trash.
I don't know what went on down there,
and it's not my place to speculate.
Damn birds! Shit everywhere!
Can you tell me where Claire lives?
Maine. I got her address, too. Portland.
Got it from the post office.
She never writes back.
Her business
she doesn't want to talk to me.
She turned her back on us. My wife...
Get the hell out of here.
I'm sorry. Excuse me.
Did Amy Locke move rooms?
Dr. Locke took her home.
He'll be providing her primary care.
John!
- I came to check on Amy.
- She's back at the house.
- I have everything under control.
- I ran into Mr. Wells today,
Claire Wells' dad.
Claire Wells. That's a name
I haven't heard in a while.
You never talked about her.
Why would I? It's all past.
Claire was Vanessa's personal nurse,
not like it did any good.
There was never much hope.
Claire was in charge of her medication?
Yes.
I was still working at the hospital.
Claire did everything.
I drew this when I was in the facility,
a dream I had after the accident.
That's Claire, right?
I mean, I'd never seen her before,
but that's her, isn't it?
- What the hell is this?
- Things I've dreamt.
You were here. You met Claire.
Your brain's helping you,
blocking stuff out.
Vanessa's body wasn't embalmed.
Do you remember why?
People are embalmed
to preserve their bodies.
There wasn't anything
I wanted to preserve.
What the hell
are you trying to figure out?
I need a better understanding
- of what happened to Vanessa.
- What?
I think that Claire
might have over-drugged Vanessa
to kill her.
You're crazy. You're still crazy.
John, it adds up.
I mean, the drug she was on,
her body wasn't embalmed, my visions.
- Your visions?
- Premonitions or something.
I don't know, but I can tell you
how your mom died.
I can tell you exactly
what room you found Joseph in.
I even saw Amy get hurt.
All of the people
that were close to Vanessa
are either dead or in danger,
and it has to have something to do
with her burial.
- What are you talking about?
- It didn't work.
The drugs didn't kill her.
When she was buried,
I think that she was still alive.
You really have no idea.
She fought harder
than anyone I've ever seen to recover.
Then, one day,
it was like a light went out,
and I knew our Vanessa
would never be back.
People wanted me to pull the plug,
the plug on my wife!
A couple of weeks later,
she died peacefully in her sleep.
I was there, Christy. You weren't.
Was Claire there?
I want you to leave. Not just the house.
I want you out of Edgemont.
I tried to get it fixed.
I'll get you a new one
as soon as you're better.
I promise.
An even better one. I'll send it to you.
John, help!
John!
John!
John.
- Christy? What happened?
- I don't know.
Someone came up from behind.
I heard them.
I was coming to find you, and...
You blacked out? You got a seizure?
I heard somebody in the walls.
I think there's somebody here.
Do you remember this?
When you blacked out,
did you see this?
No.
I had the alarm on. You and I
were the only ones in the house.
Now, please, get out of my house.
John, there's somebody else
in the house.
Christy, I asked you to leave.
Claire?
Claire Wells?
- Hi.
- Amy, what are you doing in here?
- Who's Claire?
- How did you get in here?
- You're all wet.
- I followed it. I tried to kill it.
I won't let it kill my daddy.
Jeff! Thank God you're here.
- There's somebody in the house.
- What are you doing with Amy?
She got in the boathouse.
I don't know how, but she did.
You have to come with me.
- You have to search the house.
- Get in the car.
What's going on?
John called us, says you attacked him.
He's saying you took Amy.
This is a misunderstanding.
I didn't hurt anybody.
We're gonna have to ask you
some questions, okay?
I'm gonna have to take your bag.
Now, John says he was attacked
in his house. He didn't see who it was,
but we know that you and Amy
were the only ones in there.
We weren't the only ones there.
- Who else was there?
- I saw someone.
Well, John didn't mention
seeing anyone else in the house.
Do I look strong enough
to attack John Locke
- and knock him unconscious?
- He was unconscious?
I gotta say,
there's some interesting art in here.
You want to explain these?
They're just sketches.
I didn't hurt anybody.
That's Claire Wells.
How the hell do you know
what she looks like?
See what you can find on Claire Wells.
- Where's he going?
- Christy, I don't want to arrest you,
- but you have got to help us out.
- I thought I could trust you.
I'm giving you a chance.
That's more than anyone else
in this town is gonna give you.
It's a love letter from John to Claire.
I found it hidden in the boathouse.
They wanted Vanessa to die.
Jeff, I know it sounds crazy,
but I think Claire's back.
I saw her tonight.
You need to search the house.
- John wouldn't let us in the house.
- Of course he wouldn't.
He's hiding something.
He was having an affair
with Claire Wells, and he lied about it.
I'd say that's pretty common
among cheating husbands.
- Claire hasn't been in Edgemont in...
- Six years!
Not since Vanessa died.
She didn't even go to Vanessa's funeral.
- Look, I don't see how any of this...
- John and Claire were having an affair.
Claire overdosed Vanessa
on pain medication to kill her.
Maybe John knew about it.
Maybe he even asked her to do it.
- There's no way to prove this.
- Yes, there is.
With the kind of decomposition
we'll be looking at,
we'll be lucky to find any tissue,
let alone run an entire toxicology test.
That won't be necessary.
The coffin will be
clawed and scratched,
the wood torn to shreds.
Her fingernails
will be shattered and broken.
I know this.
Who else saw Vanessa's body
before it was buried?
- No one.
- Christy, please.
There was a physician in attendance
at the time of death.
But by law,
we had no cause to be there.
- Closed casket, no embalming.
- As an outpatient death,
I would've been the first doctor
to see the body besides John,
but I didn't. I didn't because...
Because John Locke
pronounced her dead.
Who got her medicine?
Who was in charge of her medical care,
her records, her treatment?
Claire. Claire and John.
They were in charge of it all.
Look, I know what's in that coffin.
My sister wasn't dead.
Because of what, Christy,
your hallucinations, your drawings?
Everyone in this room
knows your history.
I'm not making this up.
You're on antidepressant medication
for a borderline personality disorder.
I talked to USC.
You were fired from your last job
because of behavioral problems.
You haven't gotten over the accident.
Now, this is Dr. John Locke
we are talking about,
and I'm not going to be a part of it.
I just got off the phone with John.
Now, I've convinced him
not to press charges,
on the condition you leave town.
Don't do this. Look, I'm not making it up.
You know John's hiding something.
If you're not gone by morning, deal's off.
Simple as that. I will arrest you.
I know you believe me.
I believe I'm doing you
a favor that I shouldn't.
Don't make me change my mind.
I wish I had died with her.
Christy, you're alive.
Vanessa's at peace.
She'd want you to move on.
Please, just leave me alone.
- Please, just for a few minutes.
- Okay.
John!
I'll check on you in a little bit, okay?
Why are you here?
I came to apologize to you. I was wrong.
I mean,
so much of it was all in my head.
I convinced myself of so much.
I mean, I know you were having
an affair with Claire Wells,
and I know
that it was none of my business.
What are you talking about?
I found the letter in the boathouse
from Claire.
- Just leave us alone.
- I'm leaving!
But there's something I have to tell you.
I did something.
What did you do?
You have to understand, I was positive.
- I'm so sorry.
- What did you do?
I opened her coffin.
I had to see her.
I'm sorry.
- Hello?
- Christy.
- Jeff, I can explain.
- No, listen, I'm at the cemetery.
The body is not Vanessa.
The corpse is perfect.
There's no signs of surgery,
no metal pins, no bone trauma, nothing.
- I'm at John's right now. Can you...
- Get out of there.
I'll try and do that.
Christy, what have you done?
What did you do with the body?
Stop!
Let me go!
It was Claire, wasn't it?
You put Claire in Vanessa's grave.
- She was dead.
- What did you do to my sister?
- I loved your sister.
- Where's her body?
- You killed them both.
- Oh, no, our Vanessa died in that crash.
Bastard!
I loved your sister.
I'd do anything for her.
I'd do anything for her.
I'd do anything for her.
I loved your sister.
I'd do anything for her.
Don't you understand?
There was never much hope.
Amy? Is that you?
Amy?
Do you remember this?
It's gonna be okay, Vanessa.
I'm gonna take care of you.
Christy, did it hurt you?
I killed it. I killed the monster.
Yes, you did it.