The Headmistress (2023) Movie Script
1
[Thunder]
[Creepy music]
[Orchestral music]
[Horse galloping]
[Creepy piano]
[SCREAM]
[Haunting piano with whimpers]
[Ominous music]
[Horror ambience with
crying, shrieks, rattles]
[Startling stinger]
[Shrill,horror violin]
[Rattling, wailing]
[Horror stinger]
[Spooky ambience]
[Horror score]
[Mysterious Whispers]
[Horror score]
[Mysterious Whispers]
[Horror music]
[SCREAM]
[Choral horror music]
[Alarm blaring]
[Shower in distance]
[Sink running]
NEWS ANCHOR (ON TV):
A spokesman for the county
attorney's office expressed
regret that this was
the only way to discover the
victims' remains.
The children's parents, when
asked how they felt--
Yes, I understand that.
No, it hasn't been five months.
It's only been four.
Okay.
Okay.
Regardless, I just need some
more time...
to get the money.
[Background rock music
mixed with bar chatter]
BARTENDER: There you go.
Thank you.
Hi. Can I check out here?
Sure thing, honey.
Here, try this one.
Thank you. I'll be back in a
moment.
Mara?
Yeah?
I'm Pete Kyle. This is my
partner, Dex.
The pizza guys.
Pizza guys.
How do you know?
Nine locations and counting.
Good to meet you.
Hey, we're really excited to see
the property.
Yeah, so am I.
I'm sorry, honey, but your card
was declined.
Oh,
I'm sorry.
DEX: I don't want you
embarrassing me on this
trip now.
PETE: What?
DEX: You heard me.
PETE: When do I embarrass you?
DEX: Get in, old man.
Jesus Christ.
Excuse me.
I drive 5 hours up here to march
in the goddamn pride parade.
So I'm, I'm Gene Donovan.
Everyone just calls me Donovan.
Ani LaBeau.
LaBeau
What is that? German.
it's French.
French for bitch, I guess.
Hey, does this mean you're not
going to sit on my lap
on the way up there?
[Mysterious score]
MARA: All right, let's remember,
the whole point of this
field trip
is to see if any of you want to
buy this place.
I've never seen it myself.
So there won't be a tour.
We'll get in, look around on our
own and get out.
Understand?
DEX: What if we want to come
back for a second look?
MARA: You'll have to do it on
your own.
I'm flying home tomorrow
so I can get back to my students
and my classroom.
[Mysterious music continues]
PETE: Uh oh, that's not good.
[Music ends as ominous
ambience continues]
MARA: I guess we walk from here.
DONOVAN: Terrific.
[Forest ambience]
DEX: What's that?
Um, my kids.
Oh...
They force the sub
to text these over yesterday
before my flight.
PETE: Oh, my God.
Cute.
Damn.
Yeah.
Pete really wants kids, but
uh...we can't decide
which one of us should
get pregnant.
Oh,
I'm just messing with you.
PETE: Yeah, it's just, just a--
MARA: Oh!
just a joke.
You guys should really consider
adoption.
It's insane what some kids go
through
when they don't have someone to
love them. Yeah...
It sounds like you really
care.
MARA: Kids are my life.
I'd do anything for them.
[Mysterious music]
Hey, you're the hotel water park
lady, right?
Nikki, yes.
Nikki. And you're in from
Minnesota?
I manage a place
just outside the Twin Cities,
actually,
but I'm trying to get back home
to Wisconsin, do my own thing,
you know?
What do you do for your pizza?
My pizza?
If you want to give your
tastebuds big surprise,
serve them up a slice of Pete's
Pizza pie.
Okay.
Real good. Real good.
Fuck me.
I knew you'd warm up.
Fuck me. God damn it!
[Ominous underscore]
Woah-huh-hoh!
[Music continues
with clock ticking]
Can you believe this?
[Bass stinger]
[Music fades into
forest ambience]
DEX: This place looks
incredible, man.
MARA: Okay, guys,
we only have a couple of hours
before
I have to start getting you guys
back,
so I suggest that...
[Horror stinger]
DONOVAN: You'd suggest?
So. I suggest that
we all do our own thing
so we can cover more ground.
Uh, look around, take pictures,
whatever you want.
Meet back here, and we'll
compare notes on the way back.
Does that work with everyone?
NIKKI: Back in 2 hours?
MARA: Yeah, 2 hours.
Yeah.
[Ominous music]
Oh, oh, oh.
Woah!
Oh, talk about a blast from the
past.
[Camera click]
DONOVAN: Hey, have you done any
research on this place?
ANI: No, not really. You?
DONOVAN: There has to be another
entrance back here.
Not much.
Same land owner as far back
as the county records go,
but a handful different
businesses in and out over time.
So it's a weird history.
Weird how?
None of them lasted
very long.
And it's basically been empty
for 56,
the last 60 years.
Before that, uh,
not clear, not clear at all.
Is that normal?
No,
no, it's not.
There we go.
When did you say this place
closed down?
[Camera click]
Uh, five years ago, maybe more.
I guess it was a resort or
something.
Five years?
[Ominous music]
It looks more like five days.
You could open the doors on
Monday
and no one would know the
difference.
Pretty old, huh?
Hmm.
A century, I think.
[Camera click]
NIKKI: I'm surprised you don't
know more about this place.
All I know is that a lawyer
called me up
one day and said my father left
it to me in his will.
Not a moment too soon either.
NIKKI: And he never told you
about this place before?
He never told me anything.
I never met him.
It was always just me and my
mom. Hmm.
Mmmm.
NIKKI: So what does she say
about all this?
My mom?
[Music ends]
NIKKI: Yeah.
Nothing.
She passed away about eight
years ago.
NIKKI: Oh, I'm sorry.
That's okay.
But sometimes I miss my family.
PETE: God, we could do so much
with this.
We could grate that down to a
beach over there.
Swimming, water sports.
Maybe even rent some kayaks,
jet ski...
bet we could offer a pontoon
shuttle to the downtown water
parks.
You don't even care about any of
that, do you?
It's not like people are going
to come here.
Sure.
Why would people go on vacation
and do vacation stuff?
"Pete and Dexter's Haunted Inn"
Dexter's?
Sounds better than Dex's.
We don't even know if this is
the place.
No, man it has to be.
Then what are we doing out here?
Should be looking around inside.
All right we need to come back
here tonight.
Just the two of us, then we can
really look around.
It took us over 2 hours
to get here in the daylight.
Pete, let's be done with pizza,
man.
PETE: I like pizza.
No shit! a couple more years
they're going to be calling you
pudgy Pete the pizza guy.
Hey.
See what happens when your
metabolism slows down.
Okay, that's never going to
happen, but if it did,
that's why we need to get out of
the pizza business.
While we can still fit in
the same bed.
Look, between all of this
and this
and this, we make a fortune,
C'mon!
Look, who got all ambitious all
of a sudden!
Hey, you know.
[Door creaks, footsteps]
[Door slam]
[Footsteps]
DONOVAN: So how'd you hear
about this?
My father's lawyer.
Castanelli?
Yeah.
Yeah, he tipped me off too.
We've done a bunch of major
deals together.
Major deals.
He's running point for me
right now in a condo project on
the Miracle Mile.
Completely self-financed.
Do you have any idea how much
money
something like that takes?
Okay, we get it.
You've got some money.
Some money?
Look, I don't give a shit.
Okay?
This might get you laid with the
downtown bar skanks
and the remax crowd, but I'm not
impressed.
I don't need a sugar daddy,
Eugene.
Jesus Christ.
You got to fuckin attitude,
don't you?
Let me guess.
Mommy and Daddy were too busy
building a family
real estate empire to come to
your school plays,
which broke your poor little
heart.
But now that your trust fund has
finally come due
you're going to go out there
and show them what you can do
all on your own.
And they'll be so proud of you.
They'll realize that you were
worth their love all along.
Right?
Something like that.
They were band concerts,
not plays.
Terrific.
So what's your favorite
instrument to blow?
Hm. Fuck off, Grandpa.
[Ominous music]
MYSTERIOUS VOICE: Mara...
Mara...
[WOMAN CRYING]
[Hinge creak]
[Camera click]
[Camera click]
Cool.
[Camera click]
[Stinger]
MARA: Hey.
[Stinger as music ends]
Fuck, Mara
Shit! Do you sneak up on your
kids like that?
What's down there?
I don't know.
I think it's another wing.
[FAINT BUZZING]
I'm going to go check it out.
I'm going to finish up over here
and then I'll come join you.
Okay.
Keep an eye on the time.
You got it.
[Ominous rumble]
[Footsteps]
[Horror ambience]
[Crying]
[Horror piano]
[Ominous music
and wood creaks)
[Crying continues]
Hello?
[Crying continues]
[Crying]
[CRYING GETS LOUDER]
Hello?
What are you doing here?
[Stinger]
Ahh!
[Horror music ends]
DONOVAN: Ani, Ani!
Would you quit acting like a
baby?
PETE: What happened?
How old was the girl?
What? I don't know.
Ok, but like a toddler or
teenager.
You serious right now?
There is nothing there.
Yes, there was.
Come on!
I saw her!
Yeah, but why didn't I see her?
She was right there.
We believe you, sweetie.
No, we don't, actually.
What happened?
Ani met a friend in the
cellar.
What does that mean?
She saw something.
Thought she saw something.
So what?
Dex...
Okay. What do you think?
Oh, Jesus Christ, Dex.
I didn't say that. Okay?
Okay, she saw it.
He didn't.
What else could that be but a
ghost?
How about a fucking
hallucination?
Do you really not know about
this place?
Know what?
The history.
This is considered one of the
most
haunted spots in the Midwest.
The whole country even!
Maybe, this might not even be
the place.
Dex is a paranormal enthusiast.
In case you hadn't guessed,
this is why we are here.
Terrific.
Okay, but I'm here to make
money.
So if the gay Ghostbusters are
done with their campfire tales?
Can you please get back to
business?
Excuse me?
Oh,
Sorry, Are you uh..
you guys not on the same team?
So what if we are?
Okay, take it easy.
What's your problem?
No problem.
I just believe that sex
should be between a man and
a woman.
Or, a man and several women if
he's up to it.
Oh, well that is great news for
all the ladies here.
Honestly, Ha! How do you guys
even do that?
Oh, so you're curious, huh?
I had a hunch.
Fuck you, pizza boy.
Okay, let's all just calm down.
It's getting close to dark
anyway.
I know Nikki has a flight to
catch,
and I'm sure she's not the
only one.
Where's Nikki?
[Ominous music]
[Camera click]
[Camera click]
[Camera click]
[Camera click]
[Camera click]
[Music picks up]
[NIKKI LAUGHS]
[Music quiets]
[Camera click]
[Bass stinger]
[Music continues]
[Camera click]
[Camera click]
[Metallic creaks]
NIKKI: Guys?
It's not funny.
[Camera click stinger]
[Camera click stinger]
[Dissonant string notes]
[Camera click stinger]
[NIKKI SCREAMS]
[Choking sounds]
Nikki!
ANI: Nikki!
Nikki!
PETE: Nikki!
Why don't we spread out, so we
can look around.
By ourselves?
I'll go with you.
Ew!
Come on Ani.
We'll go together.
So maybe you want to come with
me, then
maybe ask me some of those
questions you have..
I think I'll be fine on my own.
Thanks.
20 minutes. Okay.
We really need to leave soon.
So back up front in 20.
All right.
Hang on.
DONOVAN: Hang on, hang on.
What?
How soon are you going
to be ready to entertain offers?
How soon can you get me one?
Are you in a hurry?
Frankly, yes.
I just want to get this done.
Settle my debts and get back to
my kids.
Okay.
What debts?
Student loans,
credit card debts, my mom's
medical bills,
you name it.
This place is my last chance to
stitch my life back together.
All right, so you're flying back
to California
in the morning, right?
First thing.
Okay.
So I'll have an offer waiting
for you
by the time you land.
Now accept it by the end of
business tomorrow.
I'll do the whole thing in cash.
We can wrap this up by the end
of the week. Right?
That sounds good.
[Ominous music crescendos]
DEX: Nikki...
Nikki!
Nikki!
Jesus.
Nikki.
Nikki. Come on!
Nikki!
Nikki, we got to go.
Nikki!
Nikki, it's time!
Nikki!
Nikki!
ANI: Come on Nikki, we gotta go!
No, don't go that way.
What?
Is that what you saw it?
come on.
Nikki!
Alfred? No.
Hang on! Hey hey hang the
Fuck on! All right.
I'm trying to find a better
spot. Hold on. Hold on.
Fuck!
Jesus Christ, Al-Alfred.
Al... Alfred... Fuckin' A!
God Damn it.
Alfred. Hold on.
Can you hear me?
Alfred?
Alfred, she literally has no
idea
what she's sitting on here.
Al- Alfred. Alfred.
Jesus Christ.
come on, come on, come on, come
on, come on, come on.
Ah, haha!
Ok, which way?
Dex, I really don't wanna go
back in there, okay?
Please, just show me.
ANI: please.
In there?
Thank you.
It's real.
Dex?
Fuck!
What the fuck?
Fuck! oh, woah, woah, woah,
woah, woah, woah! Come on!
Come on, Fucker!
Open the fuckin' door, Come on.
Hey.
Hey. Come on. Open up!
Come on!
Fuck you.
Hey, hey, hey.
Fuck me, Come on!
God!
Damn it, fucker.!
Come on, fucker.
God Damn it, Fuck you! Fuckin'
door!
Damn it.
Come on. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey!
Come on, quit fucking around.
Hey, hey, hey.
Oh, fuck.
Nikki
NIkki
Help us!
Help us!
(eerie music)
Pete!
I was just going to find you
guys.
You're not going to believe what
we just found.
Wait! You have to see this.
Oh!
Holy shit.
I thought you'd like this.
This is it Pete!
This is the place.
I'm sorry, why is there a church
in a hotel?
Exactly.
Exactly what?
This wasn't always a hotel.
100 years ago, something like
that.
It was boarding school.
So?
Not just any boarding school.
Her boarding school.
Time to go.
Any sign?
Nothing.
Shit.
ok, I got to get you guys back.
What about Nikki?
Once we get somewhere, we get a
signal.
We'll call for help.
you know, Pete and I can stay
behind.
No, we can't.
Dex, it's not smart.
We can come back later.
No one's staying behind
[crow caws]
Where's your car?
Where's your fucking car?
This is where we left it, isn't
it?
What happened?
What do you think happened?
The car's gone. Nikkis gone.
Do the fucking math.
You think Nikki took the car?
Why would Nikki steal the car?
Same reason I would had I
thought of it first.
To get a jump on you idiots
before you figure out
this place is worth three times,
what tweedle-dumb
here is asking for.
Oh, my God. Paranoid much?
Then you explain it princess
How would she even do that?
Hey. Hey.
Did you leave the keys?
Did you leave the keys in the
the fucking car.
Who's going to steal a car
in the middle of nowhere?
Jesus Christ!
Leave it to the goddamn teacher!
Is it any wonder, kids today
are such fucking morons?
Ok, Settle down.
Settle down?
Yes, settle down.
We can hike up to the main road.
Really?
Do you remember all the twists
and turns and side rows
it took to wind our way in here?
It'd Take 3 hours to walk in the
light.
And that's if we knew where
we're going, but we don't.
And it's dark out.
So good luck with that.
Yeah, an P.S.
There's wolves in these fucking
woods.
Wolves.
Where are you going?
Where do you think I'm going?
There's walls, roof and beds
back there.
Yeah, go ahead. Yeah. You keep
hiking.
I'll be sure to look for your
mangled corpse in the morning.
(macabre synth music)
Who is her?
What?
You said her boarding school
before.
What does that mean?
What are you guys talking about?
Dex thinks this used to be a
boarding school.
No, it was a resort or
something.
Before that.
Before that too.
No, I'm talking way back
when this place was first built.
How do you know that?
Have you ever heard
of the headmistress?
Like a school principal?
There's an old legend about a
boarding school
somewhere here in central
Wisconsin,
but nobody knows exactly
when or where it all happened.
All what happened?
The school was owned by a real
estate tycoon
and his twin sister, who
supposedly
was not quite right in the head.
Anyways, she ran the school
and by all accounts was kind and
generous
and did her best to protect the
kids.
Protect them from what?
Well,
whenever one of the girls caught
the brother's eye.
He would take them down to the
cellar.
Sometimes for days at a time
and use them to satisfy
his peculiar appetites.
Jesus.
So one day, legend has it
the sister had had enough
and decided to interfere
in her brother's recreation.
In a fury,
he dragged her up to her sewing
room in the attic,
raped her
and beat her to within an inch
of her life.
Are you making this up?
So later that fall,
the sister gave birth to her own
brother's baby,
which, despite how it was
conceived, was all
she'd ever wanted in the world.
A baby to call her own.
But then, in one final act of
cruelty,
the brother took the baby away
and left,
leaving her shattered and
heartbroken
and alone to run the school.
That's the most horrible thing
I've ever heard.
It's not over.
See, the sister became so
consumed
by bitterness and despair that
she snapped
and she became the student's
worst nightmare.
She let them go hungry and
neglected their health.
She made them live in their own
filth.
And for even the slightest
misbehavior,
she dragged them up to the
sewing room to make sure
they could never offend her
again.
If they said something.
She sewed their mouths shut.
If they took something,
she stitched their fingers
together,
and if they even looked at her
wrong,
they never open their eyes
again.
Dex, enough.
One by one,
the children all died.
And when the sister was finally
all
alone, she killed herself.
But only, they say,
so that she could continue to
torture and torment
the girls beyond the grave.
And that's the legend of the
Headmistress.
Jesus, Dex.
Nice bedtime story.
Where's Donovan?
Found some old blankets
upstairs.
Not exactly Bed, Bath and Beyond
but they'll get us through the
night
and lights are catch
as catch can.
Many do not work,
so everybody should grab
one of the lanterns that Ani
found earlier.
Night, night.
Don't let the headmistress bite.
Ugh...
DONOVAN: Look at this.
Practically roommates.
Don't tell me that's a
coincidence.
And here I was thinking
that smell was something dead in
the closet.
Well, if those blankets don't do
the trick,
I'll come and warm you up.
Wow. Congratulations.
You've officially made
freezing to death
the more appealing option.
Yeah.
Sweet dreams, princess.
Don't forget to close the door
on your way out.
Eugene.
What century are we in?
This is like queer I Love Lucy,
but back when even the straight
couples
had to sleep in separate beds.
What'd you say?
Hey, Pudgy P
you're not using the toilet, are
you?
What?
You're not using the toilet, I
hope.
Just because it won't flush
doesn't
mean I can't pee.
That's disgusting, dude.
What did you do?
I went outside like a man.
I can't hear you.
I said I went-
Pete? Pete.
Pete?
Pete. Pete!
Pete! Pete!
Pete, Pete, Pete.
Pete! Pete!
Pete! What the fuck are you
doing?
Pete?
You're really killing the mood,
Pete.
Pete.
PETE: Dex?
Pete?
[Dex yells]
PETE: Dex, are you down there?
Where'd you go?
Where did you go?!
Come on man, you're not going to
believe this. Come on!
PETE: Slow down!
PETE: Dex!
What?
Oh, my God.
Get the fuck out of my room!
Hey!
Hey! What are you doing?
Ow! Help!
Get off me!
Get off!
Help!
ANI: Stop! Stop!
Dex, slow down.
I swear it was him.
He's in this house.
Who?
The brother! I saw him!
That means she's here too, Pete.
Wait, wait.
ANI: Stop!
Do you hear that?
ANI: Stop!
ANI: Help!
[Beads rattling]
MARA: Hello?
Hello?
What do you want?
PETE: Mara?
Mara?
MARA: What?
Something happened to Ani.
What happened?
It was Donovan.
What was Donovan?
He attacked me.
What?
We heard her screaming,
but by the time we got there,
he was already gone.
ANI: I couldn't get him off
me. He was grabbing me.
Pushing me down.
DEX:
You don't have to talk about it.
Good.
ANI: and then Dex and Pete
were there
and he was just gone.
Are you all right?
No.
DEX: It's okay.
We're not going anywhere.
We need to find Donovan.
ANI: Fuck Donovan!
I just want to get the hell out
of here.
DEX: It's okay.
It's going to be fine.
Donovan might
not have done this.
Dex, stay with Ani.
DEX: What?
We're going to go find Donovan,
and then we're all getting out
of here.
Fuck Donovan.
DONOVAN: Hey! Hey! Hey!
DONOVAN: What the fuck?
DONOVAN: What the fuck is that?
[Stabbing noises]
[Donovan shouting]
(weird eating sounds)
Gene, it's Pete.
We got to talk.
Come on out.
Donovan.
Donovan?
MARA: Donovan!
PETE: Donovan?
CHILDREN: Help us!
CHILDREN: Help us!
CHILDREN: Help us!
CHILDREN: Help us!
CHILDREN: Help us! Help us!
CHILDREN: Help.
CHILDREN: Help us! Help us!
CHILDREN: Please help us.
MARA: What do you want?
What do you want?!
What do you want from me?!
You're what?
Look.
Pete cannot be wandering around
this place, okay?
None of us should.
You can't leave me here.
I'm not.
But I have to get the others.
ANI: Dex!
Ani, just go. Get to the
bridge, okay?
Get as far from this place as
you can.
I'm going to meet you there. I
promise.
Come with me, please!
Ani, I'm not leaving Pete.
Please, just go, okay?
Just go!
ANI: Dex, please!
DEX: Ani, go. Just go!
ANI: Dex...
DEX: Go.
ANI: Dex!
(she sniffles)
Pete.
Mara.
Anything?
What's going on here?
What do you mean?
Nikki didn't steal the car and
leave us here.
These haven't been just innocent
bumps in the night.
Something's wrong here,
Mara.
What do you know that we don't?
(creepy ambience)
(odd fire sound)
(creepy piano)
PETE: Mara...
This place didn't just
close down, okay?
Something happened.
What do you mean?
35 years ago,
when this was Captain Kid
Seaside Resort,
there were three incidents.
Eight people died here
in two years.
All of them violent,
all of them horrible.
None of them explained
Jesus.
25 years after that, someone
else tried to open it.
The Lake Front Inn.
But that only lasted
six months.
Five guests died
one night.
A man
brutally murdered
his entire family
and then he killed himself.
He took the scissors
and he slit his own throat.
PETE: Oh, my God.
That was five years ago.
They shut it down.
And this place has been empty
ever since.
You knew about all this.
You knew and you didn't tell us?
I didn't know about the school.
I didn't know about the
children.
Oh, so you only knew
about the 13 unexplained
murders?
Is that what
you're trying to say?
Only 13, not the rest?
MARA: Pete!
Are you fucking insane?
I had to pay my debts.
I owe so much.
No one would buy this place if
they knew.
You think?!
MARA: I never thought-
God dammit, Mara.
I didn't have a choice!
Yes, you did.
You had a choice.
You made a choice.
Pete.
We have to get out of here now.
MARA: I am so sorry.
Wait...
It is. Cigarette smoke.
He must have come through here.
PETE: Donovan! We gotta go!
[Mara gasps]
Pete.
PETE: He's not in here!
Pete.
Oh, Jesus.
(creepy ambience)
(snap sound,
followed by door squeaking)
[Mara gasps]
Holy shit.
(droning music)
PETE: Dex!
DEX: Pete. Pete!
You all right?
Did you find Donovan?
He's dead.
What?
You were right, Dex.
PETE: About this place.
PETE:
It's Charlotte and Nathaniel.
What?
Where's Ani?
She's out already.
What did you say?
Okay, let's go.
Stop.
What did you just say?
(chanting)
(weird, religious ambience)
(screeching)
(horror music)
(builds in intensity)
(thump!)
[Ani screams]
(eerie piano)
Why did you say Nathaniel?
Because I saw him. He's here!
Who?
Nathaniel!
Who's Nathaniel?
The brother from the legend.
The Headmistress and the
Brother.
Charlotte and Nathaniel Mallory.
They're the ones doing this!
Mallory.
DEX: They killed Donovan.
Probably Nikki.
That's the name.
DEX: What name?
Nathaniel Mallory
That's the name of the man who
left me this inn.
What?
My mother was the baby.
My mother was the baby he took
from her.
That he stole from her.
But now she's dead.
And I'm all that's left.
Mara, what are you saying?
It wasn't my father who left me
this place.
It was my grandfather.
And that means the Headmistress.
Is my grandmother, Mara.
PETE: Mara.
We have to find a
way out of here.
(eerie piano)
(footsteps)
(creepy violin)
DEX: Come on, come on, come on.
Whoa, back, back.
Whoa, back, back, back.
(tense music)
DEX: What is this?
Jesus.
MARA: Pete! Dex!
Come on, come on!
PETE: Oh, my God.
DEX: What the fuck is that?
That's the sewing room.
MARA: That's where
she took the children.
PETE: We got to go.
(tense music again)
Whoa!
PETE: Mara! We have to get out!
Are you kidding me! Come on!
They won't let us.
DEX: Pete!
Pete. It won't open. God dammit!
DEX: No. No! Are you kidding me?
DEX: Pete?
Ani?
DEX: Pete? Come on!
DEX: Come on!
(tense music, wood creaking)
(music intensity builds)
Oh god. No.
DEX: God dammit.
We're trapped, man!
Ani?
She's gone.
No.
Come on!
DEX: God!
DEX: Have you ever heard
of the headmistress?
ANI: Dex thinks this used to
be a boarding school.
PETE: What do you
know that we don't?
NIKKI: I'm surprised you don't
know more about this place.
MARA: She passed away about
eight years ago.
DEX: Her own brother's baby.
MARA: What did you just say?
DEX: The school was owned by a
real-estate tycoon
DEX: and his twin sister.
PETE: It's Charlotte and
Nathaniel.
MARA: I didn't know about the
school.
MARA: I didn't know about the
children.
DEX: and she became the
student's worst nightmare.
PETE: You had a choice.
PETE: You made a choice.
DEX: One by one, the children
all died.
DEX: and that means the
Headmistress.
MARA: Is my grandmother.
Mara, we have to find a way out.
The children.
Yeah. They're going to kill us.
Let's go.
No, they're not doing this.
They won't let us leave because
they need my help.
Mara, please.
Don't you see?
All these years
trapped and suffering?
What?
Because he took the baby away.
Because he took my mother away.
And now they're
condemned to be here.
Because we're not.
Because I'm not.
Mara.
All she wants is her family
back.
Mara, please.
I have to help them.
I owe it to them.
No, you don't.
Just go.
They won't stop you anymore.
Mara, what are you doing?
Mara, where are you going?
I have to pay my debts.
DEX: Mara!
God, come on!
PETE: Try the door!
DEX: Pete, I'm telling you,
it's locked.
[Door unlocking]
DEX: Are you fucking kidding me?
PETE: I told you!
(sinister music)
(mix of gothic chants and music)
(music continues, wood creaks)
(thump, music
becomes snake like)
(macabre music continues)
(music ebbs, wood creaks)
(music continues)
(Mara is whispered)
(music becomes darker)
(music quiets)
(piano starts)
(droning music)
(cinematic hit)
(music builds, gothic, eerie)
(sound continues)
(shuttering sound)
(hard footsteps)
(intensity builds)
(ramps up off the charts)
[Mara screaming]
[Mara screaming]
[Mara screaming]
(screams echo
with nature sounds)
(breathing sounds)
You still want to buy this
place?
Fuck, no.
I'm done with ghosts.
Let's go home and keep eating
pizzas
until we're a couple fat old
fucking queens.
Come on.
(macabre take on kids music)
(music continues)
(music gets more jarring)
[Mara screaming]
SLOW ACOUSTIC GUITAR
The Lord
is my shepherd.
I shall not want.
He makes me lie
down in green
pastures. He leads me
beside
still waters.
He restores my soul.
He restores my soul.
He leads me
In paths of
righteousness
for his name's
sake.
And even though
I walk through
the valley of shadow of death,
I fear
no evil, for
You are with me.
Your rod
and Your staff
will
comfort me.
And You prepare
a table before me
in the
presence
of my enemies.
You anoint my head
with oil. My
cup overflows.
Surely
goodness and
mercy shall follow
me
all the days
of my life.
And I shall dwell
in the house
of the Lord forever.
[Thunder]
[Creepy music]
[Orchestral music]
[Horse galloping]
[Creepy piano]
[SCREAM]
[Haunting piano with whimpers]
[Ominous music]
[Horror ambience with
crying, shrieks, rattles]
[Startling stinger]
[Shrill,horror violin]
[Rattling, wailing]
[Horror stinger]
[Spooky ambience]
[Horror score]
[Mysterious Whispers]
[Horror score]
[Mysterious Whispers]
[Horror music]
[SCREAM]
[Choral horror music]
[Alarm blaring]
[Shower in distance]
[Sink running]
NEWS ANCHOR (ON TV):
A spokesman for the county
attorney's office expressed
regret that this was
the only way to discover the
victims' remains.
The children's parents, when
asked how they felt--
Yes, I understand that.
No, it hasn't been five months.
It's only been four.
Okay.
Okay.
Regardless, I just need some
more time...
to get the money.
[Background rock music
mixed with bar chatter]
BARTENDER: There you go.
Thank you.
Hi. Can I check out here?
Sure thing, honey.
Here, try this one.
Thank you. I'll be back in a
moment.
Mara?
Yeah?
I'm Pete Kyle. This is my
partner, Dex.
The pizza guys.
Pizza guys.
How do you know?
Nine locations and counting.
Good to meet you.
Hey, we're really excited to see
the property.
Yeah, so am I.
I'm sorry, honey, but your card
was declined.
Oh,
I'm sorry.
DEX: I don't want you
embarrassing me on this
trip now.
PETE: What?
DEX: You heard me.
PETE: When do I embarrass you?
DEX: Get in, old man.
Jesus Christ.
Excuse me.
I drive 5 hours up here to march
in the goddamn pride parade.
So I'm, I'm Gene Donovan.
Everyone just calls me Donovan.
Ani LaBeau.
LaBeau
What is that? German.
it's French.
French for bitch, I guess.
Hey, does this mean you're not
going to sit on my lap
on the way up there?
[Mysterious score]
MARA: All right, let's remember,
the whole point of this
field trip
is to see if any of you want to
buy this place.
I've never seen it myself.
So there won't be a tour.
We'll get in, look around on our
own and get out.
Understand?
DEX: What if we want to come
back for a second look?
MARA: You'll have to do it on
your own.
I'm flying home tomorrow
so I can get back to my students
and my classroom.
[Mysterious music continues]
PETE: Uh oh, that's not good.
[Music ends as ominous
ambience continues]
MARA: I guess we walk from here.
DONOVAN: Terrific.
[Forest ambience]
DEX: What's that?
Um, my kids.
Oh...
They force the sub
to text these over yesterday
before my flight.
PETE: Oh, my God.
Cute.
Damn.
Yeah.
Pete really wants kids, but
uh...we can't decide
which one of us should
get pregnant.
Oh,
I'm just messing with you.
PETE: Yeah, it's just, just a--
MARA: Oh!
just a joke.
You guys should really consider
adoption.
It's insane what some kids go
through
when they don't have someone to
love them. Yeah...
It sounds like you really
care.
MARA: Kids are my life.
I'd do anything for them.
[Mysterious music]
Hey, you're the hotel water park
lady, right?
Nikki, yes.
Nikki. And you're in from
Minnesota?
I manage a place
just outside the Twin Cities,
actually,
but I'm trying to get back home
to Wisconsin, do my own thing,
you know?
What do you do for your pizza?
My pizza?
If you want to give your
tastebuds big surprise,
serve them up a slice of Pete's
Pizza pie.
Okay.
Real good. Real good.
Fuck me.
I knew you'd warm up.
Fuck me. God damn it!
[Ominous underscore]
Woah-huh-hoh!
[Music continues
with clock ticking]
Can you believe this?
[Bass stinger]
[Music fades into
forest ambience]
DEX: This place looks
incredible, man.
MARA: Okay, guys,
we only have a couple of hours
before
I have to start getting you guys
back,
so I suggest that...
[Horror stinger]
DONOVAN: You'd suggest?
So. I suggest that
we all do our own thing
so we can cover more ground.
Uh, look around, take pictures,
whatever you want.
Meet back here, and we'll
compare notes on the way back.
Does that work with everyone?
NIKKI: Back in 2 hours?
MARA: Yeah, 2 hours.
Yeah.
[Ominous music]
Oh, oh, oh.
Woah!
Oh, talk about a blast from the
past.
[Camera click]
DONOVAN: Hey, have you done any
research on this place?
ANI: No, not really. You?
DONOVAN: There has to be another
entrance back here.
Not much.
Same land owner as far back
as the county records go,
but a handful different
businesses in and out over time.
So it's a weird history.
Weird how?
None of them lasted
very long.
And it's basically been empty
for 56,
the last 60 years.
Before that, uh,
not clear, not clear at all.
Is that normal?
No,
no, it's not.
There we go.
When did you say this place
closed down?
[Camera click]
Uh, five years ago, maybe more.
I guess it was a resort or
something.
Five years?
[Ominous music]
It looks more like five days.
You could open the doors on
Monday
and no one would know the
difference.
Pretty old, huh?
Hmm.
A century, I think.
[Camera click]
NIKKI: I'm surprised you don't
know more about this place.
All I know is that a lawyer
called me up
one day and said my father left
it to me in his will.
Not a moment too soon either.
NIKKI: And he never told you
about this place before?
He never told me anything.
I never met him.
It was always just me and my
mom. Hmm.
Mmmm.
NIKKI: So what does she say
about all this?
My mom?
[Music ends]
NIKKI: Yeah.
Nothing.
She passed away about eight
years ago.
NIKKI: Oh, I'm sorry.
That's okay.
But sometimes I miss my family.
PETE: God, we could do so much
with this.
We could grate that down to a
beach over there.
Swimming, water sports.
Maybe even rent some kayaks,
jet ski...
bet we could offer a pontoon
shuttle to the downtown water
parks.
You don't even care about any of
that, do you?
It's not like people are going
to come here.
Sure.
Why would people go on vacation
and do vacation stuff?
"Pete and Dexter's Haunted Inn"
Dexter's?
Sounds better than Dex's.
We don't even know if this is
the place.
No, man it has to be.
Then what are we doing out here?
Should be looking around inside.
All right we need to come back
here tonight.
Just the two of us, then we can
really look around.
It took us over 2 hours
to get here in the daylight.
Pete, let's be done with pizza,
man.
PETE: I like pizza.
No shit! a couple more years
they're going to be calling you
pudgy Pete the pizza guy.
Hey.
See what happens when your
metabolism slows down.
Okay, that's never going to
happen, but if it did,
that's why we need to get out of
the pizza business.
While we can still fit in
the same bed.
Look, between all of this
and this
and this, we make a fortune,
C'mon!
Look, who got all ambitious all
of a sudden!
Hey, you know.
[Door creaks, footsteps]
[Door slam]
[Footsteps]
DONOVAN: So how'd you hear
about this?
My father's lawyer.
Castanelli?
Yeah.
Yeah, he tipped me off too.
We've done a bunch of major
deals together.
Major deals.
He's running point for me
right now in a condo project on
the Miracle Mile.
Completely self-financed.
Do you have any idea how much
money
something like that takes?
Okay, we get it.
You've got some money.
Some money?
Look, I don't give a shit.
Okay?
This might get you laid with the
downtown bar skanks
and the remax crowd, but I'm not
impressed.
I don't need a sugar daddy,
Eugene.
Jesus Christ.
You got to fuckin attitude,
don't you?
Let me guess.
Mommy and Daddy were too busy
building a family
real estate empire to come to
your school plays,
which broke your poor little
heart.
But now that your trust fund has
finally come due
you're going to go out there
and show them what you can do
all on your own.
And they'll be so proud of you.
They'll realize that you were
worth their love all along.
Right?
Something like that.
They were band concerts,
not plays.
Terrific.
So what's your favorite
instrument to blow?
Hm. Fuck off, Grandpa.
[Ominous music]
MYSTERIOUS VOICE: Mara...
Mara...
[WOMAN CRYING]
[Hinge creak]
[Camera click]
[Camera click]
Cool.
[Camera click]
[Stinger]
MARA: Hey.
[Stinger as music ends]
Fuck, Mara
Shit! Do you sneak up on your
kids like that?
What's down there?
I don't know.
I think it's another wing.
[FAINT BUZZING]
I'm going to go check it out.
I'm going to finish up over here
and then I'll come join you.
Okay.
Keep an eye on the time.
You got it.
[Ominous rumble]
[Footsteps]
[Horror ambience]
[Crying]
[Horror piano]
[Ominous music
and wood creaks)
[Crying continues]
Hello?
[Crying continues]
[Crying]
[CRYING GETS LOUDER]
Hello?
What are you doing here?
[Stinger]
Ahh!
[Horror music ends]
DONOVAN: Ani, Ani!
Would you quit acting like a
baby?
PETE: What happened?
How old was the girl?
What? I don't know.
Ok, but like a toddler or
teenager.
You serious right now?
There is nothing there.
Yes, there was.
Come on!
I saw her!
Yeah, but why didn't I see her?
She was right there.
We believe you, sweetie.
No, we don't, actually.
What happened?
Ani met a friend in the
cellar.
What does that mean?
She saw something.
Thought she saw something.
So what?
Dex...
Okay. What do you think?
Oh, Jesus Christ, Dex.
I didn't say that. Okay?
Okay, she saw it.
He didn't.
What else could that be but a
ghost?
How about a fucking
hallucination?
Do you really not know about
this place?
Know what?
The history.
This is considered one of the
most
haunted spots in the Midwest.
The whole country even!
Maybe, this might not even be
the place.
Dex is a paranormal enthusiast.
In case you hadn't guessed,
this is why we are here.
Terrific.
Okay, but I'm here to make
money.
So if the gay Ghostbusters are
done with their campfire tales?
Can you please get back to
business?
Excuse me?
Oh,
Sorry, Are you uh..
you guys not on the same team?
So what if we are?
Okay, take it easy.
What's your problem?
No problem.
I just believe that sex
should be between a man and
a woman.
Or, a man and several women if
he's up to it.
Oh, well that is great news for
all the ladies here.
Honestly, Ha! How do you guys
even do that?
Oh, so you're curious, huh?
I had a hunch.
Fuck you, pizza boy.
Okay, let's all just calm down.
It's getting close to dark
anyway.
I know Nikki has a flight to
catch,
and I'm sure she's not the
only one.
Where's Nikki?
[Ominous music]
[Camera click]
[Camera click]
[Camera click]
[Camera click]
[Camera click]
[Music picks up]
[NIKKI LAUGHS]
[Music quiets]
[Camera click]
[Bass stinger]
[Music continues]
[Camera click]
[Camera click]
[Metallic creaks]
NIKKI: Guys?
It's not funny.
[Camera click stinger]
[Camera click stinger]
[Dissonant string notes]
[Camera click stinger]
[NIKKI SCREAMS]
[Choking sounds]
Nikki!
ANI: Nikki!
Nikki!
PETE: Nikki!
Why don't we spread out, so we
can look around.
By ourselves?
I'll go with you.
Ew!
Come on Ani.
We'll go together.
So maybe you want to come with
me, then
maybe ask me some of those
questions you have..
I think I'll be fine on my own.
Thanks.
20 minutes. Okay.
We really need to leave soon.
So back up front in 20.
All right.
Hang on.
DONOVAN: Hang on, hang on.
What?
How soon are you going
to be ready to entertain offers?
How soon can you get me one?
Are you in a hurry?
Frankly, yes.
I just want to get this done.
Settle my debts and get back to
my kids.
Okay.
What debts?
Student loans,
credit card debts, my mom's
medical bills,
you name it.
This place is my last chance to
stitch my life back together.
All right, so you're flying back
to California
in the morning, right?
First thing.
Okay.
So I'll have an offer waiting
for you
by the time you land.
Now accept it by the end of
business tomorrow.
I'll do the whole thing in cash.
We can wrap this up by the end
of the week. Right?
That sounds good.
[Ominous music crescendos]
DEX: Nikki...
Nikki!
Nikki!
Jesus.
Nikki.
Nikki. Come on!
Nikki!
Nikki, we got to go.
Nikki!
Nikki, it's time!
Nikki!
Nikki!
ANI: Come on Nikki, we gotta go!
No, don't go that way.
What?
Is that what you saw it?
come on.
Nikki!
Alfred? No.
Hang on! Hey hey hang the
Fuck on! All right.
I'm trying to find a better
spot. Hold on. Hold on.
Fuck!
Jesus Christ, Al-Alfred.
Al... Alfred... Fuckin' A!
God Damn it.
Alfred. Hold on.
Can you hear me?
Alfred?
Alfred, she literally has no
idea
what she's sitting on here.
Al- Alfred. Alfred.
Jesus Christ.
come on, come on, come on, come
on, come on, come on.
Ah, haha!
Ok, which way?
Dex, I really don't wanna go
back in there, okay?
Please, just show me.
ANI: please.
In there?
Thank you.
It's real.
Dex?
Fuck!
What the fuck?
Fuck! oh, woah, woah, woah,
woah, woah, woah! Come on!
Come on, Fucker!
Open the fuckin' door, Come on.
Hey.
Hey. Come on. Open up!
Come on!
Fuck you.
Hey, hey, hey.
Fuck me, Come on!
God!
Damn it, fucker.!
Come on, fucker.
God Damn it, Fuck you! Fuckin'
door!
Damn it.
Come on. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey!
Come on, quit fucking around.
Hey, hey, hey.
Oh, fuck.
Nikki
NIkki
Help us!
Help us!
(eerie music)
Pete!
I was just going to find you
guys.
You're not going to believe what
we just found.
Wait! You have to see this.
Oh!
Holy shit.
I thought you'd like this.
This is it Pete!
This is the place.
I'm sorry, why is there a church
in a hotel?
Exactly.
Exactly what?
This wasn't always a hotel.
100 years ago, something like
that.
It was boarding school.
So?
Not just any boarding school.
Her boarding school.
Time to go.
Any sign?
Nothing.
Shit.
ok, I got to get you guys back.
What about Nikki?
Once we get somewhere, we get a
signal.
We'll call for help.
you know, Pete and I can stay
behind.
No, we can't.
Dex, it's not smart.
We can come back later.
No one's staying behind
[crow caws]
Where's your car?
Where's your fucking car?
This is where we left it, isn't
it?
What happened?
What do you think happened?
The car's gone. Nikkis gone.
Do the fucking math.
You think Nikki took the car?
Why would Nikki steal the car?
Same reason I would had I
thought of it first.
To get a jump on you idiots
before you figure out
this place is worth three times,
what tweedle-dumb
here is asking for.
Oh, my God. Paranoid much?
Then you explain it princess
How would she even do that?
Hey. Hey.
Did you leave the keys?
Did you leave the keys in the
the fucking car.
Who's going to steal a car
in the middle of nowhere?
Jesus Christ!
Leave it to the goddamn teacher!
Is it any wonder, kids today
are such fucking morons?
Ok, Settle down.
Settle down?
Yes, settle down.
We can hike up to the main road.
Really?
Do you remember all the twists
and turns and side rows
it took to wind our way in here?
It'd Take 3 hours to walk in the
light.
And that's if we knew where
we're going, but we don't.
And it's dark out.
So good luck with that.
Yeah, an P.S.
There's wolves in these fucking
woods.
Wolves.
Where are you going?
Where do you think I'm going?
There's walls, roof and beds
back there.
Yeah, go ahead. Yeah. You keep
hiking.
I'll be sure to look for your
mangled corpse in the morning.
(macabre synth music)
Who is her?
What?
You said her boarding school
before.
What does that mean?
What are you guys talking about?
Dex thinks this used to be a
boarding school.
No, it was a resort or
something.
Before that.
Before that too.
No, I'm talking way back
when this place was first built.
How do you know that?
Have you ever heard
of the headmistress?
Like a school principal?
There's an old legend about a
boarding school
somewhere here in central
Wisconsin,
but nobody knows exactly
when or where it all happened.
All what happened?
The school was owned by a real
estate tycoon
and his twin sister, who
supposedly
was not quite right in the head.
Anyways, she ran the school
and by all accounts was kind and
generous
and did her best to protect the
kids.
Protect them from what?
Well,
whenever one of the girls caught
the brother's eye.
He would take them down to the
cellar.
Sometimes for days at a time
and use them to satisfy
his peculiar appetites.
Jesus.
So one day, legend has it
the sister had had enough
and decided to interfere
in her brother's recreation.
In a fury,
he dragged her up to her sewing
room in the attic,
raped her
and beat her to within an inch
of her life.
Are you making this up?
So later that fall,
the sister gave birth to her own
brother's baby,
which, despite how it was
conceived, was all
she'd ever wanted in the world.
A baby to call her own.
But then, in one final act of
cruelty,
the brother took the baby away
and left,
leaving her shattered and
heartbroken
and alone to run the school.
That's the most horrible thing
I've ever heard.
It's not over.
See, the sister became so
consumed
by bitterness and despair that
she snapped
and she became the student's
worst nightmare.
She let them go hungry and
neglected their health.
She made them live in their own
filth.
And for even the slightest
misbehavior,
she dragged them up to the
sewing room to make sure
they could never offend her
again.
If they said something.
She sewed their mouths shut.
If they took something,
she stitched their fingers
together,
and if they even looked at her
wrong,
they never open their eyes
again.
Dex, enough.
One by one,
the children all died.
And when the sister was finally
all
alone, she killed herself.
But only, they say,
so that she could continue to
torture and torment
the girls beyond the grave.
And that's the legend of the
Headmistress.
Jesus, Dex.
Nice bedtime story.
Where's Donovan?
Found some old blankets
upstairs.
Not exactly Bed, Bath and Beyond
but they'll get us through the
night
and lights are catch
as catch can.
Many do not work,
so everybody should grab
one of the lanterns that Ani
found earlier.
Night, night.
Don't let the headmistress bite.
Ugh...
DONOVAN: Look at this.
Practically roommates.
Don't tell me that's a
coincidence.
And here I was thinking
that smell was something dead in
the closet.
Well, if those blankets don't do
the trick,
I'll come and warm you up.
Wow. Congratulations.
You've officially made
freezing to death
the more appealing option.
Yeah.
Sweet dreams, princess.
Don't forget to close the door
on your way out.
Eugene.
What century are we in?
This is like queer I Love Lucy,
but back when even the straight
couples
had to sleep in separate beds.
What'd you say?
Hey, Pudgy P
you're not using the toilet, are
you?
What?
You're not using the toilet, I
hope.
Just because it won't flush
doesn't
mean I can't pee.
That's disgusting, dude.
What did you do?
I went outside like a man.
I can't hear you.
I said I went-
Pete? Pete.
Pete?
Pete. Pete!
Pete! Pete!
Pete, Pete, Pete.
Pete! Pete!
Pete! What the fuck are you
doing?
Pete?
You're really killing the mood,
Pete.
Pete.
PETE: Dex?
Pete?
[Dex yells]
PETE: Dex, are you down there?
Where'd you go?
Where did you go?!
Come on man, you're not going to
believe this. Come on!
PETE: Slow down!
PETE: Dex!
What?
Oh, my God.
Get the fuck out of my room!
Hey!
Hey! What are you doing?
Ow! Help!
Get off me!
Get off!
Help!
ANI: Stop! Stop!
Dex, slow down.
I swear it was him.
He's in this house.
Who?
The brother! I saw him!
That means she's here too, Pete.
Wait, wait.
ANI: Stop!
Do you hear that?
ANI: Stop!
ANI: Help!
[Beads rattling]
MARA: Hello?
Hello?
What do you want?
PETE: Mara?
Mara?
MARA: What?
Something happened to Ani.
What happened?
It was Donovan.
What was Donovan?
He attacked me.
What?
We heard her screaming,
but by the time we got there,
he was already gone.
ANI: I couldn't get him off
me. He was grabbing me.
Pushing me down.
DEX:
You don't have to talk about it.
Good.
ANI: and then Dex and Pete
were there
and he was just gone.
Are you all right?
No.
DEX: It's okay.
We're not going anywhere.
We need to find Donovan.
ANI: Fuck Donovan!
I just want to get the hell out
of here.
DEX: It's okay.
It's going to be fine.
Donovan might
not have done this.
Dex, stay with Ani.
DEX: What?
We're going to go find Donovan,
and then we're all getting out
of here.
Fuck Donovan.
DONOVAN: Hey! Hey! Hey!
DONOVAN: What the fuck?
DONOVAN: What the fuck is that?
[Stabbing noises]
[Donovan shouting]
(weird eating sounds)
Gene, it's Pete.
We got to talk.
Come on out.
Donovan.
Donovan?
MARA: Donovan!
PETE: Donovan?
CHILDREN: Help us!
CHILDREN: Help us!
CHILDREN: Help us!
CHILDREN: Help us!
CHILDREN: Help us! Help us!
CHILDREN: Help.
CHILDREN: Help us! Help us!
CHILDREN: Please help us.
MARA: What do you want?
What do you want?!
What do you want from me?!
You're what?
Look.
Pete cannot be wandering around
this place, okay?
None of us should.
You can't leave me here.
I'm not.
But I have to get the others.
ANI: Dex!
Ani, just go. Get to the
bridge, okay?
Get as far from this place as
you can.
I'm going to meet you there. I
promise.
Come with me, please!
Ani, I'm not leaving Pete.
Please, just go, okay?
Just go!
ANI: Dex, please!
DEX: Ani, go. Just go!
ANI: Dex...
DEX: Go.
ANI: Dex!
(she sniffles)
Pete.
Mara.
Anything?
What's going on here?
What do you mean?
Nikki didn't steal the car and
leave us here.
These haven't been just innocent
bumps in the night.
Something's wrong here,
Mara.
What do you know that we don't?
(creepy ambience)
(odd fire sound)
(creepy piano)
PETE: Mara...
This place didn't just
close down, okay?
Something happened.
What do you mean?
35 years ago,
when this was Captain Kid
Seaside Resort,
there were three incidents.
Eight people died here
in two years.
All of them violent,
all of them horrible.
None of them explained
Jesus.
25 years after that, someone
else tried to open it.
The Lake Front Inn.
But that only lasted
six months.
Five guests died
one night.
A man
brutally murdered
his entire family
and then he killed himself.
He took the scissors
and he slit his own throat.
PETE: Oh, my God.
That was five years ago.
They shut it down.
And this place has been empty
ever since.
You knew about all this.
You knew and you didn't tell us?
I didn't know about the school.
I didn't know about the
children.
Oh, so you only knew
about the 13 unexplained
murders?
Is that what
you're trying to say?
Only 13, not the rest?
MARA: Pete!
Are you fucking insane?
I had to pay my debts.
I owe so much.
No one would buy this place if
they knew.
You think?!
MARA: I never thought-
God dammit, Mara.
I didn't have a choice!
Yes, you did.
You had a choice.
You made a choice.
Pete.
We have to get out of here now.
MARA: I am so sorry.
Wait...
It is. Cigarette smoke.
He must have come through here.
PETE: Donovan! We gotta go!
[Mara gasps]
Pete.
PETE: He's not in here!
Pete.
Oh, Jesus.
(creepy ambience)
(snap sound,
followed by door squeaking)
[Mara gasps]
Holy shit.
(droning music)
PETE: Dex!
DEX: Pete. Pete!
You all right?
Did you find Donovan?
He's dead.
What?
You were right, Dex.
PETE: About this place.
PETE:
It's Charlotte and Nathaniel.
What?
Where's Ani?
She's out already.
What did you say?
Okay, let's go.
Stop.
What did you just say?
(chanting)
(weird, religious ambience)
(screeching)
(horror music)
(builds in intensity)
(thump!)
[Ani screams]
(eerie piano)
Why did you say Nathaniel?
Because I saw him. He's here!
Who?
Nathaniel!
Who's Nathaniel?
The brother from the legend.
The Headmistress and the
Brother.
Charlotte and Nathaniel Mallory.
They're the ones doing this!
Mallory.
DEX: They killed Donovan.
Probably Nikki.
That's the name.
DEX: What name?
Nathaniel Mallory
That's the name of the man who
left me this inn.
What?
My mother was the baby.
My mother was the baby he took
from her.
That he stole from her.
But now she's dead.
And I'm all that's left.
Mara, what are you saying?
It wasn't my father who left me
this place.
It was my grandfather.
And that means the Headmistress.
Is my grandmother, Mara.
PETE: Mara.
We have to find a
way out of here.
(eerie piano)
(footsteps)
(creepy violin)
DEX: Come on, come on, come on.
Whoa, back, back.
Whoa, back, back, back.
(tense music)
DEX: What is this?
Jesus.
MARA: Pete! Dex!
Come on, come on!
PETE: Oh, my God.
DEX: What the fuck is that?
That's the sewing room.
MARA: That's where
she took the children.
PETE: We got to go.
(tense music again)
Whoa!
PETE: Mara! We have to get out!
Are you kidding me! Come on!
They won't let us.
DEX: Pete!
Pete. It won't open. God dammit!
DEX: No. No! Are you kidding me?
DEX: Pete?
Ani?
DEX: Pete? Come on!
DEX: Come on!
(tense music, wood creaking)
(music intensity builds)
Oh god. No.
DEX: God dammit.
We're trapped, man!
Ani?
She's gone.
No.
Come on!
DEX: God!
DEX: Have you ever heard
of the headmistress?
ANI: Dex thinks this used to
be a boarding school.
PETE: What do you
know that we don't?
NIKKI: I'm surprised you don't
know more about this place.
MARA: She passed away about
eight years ago.
DEX: Her own brother's baby.
MARA: What did you just say?
DEX: The school was owned by a
real-estate tycoon
DEX: and his twin sister.
PETE: It's Charlotte and
Nathaniel.
MARA: I didn't know about the
school.
MARA: I didn't know about the
children.
DEX: and she became the
student's worst nightmare.
PETE: You had a choice.
PETE: You made a choice.
DEX: One by one, the children
all died.
DEX: and that means the
Headmistress.
MARA: Is my grandmother.
Mara, we have to find a way out.
The children.
Yeah. They're going to kill us.
Let's go.
No, they're not doing this.
They won't let us leave because
they need my help.
Mara, please.
Don't you see?
All these years
trapped and suffering?
What?
Because he took the baby away.
Because he took my mother away.
And now they're
condemned to be here.
Because we're not.
Because I'm not.
Mara.
All she wants is her family
back.
Mara, please.
I have to help them.
I owe it to them.
No, you don't.
Just go.
They won't stop you anymore.
Mara, what are you doing?
Mara, where are you going?
I have to pay my debts.
DEX: Mara!
God, come on!
PETE: Try the door!
DEX: Pete, I'm telling you,
it's locked.
[Door unlocking]
DEX: Are you fucking kidding me?
PETE: I told you!
(sinister music)
(mix of gothic chants and music)
(music continues, wood creaks)
(thump, music
becomes snake like)
(macabre music continues)
(music ebbs, wood creaks)
(music continues)
(Mara is whispered)
(music becomes darker)
(music quiets)
(piano starts)
(droning music)
(cinematic hit)
(music builds, gothic, eerie)
(sound continues)
(shuttering sound)
(hard footsteps)
(intensity builds)
(ramps up off the charts)
[Mara screaming]
[Mara screaming]
[Mara screaming]
(screams echo
with nature sounds)
(breathing sounds)
You still want to buy this
place?
Fuck, no.
I'm done with ghosts.
Let's go home and keep eating
pizzas
until we're a couple fat old
fucking queens.
Come on.
(macabre take on kids music)
(music continues)
(music gets more jarring)
[Mara screaming]
SLOW ACOUSTIC GUITAR
The Lord
is my shepherd.
I shall not want.
He makes me lie
down in green
pastures. He leads me
beside
still waters.
He restores my soul.
He restores my soul.
He leads me
In paths of
righteousness
for his name's
sake.
And even though
I walk through
the valley of shadow of death,
I fear
no evil, for
You are with me.
Your rod
and Your staff
will
comfort me.
And You prepare
a table before me
in the
presence
of my enemies.
You anoint my head
with oil. My
cup overflows.
Surely
goodness and
mercy shall follow
me
all the days
of my life.
And I shall dwell
in the house
of the Lord forever.