The Tall Man (2012) Movie Script
1
(FEMALE DISPATCHER SPEAKING
INDISTINCTLY ON RADIO)
(MALE DISPATCHER SPEAKING
INDISTINCTLY ON RADIO)
CHESTNUT: Not a single thing.
- What do we do?
- Police line.
No one goes in or out.
But there are other entrances.
Just make it look good.
(SIRENS WAILING)
(MOANING)
(BREATH ES SHAKILY)
- (MOANING)
- Shh, shh, shh, shh.
(DOOR OPENS)
How are you, Mrs. Denning?
We haven't found him.
Not him, not the others.
(HORN BLARING)
(DOG BARKING)
JENNY: Our town has been dead for six years.
At first, we blamed the closing of the mine,
the lack of jobs,
the lack of money,
the lack of everything.
But then, we had much worse to blame,
for something had come to Cold Rock.
Something bad
that was destroying our town even more.
That morning, nobody knew the Cold Rock
case was reaching its conclusion.
WOMAN: Don't drink out
in the street, Crawley.
What street?
(TIRES SQUEALING)
(WHIMPERS)
(GROANING)
(SCREAMS)
Julia!
(SCREAMING)
Julia! Some help here, please!
What happened?
I don't know.
She just started screaming
all of a sudden, out of nowhere.
How long has she been like this?
I don't know.
Oh, my God!
You didn't know?
- I'm not equipped for this, Tracy.
- (SCREAMING)
Push! Yes. You're doing it. You're doing it.
Good, good.
Now when the contraction comes again,
push where you feel my fingers, okay?
Push where my fingers are.
Down, push deep and down.
- Push.
- (GROANING)
Good, push. Push.
You're doing it. You're doing it.
You're doing it. Very good, very good.
Now do it again.
- (SCREAMING)
- Come on. There you go.
Here it comes, here it comes.
Good girl. That's it.
Okay.
Okay, it's breech,
which means the feet are coming first,
but it's fine. It's fine.
- I just need you to push really, really hard.
- Yes, you can.
- JULIA: Really big push for me.
- Come on, let's go.
(SCREAMING)
Push. Push, Carol!
(SCREAMS)
(SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY)
You did it. There it is. There it is. You did it.
Why is there no sound?
The baby's fine. It's good. It's good.
Take her out. Take her out!
(GROANING)
TRACY: Good work.
Good work. That is my girl.
You did such a good job.
- CAROL: But the baby...
- I know, honey...
Julia is going to take
very good care of him.
I promise you. I promise.
JULIA: Come on, baby. Come on, wake up.
Open your eyes. Open your eyes. Come on.
Take a breath. Take a breath.
You can make it. You can make it.
(INHALES DEEPLY)
Come on. Breathe. Come on, now. Breathe.
Breathe. Breathe for me. Come on.
Come on.
Okay. Come on.
Breathe.
Breathe.
You can do this.
Come on, come on. You can make it.
Open your eyes. Open your eyes.
(SOFT WAIL)
(LAUGHS) Okay.
(BABY COUGHS)
There you are. There you are.
- Hello.
- (WAILING)
(LOUD WAILING)
It's a big boy.
No hospital, Julia.
He needs monitoring, Tracy.
No. No way.
TRACY: Steven.
That bastard never made
a secret of the fact he likes my girls.
He's always parading around
in front of them like a rooster,
bare-chested and cocky
with those stupid cowboy boots.
Always showing them
things and teaching them this and that
and Carol falling for all of it.
Did you realize?
No! God, no.
If I had, I would have shot him, bang-bang.
Goodbye, cowboy.
- Get rid of him.
- (SCOFFS)
(LAUGHS HUMORLESSLY)
This is nobody else's business,
Julia, but ours.
No hospital.
They won't ask any questions.
No, we won't go.
I won't put Carol through that shame.
She's not even 18.
We take care of our own problems, okay?
JENNY: In Cold ROCK,
sometimes children were born
when they were not wanted.
People just managed,
and they didn't go
hollering it from the rooftops.
It may have been a bit sad,
but it was just good sense.
Because a lot worse things were happening
when it came to the children.
Wanted or not,
boys and girls,
some of them just disappeared.
Something had come to Cold Rock
that was taking the children.
Something so menacing,
so terrifying,
that the people finally gave it a name.
She was in her room,
a few minutes earlier
and I came back and...
And she was gone. She was just gone.
There wasn't a sound.
There was no screaming.
There was nothing. I just...
I went outside and he was gone.
I just wish. ..
I just wish I could have been there.
I couldn't believe it.
I looked up and down the street.
I couldn't see her anywhere. I panicked.
And all I could think of was the Tall Man.
I think he's the Devil.
What kind of people take people's kids?
You're talking about the Tall Man?
No, that's a myth. There's no Tall Man.
He exists.
MAN: The only Tall Man
I've ever is seen is the one
the kids built of that scarecrow over there.
If this was a rich town, we'd have
the whole army here looking for those kids.
I saw him two times,
going into the forest at night time.
It was right there
like he was trying to avoid the bridge.
It's such a big place.
We've got so many places
for someone to hide.
(SINISTER MUSIC PLAYING)
What're you talking about?
What else could it be?
Of course it's a child molester.
The kind of asshole
who really hurts the kids, you know?
All I'm saying is...
Well, what you say is bullshit, Chestnut.
It's not the bogeyman or the Devil
or any of that old wives' tale crap.
Tall man, my ass.
The guy's got a name
and he'll shit himself like anyone else
when we drag him to the chair.
DODD: You know about a lot of things,
don't you, Douglas?
Give me another hit there, Beth.
I was sitting back there
listening to you tell us your...
Your life story.
Yeah, well, all I'm sayin' is,
you aren't here to catch a ghost, right?
Noted.
I'm just making conversation.
I hear that.
Cheers. Cheers!
Yeah.
Ladies. Gents.
The dark knight is back.
TRISH: Arrived this morning.
He's already on his fourth cup of coffee.
Short black, no sugar.
Well, he's got to sit up all night in his car.
Hi, guys.
- Hey.
- Hi, Julia.
He's going to start messing about,
making his bullshit rounds
and all that for what?
You mean Dodd?
DOUGLAS: I mean Sherlock Holmes.
CHESTNUT: Yeah, like clockwork.
The last kid disappeared
two months ago.
Won't be long before the next one goes.
Dodd's back on the trail.
What difference will that make, huh, Julia?
This town's already finished.
Yeah, I guess everyone's feeling pretty down.
Tell me about that.
- Mrs. Johnson.
- She's gone.
Oh, I haven't seen her in weeks.
CHESTNUT: Sweet Jesus!
She looks even worse than before.
She wouldn't mind a cup of coffee.
She wouldn't mind a winning lottery ticket.
For you, Mrs. Johnson, from Trish.
Don't you want it?
I think it might do you some good.
- (DOG BARKING)
- STEVEN: Whoa!
I know I might have blacked out last night
celebrating the birth of my baby boy
but I know I didn't order up no nurse.
Good morning to you too, Steven.
What the hell you doin' here?
Just picking up the pieces.
Really? And who do you think you are?
I know who I am.
And what the fuck that's supposed to mean?
I'm talking to ya.
What? What, do you want to hit me too?
Stay out of our business.
I really care about Carol.
I know. Like you care about your bike.
(LAUGHS) I don't like your style.
Now, may he rest in peace,
your husband left behind
some pretty big shoes to fill.
After all, he was a doctor,
you're just a nurse.
Stick to changing diapers
and get off my back.
(SIGHS)
- Hey, Tracy.
- Hey.
- Come on in and take a seat.
- Thanks.
So how is that sweet boy?
Oh, it's okay actually.
I sent them away to my sister's in Seattle.
She's got a big house and you know,
they're close to everything
and they're just kind of better off.
Carol's in no shape to travel, Tracy.
Yeah, but they made it there fine.
Okay, Julia, look, I still
got to make a living, okay?
I got a job interview in Kaslo in 45 minutes.
Good pay, good job, good tips.
I can't be here all day to help Carol, okay?
You gotta understand me.
Yeah, I get it.
No, you know what? I gotta hold on, Julia.
No, honestly.
Honestly, Trace, I understand.
You want me to make you
some coffee or something?
He's still here?
Yeah. You got to give me
some time with that, okay?
It's not so simple. He's...
He's kinda hard to handle.
But trust me,
you just got to let me handle this.
What about Jenny?
Hey.
Your mom went to Kaslo.
Ta-da.
You haven't been doing
your speech therapy, have you?
Okay.
I'm here now.
So... Speak.
(LAUGHS SOFTLY)
Why are you always
hiding behind all this hair?
You're so pretty.
So, you believe it too?
JENNY: It was like an ancient legend.
Something from a book of fairy tales
or an old song.
Everyone talked about
the Tall Man all the time
because everyone was afraid of him.
People were always afraid he'd strike again
and when he did,
they'd thank their lucky stars
he took someone else's kid.
Maybe they felt a little guilty
thinking that way,
but that feeling didn't last long.
For everyone's got
their problems to deal with.
It's not just good or bad,
it's just the way it is.
- Hey.
- Hi.
- Done for today?
- Yeah.
- Oh, there's some more groceries in the car.
- Okay.
Hey, is everything okay?
Yeah, he's been looking forward
to you getting home.
- Yeah?
- Yeah.
(INDISTINCT HUMMING)
DAVID: Yes?
Hey, sweetheart.
That's a beautiful song.
Oh.
So, Christine told me you missed me today.
Uh-huh.
Well, I missed you too.
What did you do all day?
We made a baking soda volcano.
- And you made it erupt?
- Yeah.
How did you do that?
You put, um, baking soda
and then we put vinegar
and then it exploded everywhere.
Whoa!
Oh, guess what
we're having for dinner tonight?
- What?
- Brussels sprouts.
Ew!
(LAUGHING)
(LIGHTNING CRACKLING)
CHRISTINE: Hey guys!
Dinner in half an hour.
(GIGGLING) Okay.
Whoo!
Whoa, what's that?
That's a gorilla.
Where does he live?
He lives in um... Australia.
Think so?
Maybe he could live in the jungle somewhere.
This fish can live in our moat
and he can patrol our waters.
- Yeah.
- So no one can come by
and he'll eat everybody.
(ROARS)
Bombs!
(MIMICS EXPLOSION)
CHRISTINE:
Do the number trick. Number trick.
I taught him a number trick. Watch.
- Think of a number.
- Okay.
Double it.
Wait, wait, wait. That's too fast.
Okay, think of a number.
- Double it.
- Okay.
Add on six.
Okay.
Halve it. That means cut it into half.
Take away the first number you thought of.
And your answer is three.
I know! I know!
- It works every time.
- Yeah.
(LIGHTNING CRACKING)
Okay, buddy.
There you go.
Do you still have to go to work tomorrow?
Yeah.
But I'll try not to finish too late.
Can we play together again
when you get home?
I promise.
Good night, David.
(CLASSICAL MUSIC PLAYING SOFTLY)
So, what did you guys do today?
Oh, it's not what we did, it's what he asked.
What did he ask?
- Brought up the "T" word.
- Oh.
- Television.
- Yeah.
What did you say?
Well, I said it was an evil brainwashing tool
used by big corporations
to corrupt the peoples.
- (LAUGHING) Good one.
- Thanks.
He did ask me to buy one to watch cartoons.
And how'd you respond?
I chose to ignore
the question.
Right. Of course.
I saw Tracy today.
The baby?
Shipped off to Seattle.
- (MUMBLES) Typical.
- Mmm-hmm.
I saw Steven too.
He informed me
how shitty I was compared to my husband.
Yeah. Figures.
It's just weird. They just... They... They...
They just feel like
they own a part of him or something.
That's what he meant
to this town, right? He...
- Helped them.
- Well, he tried.
He was a friggin' saint.
I'm just tired of talking about it.
I know I bring it up all the time. I'm sorry.
Ta-da.
Oh, dear Lord.
Oh, you know you love it.
Ah, I don't know. I don't...
(LAUGHS)
How much? How much? Tell me when.
Just. When.
This is going to give me such a headache.
CHRISTINE: Just drink it. Make it go away.
I don't think I can drink that. This really...
I'm okay. I know I am.
All right, you little devil.
Where are you?
(THUNDER RUMBLING)
- (CLATTERING)
- (GASPS)
(THUD)
MAN: (OVER RADIO) All men have sinned
and fallen short of the glory of God.
We're damned.
We're all going to Hell.
There's nothing you can do.
The only salvation that is possible for you
is the blood of the Lamb.
Christine?
The Lord Savior, Jesus Christ.
You know, last week I was sitting on a plane
from Memphis to Orlando
and a gentleman sitting next to me,
a very kind man,
he looked at me and he said,
"Pastor, I do good works.
"I take care of my family.
"I look after my friends."
I looked him square in the eye and said,
"That's marvelous.
"Tell the Devil that,
"because you're going to Hell!"
(MUFFLED GROANING)
Oh, my God! Christine!
(SOBBING)
Tell me. Tell me, tell me, tell me.
(CREAKING)
(PANTING)
David! David!
(SOBBING)
David!
David!
David!
Okay.
(GASPING)
Tell me. Tell me.
(DOOR OPENS)
(GROANS)
(CHRISTINE WAILING)
(GROANS)
(BREATHING HEAVILY)
(PANTING)
David!
(YELLS)
(ENGINE STARTS)
David!
(ENGINE SPUTTERING)
(PANTING HEAVILY)
(GRUNTS)
(SCREAMS)
Stop!
(TIRES SCREECHING)
(GRUNTS)
(ENGINE IDLING)
(BREATHING SHAKILY)
(DOOR OPENS)
(DOOR CREAKING)
David. David
(GRUNTS)
- (DOG SNARLS)
- (SCREAMS)
(GROWLING)
(SCREAMING)
(WHIMPERS)
(GASPING)
(GROWLING)
(GASPS)
- (BARKS)
- (G-As PS)
(SNARLING)
(BARKS)
(CONTINUES SNARLING)
(BARKING)
MAN: (OVER RADIO) ...difficulties right here
is the lack of resolution.
When a child goes missing without a trace,
there's no closure.
WOMAN: (OVER RADIO) It's so frustrating.
You would think that some...
(JULIA SCREAMS)
(SNARLING)
(SCREAMS)
(TIRES SCREECHING)
(SCREAMS)
(SCREAMING)
(SCREAMS)
(GLASS SHATTERING)
(CREAKING)
(RATTLING)
(BREATHING SHAKILY)
- (THUD)
- (GASPS)
(GRUNTS)
(BREATHING HEAVILY)
(TWIGS SNAPPING)
(SCREAMS) David!
David!
(BIRDS CAWING)
(GASPS)
(GROANS)
(GRUNTING)
(BREATHING HEAVILY)
(PUFFING)
(CRYING)
(EERIE HUMMING)
(TWIG SNAPS)
(THUNDER RUMBLING)
Mrs. Denning?
(WHISPERS) Shit!
Mrs. Denning!
Here. Here. Let me help you.
Okay? Can you stand?
FEMALE DISPATCHER: (OVER RADIO)
Lieutenant, request received.
Central is sending reinforcements. Two cars.
They're leaving Seattle right now.
ETA two hours. Repeat, ETA two hours.
MAN: (OVER RADIO) Dodd, I'm on my way.
I'm on the highway already.
This is the guy we're looking for, right?
OFFICER 2: (OVER RADIO)
I'm on my way too, Lieutenant.
Going as fast as I can.
We're going to get that son of a bitch.
(SOFT MUSIC PLAYING)
DODD: Come on. You're going to be okay.
(BREATHING SHAKILY)
You're going to be just fine.
(GASPS)
Damn!
- We got an emergency here.
- Oh, my God!
Julia! What happened to you?
I found her on the road.
The asshole who did this is still out there.
Here, take her.
You want me to go with you?
No, you stay here.
Get an ambulance. Take care of her.
You sure?
Everything will be all right.
(BREATHING SHAKILY)
Yeah.
Okay.
Hey! Give it a rest.
Yeah. Give her some space, huh?
You're hurt, sweetie.
What happened, Julia?
(GASPING)
(SOBBING)
Oh, it's okay.
It's okay.
Now, you wait right here.
I'll be right back.
(CLATTERING)
Go get cleaned up.
I left a towel and
some clean clothes in my office.
And when you're done,
maybe you can tell me what's going on.
(WHISPERS) Thank you.
(PANTING)
(DOOR OPENS)
CHESTNUT: (CHUCKLES)
I don't know, Douglas.
DOUGLAS: Think carefully, Sheriff.
Think about your pension.
How far are you away from retirement?
Eight months?
CHESTNUT: We've got to warn
the department in Pittsville.
DOUGLAS:
Yeah, and the army too, while you're at it.
CHESTNUT: It wasn't
supposed to happen like this.
And that's why you
have to go to the mine.
I want to know what she's up to.
(LAUGHS) Jesus Christ!
We're on the same boat, brother.
CHESTNUT: Don't "brother" me, you prick.
I have to think. Let me think!
Yeah, you do that.
(SIGHS)
(GROANS)
(RUNNING FOOTSTEPS)
She's looking at the kid's picture.
She suspects something, I could tell you.
What'll we do?
I'll go get her.
Don't move.
Take a seat.
(JUKEBOX PLAYING)
(GRUNTS)
Shit!
She's left!
That bitch is in the forest!
(ALL SHOUTING INDISTINCTLY)
MAN: Come on.
Grab what you need out of your trucks.
Steven! I need you to take that group,
take them into the forest.
If you find her, you bring her to me.
(LAUGHS) I'll find her.
Don't do anything stupid!
You find her, you hang on to her.
- Then leave her to me.
- (ALL SHOUTING)
MAN: Let's get round the back of the building!
MAN 2: If I get a chance,
I'm gonna kill her!
(INDISTINCT SHOUTING)
You still need to think, big boy?
Come on. All of us. Let's go!
She's not gonna go far. Let's stop her now.
OFFICER: (OVER RADIO)
Sheriff, this is Campbell.
Uh, we just received a call
from the Feds in Seattle.
They're sending reinforcements.
It sounds like Dodd is chasing our guy.
Are you aware of this?
OFFICER: (OVER RADIO)
Sheriff, did you get that?
Do you copy, Sheriff?
- Uh, Sheriff?
- Yeah, yeah, I'm copying.
(MUMBLES) Asshole.
How am I supposed to do this job?
I got two lousy cars, I got a useless deputy,
Feds all over my back...
(MUTTERING)
(GROANS)
(BREATHING HEAVILY)
(OBJECTS CLATTERING)
CHESTNUT: No, no, no. She's not at home.
She's hiding in the forest.
They'll get her. You stay put. I'll call.
(THUNDER RUMBLING)
(CAR DOOR CLOSES)
(ENGINE STARTS)
(MACHINERY CLATTERING)
(CREAKING)
(CARTOON ON TV)
That's a little inappropriate.
I have to stick to lighter reading.
Hold your retrorockets. I'm coming.
I wonder who that could be.
FELIX: Hi, Poinsy, Merry Christ...
POINDEXTER: Why, Mr. Felix!
(THUNDER RUMBLING)
What are you
doing outside on a day like today?
Stand still.
(DOOR THUDS OPEN)
I can't understand you, Mr. Felix.
Let's go inside.
I'll put you somewhere to thaw out.
(LOUD CRASHING)
(DOOR OPENS)
(PANTING)
(DOOR OPENING)
(SOFTLY) David. Oh.
(WHISPERS) David.
(PANTING)
(YELLS)
(GRUNTS)
(LIGHTNING CRASHING)
(PANTING)
Mommy!
(SHUSHING)
(PANTING) It's all over, angel.
Everything's okay.
She scares me.
(SHUSHING)
It's all over, baby.
It's all over.
(CRACKLING)
(GASPS)
(SIGHS)
It took me an hour to calm him down.
Just to get him to recognize me.
Do you know how a mother feels
when her child does not recognize her?
He'd been brainwashed.
You told him I was gone.
What the fuck are you up to?
Last night,
like almost every night, I went into the woods
to try to find the bastard that took my son.
The Tall Man.
Old lady Ashcroft said
she'd seen him twice at nightfall,
so I'd walk.
I walked...
And I walked.
And then, by chance, I came to your house.
Chance or intuition, call it what you like.
(WHISPERING) And he was there.
I couldn't believe that he was there.
It went around and around
and around in my head,
trying to make sense of it.
Did I dream that?
My mind turned to Trish.
She made an altar for him,
like she did for all the others.
Four candles and prayers for his return.
When you talk to Trish, she listens.
She never saw me as a freak.
She wasn't the first one I saw.
When I looked into your eyes, I knew.
I wasn't mad.
It wasn't enough for you to see me like that?
You had to offer me your God damned coffee?
With your innocent air,
and your angel face, right?
Were you worried?
Did you feel guilty?
Or are you just
the most cynical bitch the world has ever seen
that you offer a coffee
to a woman whose child you kidnapped?
(PANTING)
I waited for you to leave.
I waited for the diner to empty.
At first, Trish didn't believe me.
People around here
all trust you, Julia Denning.
But I talked,
and I talked, and I talked
until she started to have doubts.
And when they were
big enough, just big enough,
I told her I was going to get my kid back,
and she said,
"You're going to break into Julia's house?
And I said,
"if he's not there,
you can drive me to the loony bin yourself."
She decided to keep the diner open all night.
Waiting up for my news
with some of the other regulars.
But it's not me they saw arriving.
When I saw you at the window with my son,
I thought about calling the cops,
but I don't trust them.
All they've ever done for me is
kick me out of my house.
They don't care.
Look where they forced me
to live with my son.
You took my baby away,
and the other children, too.
Where are they?
Where are the other kids?
Julia, you tell me
what you've done with the other children,
or I swear you'll die.
I gave them to the Tall Man.
Who is he?
Don't you know?
The whole town is talking about him.
Don't mess with me, Julia. Who is he?
He's the one everyone's talking about.
(GRUNTS)
(GASPING)
DAVID: Mommy?
Come here, angel.
She won't hurt you anymore.
Look, at my son, Julia,
and tell him you lied.
Tell him you're nothing to him.
He has to hear it from you.
- (GRUNTS)
- (DAVID SHRIEKS)
(PANTING)
(MOANING)
(GASPS)
JULIA: David!
(BREATHING HEAVILY)
(RATTLING)
JULIA: David!
(SLOW FOOTSTEPS)
(GASPS)
(GASPS)
DAVID; No!
(GRUNTING)
Let go! No!
(SCREAMING)
(ENGINE STARTING)
Where'd you learn to do that?
(THUNDER RUMBLING)
(INDISTINCT NEWS ON RADIO)
MAN ON RADIO: Residents may
know answers this evening.
Police scanners are very busy indeed.
We have noticed a lot of increased traffic.
FBI presence in town, and our news reporter,
Amy Wilkinson is there.
(TIRES SQUEALING)
Amy, can you hear me?
FEMALE REPORTER:
Yes, yes, David. Hello. Hi.
Yes, it seems that things
are actually finally starting to happen here...
(DAVID GRUNTING)
CHRISTINE: You did it.
- He's never going back there.
- What happened?
We don't have any time.
The whole town will be here soon.
It's over.
(DAVID GRUNTING)
Go home, Jenny.
(SOBBING)
Just go home,
and don't say anything to anyone.
(SCREAMING)
(MOANING)
Hey.
Remember that number trick
that you showed us at dinner?
You take a number,
multiply it by something,
add six, and it always ends in three?
(JENNY MOANING)
You don't know what you're talking about.
It's a really good trick. It always worked,
it's just, I don't remember what you did.
How does it go again?
(SOBBING)
(SOBBING)
(PANTING)
Please don't ask me to do that.
You couldn't bear it, believe me.
When we were eating
the Brussels sprouts, remember?
It doesn't matter what number you take.
(GROANS)
It's always three.
(MOANS)
Jenny knows.
She knows.
She's been watching me for weeks.
That's impossible.
No, we got comfortable. We got sloppy.
How much does she know?
She wants to see him.
You take him down, and we go.
- (MOANING)
- (GRUNTING)
Look, you do it, and we leave, right?
Tell me you're not gonna stay here.
No!
(GRUNTS)
(CLASSICAL MUSIC PLAYING)
(CLOCK CHIMING)
(BANGING)
(FOOTSTEPS ON STAIRS)
(DOOR OPENING)
Of course, you're still here.
I gave him your name, where you live.
Perhaps he'll come.
But if you say anything to anyone,
he'll come for sure,
but not in the way that you want.
Because he'll do things to you
that you can't even imagine.
Get out of here.
(LOCK CLICKING)
(TIRES SCREECHING)
DOUGLAS: Julia!
DAVIS: Bitch! Open up!
DOUGLAS: Shut up and let me do the talking!
DAVIS: Julia! Open the God damned door!
DOUGLAS: We're not going to break through.
Okay, the cops are coming.
DAVIS: You're dead, bitch!
DOUGLAS: You'll be dealing
with them, you understand?
- (BANGING ON DOOR)
- DAVIS: Open up the door!
DOUGLAS: Everything's going to be fine.
Now, you just come out.
DAVIS: The bitch is
frightened to come outside!
(CARS APPROACHING)
MAN: Check the back door!
Everyone around, we're gonna haul Julia out!
MAN 21 Julia!
(BANGING ON DOOR)
- (INDISTINCT SHOUTING)
- (BANGING ON DOOR)
(SHOUTING CONTINUES)
(SIREN WAILING)
- (PEOPLE SHOUTING)
- MAN: Come down, you bitch!
(BREATHING HEAVILY)
Are you all right?
For God's sake, Campbell!
I told you to keep her away from the window.
- Sorry, Sheriff.
- Get her away from the damn window.
They want to tear her apart.
Come on. Let's go.
Lieutenant, there's too many.
We're not waiting.
Just keep your look straight ahead.
- Deputy, you're on the right.
- (WINDOW SHATTERING)
- And when we get out that door...
- In here.
I want you to head straight for that...
(PEOPLE SHOUTING INDISTINCTLY)
DODD: Shit!
Come on. Let's go.
Keep your head down.
Look at the ground in front of you.
Do not engage.
We're headed straight for the car.
Don't say a word. Don't talk back.
Look straight down. Come on, let's go!
(PEOPLE SHOUTING)
MAN 1: You're gonna die!
(CROWD CLAMORING LOUDLY)
MAN 2: You killed my baby!
WOMAN: You took my baby!
DODD: Let's go. Go, go, go, 90!
(GASPS)
OFFICER: Keep your
head down, Mrs. Denning.
- Down!
- (GRUNTS)
Is team number one
on the second floor?
Well, nice little workshop.
Hey.
A well shaft.
Oh, mercy.
Did you know this house
was built over this shaft?
There's holes everywhere here.
More than 40 square miles of them.
It's going to be a pain in the ass.
Too bad for us, Chestnut.
Whole region's
sitting on this same Swiss cheese.
Uh-huh.
Well, if the children are down here,
it could take us 100 men and 20 years
to find them, if they're down here.
Who's to say she didn't
use this as a passageway out into the woods?
Nah, we're going to need everybody.
Get them outside.
Going to need lights.
- Not a single thing.
- Well, what do we do?
Police line. No one goes in or out!
(SIREN WAILING)
(SOBBING)
How are you, Mrs. Denning?
We haven't found him.
Not him, not the others.
Don't tell me.
(SIGHS)
Don't tell me that's
what I'll have to tell the parents.
Naw, keep going-
You got this covered?
DODD: Now,
I'm given to understand that your husband
was a well-respected man
around here, Mrs. Denning.
Yes, he was.
Now, there was a large age difference
between you, isn't that right?
- Yes.
- Mmm-hmm.
He was a doctor in Cold Rock
from 1992 until when?
Until the end.
His... His end.
And how would you describe
his relationship to the people around here?
He kept this community together.
Cold Rock was dignified then.
He helped to create that dignity.
Yes.
And then, the mine shut down...
(SIGHS) And morale declined.
And he was gone
when the children were paying the price.
The children?
They were suffering so much.
I had to do something.
Could you explain that for me, Mrs. Denning?
Did you keep them in a room,
one after the other?
In a real children's room with books
and toys, and music.
It's filled with beautiful things.
And Christine.
She looked after the children
when you were away?
Yes.
But apparently, you told David's mother
that you delivered the children
to someone you called
the Tall Man.
All of Cold Rock chose that name.
Mrs. Denning, is there a man,
whatever his name,
to whom you delivered the children?
(INHALES) No.
You acted alone?
Yes.
Now, you yourself, Mrs. Denning,
you were never able to
bear children, were you?
We couldn't have children.
Mrs. Denning,
did you kidnap
the children of Pittsville County?
Yes.
Did you make those children disappear?
Mrs. Denning,
are those children dead?
Did you kill them?
Did you kill them, Mrs. Denning?
Mrs. Denning?
(INDISTINCT RADIO CHATTER)
JENNY: Cold ROCK, USA,
Pittsville County,
Washington State.
Shut down mine,
no school, miles of forest
and a labyrinth of tunnels.
Possibly the worst place ever to
search for traces of 18 missing children.
Last victim's name, David Johnson.
(LOCK BUZZING)
Well...
How are you managing, Mrs. Johnson?
- I'm holding on.
- Good.
Okay, you want to come in?
Have a seat.
We need you
to avoid confrontation.
We need you to appeal to her as a mother.
Do you understand?
I understand.
Now, if any single remark or question
shuts her down, we get nothing.
We have found no trace of the kids,
and she doesn't talk to us anymore.
Mrs. Johnson,
if you feel that you cannot go through with
this right now, you need to let me know.
No, I'm ready.
Try not to focus on anything too specific.
You just talk to her, you listen to her.
You try to get her to open up.
If we get anything,
it will be because she didn't realize it.
You understand?
(BREATHING HEAVILY)
I know why you're here.
You want answers.
Yes.
But there's nothing I can say
that's going to give you any comfort.
Julia,
I can't live.
I keep turning things around in my mind,
and I miss him, you know.
It's unbearable, the missing him.
Thinking about him all the time,
wondering where he is.
I know.
I don't think you do, Julia.
But I do know.
I was a mother to each and every one of them.
They had everything
they could ever possibly need.
Julia, I know I live in a dump
J
I don't have a job, and life for me is hard,
but I would still die for him, you know?
(SIGHS)
It's just the same everywhere.
The defeat
and the pain,
it's a cycle.
A Cycle?
You shouldn't have come here.
(INAUDIBLE)
(BREATHING HEAVILY)
What cycle?
The system is broken.
It doesn't work.
There's nowhere to turn. There's no support.
I've seen it all over the world.
It's just easier to give up.
I'm not any better than you, Mrs. Johnson
I've just seen more.
It's not a matter of being a good person
or being a bad person.
It's about how you cope.
We're so limited.
But the eyes of every child
are filled with potential and hope,
and we should embrace
and nourish that potential, but we don't.
We continue to make the same mistakes.
We continue to let
the children grow up broken and lost,
just like their parents.
We have to break the cycle.
It has to be a priority, but it's not.
That's what I've been trying to do.
That's what I've done everywhere.
And what did I change?
Nothing.
Yes, I cared, I helped, I cuddled,
thinking I was bringing change,
thinking I was making a difference,
but when we asked for real change,
all these bureaucrats said,
"No, you can't do that.
"There's a process."
Every time we questioned the politicians,
and the system that makes
poor people poorer, and the children suffer,
they said,
"No, you can't do that. There's a process."
So the cycle goes on,
and goes on and goes on,
and the children continue to suffer,
and no one does anything about it,
and the world will never change.
God, I'm just torturing you.
(BREATHING HEAVILY) If you're done,
can you answer two simple questions?
The parents of Cold Rock need to know,
are the children dead?
(SOBBING) No.
I couldn't keep them all.
Where are they?
They're in the forest,
in the tunnels,
everywhere.
(LOCK BUZZING)
(INMATES SHOUTING)
Hello, baby killer. That's right.
I'll kill you, bitch!
You're mine, bitch!
TRACY: Read my lips, honey.
I'm not bringing her back!
STEVEN: Neither you
or your fucking sister has no say!
- Okay?
- TRACY: No.
STEVEN: What do you mean, no?
TRACY: No, my sister and I agreed.
STEVEN: I don't care what
your fucking sister said!
Carol needs to come back!
Steven, you bring your voice down.
You're going to wake Jenny!
I'm not going to bring my fucking voice down!
Oh, you are drunk!
We are going to talk about this tomorrow.
No! No, we're not going to talk tomorrow.
You are going to call your fucking sister!
Carol is going to come back!
TRACY: Oh, is that what you want?
You want to talk tough?
STEVEN: You want me to get tough? Huh?
You really want tough?
You don't know when to
- God damn shut your mouth!
- Mom! Dad!
Get off!
You want to get hit?
(GRUNTS)
Oh, baby, baby.
(GRUNTING)
Get off me, you little runt.
(GRUNTING)
Son of a bitch!
Baby, baby. Come here. Come here.
(GRUNTS)
Don't you touch her!
Don't you ever touch her!
(EXHALES)
You didn't miss me this time, honey.
(CHUCKLING) Nice shot.
(SCOFFS) You bastard.
(BOTH CHUCKLING)
(SOBBING)
(GRUNTS)
STEVEN: You want to play rough?
I'll get rough.
- TRACY: Don't you push me.
- Then do it, do it.
(SOBBING)
TRACY: Don't ever
lay a hand on the kid again.
Don't you ever strike my daughter!
STEVEN: The kid overreacts!
(ARGUMENT CONTINUES)
- (TWIG SNAPPING)
- (GASPS)
(RUSTLING)
TRACY: Jenny!
Jenny, where are you, honey?
(THUD)
Come back, everything's okay. I'm okay.
(BIRD SCREECHING)
- (BIRD SHRIEKS)
- (GASPS)
(SCREAMS)
(SHUDDERING)
(BREATHING HEAVILY)
(ENGINE STARTING)
(DOOR OPENING)
I'm probably not what you were dreaming of,
but you're not a baby yourself, dear.
Can you wait here for a moment?
LADY: Yes, I think it Will be all right.
TALL MAN: It has to be.
As far as we are concerned,
Jenny Weaver is dead.
Please meet Vera Parker-Leigh.
Watch over her carefully.
Our field officer was unable
to give her a proper transition.
Be extremely careful the first few weeks.
Her behavior could still
be deemed suspicious and give us away.
- No, ma'am.
- Please, I insist.
I don't want your money.
The women who saved this girl
paid a high price.
One of them is dead, and the other will
never again see the light of day.
I know. I saw her on the news.
Your money is an insult to her sacrifice.
LADY: Will Jenny be
the last one being taken care of?
TALL MAN: The last one from that division.
Mrs. Parker-Leigh.
So, there are more of you?
(SONG PLAYING ON RADIO)
(BABY WAILING)
(DOG BARKING)
(CAR APPROACHING)
How are you, Tracy?
I wasn't expecting you.
We haven't found Jenny yet.
I guess Chestnut's doing what he can, right?
Uh...
I put one of my men on the case.
Thanks.
What about Julia?
Well, the prosecution's asking
for the death penalty this afternoon,
but I don't think they're going to grant it.
In case she decides to tell them
where the other kids are buried.
We know that she's not the one
that took my Jenny.
Your Jenny ran away,
and I'm going to find her.
Okay.
Hang in there, Tracy.
Yeah, I've been doing that for 25 years.
Yeah, I hear ya.
(CHUCKLES)
(ENGINE STARTING)
JENNY: My first mother was a good woman.
Hardworking, generous, affectionate.
We talked, we shared, we laughed,
but then it stopped.
She couldn't talk to us anymore about men,
about her dreams, about her pain.
My first mother loved me,
and I loved my first mother.
(LOCK BUZZING)
INMATE: Watch your back.
INMATE 21 (WHISPERING) You're mine!
J EN NY: My second mother only
mothered me for a short time.
INMATE 3: You're dead, you rat!
J EN NY: I often think about her.
I try to imagine the moment
she had in the tunnel,
giving one last kid to her husband.
INMATE: Bitch! You're dead.
JENNY: Did he implore her
to run away with him?
Or did they both know someone had to stay,
be the monster, pay the price,
and protect their secret?
Whether she was a good person or not,
I'm still not sure,
but my second mother loved me,
and I loved my second mother.
My third mother is
teaching me about the bigger world.
She says knowledge is the key
to open all my doors, so I stay focused.
I observe, and I work hard.
Vera, sweetheart.
JENNY: I listen to what she says
I want to please her.
My third mother loves me,
and I love my third mother.
LADY: You're going to be late for art class.
I'll be right there.
My world has changed.
I try to follow its rules.
It's a beautiful world, my new mother says.
(CHILDREN LAUGHING)
She tells me to hang on, that I'm doing well,
that I'll get used to it with time.
WOMAN: Jeffrey.
Jeffrey, come on.
Come on, honey.
We're going to be late.
JENNY: I'm not like the others.
I guess they've forgotten.
I can't
Every morning,
I wake up to the same thought of
giving it all up and running back home,
but I remind myself I wanted this life.
I wanted it. I made it happen.
I guess it's better this way, right?
Right?
Right?
(CHILDREN PLAYING)
(FEMALE DISPATCHER SPEAKING
INDISTINCTLY ON RADIO)
(MALE DISPATCHER SPEAKING
INDISTINCTLY ON RADIO)
CHESTNUT: Not a single thing.
- What do we do?
- Police line.
No one goes in or out.
But there are other entrances.
Just make it look good.
(SIRENS WAILING)
(MOANING)
(BREATH ES SHAKILY)
- (MOANING)
- Shh, shh, shh, shh.
(DOOR OPENS)
How are you, Mrs. Denning?
We haven't found him.
Not him, not the others.
(HORN BLARING)
(DOG BARKING)
JENNY: Our town has been dead for six years.
At first, we blamed the closing of the mine,
the lack of jobs,
the lack of money,
the lack of everything.
But then, we had much worse to blame,
for something had come to Cold Rock.
Something bad
that was destroying our town even more.
That morning, nobody knew the Cold Rock
case was reaching its conclusion.
WOMAN: Don't drink out
in the street, Crawley.
What street?
(TIRES SQUEALING)
(WHIMPERS)
(GROANING)
(SCREAMS)
Julia!
(SCREAMING)
Julia! Some help here, please!
What happened?
I don't know.
She just started screaming
all of a sudden, out of nowhere.
How long has she been like this?
I don't know.
Oh, my God!
You didn't know?
- I'm not equipped for this, Tracy.
- (SCREAMING)
Push! Yes. You're doing it. You're doing it.
Good, good.
Now when the contraction comes again,
push where you feel my fingers, okay?
Push where my fingers are.
Down, push deep and down.
- Push.
- (GROANING)
Good, push. Push.
You're doing it. You're doing it.
You're doing it. Very good, very good.
Now do it again.
- (SCREAMING)
- Come on. There you go.
Here it comes, here it comes.
Good girl. That's it.
Okay.
Okay, it's breech,
which means the feet are coming first,
but it's fine. It's fine.
- I just need you to push really, really hard.
- Yes, you can.
- JULIA: Really big push for me.
- Come on, let's go.
(SCREAMING)
Push. Push, Carol!
(SCREAMS)
(SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY)
You did it. There it is. There it is. You did it.
Why is there no sound?
The baby's fine. It's good. It's good.
Take her out. Take her out!
(GROANING)
TRACY: Good work.
Good work. That is my girl.
You did such a good job.
- CAROL: But the baby...
- I know, honey...
Julia is going to take
very good care of him.
I promise you. I promise.
JULIA: Come on, baby. Come on, wake up.
Open your eyes. Open your eyes. Come on.
Take a breath. Take a breath.
You can make it. You can make it.
(INHALES DEEPLY)
Come on. Breathe. Come on, now. Breathe.
Breathe. Breathe for me. Come on.
Come on.
Okay. Come on.
Breathe.
Breathe.
You can do this.
Come on, come on. You can make it.
Open your eyes. Open your eyes.
(SOFT WAIL)
(LAUGHS) Okay.
(BABY COUGHS)
There you are. There you are.
- Hello.
- (WAILING)
(LOUD WAILING)
It's a big boy.
No hospital, Julia.
He needs monitoring, Tracy.
No. No way.
TRACY: Steven.
That bastard never made
a secret of the fact he likes my girls.
He's always parading around
in front of them like a rooster,
bare-chested and cocky
with those stupid cowboy boots.
Always showing them
things and teaching them this and that
and Carol falling for all of it.
Did you realize?
No! God, no.
If I had, I would have shot him, bang-bang.
Goodbye, cowboy.
- Get rid of him.
- (SCOFFS)
(LAUGHS HUMORLESSLY)
This is nobody else's business,
Julia, but ours.
No hospital.
They won't ask any questions.
No, we won't go.
I won't put Carol through that shame.
She's not even 18.
We take care of our own problems, okay?
JENNY: In Cold ROCK,
sometimes children were born
when they were not wanted.
People just managed,
and they didn't go
hollering it from the rooftops.
It may have been a bit sad,
but it was just good sense.
Because a lot worse things were happening
when it came to the children.
Wanted or not,
boys and girls,
some of them just disappeared.
Something had come to Cold Rock
that was taking the children.
Something so menacing,
so terrifying,
that the people finally gave it a name.
She was in her room,
a few minutes earlier
and I came back and...
And she was gone. She was just gone.
There wasn't a sound.
There was no screaming.
There was nothing. I just...
I went outside and he was gone.
I just wish. ..
I just wish I could have been there.
I couldn't believe it.
I looked up and down the street.
I couldn't see her anywhere. I panicked.
And all I could think of was the Tall Man.
I think he's the Devil.
What kind of people take people's kids?
You're talking about the Tall Man?
No, that's a myth. There's no Tall Man.
He exists.
MAN: The only Tall Man
I've ever is seen is the one
the kids built of that scarecrow over there.
If this was a rich town, we'd have
the whole army here looking for those kids.
I saw him two times,
going into the forest at night time.
It was right there
like he was trying to avoid the bridge.
It's such a big place.
We've got so many places
for someone to hide.
(SINISTER MUSIC PLAYING)
What're you talking about?
What else could it be?
Of course it's a child molester.
The kind of asshole
who really hurts the kids, you know?
All I'm saying is...
Well, what you say is bullshit, Chestnut.
It's not the bogeyman or the Devil
or any of that old wives' tale crap.
Tall man, my ass.
The guy's got a name
and he'll shit himself like anyone else
when we drag him to the chair.
DODD: You know about a lot of things,
don't you, Douglas?
Give me another hit there, Beth.
I was sitting back there
listening to you tell us your...
Your life story.
Yeah, well, all I'm sayin' is,
you aren't here to catch a ghost, right?
Noted.
I'm just making conversation.
I hear that.
Cheers. Cheers!
Yeah.
Ladies. Gents.
The dark knight is back.
TRISH: Arrived this morning.
He's already on his fourth cup of coffee.
Short black, no sugar.
Well, he's got to sit up all night in his car.
Hi, guys.
- Hey.
- Hi, Julia.
He's going to start messing about,
making his bullshit rounds
and all that for what?
You mean Dodd?
DOUGLAS: I mean Sherlock Holmes.
CHESTNUT: Yeah, like clockwork.
The last kid disappeared
two months ago.
Won't be long before the next one goes.
Dodd's back on the trail.
What difference will that make, huh, Julia?
This town's already finished.
Yeah, I guess everyone's feeling pretty down.
Tell me about that.
- Mrs. Johnson.
- She's gone.
Oh, I haven't seen her in weeks.
CHESTNUT: Sweet Jesus!
She looks even worse than before.
She wouldn't mind a cup of coffee.
She wouldn't mind a winning lottery ticket.
For you, Mrs. Johnson, from Trish.
Don't you want it?
I think it might do you some good.
- (DOG BARKING)
- STEVEN: Whoa!
I know I might have blacked out last night
celebrating the birth of my baby boy
but I know I didn't order up no nurse.
Good morning to you too, Steven.
What the hell you doin' here?
Just picking up the pieces.
Really? And who do you think you are?
I know who I am.
And what the fuck that's supposed to mean?
I'm talking to ya.
What? What, do you want to hit me too?
Stay out of our business.
I really care about Carol.
I know. Like you care about your bike.
(LAUGHS) I don't like your style.
Now, may he rest in peace,
your husband left behind
some pretty big shoes to fill.
After all, he was a doctor,
you're just a nurse.
Stick to changing diapers
and get off my back.
(SIGHS)
- Hey, Tracy.
- Hey.
- Come on in and take a seat.
- Thanks.
So how is that sweet boy?
Oh, it's okay actually.
I sent them away to my sister's in Seattle.
She's got a big house and you know,
they're close to everything
and they're just kind of better off.
Carol's in no shape to travel, Tracy.
Yeah, but they made it there fine.
Okay, Julia, look, I still
got to make a living, okay?
I got a job interview in Kaslo in 45 minutes.
Good pay, good job, good tips.
I can't be here all day to help Carol, okay?
You gotta understand me.
Yeah, I get it.
No, you know what? I gotta hold on, Julia.
No, honestly.
Honestly, Trace, I understand.
You want me to make you
some coffee or something?
He's still here?
Yeah. You got to give me
some time with that, okay?
It's not so simple. He's...
He's kinda hard to handle.
But trust me,
you just got to let me handle this.
What about Jenny?
Hey.
Your mom went to Kaslo.
Ta-da.
You haven't been doing
your speech therapy, have you?
Okay.
I'm here now.
So... Speak.
(LAUGHS SOFTLY)
Why are you always
hiding behind all this hair?
You're so pretty.
So, you believe it too?
JENNY: It was like an ancient legend.
Something from a book of fairy tales
or an old song.
Everyone talked about
the Tall Man all the time
because everyone was afraid of him.
People were always afraid he'd strike again
and when he did,
they'd thank their lucky stars
he took someone else's kid.
Maybe they felt a little guilty
thinking that way,
but that feeling didn't last long.
For everyone's got
their problems to deal with.
It's not just good or bad,
it's just the way it is.
- Hey.
- Hi.
- Done for today?
- Yeah.
- Oh, there's some more groceries in the car.
- Okay.
Hey, is everything okay?
Yeah, he's been looking forward
to you getting home.
- Yeah?
- Yeah.
(INDISTINCT HUMMING)
DAVID: Yes?
Hey, sweetheart.
That's a beautiful song.
Oh.
So, Christine told me you missed me today.
Uh-huh.
Well, I missed you too.
What did you do all day?
We made a baking soda volcano.
- And you made it erupt?
- Yeah.
How did you do that?
You put, um, baking soda
and then we put vinegar
and then it exploded everywhere.
Whoa!
Oh, guess what
we're having for dinner tonight?
- What?
- Brussels sprouts.
Ew!
(LAUGHING)
(LIGHTNING CRACKLING)
CHRISTINE: Hey guys!
Dinner in half an hour.
(GIGGLING) Okay.
Whoo!
Whoa, what's that?
That's a gorilla.
Where does he live?
He lives in um... Australia.
Think so?
Maybe he could live in the jungle somewhere.
This fish can live in our moat
and he can patrol our waters.
- Yeah.
- So no one can come by
and he'll eat everybody.
(ROARS)
Bombs!
(MIMICS EXPLOSION)
CHRISTINE:
Do the number trick. Number trick.
I taught him a number trick. Watch.
- Think of a number.
- Okay.
Double it.
Wait, wait, wait. That's too fast.
Okay, think of a number.
- Double it.
- Okay.
Add on six.
Okay.
Halve it. That means cut it into half.
Take away the first number you thought of.
And your answer is three.
I know! I know!
- It works every time.
- Yeah.
(LIGHTNING CRACKING)
Okay, buddy.
There you go.
Do you still have to go to work tomorrow?
Yeah.
But I'll try not to finish too late.
Can we play together again
when you get home?
I promise.
Good night, David.
(CLASSICAL MUSIC PLAYING SOFTLY)
So, what did you guys do today?
Oh, it's not what we did, it's what he asked.
What did he ask?
- Brought up the "T" word.
- Oh.
- Television.
- Yeah.
What did you say?
Well, I said it was an evil brainwashing tool
used by big corporations
to corrupt the peoples.
- (LAUGHING) Good one.
- Thanks.
He did ask me to buy one to watch cartoons.
And how'd you respond?
I chose to ignore
the question.
Right. Of course.
I saw Tracy today.
The baby?
Shipped off to Seattle.
- (MUMBLES) Typical.
- Mmm-hmm.
I saw Steven too.
He informed me
how shitty I was compared to my husband.
Yeah. Figures.
It's just weird. They just... They... They...
They just feel like
they own a part of him or something.
That's what he meant
to this town, right? He...
- Helped them.
- Well, he tried.
He was a friggin' saint.
I'm just tired of talking about it.
I know I bring it up all the time. I'm sorry.
Ta-da.
Oh, dear Lord.
Oh, you know you love it.
Ah, I don't know. I don't...
(LAUGHS)
How much? How much? Tell me when.
Just. When.
This is going to give me such a headache.
CHRISTINE: Just drink it. Make it go away.
I don't think I can drink that. This really...
I'm okay. I know I am.
All right, you little devil.
Where are you?
(THUNDER RUMBLING)
- (CLATTERING)
- (GASPS)
(THUD)
MAN: (OVER RADIO) All men have sinned
and fallen short of the glory of God.
We're damned.
We're all going to Hell.
There's nothing you can do.
The only salvation that is possible for you
is the blood of the Lamb.
Christine?
The Lord Savior, Jesus Christ.
You know, last week I was sitting on a plane
from Memphis to Orlando
and a gentleman sitting next to me,
a very kind man,
he looked at me and he said,
"Pastor, I do good works.
"I take care of my family.
"I look after my friends."
I looked him square in the eye and said,
"That's marvelous.
"Tell the Devil that,
"because you're going to Hell!"
(MUFFLED GROANING)
Oh, my God! Christine!
(SOBBING)
Tell me. Tell me, tell me, tell me.
(CREAKING)
(PANTING)
David! David!
(SOBBING)
David!
David!
David!
Okay.
(GASPING)
Tell me. Tell me.
(DOOR OPENS)
(GROANS)
(CHRISTINE WAILING)
(GROANS)
(BREATHING HEAVILY)
(PANTING)
David!
(YELLS)
(ENGINE STARTS)
David!
(ENGINE SPUTTERING)
(PANTING HEAVILY)
(GRUNTS)
(SCREAMS)
Stop!
(TIRES SCREECHING)
(GRUNTS)
(ENGINE IDLING)
(BREATHING SHAKILY)
(DOOR OPENS)
(DOOR CREAKING)
David. David
(GRUNTS)
- (DOG SNARLS)
- (SCREAMS)
(GROWLING)
(SCREAMING)
(WHIMPERS)
(GASPING)
(GROWLING)
(GASPS)
- (BARKS)
- (G-As PS)
(SNARLING)
(BARKS)
(CONTINUES SNARLING)
(BARKING)
MAN: (OVER RADIO) ...difficulties right here
is the lack of resolution.
When a child goes missing without a trace,
there's no closure.
WOMAN: (OVER RADIO) It's so frustrating.
You would think that some...
(JULIA SCREAMS)
(SNARLING)
(SCREAMS)
(TIRES SCREECHING)
(SCREAMS)
(SCREAMING)
(SCREAMS)
(GLASS SHATTERING)
(CREAKING)
(RATTLING)
(BREATHING SHAKILY)
- (THUD)
- (GASPS)
(GRUNTS)
(BREATHING HEAVILY)
(TWIGS SNAPPING)
(SCREAMS) David!
David!
(BIRDS CAWING)
(GASPS)
(GROANS)
(GRUNTING)
(BREATHING HEAVILY)
(PUFFING)
(CRYING)
(EERIE HUMMING)
(TWIG SNAPS)
(THUNDER RUMBLING)
Mrs. Denning?
(WHISPERS) Shit!
Mrs. Denning!
Here. Here. Let me help you.
Okay? Can you stand?
FEMALE DISPATCHER: (OVER RADIO)
Lieutenant, request received.
Central is sending reinforcements. Two cars.
They're leaving Seattle right now.
ETA two hours. Repeat, ETA two hours.
MAN: (OVER RADIO) Dodd, I'm on my way.
I'm on the highway already.
This is the guy we're looking for, right?
OFFICER 2: (OVER RADIO)
I'm on my way too, Lieutenant.
Going as fast as I can.
We're going to get that son of a bitch.
(SOFT MUSIC PLAYING)
DODD: Come on. You're going to be okay.
(BREATHING SHAKILY)
You're going to be just fine.
(GASPS)
Damn!
- We got an emergency here.
- Oh, my God!
Julia! What happened to you?
I found her on the road.
The asshole who did this is still out there.
Here, take her.
You want me to go with you?
No, you stay here.
Get an ambulance. Take care of her.
You sure?
Everything will be all right.
(BREATHING SHAKILY)
Yeah.
Okay.
Hey! Give it a rest.
Yeah. Give her some space, huh?
You're hurt, sweetie.
What happened, Julia?
(GASPING)
(SOBBING)
Oh, it's okay.
It's okay.
Now, you wait right here.
I'll be right back.
(CLATTERING)
Go get cleaned up.
I left a towel and
some clean clothes in my office.
And when you're done,
maybe you can tell me what's going on.
(WHISPERS) Thank you.
(PANTING)
(DOOR OPENS)
CHESTNUT: (CHUCKLES)
I don't know, Douglas.
DOUGLAS: Think carefully, Sheriff.
Think about your pension.
How far are you away from retirement?
Eight months?
CHESTNUT: We've got to warn
the department in Pittsville.
DOUGLAS:
Yeah, and the army too, while you're at it.
CHESTNUT: It wasn't
supposed to happen like this.
And that's why you
have to go to the mine.
I want to know what she's up to.
(LAUGHS) Jesus Christ!
We're on the same boat, brother.
CHESTNUT: Don't "brother" me, you prick.
I have to think. Let me think!
Yeah, you do that.
(SIGHS)
(GROANS)
(RUNNING FOOTSTEPS)
She's looking at the kid's picture.
She suspects something, I could tell you.
What'll we do?
I'll go get her.
Don't move.
Take a seat.
(JUKEBOX PLAYING)
(GRUNTS)
Shit!
She's left!
That bitch is in the forest!
(ALL SHOUTING INDISTINCTLY)
MAN: Come on.
Grab what you need out of your trucks.
Steven! I need you to take that group,
take them into the forest.
If you find her, you bring her to me.
(LAUGHS) I'll find her.
Don't do anything stupid!
You find her, you hang on to her.
- Then leave her to me.
- (ALL SHOUTING)
MAN: Let's get round the back of the building!
MAN 2: If I get a chance,
I'm gonna kill her!
(INDISTINCT SHOUTING)
You still need to think, big boy?
Come on. All of us. Let's go!
She's not gonna go far. Let's stop her now.
OFFICER: (OVER RADIO)
Sheriff, this is Campbell.
Uh, we just received a call
from the Feds in Seattle.
They're sending reinforcements.
It sounds like Dodd is chasing our guy.
Are you aware of this?
OFFICER: (OVER RADIO)
Sheriff, did you get that?
Do you copy, Sheriff?
- Uh, Sheriff?
- Yeah, yeah, I'm copying.
(MUMBLES) Asshole.
How am I supposed to do this job?
I got two lousy cars, I got a useless deputy,
Feds all over my back...
(MUTTERING)
(GROANS)
(BREATHING HEAVILY)
(OBJECTS CLATTERING)
CHESTNUT: No, no, no. She's not at home.
She's hiding in the forest.
They'll get her. You stay put. I'll call.
(THUNDER RUMBLING)
(CAR DOOR CLOSES)
(ENGINE STARTS)
(MACHINERY CLATTERING)
(CREAKING)
(CARTOON ON TV)
That's a little inappropriate.
I have to stick to lighter reading.
Hold your retrorockets. I'm coming.
I wonder who that could be.
FELIX: Hi, Poinsy, Merry Christ...
POINDEXTER: Why, Mr. Felix!
(THUNDER RUMBLING)
What are you
doing outside on a day like today?
Stand still.
(DOOR THUDS OPEN)
I can't understand you, Mr. Felix.
Let's go inside.
I'll put you somewhere to thaw out.
(LOUD CRASHING)
(DOOR OPENS)
(PANTING)
(DOOR OPENING)
(SOFTLY) David. Oh.
(WHISPERS) David.
(PANTING)
(YELLS)
(GRUNTS)
(LIGHTNING CRASHING)
(PANTING)
Mommy!
(SHUSHING)
(PANTING) It's all over, angel.
Everything's okay.
She scares me.
(SHUSHING)
It's all over, baby.
It's all over.
(CRACKLING)
(GASPS)
(SIGHS)
It took me an hour to calm him down.
Just to get him to recognize me.
Do you know how a mother feels
when her child does not recognize her?
He'd been brainwashed.
You told him I was gone.
What the fuck are you up to?
Last night,
like almost every night, I went into the woods
to try to find the bastard that took my son.
The Tall Man.
Old lady Ashcroft said
she'd seen him twice at nightfall,
so I'd walk.
I walked...
And I walked.
And then, by chance, I came to your house.
Chance or intuition, call it what you like.
(WHISPERING) And he was there.
I couldn't believe that he was there.
It went around and around
and around in my head,
trying to make sense of it.
Did I dream that?
My mind turned to Trish.
She made an altar for him,
like she did for all the others.
Four candles and prayers for his return.
When you talk to Trish, she listens.
She never saw me as a freak.
She wasn't the first one I saw.
When I looked into your eyes, I knew.
I wasn't mad.
It wasn't enough for you to see me like that?
You had to offer me your God damned coffee?
With your innocent air,
and your angel face, right?
Were you worried?
Did you feel guilty?
Or are you just
the most cynical bitch the world has ever seen
that you offer a coffee
to a woman whose child you kidnapped?
(PANTING)
I waited for you to leave.
I waited for the diner to empty.
At first, Trish didn't believe me.
People around here
all trust you, Julia Denning.
But I talked,
and I talked, and I talked
until she started to have doubts.
And when they were
big enough, just big enough,
I told her I was going to get my kid back,
and she said,
"You're going to break into Julia's house?
And I said,
"if he's not there,
you can drive me to the loony bin yourself."
She decided to keep the diner open all night.
Waiting up for my news
with some of the other regulars.
But it's not me they saw arriving.
When I saw you at the window with my son,
I thought about calling the cops,
but I don't trust them.
All they've ever done for me is
kick me out of my house.
They don't care.
Look where they forced me
to live with my son.
You took my baby away,
and the other children, too.
Where are they?
Where are the other kids?
Julia, you tell me
what you've done with the other children,
or I swear you'll die.
I gave them to the Tall Man.
Who is he?
Don't you know?
The whole town is talking about him.
Don't mess with me, Julia. Who is he?
He's the one everyone's talking about.
(GRUNTS)
(GASPING)
DAVID: Mommy?
Come here, angel.
She won't hurt you anymore.
Look, at my son, Julia,
and tell him you lied.
Tell him you're nothing to him.
He has to hear it from you.
- (GRUNTS)
- (DAVID SHRIEKS)
(PANTING)
(MOANING)
(GASPS)
JULIA: David!
(BREATHING HEAVILY)
(RATTLING)
JULIA: David!
(SLOW FOOTSTEPS)
(GASPS)
(GASPS)
DAVID; No!
(GRUNTING)
Let go! No!
(SCREAMING)
(ENGINE STARTING)
Where'd you learn to do that?
(THUNDER RUMBLING)
(INDISTINCT NEWS ON RADIO)
MAN ON RADIO: Residents may
know answers this evening.
Police scanners are very busy indeed.
We have noticed a lot of increased traffic.
FBI presence in town, and our news reporter,
Amy Wilkinson is there.
(TIRES SQUEALING)
Amy, can you hear me?
FEMALE REPORTER:
Yes, yes, David. Hello. Hi.
Yes, it seems that things
are actually finally starting to happen here...
(DAVID GRUNTING)
CHRISTINE: You did it.
- He's never going back there.
- What happened?
We don't have any time.
The whole town will be here soon.
It's over.
(DAVID GRUNTING)
Go home, Jenny.
(SOBBING)
Just go home,
and don't say anything to anyone.
(SCREAMING)
(MOANING)
Hey.
Remember that number trick
that you showed us at dinner?
You take a number,
multiply it by something,
add six, and it always ends in three?
(JENNY MOANING)
You don't know what you're talking about.
It's a really good trick. It always worked,
it's just, I don't remember what you did.
How does it go again?
(SOBBING)
(SOBBING)
(PANTING)
Please don't ask me to do that.
You couldn't bear it, believe me.
When we were eating
the Brussels sprouts, remember?
It doesn't matter what number you take.
(GROANS)
It's always three.
(MOANS)
Jenny knows.
She knows.
She's been watching me for weeks.
That's impossible.
No, we got comfortable. We got sloppy.
How much does she know?
She wants to see him.
You take him down, and we go.
- (MOANING)
- (GRUNTING)
Look, you do it, and we leave, right?
Tell me you're not gonna stay here.
No!
(GRUNTS)
(CLASSICAL MUSIC PLAYING)
(CLOCK CHIMING)
(BANGING)
(FOOTSTEPS ON STAIRS)
(DOOR OPENING)
Of course, you're still here.
I gave him your name, where you live.
Perhaps he'll come.
But if you say anything to anyone,
he'll come for sure,
but not in the way that you want.
Because he'll do things to you
that you can't even imagine.
Get out of here.
(LOCK CLICKING)
(TIRES SCREECHING)
DOUGLAS: Julia!
DAVIS: Bitch! Open up!
DOUGLAS: Shut up and let me do the talking!
DAVIS: Julia! Open the God damned door!
DOUGLAS: We're not going to break through.
Okay, the cops are coming.
DAVIS: You're dead, bitch!
DOUGLAS: You'll be dealing
with them, you understand?
- (BANGING ON DOOR)
- DAVIS: Open up the door!
DOUGLAS: Everything's going to be fine.
Now, you just come out.
DAVIS: The bitch is
frightened to come outside!
(CARS APPROACHING)
MAN: Check the back door!
Everyone around, we're gonna haul Julia out!
MAN 21 Julia!
(BANGING ON DOOR)
- (INDISTINCT SHOUTING)
- (BANGING ON DOOR)
(SHOUTING CONTINUES)
(SIREN WAILING)
- (PEOPLE SHOUTING)
- MAN: Come down, you bitch!
(BREATHING HEAVILY)
Are you all right?
For God's sake, Campbell!
I told you to keep her away from the window.
- Sorry, Sheriff.
- Get her away from the damn window.
They want to tear her apart.
Come on. Let's go.
Lieutenant, there's too many.
We're not waiting.
Just keep your look straight ahead.
- Deputy, you're on the right.
- (WINDOW SHATTERING)
- And when we get out that door...
- In here.
I want you to head straight for that...
(PEOPLE SHOUTING INDISTINCTLY)
DODD: Shit!
Come on. Let's go.
Keep your head down.
Look at the ground in front of you.
Do not engage.
We're headed straight for the car.
Don't say a word. Don't talk back.
Look straight down. Come on, let's go!
(PEOPLE SHOUTING)
MAN 1: You're gonna die!
(CROWD CLAMORING LOUDLY)
MAN 2: You killed my baby!
WOMAN: You took my baby!
DODD: Let's go. Go, go, go, 90!
(GASPS)
OFFICER: Keep your
head down, Mrs. Denning.
- Down!
- (GRUNTS)
Is team number one
on the second floor?
Well, nice little workshop.
Hey.
A well shaft.
Oh, mercy.
Did you know this house
was built over this shaft?
There's holes everywhere here.
More than 40 square miles of them.
It's going to be a pain in the ass.
Too bad for us, Chestnut.
Whole region's
sitting on this same Swiss cheese.
Uh-huh.
Well, if the children are down here,
it could take us 100 men and 20 years
to find them, if they're down here.
Who's to say she didn't
use this as a passageway out into the woods?
Nah, we're going to need everybody.
Get them outside.
Going to need lights.
- Not a single thing.
- Well, what do we do?
Police line. No one goes in or out!
(SIREN WAILING)
(SOBBING)
How are you, Mrs. Denning?
We haven't found him.
Not him, not the others.
Don't tell me.
(SIGHS)
Don't tell me that's
what I'll have to tell the parents.
Naw, keep going-
You got this covered?
DODD: Now,
I'm given to understand that your husband
was a well-respected man
around here, Mrs. Denning.
Yes, he was.
Now, there was a large age difference
between you, isn't that right?
- Yes.
- Mmm-hmm.
He was a doctor in Cold Rock
from 1992 until when?
Until the end.
His... His end.
And how would you describe
his relationship to the people around here?
He kept this community together.
Cold Rock was dignified then.
He helped to create that dignity.
Yes.
And then, the mine shut down...
(SIGHS) And morale declined.
And he was gone
when the children were paying the price.
The children?
They were suffering so much.
I had to do something.
Could you explain that for me, Mrs. Denning?
Did you keep them in a room,
one after the other?
In a real children's room with books
and toys, and music.
It's filled with beautiful things.
And Christine.
She looked after the children
when you were away?
Yes.
But apparently, you told David's mother
that you delivered the children
to someone you called
the Tall Man.
All of Cold Rock chose that name.
Mrs. Denning, is there a man,
whatever his name,
to whom you delivered the children?
(INHALES) No.
You acted alone?
Yes.
Now, you yourself, Mrs. Denning,
you were never able to
bear children, were you?
We couldn't have children.
Mrs. Denning,
did you kidnap
the children of Pittsville County?
Yes.
Did you make those children disappear?
Mrs. Denning,
are those children dead?
Did you kill them?
Did you kill them, Mrs. Denning?
Mrs. Denning?
(INDISTINCT RADIO CHATTER)
JENNY: Cold ROCK, USA,
Pittsville County,
Washington State.
Shut down mine,
no school, miles of forest
and a labyrinth of tunnels.
Possibly the worst place ever to
search for traces of 18 missing children.
Last victim's name, David Johnson.
(LOCK BUZZING)
Well...
How are you managing, Mrs. Johnson?
- I'm holding on.
- Good.
Okay, you want to come in?
Have a seat.
We need you
to avoid confrontation.
We need you to appeal to her as a mother.
Do you understand?
I understand.
Now, if any single remark or question
shuts her down, we get nothing.
We have found no trace of the kids,
and she doesn't talk to us anymore.
Mrs. Johnson,
if you feel that you cannot go through with
this right now, you need to let me know.
No, I'm ready.
Try not to focus on anything too specific.
You just talk to her, you listen to her.
You try to get her to open up.
If we get anything,
it will be because she didn't realize it.
You understand?
(BREATHING HEAVILY)
I know why you're here.
You want answers.
Yes.
But there's nothing I can say
that's going to give you any comfort.
Julia,
I can't live.
I keep turning things around in my mind,
and I miss him, you know.
It's unbearable, the missing him.
Thinking about him all the time,
wondering where he is.
I know.
I don't think you do, Julia.
But I do know.
I was a mother to each and every one of them.
They had everything
they could ever possibly need.
Julia, I know I live in a dump
J
I don't have a job, and life for me is hard,
but I would still die for him, you know?
(SIGHS)
It's just the same everywhere.
The defeat
and the pain,
it's a cycle.
A Cycle?
You shouldn't have come here.
(INAUDIBLE)
(BREATHING HEAVILY)
What cycle?
The system is broken.
It doesn't work.
There's nowhere to turn. There's no support.
I've seen it all over the world.
It's just easier to give up.
I'm not any better than you, Mrs. Johnson
I've just seen more.
It's not a matter of being a good person
or being a bad person.
It's about how you cope.
We're so limited.
But the eyes of every child
are filled with potential and hope,
and we should embrace
and nourish that potential, but we don't.
We continue to make the same mistakes.
We continue to let
the children grow up broken and lost,
just like their parents.
We have to break the cycle.
It has to be a priority, but it's not.
That's what I've been trying to do.
That's what I've done everywhere.
And what did I change?
Nothing.
Yes, I cared, I helped, I cuddled,
thinking I was bringing change,
thinking I was making a difference,
but when we asked for real change,
all these bureaucrats said,
"No, you can't do that.
"There's a process."
Every time we questioned the politicians,
and the system that makes
poor people poorer, and the children suffer,
they said,
"No, you can't do that. There's a process."
So the cycle goes on,
and goes on and goes on,
and the children continue to suffer,
and no one does anything about it,
and the world will never change.
God, I'm just torturing you.
(BREATHING HEAVILY) If you're done,
can you answer two simple questions?
The parents of Cold Rock need to know,
are the children dead?
(SOBBING) No.
I couldn't keep them all.
Where are they?
They're in the forest,
in the tunnels,
everywhere.
(LOCK BUZZING)
(INMATES SHOUTING)
Hello, baby killer. That's right.
I'll kill you, bitch!
You're mine, bitch!
TRACY: Read my lips, honey.
I'm not bringing her back!
STEVEN: Neither you
or your fucking sister has no say!
- Okay?
- TRACY: No.
STEVEN: What do you mean, no?
TRACY: No, my sister and I agreed.
STEVEN: I don't care what
your fucking sister said!
Carol needs to come back!
Steven, you bring your voice down.
You're going to wake Jenny!
I'm not going to bring my fucking voice down!
Oh, you are drunk!
We are going to talk about this tomorrow.
No! No, we're not going to talk tomorrow.
You are going to call your fucking sister!
Carol is going to come back!
TRACY: Oh, is that what you want?
You want to talk tough?
STEVEN: You want me to get tough? Huh?
You really want tough?
You don't know when to
- God damn shut your mouth!
- Mom! Dad!
Get off!
You want to get hit?
(GRUNTS)
Oh, baby, baby.
(GRUNTING)
Get off me, you little runt.
(GRUNTING)
Son of a bitch!
Baby, baby. Come here. Come here.
(GRUNTS)
Don't you touch her!
Don't you ever touch her!
(EXHALES)
You didn't miss me this time, honey.
(CHUCKLING) Nice shot.
(SCOFFS) You bastard.
(BOTH CHUCKLING)
(SOBBING)
(GRUNTS)
STEVEN: You want to play rough?
I'll get rough.
- TRACY: Don't you push me.
- Then do it, do it.
(SOBBING)
TRACY: Don't ever
lay a hand on the kid again.
Don't you ever strike my daughter!
STEVEN: The kid overreacts!
(ARGUMENT CONTINUES)
- (TWIG SNAPPING)
- (GASPS)
(RUSTLING)
TRACY: Jenny!
Jenny, where are you, honey?
(THUD)
Come back, everything's okay. I'm okay.
(BIRD SCREECHING)
- (BIRD SHRIEKS)
- (GASPS)
(SCREAMS)
(SHUDDERING)
(BREATHING HEAVILY)
(ENGINE STARTING)
(DOOR OPENING)
I'm probably not what you were dreaming of,
but you're not a baby yourself, dear.
Can you wait here for a moment?
LADY: Yes, I think it Will be all right.
TALL MAN: It has to be.
As far as we are concerned,
Jenny Weaver is dead.
Please meet Vera Parker-Leigh.
Watch over her carefully.
Our field officer was unable
to give her a proper transition.
Be extremely careful the first few weeks.
Her behavior could still
be deemed suspicious and give us away.
- No, ma'am.
- Please, I insist.
I don't want your money.
The women who saved this girl
paid a high price.
One of them is dead, and the other will
never again see the light of day.
I know. I saw her on the news.
Your money is an insult to her sacrifice.
LADY: Will Jenny be
the last one being taken care of?
TALL MAN: The last one from that division.
Mrs. Parker-Leigh.
So, there are more of you?
(SONG PLAYING ON RADIO)
(BABY WAILING)
(DOG BARKING)
(CAR APPROACHING)
How are you, Tracy?
I wasn't expecting you.
We haven't found Jenny yet.
I guess Chestnut's doing what he can, right?
Uh...
I put one of my men on the case.
Thanks.
What about Julia?
Well, the prosecution's asking
for the death penalty this afternoon,
but I don't think they're going to grant it.
In case she decides to tell them
where the other kids are buried.
We know that she's not the one
that took my Jenny.
Your Jenny ran away,
and I'm going to find her.
Okay.
Hang in there, Tracy.
Yeah, I've been doing that for 25 years.
Yeah, I hear ya.
(CHUCKLES)
(ENGINE STARTING)
JENNY: My first mother was a good woman.
Hardworking, generous, affectionate.
We talked, we shared, we laughed,
but then it stopped.
She couldn't talk to us anymore about men,
about her dreams, about her pain.
My first mother loved me,
and I loved my first mother.
(LOCK BUZZING)
INMATE: Watch your back.
INMATE 21 (WHISPERING) You're mine!
J EN NY: My second mother only
mothered me for a short time.
INMATE 3: You're dead, you rat!
J EN NY: I often think about her.
I try to imagine the moment
she had in the tunnel,
giving one last kid to her husband.
INMATE: Bitch! You're dead.
JENNY: Did he implore her
to run away with him?
Or did they both know someone had to stay,
be the monster, pay the price,
and protect their secret?
Whether she was a good person or not,
I'm still not sure,
but my second mother loved me,
and I loved my second mother.
My third mother is
teaching me about the bigger world.
She says knowledge is the key
to open all my doors, so I stay focused.
I observe, and I work hard.
Vera, sweetheart.
JENNY: I listen to what she says
I want to please her.
My third mother loves me,
and I love my third mother.
LADY: You're going to be late for art class.
I'll be right there.
My world has changed.
I try to follow its rules.
It's a beautiful world, my new mother says.
(CHILDREN LAUGHING)
She tells me to hang on, that I'm doing well,
that I'll get used to it with time.
WOMAN: Jeffrey.
Jeffrey, come on.
Come on, honey.
We're going to be late.
JENNY: I'm not like the others.
I guess they've forgotten.
I can't
Every morning,
I wake up to the same thought of
giving it all up and running back home,
but I remind myself I wanted this life.
I wanted it. I made it happen.
I guess it's better this way, right?
Right?
Right?
(CHILDREN PLAYING)