THE GRUDGE Written by Nicolas Pesce Inspired by the film "Ju-On" by Takashi Shimizu 8.4.17 1 INT. NURSING HOME- DAY 1 Nurses, doctors and orderlies bounce about the bright halls of the nursing home amidst the morning bustle. Patients on foot and in wheelchairs emerge from their rooms greeting the morning with smiles on their faces. We follow FAITH MATHESON(70) as she wheels herself down the hall in her wheelchair. An orderly greets her as he passes. ORDERLY Mornin' Mrs. Matheson. The old woman nods and continues down the hallway past the nurses station. NURSE How ya doin' Mrs. Matheson? Again she nods, smiling blankly as she continues on down the sunlit hallway. A doctor peels out of a patient's room and into the hall. DOCTOR Mrs. Matheson! You're out and about awfully early. Heading out for a walk'? FAITH Mhmm. She wheels her chair past the elevator bank and at the end of the hallway she turns the corner. At the top of the steep staircase, she stops and waits. She peers down the steps. They seem to go on forever. And just then, she wheels herself down the staircase. Tumbling violently down six flights of stairs. Her body breaking and smashing under the weight of the chair and the force of her body hitting each step. At the bottom of the stairwell, she lays broken under her mangled wheelchair. From above, nurses pour into the stairwell screaming. NURSE ( 0. S . ) Oh my god! Oh my god! Feet shuffle overhead in a panic. CUT TO BLACK. 2 . (Titles play over black.) WHEN SOMEONE DIES IN THE GRIP OF A POWERFUL RAGE ... A CURSE IS BORN. THE CURSE GATHERS IN THE PLACE OF DEATH. THOSE WHO ENCOUNTER IT WILL BE CONSUMEDBY ITS FURY. FADE OUT. TITLE CARD: THE GRUDGE CUT TO: OPENING CREDITS: A barrage of horror. A morbid take on the To Kill a Mockingbird credits. An abstract collage of images, extreme close ups, in and out of focus. Crime scene photos from all over America, all different decades. But all suburban homes. Families face down on basement floors. Cops in bloody rooms. Child-sized bodies in child-sized body bags. Blood splattered living rooms. Blood soiled bed sheets. An artful but horrific depiction of the viscera of crime scene details. Mashed together into some nightmarish sort of montage. CUT TO: 3. TITLE CARD: "PETER & NINA" 2 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM- DAY 2 NINA SPENCER (40), five months pregnant, lays in a hospital gown on the exam table. Her husband PETER SPENCER (42), stands by her side holding her hand. Bags under his eyes, he looks like he hasn't slept in weeks. But there's an anxious look on both of their faces. A nurse rubs iodine over Nina's pregnant belly while another nurse preps large needles in the background. The nurse rubbing iodine takes a large needle from the other nurse and turns to Nina with a smile. NURSE Don't worry. Amnios are pretty routine for women your age. Nina puts on a bashful smile, stung by the comment. The nurse in the background rubs gel onto the sonogram wand and holds it to Nina's belly. A grainy black and white image appears on the screen beside the exam table. NURSE (CONT'D) This is the poke. Put your elbows down at your side. The nurse slowly lowers the large needle into Nina's womb. NURSE (CONT'D) That's the needle, does it hurt? Nina shakes her head. NINA No. NURSE This is where you're gonna feel a cramp. Nina clamps down hard on Peter's hand. On the screen, the shiny gleaming needle pokes through the amniotic sac with a bounce. Nina winces in pain. NURSE (CONT'D) That's it. The shining tip of the needle lowers closer and closer to the black mass in the center of the screen. There's an odd tension in the otherwise clinical moment as the needle approaches closer and closer to the baby inside. 4 • NURSE (CONT'D) Do you see it? That's your baby. The nurse looks to the couple with a smile. Peter, grinning from ear to ear, can't take his eyes off the screen. But Nina doesn't look, she doesn't even turn her head. Tears well in her eyes and Peter sees something's wrong. PETER How ya doin'? She wipes away the tears. NINA I'm okay. She turns to the screen and puts on a fake smile. NURSE Almost done. The nurse screws a syringe onto the needle emerging from Nina's belly and pulls the plunger back. The syringe fills with a yellowish liquid. NURSE (CONT'D) Do you know the gender? Nina's quick to respond. NINA No. Peter looks at her and she smiles. NINA (CONT'D) We want to be surprised. But there's dishonesty in her voice. 3 INT. DOCTOR'S OFFICE - DAY 3 Peter and Nina sit across the desk from DR. MAHER. DR. MAHER Like I told you from the start, there's always a high risk of birth defect for women your age. The couple's expressions are blank stares of understanding. NINA And you found something? 5. The doctor is matter of fact but sympathetic. DR. MAHER We spotted a chromosomal abnormality. It's quiet for a moment. DR. MAHER(CONT'D) The likelihood that you're child will be born with ALD is high. Nina's stomach drops. DR. MAHER(CONT'D) I know we've previously discussed various possibilities, but if you have any questions now, please don't hesitate to ask. PETER So what does this mean ... in terms of time? A glassy, far off look in his eyes. DR. MAHER You'll have a healthy child for four to five years. NINA And then what about after that? DR. MAHER Best case? Your child will live another two to five years. Life beyond the age of ten is unlikely. And the older they get, the worse they respond to the treatment. The revelation is devastating. DR. MAHER(CONT'D) I can put you in touch with some other families. It helps to hear from other parents about the realities of this. After a moment, Peter looks up. Hope, dim in his eyes. PETER But there's still a chance? That our baby will be healthy? 6. 4 INT. PETER'S CAR - DAY 4 Peter driving, Nina in the passenger seat beside him. They drive along a small suburban highway as it rains. The yellow lines speed by on the wet pavement. A silent tension cuts through the car. Nina stares blankly out the window. But Peter has a look in his eye like he's about to explode. After a while he can't take it anymore. PETER You don't want to do this, do you? She doesn't respond. She just keeps staring out the window. PETER (CONT'D) You have to say something. NINA I don't know. I don't think I can handle this. PETER No one's prepared to handle something like this. But you figure it out. NINA I just wrapped my head around being a parent. But I didn't sign up for this. She can tell it breaks his heart. It's quiet again. The rain beats down on the windshield. Peter stares at the windshield wipers as they sway steadily back and forth. Finally, he breaks the silence. PETER Let's stop at the Landers'. Nina doesn't respond, her mind somewhere else. PETER (CONT'D) I want to drop off the papers on our way home. 5 INT. PETER'S CAR - DAY 5 Heavy rain beats down on the manicured lawns. The wind whistles through the trees. 7. The signpost on the corner reads: "REYBURN DRIVE". Peter and Nina pull up to a driveway at the end of the cul-de-sac and park on the street. At the top of the driveway is a two-story mid-century modern ranch. A "FOR SALE" sign planted in the front lawn. House number 44. This is the LANDERS' HOUSE. PETER I'll be quick. Peter gets out of the car. Nina watches as he walks towards the house. 6 EXT. THE LANDERSHOUSE - DAY 6 Peter walks up the driveway, passing the FOR SALE sign mounted on the front lawn. The sign sports a cheesy, smiling photo of Peter and Nina, before the pregnancy, and the words "SPENCER REALTY". The rain has started to come down harder, a dark cloud now casting ominous shadows overhead. Peter gets to the front door and knocks. Nothing. He waits a few moments and knocks again. Still nothing. He reaches into his pocket and takes out his phone. He dials a number and holds the cell phone to his ear. The land line inside the house starts ringing. Peter looks into the windows. The house is empty and dark. No sign of anyone. The phone just keeps ringing as he stares into the seemingly empty house. The call goes to voicemail and he hangs up the phone. He looks down to the real estate issued lock box hanging from the doorknob. He punches in the code and retrieves the key from inside. He unlocks the door, and pushes it open. He sets one foot inside, and leans in. PETER Hello? Anybody home? 7 INT. PETER'S CAR - DAY 7 From afar, Nina watches her husband. There's something captivating about the house, transfixing. She turns back to the street in front of her.