Work Text:
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NARRATOR (V.O) |
(calm) ELISA LAM, 21, Taurus, Canadian, university student, is dead as of 2013. Her death is a mystery. Well at most two people know: ELISA herself, and her murderer. The poor girl was off her meds. she was erratic. She was alone. An accidental drowning caused by a psychotic episode was concluded. Let's take a look at what one POLICE OFFICER has to say.
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Int.- hallway
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[FX. Shoes on tiles, clothes rustling, murmuring]
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Camera is obviously handheld as CAMERAMAN follows POLICE OFFICER down a hall towards a door. Hallway is blurry as camera shakes.
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[FX. Opening then slamming, murmuring]
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Int.- Surveillance room
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Surveillance room is a small room, dimly lit by an overhead light. The main light source is from the security camera feed screens.
POLICE OFFICER speaks to handheld camera
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POLICE OFFICER |
(Comically serious) ELISA LAM was a previously missing girl, but two days ago she was discovered in a water tank, naked. Clothing was also present in the tank. Last time she was seen alive was in an elevator of which there is security footage.
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Police officer points to one of the surveillance screens and the camera zooms in. The security footage plays.
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Camera pans back to the POLICE OFFICER's face, he is looking past the camera at the CAMERA MAN.
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POLICE OFFICER |
(quietly) You wanna know how they found the poor girl? The water turned brown and tasted funny; people drank water that her dead body was floating in, freaky right?
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CAMERA MAN
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Totally!
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POLICE OFFICER |
(Quietly) Off the record I think it was ghosts. I mean the hotel has had so many deaths that at least one real ghost must be around. Ghosts have been reported for years, this place was a suicide spot in the 50s and 60s you know. Ramirez and JACK UNTERWAGER used to live here, those two were well known serial killers. So you expect me not to think it was ghosts? I don’t think so, but you didn't hear that from me. Like what was she doing with her hands?
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Both the POLICE OFFICER and CAMERA MAN laugh.
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Video pauses on the POLICE OFFICER's laughing face
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NARRATOR (V.O)
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Mr. POLICE OFFICER is bad at showing compassion and respect, isn’t he? (laughs) He should learn those two skills. It’s kind of important in police work. So, the video, the last video of ELISA. Poor ELISA was obviously scared but, what no one knows is what she was thinking. No one knows why she was acting like that. Well, I know what happened. I mean I was there the entire time. I'm going to share the secret with you. You're about to know exactly what happened in that elevator that day.
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Int.- hallway
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[FX. Footsteps echo on tiles clothes rustle, ding of an elevator]
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Camera begins looking at a wall and then pans to show the back of ELISA's head as she walks into the elevator. The camera follows her in. The lighting is yellow overhead. The hallway is red, and the elevator is white.
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Elevator
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NARRATOR (V.O) |
Poor ELISA was supposed to leave the hotel today, January 31st, and continue to travel around America. She loved to travel. Miss Elisa had been off her medication recently; didn’t like the way it made her feel. In hindsight it was probably not her brightest moment. Now you may be asking, ELISA why were you on the 14th floor? Not even she knew.
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ELISA is standing and acting normally. The camera is facing the wall, ELISA’s side profile is in the frame.
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NARRATOR (V.O) |
Little ELISA has now pushed all the buttons, one of those is the ‘hold door’ button. That button is important as it holds the door open for the next two minutes. Remember this.
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[FX. Shuffling down the hall like something heavy is being dragged]
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Camera joins ELISA as she peeks out of the elevator, the back of her head is out of focus and in focus is the wall. dragging noises are coming from around the hallway.
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[FX. Something heavy is dropped and heavy footsteps approach the elevator, heavy breathing]
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Camera is in the same corner as the security camera, it’s at eye level. The lights flicker.
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Voice
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(flatly) ELISA I need help. My legs fell off, I need you to come out and find them. Come out ELISA!
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His voice sounds distant and like it was spoken by multiple people.
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Hallway
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The camera is on the right side of the elevator looking down the hallway past the elevator. ELISA's head comes out slightly of the elevator ad she looks past the camera, from her face we know that nothing is behind the camera.
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Voice
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(laughs) Come find me! My legs are gone (screams)
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The voice is coming down the hall, but the camera can't see the man. ELISA jumps out.
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ELISA
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(yells) Hey!
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Her voice echoes down the hall, it is obvious she is alone. She is visibly disoriented. ELISA makes tense steps around and goes down the hallway a few steps.
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ELISA
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(Yells) hello? Where are you?
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NARRATOR (V.O) |
Look. At. That. This is a hallucination. Poor ELISA has been hallucinating this whole time, that’s why she pushed all the buttons; she couldn’t read them. Now, advice given to people who experience hallucinations if for them to directly acknowledge the hallucination. It tells the brain that the events happening are illogical, so the hallucination then ends. Miss ELISA’s therapist told her so.
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The camera shows ELISA looking down the hallway away from the camera and a head pops out from behind a corner.
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JACK
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Are you okay ma'am?
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ELISA
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(Awkwardly) Yeah, I'm okay…. Sorry for disturbing you.
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JACK
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It's okay, just try to keep it down.
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JACK leaves and ELISA viably relaxes. ELISA turns around and once again looks past the camera, she sees something and becomes scared. ELISA clutches her head. Deafening screams are coming from all around.
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ELISA
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(mumble) This isn't real……… (yelling) go away!
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Elevator
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ELISA goes back into the elevator and presses all the buttons again. The camera is behind her left shoulder looking at the panel.
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NARRATOR (V.O) |
At this point poor ELISA didn’t know what was real and what was just in her mind. Was the person down the hall real? Did that mean that the VOICE was real? It was a kind of a pick and choose kind of situation, was this real or was ELISA just crazy?
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ELISA leaves the elevator again, the camera in in the back right corner of the elevator. The lights flicker.
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ELISA |
Go away! You're not real!
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ELISA moves her hands around. The VOICE laughs, and ELISA looks more uncomfortable than before. She holds her hands trying to self sooth. JACK is out of frame but, you can hear his footsteps as he comes back down the hallway.
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JACK
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Ma'am I told you to keep it down.
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ELISA turns around swiftly, and the camera moves to look over ELISA's right shoulder. The camera shows JACK a little further down the hall than before. When ELISA looks at him, his face becomes concerned.
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JACK
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Are you okay? Do you need me to call reception?
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ELISA
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I'm fine I just need a second.
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JACK approaches ELISA and places his hand on her shoulder and leads her away from the elevator.
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JACK |
I’m JACK, what your name? Maybe I can help you.
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ELISA
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I’m fine I really don't need any help.
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JACK becomes visibly angry and pushes ELISA against the wall.
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JACK |
You've been loud all night; I need you to be quiet. I’m trying to sleep and enjoy my stay at the Cecil Hotel. If I must stay at this dump, I might as well have some peace and quiet.
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ELISA |
(scared) I’m sorry JACK, I’ll try to keep it down.
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JACK |
You know…… I don’t think you’re gonna be able to keep it down with all your shouting and such. I've given you a chance so now I'm going to make you quiet.
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Camera pans away and points into the elevator as the door closes
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[FX. ELISA screams and something heavy drops to the floor]
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Int.-Elevator
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[FX. Skin against tiles, elevator ding]
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The Camera pans as JACK as he drags an unconscious ELISA into an elevator by her feet as the door opens. The camera stands in the back right as it begins to go up without a button being pressed.
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Ext.- Roof- Night
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[FX. Elevator ding, feet on concrete, dragging noises, metal creak]
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JACK drags ELISA across the ground towards the water tanks. He opens the hatch to a water tank.
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[FX. Clothes rustling, murmuring]
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JACK undresses ELISA and becomes visibly saddened. ELISA is kept modest by dramatic shadows. Camera a good 5 meters away from the characters, facing JACK’s back, the tank is in the background.
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JACK
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Alright Ma’am. This is how it’s gonna be. You are going to go in the water tank, and I’m going to enjoy the peace a quiet. You see here, when I was alive, I used to kill people. So, naturally here in death I can do the same thing. If you weren’t just a stupid girl, I would have left you alone, but you had to go and make such a ruckus. So. Here. We. Are.
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[FX. Water splash, metal creak]
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JACK dumps ELISA and her clothes into the tank, closes the lid and disappears. Elisa is heard screaming and banging from the inside of the tank as the screen fades to black.
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Black screen:
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NARRATOR (V.O)
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So now you know what happened. The ghost of Mr. JACK UNTERWEGER killed the poor girl, he hid the evidence in a water tank and laughed at how long it took to discover her. Poor man just wanted from peace and quiet in his admittedly sad afterlife. I mean, haunting the Cecil Hotel, in all is rundown, dirty, overdosing tenants’ glory? What. A. joke. (cackles). It’s interesting how little ELISA knew she was in danger before anything happened. Makes you wonder if the hallucinations were a warning or a future vision. Imagine what would have happened if she didn’t press the hold door button. Maybe she would have continued to travel. Maybe she would have gotten help for her mental illness. All we can know is, the Cecil Hotel collects ghosts.
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