The Haunting Quotes
When Eleanor, Theo, and Luke decide to take part in a sleep study at a huge mansion they get more than they bargained for when Dr. Marrow tells them of the house's ghostly past.
Mrs. Dudley: [Eleanor has just been shown her room after she arrives] I can't keep the rooms the way I'd like, but there's no one else they could get that would help me.
Eleanor Lance: How very nice.
Mrs. Dudley: I set dinner on the dining room sideboard at 6. I clear up in the morning. I have breakfast for you at 9. I don't wait on people. I don't stay after I set out the dinner, not after it begins to get dark. I leave before the dark.
Eleanor Lance: Your husband?
Mrs. Dudley: We live over in town, miles away.
Eleanor Lance: Yes.
Mrs. Dudley: So there won't be anyone around if you need help.
Eleanor Lance: I understand.
Mrs. Dudley: We couldn't hear you. In the night.
Eleanor Lance: Do you have any idea when Dr. Markway...
Mrs. Dudley: [cuts her off] No one could. No one lives any nearer than town. No one will come any nearer than that.
Eleanor Lance: I know.
Mrs. Dudley: In the night. In the dark.
[Mrs. Dudley grins and leaves]
Eleanor Lance: How very nice.
Mrs. Dudley: I set dinner on the dining room sideboard at 6. I clear up in the morning. I have breakfast for you at 9. I don't wait on people. I don't stay after I set out the dinner, not after it begins to get dark. I leave before the dark.
Eleanor Lance: Your husband?
Mrs. Dudley: We live over in town, miles away.
Eleanor Lance: Yes.
Mrs. Dudley: So there won't be anyone around if you need help.
Eleanor Lance: I understand.
Mrs. Dudley: We couldn't hear you. In the night.
Eleanor Lance: Do you have any idea when Dr. Markway...
Mrs. Dudley: [cuts her off] No one could. No one lives any nearer than town. No one will come any nearer than that.
Eleanor Lance: I know.
Mrs. Dudley: In the night. In the dark.
[Mrs. Dudley grins and leaves]
[first lines]
Dr. John Markway: [voice-over] An evil old house, the kind some people call haunted, is like an undiscovered country waiting to be explored. Hill House had stood for 90 years and might stand for 90 more. Silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of Hill House, and whatever walked there... walked alone.
Dr. John Markway: [voice-over] An evil old house, the kind some people call haunted, is like an undiscovered country waiting to be explored. Hill House had stood for 90 years and might stand for 90 more. Silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of Hill House, and whatever walked there... walked alone.
Eleanor "Nell" Vance: This house, who built it? Who lived here?
Dr. David Marrow: Well actually that makes a very good bedtime story. Once upon a time, there was a king who built a castle. His name was Hugh Crain. 130 years ago, towns like Concord and Manchester were the centre of American industry, that's where Crain made a fortune on the backs of workers in his textile mills. Now this man could have anything he wanted, but what he wanted was another thing. It was a house filled with the laughter of children.
Eleanor "Nell" Vance: That's why there are all the carvings.
Dr. David Marrow: He married the most beautiful girl in town, called Renee, and he built her this house, at least some of it.
Theo: God, it sounds like a fairytale or something.
Dr. David Marrow: Well that's where the fairytale ends. Hugh and Renee never had children. They all died at birth. And a few years later, Renee passed away and Crain became a total recluse. But, he kept on building. Building room upon room as if he was building for the familiy he would never have. No one had seen Crain for years. But the townspeople said they could hear sounds coming from the old house. Sounds of children.
Dr. David Marrow: Well actually that makes a very good bedtime story. Once upon a time, there was a king who built a castle. His name was Hugh Crain. 130 years ago, towns like Concord and Manchester were the centre of American industry, that's where Crain made a fortune on the backs of workers in his textile mills. Now this man could have anything he wanted, but what he wanted was another thing. It was a house filled with the laughter of children.
Eleanor "Nell" Vance: That's why there are all the carvings.
Dr. David Marrow: He married the most beautiful girl in town, called Renee, and he built her this house, at least some of it.
Theo: God, it sounds like a fairytale or something.
Dr. David Marrow: Well that's where the fairytale ends. Hugh and Renee never had children. They all died at birth. And a few years later, Renee passed away and Crain became a total recluse. But, he kept on building. Building room upon room as if he was building for the familiy he would never have. No one had seen Crain for years. But the townspeople said they could hear sounds coming from the old house. Sounds of children.
Luke: Hey, you guys wanna hear something really scary? I just found this out. It turns out there's a more darker chapter in the Hugh Crain fairytale. Remember his lovely wife Renee? Well Renee, the town beauty, she didn't just die, she killed herself.
Theo: Really? He just told you that?
Luke: Yes, but you can't say anything because he actually swore me to secrecy.
Eleanor "Nell" Vance: Why did she kill herself?
Luke: The stillborn children story is more sinister, and maybe Hugh Crain was a horrible monster that drove her to it.
Eleanor "Nell" Vance: Monster? But he built this house with the woman he loved like the Taj Mahal.
Theo: The Taj Mahal wasn't a palace, it was a tomb. And equally overdone.
Theo: Really? He just told you that?
Luke: Yes, but you can't say anything because he actually swore me to secrecy.
Eleanor "Nell" Vance: Why did she kill herself?
Luke: The stillborn children story is more sinister, and maybe Hugh Crain was a horrible monster that drove her to it.
Eleanor "Nell" Vance: Monster? But he built this house with the woman he loved like the Taj Mahal.
Theo: The Taj Mahal wasn't a palace, it was a tomb. And equally overdone.
Theo: Isn't it based on the Gates of Hell, by Rodin?
Eleanor "Nell" Vance: Well, It's not just hell. You see the children, they're are reaching up for heaven, but their souls are trapped in purgatory. And these are the demons... who can hold on to your soul for as long as they want.
Theo: Did you study art?
Eleanor "Nell" Vance: No, I studied purgatory. I was there once for eleven years. It's when your soul is caught between the living and the dead.
Eleanor "Nell" Vance: Well, It's not just hell. You see the children, they're are reaching up for heaven, but their souls are trapped in purgatory. And these are the demons... who can hold on to your soul for as long as they want.
Theo: Did you study art?
Eleanor "Nell" Vance: No, I studied purgatory. I was there once for eleven years. It's when your soul is caught between the living and the dead.
Eleanor "Nell" Vance: You know all my life, I have been waiting for an adventure. I thought it would never happen to me. I mean adventures are for soldiers, or for bullfighters, the women fall in love with. Now, here I am. Paintings are moving and strange voices are calling for me at night, and all it cost me was FIVE GALLONS OF GAS.
Luke: [looking at a statue] These carvings are really creepy. All these fat little cherubs and angels with furry animals, it's really bizarre, I think.
Eleanor "Nell" Vance: I think they're the children Hugh Crain built the house for.
Luke: I don't buy that for a second - that Hugh Crain was this lovable old tycoon with a soft spot for kids? This guy was obviously running a sweatshop, had children working 16 hours a day. Then he builds all this crap, it's propaganda. It's like those Teletubbies, those things freak me out also. Then they sing, so they're actually kinda scarier when you think about it.
Eleanor "Nell" Vance: I think they're the children Hugh Crain built the house for.
Luke: I don't buy that for a second - that Hugh Crain was this lovable old tycoon with a soft spot for kids? This guy was obviously running a sweatshop, had children working 16 hours a day. Then he builds all this crap, it's propaganda. It's like those Teletubbies, those things freak me out also. Then they sing, so they're actually kinda scarier when you think about it.
Mrs. Dudley: I set dinner on the dining room sideboard at six. Breakfast is ready at nine. I don't stay after dinner. Not after it begins to get dark. We live in town, nine miles, so there won't be anyone around if you need help...
Eleanor "Nell" Vance: We couldn't even hear you.
Mrs. Dudley: No one could. No one lives any nearer than town...
Eleanor "Nell" Vance: No one will come any nearer than that.
Mrs. Dudley: In the night...
Eleanor "Nell" Vance: In the dark.
Eleanor "Nell" Vance: We couldn't even hear you.
Mrs. Dudley: No one could. No one lives any nearer than town...
Eleanor "Nell" Vance: No one will come any nearer than that.
Mrs. Dudley: In the night...
Eleanor "Nell" Vance: In the dark.
Dr. David Marrow: Because it was a controlled experiment.
Theo: A controlled experiment? She's in total shock, you can't do that.
Dr. David Marrow: I told you, it wasn't meant to be like this.
Theo: Oh c'mon, you don't care about insomnia, you just wanted to scare the hell out of us to be fit in your little test or model, an end to understand this. You can't do it...
Dr. David Marrow: LISTEN. You listen to me. I am trying to help people. My field of study is the science of fear, I try to understand why people act the way they act, why they feel the way they feel...
[Theo slaps Marrow]
Theo: You don't feel.
Theo: A controlled experiment? She's in total shock, you can't do that.
Dr. David Marrow: I told you, it wasn't meant to be like this.
Theo: Oh c'mon, you don't care about insomnia, you just wanted to scare the hell out of us to be fit in your little test or model, an end to understand this. You can't do it...
Dr. David Marrow: LISTEN. You listen to me. I am trying to help people. My field of study is the science of fear, I try to understand why people act the way they act, why they feel the way they feel...
[Theo slaps Marrow]
Theo: You don't feel.
[the group is huddled in the conservatory, Nell, Theo, and Markway are asleep as Luke enters and takes a drink from a liquor bottle, when the door suddenly slams shut by itself... waking everyone up!]
Dr. John Markway: [to Luke] Why aren't you upstairs?
Luke Sanderson: I needed a drink.
[suddenly there are sounds of wind blowing and then distant yet distinct footsteps are heard]
Dr. John Markway: Grace!
Luke Sanderson: Wait a minute! It's nowhere near the nursery... it's down here,
Theodora: Seems we've been on this kick before.
Eleanor Lance: Next vacation I must really go somewhere else!
[the pounding becomes louder and closer]
Eleanor Lance: [thinking; voice-over] It knows my name, this time it knows my name!
Dr. John Markway: I have to go out there.
Eleanor Lance: [shouting] No, No! It hasn't hurt me. Why should it hurt her?
Dr. John Markway: She might try to do something about it!
[the pounding stops]
Eleanor Lance: Is it over, Theo? Is it?
Theodora: No, I'm still cold. It's going to start everything all over again!
[the pounding resumes violently and loudly against the closed door]
Eleanor Lance: [screaming] It can't get in! It can't get in! Don't let it get in!
[the pounding stops and the door knob jiggles]
Eleanor Lance: [whimpering] God, it knows I'm here!
[the door begins to buckle and bend in on itself, Luke in his horror drops his bottle]
Luke Sanderson: Doc... I'll let you have the house cheap!
[the bulging door returns to normal, the wind is heard blowing again. Soon the pounding footsteps resume and head upstairs]
Eleanor Lance: [thinking to herself; voice-over] Go on and on and come back again until it finds me! On and on and on until it finds me!
Dr. John Markway: [to Luke] Why aren't you upstairs?
Luke Sanderson: I needed a drink.
[suddenly there are sounds of wind blowing and then distant yet distinct footsteps are heard]
Dr. John Markway: Grace!
Luke Sanderson: Wait a minute! It's nowhere near the nursery... it's down here,
Theodora: Seems we've been on this kick before.
Eleanor Lance: Next vacation I must really go somewhere else!
[the pounding becomes louder and closer]
Eleanor Lance: [thinking; voice-over] It knows my name, this time it knows my name!
Dr. John Markway: I have to go out there.
Eleanor Lance: [shouting] No, No! It hasn't hurt me. Why should it hurt her?
Dr. John Markway: She might try to do something about it!
[the pounding stops]
Eleanor Lance: Is it over, Theo? Is it?
Theodora: No, I'm still cold. It's going to start everything all over again!
[the pounding resumes violently and loudly against the closed door]
Eleanor Lance: [screaming] It can't get in! It can't get in! Don't let it get in!
[the pounding stops and the door knob jiggles]
Eleanor Lance: [whimpering] God, it knows I'm here!
[the door begins to buckle and bend in on itself, Luke in his horror drops his bottle]
Luke Sanderson: Doc... I'll let you have the house cheap!
[the bulging door returns to normal, the wind is heard blowing again. Soon the pounding footsteps resume and head upstairs]
Eleanor Lance: [thinking to herself; voice-over] Go on and on and come back again until it finds me! On and on and on until it finds me!
Theodora: Is this another one of your crazy hallucinations?
Eleanor Lance: I'm not crazy!
Theodora: Crazy as a loon! You really expect me to believe that you're sane and the rest of the world is mad?
Eleanor Lance: Well, why not? The world is full of inconsistencies. Unnatural things. Nature's mistakes they call you for instance!
Eleanor Lance: I'm not crazy!
Theodora: Crazy as a loon! You really expect me to believe that you're sane and the rest of the world is mad?
Eleanor Lance: Well, why not? The world is full of inconsistencies. Unnatural things. Nature's mistakes they call you for instance!
Dr. David Marrow: Eleanor, none of this is real.
Eleanor "Nell" Vance: Yes, it is real.
Dr. David Marrow: It's not real.
Eleanor "Nell" Vance: You have to go look for the bones in the fireplace.
Dr. David Marrow: It's not real.
Eleanor "Nell" Vance: I saw... I saw his wife hanging in the greenhouse, I know, I saw it.
Dr. David Marrow: No, we'll be all gone, and the Dudleys will arrive in the morning and we can go. All of you.
Eleanor "Nell" Vance: I can't believe you're not gonna look.
Theo: Okay, that's enough of you. I'm taking her upstairs. I think you've done enough.
Eleanor "Nell" Vance: Yes, it is real.
Dr. David Marrow: It's not real.
Eleanor "Nell" Vance: You have to go look for the bones in the fireplace.
Dr. David Marrow: It's not real.
Eleanor "Nell" Vance: I saw... I saw his wife hanging in the greenhouse, I know, I saw it.
Dr. David Marrow: No, we'll be all gone, and the Dudleys will arrive in the morning and we can go. All of you.
Eleanor "Nell" Vance: I can't believe you're not gonna look.
Theo: Okay, that's enough of you. I'm taking her upstairs. I think you've done enough.
[first lines]
Jane: You already owe two months worth of rent.
Eleanor "Nell" Vance: It's mine, and you're not taking it away.
Jane: Read the will, Nell. It states in plain language, the executor shall have the right to dispose of any and all personal property, as he shall see fit.
Eleanor "Nell" Vance: He's not even real family.
Jane: Yeah, maybe not, but clearly Mother thought Lou would be better off dealing with these unpleasant details than you.
Eleanor "Nell" Vance: [angrily] Unpleasant details? What have I been dealing with for the past eleven years? I've cooked, I've cleaned, I've mopped up for you and you call that an unpleasant detail?
Jane: You already owe two months worth of rent.
Eleanor "Nell" Vance: It's mine, and you're not taking it away.
Jane: Read the will, Nell. It states in plain language, the executor shall have the right to dispose of any and all personal property, as he shall see fit.
Eleanor "Nell" Vance: He's not even real family.
Jane: Yeah, maybe not, but clearly Mother thought Lou would be better off dealing with these unpleasant details than you.
Eleanor "Nell" Vance: [angrily] Unpleasant details? What have I been dealing with for the past eleven years? I've cooked, I've cleaned, I've mopped up for you and you call that an unpleasant detail?
Eleanor Lance: I'm still so terrified from last night.
Dr. John Markway: You shouldn't be. It's silly to be frightened...
Eleanor Lance: Silly? You haven't been through it! This horrible unknown thing!
Dr. John Markway: 'Unknown.' That's the key word. 'Unknown.' When we become involved in a supernatural event, we're scared out of our wits just because it's unknown. The night cry of a child. A face on the wall. Knockings, bangings. What's there to be afraid of? You weren't threatened. It was harmless, like a joke that doesn't come out.
Eleanor Lance: But the child...
Dr. John Markway: There was no child, remember? Just a voice.
Eleanor Lance: A voice.
Dr. John Markway: Look, Eleanor, put it this way. When people believed the Earth was flat, the idea of a round world scared them silly. Then they found out how the round world works. It's the same with the world of the supernatural. Until we know how it works, we'll continue to carry around this unnecessary burden of fear.
Eleanor Lance: Supposing it is in my imagination. The knocking, the voices. Everything! Every cursed bit of the haunting. Suppose the haunting is all in my mind.
Dr. John Markway: Well, you can't say that, because there are three other people here. We all resist the idea that what ran through the garden that first night was a ghost. What banged on the door was a ghost. What held your hand was a ghost. But there is certainly something going on in Hill House. We're getting closer, very close to finding out what it is.
Dr. John Markway: You shouldn't be. It's silly to be frightened...
Eleanor Lance: Silly? You haven't been through it! This horrible unknown thing!
Dr. John Markway: 'Unknown.' That's the key word. 'Unknown.' When we become involved in a supernatural event, we're scared out of our wits just because it's unknown. The night cry of a child. A face on the wall. Knockings, bangings. What's there to be afraid of? You weren't threatened. It was harmless, like a joke that doesn't come out.
Eleanor Lance: But the child...
Dr. John Markway: There was no child, remember? Just a voice.
Eleanor Lance: A voice.
Dr. John Markway: Look, Eleanor, put it this way. When people believed the Earth was flat, the idea of a round world scared them silly. Then they found out how the round world works. It's the same with the world of the supernatural. Until we know how it works, we'll continue to carry around this unnecessary burden of fear.
Eleanor Lance: Supposing it is in my imagination. The knocking, the voices. Everything! Every cursed bit of the haunting. Suppose the haunting is all in my mind.
Dr. John Markway: Well, you can't say that, because there are three other people here. We all resist the idea that what ran through the garden that first night was a ghost. What banged on the door was a ghost. What held your hand was a ghost. But there is certainly something going on in Hill House. We're getting closer, very close to finding out what it is.
Dr. David Marrow: Let me explain what's happening here. You're participating in a study on group fear and hysteria.
Luke: What? That's it, that's what this was all about?
Theo: You brought us here to scare us, is that it?
Dr. David Marrow: Yes.
Luke: And you were just waiting for her to have a total nervous breakdown before you said it? I mean, what is your problem?
Luke: What? That's it, that's what this was all about?
Theo: You brought us here to scare us, is that it?
Dr. David Marrow: Yes.
Luke: And you were just waiting for her to have a total nervous breakdown before you said it? I mean, what is your problem?
Theodora: Here you are. Okay, Isolde. Tristan wants you inside.
Eleanor Lance: Leave me alone.
Theodora: Stop trying to be the center of attention, Nell. Come inside.
Eleanor Lance: [swipes Theodora's hand off her shoulder] Don't touch me, Theo! You revolt me!
Theodora: Whoa, can't you take a joke? I didn't know you were serious about Markway.
Eleanor Lance: Of course you did.
Theodora: I'm not jealous. I'm actually flattered that you have feelings for him. But he shouldn't be allowed to get away with it.
Eleanor Lance: Get away with what?
Theodora: You're making a fool of yourself over him.
Eleanor Lance: Suppose I'm not, though? You'd mind terribly if you turned out to be wrong for once, wouldn't you?
Theodora: You poor stupid innocent.
Eleanor Lance: I'd rather be innocent then like you!
Eleanor Lance: Leave me alone.
Theodora: Stop trying to be the center of attention, Nell. Come inside.
Eleanor Lance: [swipes Theodora's hand off her shoulder] Don't touch me, Theo! You revolt me!
Theodora: Whoa, can't you take a joke? I didn't know you were serious about Markway.
Eleanor Lance: Of course you did.
Theodora: I'm not jealous. I'm actually flattered that you have feelings for him. But he shouldn't be allowed to get away with it.
Eleanor Lance: Get away with what?
Theodora: You're making a fool of yourself over him.
Eleanor Lance: Suppose I'm not, though? You'd mind terribly if you turned out to be wrong for once, wouldn't you?
Theodora: You poor stupid innocent.
Eleanor Lance: I'd rather be innocent then like you!
Luke: I don't know, I just think Dr. Marrow's up to something. And you know what, I'm going to find out. Right after I check on Theo, that is. I wonder how she's doing.
Eleanor "Nell" Vance: Doing or wearing?
Luke: Yeah, no kidding. Did you see what she had on yesterday? Hey I definitely got a soft spot for Theo.
Eleanor "Nell" Vance: Doing or wearing?
Luke: Yeah, no kidding. Did you see what she had on yesterday? Hey I definitely got a soft spot for Theo.
Dr. David Marrow: The gate is still locked, we have to wait until the Dudleys arrive.
Luke: What? That's really compassion. Yeah, "let's wait until the morning, so tomorrow I have time to write a few more Welcome Home Eleanors".
Dr. David Marrow: Luke, I didn't write that stuff, okay?
Luke: Of course you didn't, that wouldn't be ethical, would it doc...
Theo: Would you guys just shut up?
Luke: What? That's really compassion. Yeah, "let's wait until the morning, so tomorrow I have time to write a few more Welcome Home Eleanors".
Dr. David Marrow: Luke, I didn't write that stuff, okay?
Luke: Of course you didn't, that wouldn't be ethical, would it doc...
Theo: Would you guys just shut up?
[the group in the conservatory room hears the pounding and breaking glass and furniture from the unseen phantom]
Dr. John Markway: It's in the nursery!
Luke Sanderson: [stops Markway from opening the door] You must be crazy!
Dr. John Markway: I'm going out there!
Luke Sanderson: Oh, no you don't! Not with that thing out there!
Eleanor Lance: [intervenes] Luke, we must find Mrs. Markway to find out if she's there!
[Luke shoves Eleanor aside and continues to try to stop Markway from leaving the room]
Luke Sanderson: No! Don't be crazy!
Dr. John Markway: I've got to get out of here! I've got to find out if Grace is all right.
Luke Sanderson: Look, I don't know what that is out there, but I don't want to find out!
Dr. John Markway: Get away from me! I've got to get out of here! I've got to find out if Grace is all right!
Dr. John Markway: It's in the nursery!
Luke Sanderson: [stops Markway from opening the door] You must be crazy!
Dr. John Markway: I'm going out there!
Luke Sanderson: Oh, no you don't! Not with that thing out there!
Eleanor Lance: [intervenes] Luke, we must find Mrs. Markway to find out if she's there!
[Luke shoves Eleanor aside and continues to try to stop Markway from leaving the room]
Luke Sanderson: No! Don't be crazy!
Dr. John Markway: I've got to get out of here! I've got to find out if Grace is all right.
Luke Sanderson: Look, I don't know what that is out there, but I don't want to find out!
Dr. John Markway: Get away from me! I've got to get out of here! I've got to find out if Grace is all right!
