[Quick Summary: Mary Rose has no memory of disappearing from an Island, then reappearing after 20 days. As an adult, she re-visits and disappears for 18 yrs.]
After a run of 3 other psychological horrors,* I'm not sure why Hitchcock couldn't get this script green lit.** It is very much in his wheelhouse of suspense.
This script is a great example of one keys to psychological horror: creeping dread.
What are the building blocks of dread? Often unease and uncertainty.
Let's look at a great example in the scene below:
- Kenneth (40), Mary Rose's son, returns to his childhood home, which is for sale.
- He's been away for 20+ yrs. and walks through the unlocked front door.
- Notice what the writer uses to build dread: the physical description of the wallpaper; the gloom in 'sacking,' 'peeling,' old woman, etc.
- Notice what the writer uses to layer dread: uneasiness of chair facing away from us; sound, shadow, old woman is holding her breath, etc.
- I've underlined below the phrases that kept me uneasy or uncertain.
Slowly, he begins to mount the stairs. At the top, he discovers a door, open upon a dark and deeply silent room. Quietly, he enters. All of this room's past, which can be taken away, has gone. Such light as there is...no more than enough to make shadows...comes from the only window, which is at the back and incompletely shrouded in sacking. Also toward the back of the room is another door. It is closed. As his eyes adjust to the dark, they circle the room, taking in the peeling wallpaper, the desolated, deserted sadness of it all, until finally his eyes come to rest upon the only furnishings in the room...if two up-ended packing cases and a chair may be called furnishings.
On top of one of the cases is an unlighted candle in a holder, and beside it is a chair, the back of which is turned toward the man. These objects seem only to add to the impression of empty desertion. And then, in the dark, the man becomes slowly conscious of the faintest, almost indiscernible movement. It is in the chair. He freezes. There is a moment of utterly suspended animation. Then he speaks, his voice hardly a whisper.
KENNETH: Who's there?
THE CAMERA closes in tight on the chair, as from its depth the movement takes shape and turns to face the man. In the chair is a woman, old, gaunt, narrowed-eyed...as her old gimlet eyes observe the obviously corporeal nature of the intruder, does she let out her breath. Hostilely, she regards him.
MRS. OTERY: What do you think you're up to here now! This here's private property!
KENNETH (relaxes, almost smiles): And you must be the caretaker. Your name is....?
MRS. OTERY (compelled against herself to answer his gentle, but utterly assured command): Mrs. Otery. (trying to regain her authority) Mrs. Harry Otery, that's who. And I'm in charge of this house. It's my job to show it to prospective purchasers with appointments.
KENNETH: Really? From the looks of things, I shouldn't think you'd find yourself very busy.
WHAT I'VE LEARNED: Creeping dread is built on an increasing rise and fall of unease and uncertainty.
Mary Rose (unproduced Hitchcock)(2nd draft, 2/15/64)
by Jay Presson Allen
Adapted from the play by J.M. Barrie
*Psycho (1960), The Birds (1963), Marnie (1964).
**Ostensibly, Hitchcock said: "They believe it isn't what the audiences expect of me. Not the kind of picture they expect of me."
No comments:
Post a Comment