(Woman) 'The nightmare came to me before dawn,
'sneaking into my mind,
'disguising itself as an ordinary dream.
'And that's when the first chapter of my life, my childhood, ended.
'What I didn't know was that the nightmare would come true,
'and when it was over, it would just be the beginning of something far worse.
'I was so in love, it was crazy.
'But I was happy and carefree,
'and he was everything I'd ever dreamed of.
'A college boy so handsome, I could've died.
'I never figured out why he proposed.
'He didn't love me in the same way I loved him,
'and deep inside... I knew it.
'But his best friend Chris was dating his older sister,
'and his other friend, Ron, got engaged to a black girl,
'so who knows?
'The year 2000 was just around the corner,
'and maybe we were all a little crazy.
'I was young,
'and I was pretty.
'And I could drive a sled better than any of them.'
(♪ Rock music plays)
♪ Since my baby up and left me, I've been sitting alone
♪ With the television on
♪ Eating TV dinners waiting by the phone
♪ Can't believe he's really gone
♪ And I'm watching on the television all the shows
♪ Where they're giving lots of stuff away
♪ I wish that I could find a way to win my baby again
♪ With the games that people play
♪ Love is like a game show
♪ You're playing for a prize
♪ Just behind the window... ♪
Hey, babe, what are you doing so far north?
Don't mind him. He's drunk.
- No trouble, remember? - You bet.
I need another beer.
You spill, you pay.
God you're a pain in the ass when you're loaded.
Always the same shit. Didn't you see the guy she walked in with?
I don't care about the shit she came in with. The bitch spilled my beer.
I need a beer, and she's buying.
Hi, I'm Ron Mikowski.
Nice to meet you guys. I'll buy you a beer.
(Man) Hey, aren't you the Mikowski they picked for the Vikings?
Well, I'm just listed for training camp right now.
- I hate fucking football. - Believe me, sometimes I do, too.
But just out of respect, keep the language down, OK?
Respect for what? Your nigger girlfriend?
What's your problem, boy?
You scared of a little black pussycat like me?
(Knife flips open)
(Groans)
You shouldn't play with sharp toys, Ratso.
(Woman) Outside, you two, or I call the cops!
Right now!
Ooh! Some tough guy!
Nice work! And thanks - saved us the trouble of throwing them out.
My name's Bessy.
No trouble. I'm Ron, and this is my fiancée, Lissa.
Well, pleased to meet you.
I'm real sorry about those assholes. Excuse my language.
That's OK. Things like that happen to us.
I guess they do, honey.
Anyway, I'm sorry. These drinks are on me.
Oh, thanks! I'm Tom.
- This is Jeannie. - "My fiancée."
My lovely fiancée.
This is my sister,
- my sweet little sister Karen. - Hi.
And last but not least, the birthday boy himself,
Mr. Soon-to-be-doctor.
(All) Ooh...!
Chris, uh... what is your name, by the way?
(Imitates gun)
Bessy, I'm very pleased to meet you.
Do you own this little eatery by any chance?
I'm looking for a woman of substance, actually,
cos I don't think I can take another year of medical school.
Would you have me?
Behave, Chris!
It is his birthday. In fact, he is now nine years old
and has about a fifty-fifty chance of reaching double figures.
Well, that's two rounds on the house.
One for the birthday and one for the proposal.
Now we're in trouble.
I can't take him anywhere! I'm telling you, it's ridiculous.
I don't know which one's worse.
- Hey, come on, you guys, sit down, will you? - Yeah, yeah, yeah.
And I'm telling you I made the trip in four hours.
That's, what? An average of over 60 miles an hour.
Chris, I'm talking about all-out speed, not cross-country.
My sled's modified. It'll do over a hundred.
OK, but admit it, Tom, I'm faster from A to B.
- That's not what I'm talking about. - Well, it damn well sounded like it to me.
- Come on, guys, cool it. - Yeah, forget it.
Do you need something like a drag track to really find out who's the fastest?
How about a lake bed?
Dead flat, under two miles long.
(Tom) Alright! That's what I'm talking about!
- A real race between the two of us. - Sounds good to me.
I'll race you anytime anywhere.
- Let's do it. - Huh?
Not now, Tom, everybody's been drinking.
Let's do it tomorrow.
Come on, Jeannie, don't be a wimp.
Where is it?
It's about 30 miles out of town.
Stop over by the bar when you're ready to leave, and I'll give you a map.
Right! One for the trail, Karen?
Sure, I'll have a beer, but you're not.
Snowmobile race is case over.
Tom, your sister is trying to wreck my chances.
Come on, honey!
I'm trying to keep you alive, idiot.
♪ That's what I do, what I do
♪ Every single day... ♪
I don't believe it.
What, honey?
I'm in love with the only black girl who sings off-key.
You can make it OK. Just start back in good time.
- Anything else we should know? - Well, no one lives out on that trail.
So if the weather turns bad, head back to town right away.
Like your friend Jeannie said, there's always tomorrow.
What's this lake called, in case we get lost or anything?
Black Friar Lake is the full name. We just call it Black Lake.
Why "Black Friar"? I thought you people used names like "Catfish" or "Cranberry".
"Maple Lake", "Eagle Lake", I know.
Just a bit of local history, really.
It's quite a story.
I'll tell you about it when you get back tonight, OK?
- Know how to keep your customers, right? - You bet your sweet ass, honey.
The bet's on.
What's the best champagne you got?
Great Eastern Special Dew.
And that's the only one I got.
Oh, a special dew? Wow!
OK, put two bottles on ice for us, Bessy. We'll be back for it later. That OK?
Why, you sure know how to show a girl a good time, mister!
- You ain't married by any chance? - No, but I got a sister.
Thanks.
See you later.
Come on, gang, let's go.
(Jeannie) 'Black Friar Lake was white,
'a shifting blanket of snow driving across the dark ice beneath us.
'If I'd had the right words, maybe I could've stopped it right there.
'As I looked out, my heart sinking,
'I knew the nightmare was no longer a dream.
'It was becoming reality,
'a part of my life.
'The others were frightened, too, I think, when they saw what we'd gotten into.
'But not Karen.
'She truly wanted to see the two men in her life battle it out.'
(Karen) It's perfect!
It's not perfect. You can hardly see.
(Chris) We've come this far, a little snow won't hurt.
Ronnie, will you run the finish line?
(Ron) You bet! If I go from here for about a minute and a half,
that'll be near enough a mile, OK?
Where I end up is the finish line.
(Tom) Close enough for me. How about you, sucker?
(Chris) We'll see who the sucker is in just one minute, smart-ass.
- (Karen) He's still alive. - (Chris) Don't touch him.
- Chris, do something! - Don't move him any more!
Jeez, Lissa, get away from me. Try to calm her down.
(Indistinct shouting)
Listen, the head wound looks bad, but the real problem is he's in shock.
He can't stay out here more than a few minutes, or he'll be dead.
- I mean it! - Oh, Tommy!
We shouldn't move him. He might be all busted up inside.
I know, Ronnie, but look around you.
We're in the middle of fucking nowhere, it's 20 degrees below zero.
We gotta find him shelter fast, or he's gonna die.
OK.
Jesus, we haven't seen a building for miles.
Lissa, honey, come and hold him, will you?
Let me go look around. Somebody just has to live around here someplace.
Bessy said no one lived out here, but come on, let's go.
I'll see if there's another way in. Stay here. I'll be back in a minute.
Well, this is it.
Take your sled and bring the others up here. I'll get this open.
OK, back in a minute.
Wait! You're gonna need this.
(Ron) Shit!
Ron!
- Which way? - Over here.
(Jeannie) 'As we carried Tom inside the lodge,
'I remember how cold and dense the air felt.
'Much colder than out on the lake.
'For a moment I thought I was going into shock, too.
'But the feeling passed, and I just hung in there,
'hoping somehow things might work out
'if we all kept control.'
(Chris) Give me some light.
Here. Please.
Has he moved at all?
No.
(Jeannie) 'Chris was in charge now, even though he hated the responsibility.'
He's out cold.
It's serious.
We need to call in some help. Fast.
No phone, no electricity.
We're on our own, kids.
(Jeannie) 'In fact, I'm sure he felt even worse than I did.
'We should've stopped the whole thing when we had the chance.'
We have to get Tom to a hospital.
It's almost dark.
And it's snowing again.
Stop whining, you stupid girl, we have to get Tom to a hospital, now!
- Stay cool, Karen. - We can't.
Not without endangering his life even more.
Oh, explain that, Marcus Welby.
Karen, please try to think positive.
We all know we're in deep shit.
You're not in deep shit, you bozo, my brother is.
I hadn't realized what an obnoxious bitch you really are, Karen.
Give your mouth a rest, OK?
I'm sorry, I...
Oh, look at him. I'm so worried. He hasn't moved.
OK, now listen to me, Karen.
That's normal.
He has a concussion.
All anyone can do is keep him rested and warm, OK?
OK, I understand. I'm sorry.
But if he does have some other injuries...
If he has other injuries, the worst thing we could possibly do
is drag him 30 miles cross-country on a goddamn snowmobile.
So what you're saying is, we've got to warm him up and get a medevac out here pronto.
That's it. Exactly.
OK.
Girls, let's get the fire lit. Let's move it.
Rule one, keep the patient warm, right? Who's up for fire duty?
What is this place?
Some kind of summer camp, I guess. For kids.
Looks like it was run by a religious order.
It's seems spooky to me.
This stuff is wild.
I was brought up a Baptist, real simple.
It's a little strong for me, too.
All my family is Catholic.
- I'll be back in a minute. - OK.
(Gasps)
(Lissa) Don't worry, Jeannie.
I'm sure it looks worse than it is.
Oh, God, I hope so.
Once we get him cleaned up a bit, we'll be able to see better.
He's gonna need some surgery, but he'll be OK.
Be careful!
Karen...
Please! He might really be hurt inside.
I don't need you to tell me that.
Just be careful, alright?
Would you two cut it out?
Tom's got a concussion, possible spinal damage and/or internal ruptures,
plus a busted-up hand and deep lacerations over his eye.
What was it you two wanted to argue about?
Jeannie, I'm gonna need some kind of bandage.
What do we have that's clean, made of cotton?
I don't know.
All this thermal stuff is artificial fiber, isn't it?
Yeah, we don't usually wear cotton petticoats for snowmobiling, you know?
Well, I need something.
Actually, my shirt is cotton.
Can't stand nylon next to my skin.
Boy, he's lost a lot of blood.
Yeah, he'll probably need a transfusion by morning.
I don't like this place.
It gives me the creeps.
Why? It's just a bit dusty.
Once it's cleaned up, I bet the kids love it.
They don't come here anymore, Chris.
It's a dark place now.
Oh, I wish I hadn't yelled at Karen like that.
This is a time to stick together.
Don't be scared, Jeannie.
Tom will be fine. I just know it.
In this place? How?
There isn't anything we can do, is there?
Yes, there is. I'm gonna make a run for town before the weather gets any worse.
No, honey, not now. It's really bad out there.
We've gotta get to a phone and get a chopper in here.
Either we go now or in the morning.
I'm going now because tomorrow may be too late for Tom.
Well, there's no food or anything else for that matter.
I don't think this place has been used in twenty years.
Ronnie says he's gonna try and make it back to town.
Well, it's worth a shot.
How is the weather?
Please don't go, Ronnie.
If you get lost, it'll just make things worse.
Football players don't get lost, honey. They know where the end zone is.
Well, then let me come with you.
No way, babe, I'll be a lot quicker on my own.
Look, don't worry.
If the weather gets too rough, I'll head back, I promise.
Otherwise, see you with the chopper at first light.
Bye, guys.
That's one sweet man.
Not on the football field.
Well, you don't have to play football with him, do you?
(Chuckles)
Where's Karen?
Prowling around.
Looking in closets. You know how restless she is.
(Exclaims)
Chris!
His fingers moved, I felt them.
Tom?
Tommy?
Can you hear me?
Squeeze my hand if you can hear me.
Tom?
Try and move your fingers.
Just a little squeeze.
I love you, please try.
Wonderful!
It's gonna be better, baby, I promise.
Is it alright for him to do this?
I think so.
He's not really in shock anymore.
It must be right to try and bring him around.
Try your toes, Tommy.
The one I'm holding.
Come on, baby, wiggle it.
- Alright, he did it! - Shh...
We should try to keep it quiet.
Thrilled to see you, Tom.
Hey, I'll go and find Karen.
Jeannie.
This is really great, but... it might not work out.
In the end, I mean.
I know, Chris.
Tommy?
Come on, lazybones, time to wake up.
(Inhales and exhales sharply)
Karen.
(Mumbles indistinctly)
Karen?
Oh, Tommy, please wake up.
Jeannie.
I'm OK.
It's just... (Groans)
...my damn head.
Lie still. Don't move an inch.
You took a bad fall.
I remember.
Won the race but lost the war.
Oh, shit!
- My head! - OK.
Lie still and rest.
We're gonna get you airlifted to a hospital.
Hospital?
Tom...
You could have other injuries. Internal.
Think, man, if we did the wrong thing, it could kill you.
You're the doc.
No aspirin, I suppose?
Sorry.
We don't even have any Band-Aids.
It's OK.
It's my own fault for not watching out.
(Mumbles indistinctly)
Well, it's after nine o'clock.
With any luck, Ron will be nearly there.
What time is it?
A little after ten.
You think Ronnie made it?
Hey, I found some interesting stuff in a closet.
Let's check it out.
Look at this one.
Don't they look cute?
I bet they're all middle-aged fatties by now. What's it say underneath?
(Karen) "St. Dominic's Camp, 1953."
At least the sun was shining.
Hey, that's why they call this "Friar Lake" or whatever.
This camp must've been owned by the Dominicans.
OK, I see that, but what's that motto thing
in the scroll?
(Karen) "Keep the beast in the field."
That's from the Bible, isn't it?
Yeah, but what's it got to do with the kids' summer camp?
They may use the Bible quite a bit around here.
No shit!
Well, I think it means, "Don't bring any skunks in the lodge, man.
"Leave them outside!"
(Chris) Sounds like good sense to me.
It's still strange. It could have a different meaning.
Way to go, Jeannie, always looking for hidden meanings.
It's just to remind the kids to take care of the animals, protect the wildlife, you know?
Yes, but...
When the Bible says "the beast", it means the devil.
Come on, Jeannie, lighten up.
Speaking of beasts, I'm so hungry I could eat a skunk right now.
Oh, no, you couldn't. Not even you could face that.
I'm gonna go and check on our patient.
Well, I wish those guys had left us a deck of cards.
At least I could be making money off you guys right now.
- I didn't know you played cards. - Yeah.
- Blackjack mostly. - Huh!
I'll give you a tip:
Don't ever play blackjack with this lady.
She's uncanny, aren't you, Jeannie?
Jeannie?
Sometimes.
I've got a good feel for cards.
My mother was really gifted.
She used to tell fortunes sometimes.
Now, that was scary!
There are bad fortunes
as well as good ones, if you think about it.
(Karen) What's this?
Could be a game of some sort.
There must be another piece.
Oh, yes.
Here we are.
(Chris) Eurgh...
Look, it's a wheel of fortune, and we can bet on where the pointer stops, right?
He's OK, sleeping like a baby. What's going on?
- We found a toy to play with. - It's not a toy.
Let's not play with it, please?
Why not? It's just a kids' game.
Looks kinda like a Ouija board, doesn't it?
Yeah, but this isn't Ouija.
My grandma had a board just like this one.
Three hundred years old. She said it came from Haiti.
Do you remember what she called it?
Devil Eye, I think.
It's an old superstition thing.
My grandma and her cronies used to sit around
talking to their dead husbands through the Devil's Eye.
So they said, anyway.
I think it was a load of nonsense.
They were passing a bottle around every time they saw the pointer move,
as I remember.
Hey, you know, I saw a movie of the week about this at Halloween.
It wasn't scary.
Jeannie?
Explain to me, what's so scary? In words I can understand.
Is this, uh, something to do with witchcraft or voodoo?
In a way, I suppose.
What happens is, everybody places a finger on the board
with their hands touching,
you close your eyes,
and then you wait.
If a spirit is there, the pointer will move in some way,
and then you can ask it a question, like...
Lissa's granny probably asked it if her dead husband was alright.
But...
you have to really believe in the spirit world before you can reach it.
Yeah, well, my grandma said she did.
The pointer would move around OK, but they never could make any sense of it.
Listen, the spirit they reached for was that bottle of whiskey that was going around.
So what's the harm? Let's try it out.
But it can be dangerous.
It's just a bit of nonsense, honey. It'll help pass the time.
Besides, the worst thing that happened to Grandma was, she had to take an early nap.
Come on, Jeannie.
If you're gonna be part of our family, you're gonna have to stop being so damn sensitive.
It's alright for you, because you don't believe.
But I do.
Make it work, then.
Come on, let's go for it.
Alright.
(Jeannie) 'Looking back, I must've felt so happy about Tom coming round,
'so sure Ronnie would get through and bring help,
'so certain the nightmare was over,
'I let down my guard and went along with the others.
'After all, they were my friends.
'They were educated, smarter than me.
'They wouldn't let anything bad happen to us now.'
(Jeannie) Alright.
We close our eyes and think of someone we'd like to speak to,
someone we loved who's passed away.
If we make contact,
we all should feel something.
I don't know exactly what.
And then the pointer will move.
Let's try it and see. I'm ready.
No!
Jesus Christ!
I told you it wasn't a toy. Damn you!
Come on, Jeannie, it was just the wind, that's all.
(Sobs) It wasn't the wind.
You mean, we did get through to the other side?
No.
I think the other side got through to us.
How is he?
You don't have to talk across me like I'm a vegetable, you know?
(Chris) Are you OK?
You bet.
(Inhales sharply) That fire's hot.
(Chris) Jesus, Tom, you scared me.
What happened?
- I don't know. He had some kind of a seizure. - (Tom) No.
I just, uh, broke out... of the fever, that's all.
(Chris) Unreal, man!
(Jeannie) Are you sure you're OK?
Get lost, sweetie. I need some air, OK?
You're obviously well enough to be a pain in the ass, as usual.
My sweet little sister.
I'll give you a pain in the ass, don't worry.
(Karen) Oh, no, you won't.
I've got a man to protect me. Haven't I, honey?
Oh!
Good to be in favor again.
Tom, you don't need me for a while, do you?
- I gotta get some sleep. - Of course, man.
Go find yourselves a nice, dark little corner.
Not jealous, are you?
Cut it out, you two. You're making me horny.
Don't forget, my man's out there battling the elements.
Don't worry about him, Lissa.
He's safe in that bar by now.
Probably with some nice, hot, blonde country babe.
Honey, what is it?
Is it Tom?
Yeah.
Tell me.
It's just that...
I've never read about anything like what happened.
You mean being unconscious? The coma?
No.
I mean coming out of it.
Well, all that matters is he is out of it.
And you did a great job.
I'll try even harder in the future.
I promise.
(Gentle moaning)
"Dear Father, after the tragic events of last summer,
"we feel we have to withdraw Rebecca's name."
"My wife and I realize that no possible blame can be attached to you or your staff.
"We realize that you behaved impeccably when confronted with the tragedy.
"Nevertheless, we feel that Timothy
"will benefit from a different kind of holiday this year."
"Bessy and me don't know whether what happened was your fault or not,
"but we didn't like to see in the newspapers that the police still have no leads.
"It could happen again, if the killer isn't put away."
Jesus!
What happened here?
(Gasps)
What the hell is this?
(Screams)
Help!
(Screams)
(Chris) Lissa?
Lissa?
Lissa? Are you there?
Lissa?
What the hell?
Oh, God, Lissa.
(Animal hooting)
(Icicle snaps off)
Shit!
(Gasps)
Karen!
- Did you sleep? - Yeah.
- How's Tom? - Mm...
A lot better, I think.
There you go again, talking about me like I'm a goddamn potato.
Don't be silly. How do you feel?
Well enough to handle anything you have to offer, sweet little sister.
Just behave, Tom.
I'll go get Chris to check you out before you give yourself a heart attack.
- Have you seen him? - No.
I've been asleep for quite a while. What time is it?
A little after four.
I wonder where he is.
He went out back some time ago, after you'd finished screwing.
I think he went to go find Lissa.
(Jeannie) Tom, what's the matter with you?
Don't talk like that.
You know Chris. He likes a little dark meat now and again.
Tom! You're a real asshole, you know that?
Help me off this damn bench.
(Jeannie) Tom, you shouldn't have said that to Karen.
Come on, Jeannie, lighten up!
She hates your guts anyway, you know that.
No, she doesn't. It's a natural brother-sister-girlfriend thing.
I said to help me up!
I think you should stay right where you are until Chris gets here.
Don't argue with me, Jeannie.
Come here.
Look.
I wanna show you something.
- Take it off. - What?
Undo the bandage.
I can't do that. You need surgery.
- Chris said the damage is serious. - No. No, it isn't.
Go ahead.
Take it off, you'll see.
(Karen) Chris?
Lissa!
Where are you?
I told you we're a remarkable family.
I'm sure we have Indian blood.
This is weird. There's something unnatural...
I think I deserve a reward now.
Don't you?
You can take that off, too.
(Karen) Chris?
Is that you?
Not now, Tom, the others will come in.
No, they won't.
I've arranged with Chris for us to have some privacy.
Chris?
Lissa!
(Unzips trousers)
God, you're so beautiful, Jeannie.
Tom! (Moaning)
Uh...
Tom!
Help! Tom!
(Moaning)
Hello?
Is anybody there?
Chris?
Lissa!
Karen?
Anyone?
(Screams)
(Gasps)
(Panting)
Is someone there?
Who are you?
Who killed my friends here?
Tom?
Oh, God, why?
Tom is evil?
Is he really Tom?
My Tom?
Then what is he?
He's my enemy?
What shall I do?
Yes. Get away.
(Tom) In '37.
Yes.
There's Jill and Betty.
They were very good, those two.
And little Jack.
Oh, no!
Please, no!
Hey, Ron.
What happened here?
Sheriff, this girl came from around the corner, when...
(Jeannie) 'I ran.
'All I could think of was getting away from there.
'The sheriff was right behind me with a shitload of questions
'that I just couldn't deal with then.
'Or even now.
'I know it was the wrong thing to do.
'Those poor families don't know to this day what happened to their kids.
'Ron and Lissa.
'Chris and Karen. Tom.
'But my nerve was gone, and that was it.
'I ran and kept on running
'until I woke up and found myself back where it all started.
'Black Friar Lake.
'There was nothing to see.
"Just the ruins of an old lodge
'that must've burned down twenty years before.
'My mind began to flip between nightmare and reality,
'but reality was losing out.
'Looking back, it would've been so easy to say no
'when Karen found that damn board,
'to walk away from the table and stay by Tom's side until morning.
'But a part of me wanted to know where the real world ended
'and the dark world began.
'In spite of everything that told me not to,
'I had to see the face of evil for myself.
'It was my nature.
'Now, thirty years later,
'I still dream of that night with Tom,
'and it isn't really a nightmare.
'No, the nightmares are something else.'
♪ Since my baby up and left me, I've been sitting alone
♪ With the television on
♪ Eating TV dinners waiting by the phone
♪ Can't believe he's really gone
♪ And I'm watching on the television all the shows
♪ Where they're giving lots of stuff away
♪ I wish that I could find a way to win my baby again
♪ With the games that people play
♪ Love is like a game show
♪ You're playing for a prize
♪ Just behind the window
♪ Your happy ending lies
♪ Love is like a game show
♪ You win or you lose
♪ Since I lost the game of love with him
♪ I got the game show blues ♪