Arthur and the Haunted Tree House/Transcript

Opening

It is Halloween night in Elwood City. The scene cuts to the tree house, where Ladonna is telling a story.

Ladonna: And they never found Doc. Some say he's still out there. Hiding in the swamps, living off frogs and leeches. His skin shriveled and yellow, with an evil smile plastered on his face...

She shines a flashlight on her face.

Ladonna: ...like this!

Arthur and Buster scream while Ladonna laughs.

Arthur: Can we turn the lantern back on now?

Ladonna: Aw, come on. It wasn't that scary.

Buster: Wait, you don't really have a cousin named Doc, do you?

Ladonna: Sure I do! But he lives in Miami, not a swamp. He's a nutritionist.

Arthur (turning on the lantern): Um...

Ladonna: What are you supposed to be again?

Buster: Candy Boy. (puts on his costume glasses) Candy Boy get angry when he no get candy! (roars, then takes off his glasses) But don't worry, Candy Boy is very happy this year. He beat last Halloween's candy quota. Oh, yeah!

The wind is heard blowing.

Arthur: Shh. Did you hear something?

The three friends look outside the tree house.

Ladonna: Uh-oh, maybe it was angry villagers, Frankenstein. (she giggles)

Arthur: I'm not Franken-stein, I'm Franken-tist.

Buster: That's a combination of Frankenstein and a dentist.

The wind blows again.

Arthur: There it is again!

Ladonna: That's just the wind. You sure are jumpy.

Buster: You didn't mix the sour-gummied worms with the peanut clusters, did you? That always makes me jumpy.

Arthur: No.

Ladonna: So, what's up?

Arthur: You wouldn't believe me if I told you.

Buster: Yes, I would.

Ladonna: Me too. If it were me I might not believe me, but you? Tell us.

Arthur: It's this tree house. It's... it's haunted.

Buster and Ladonna laugh at the idea.

Buster: What? No way.

Ladonna: Come on? This old thing?

Arthur: I'm serious. There's a ghost here. She's angry. And I think she's coming for us.

Part One

The title card, "Arthur and the Haunted Tree House" is shown. Ladonna reads "Arthur and the Haunted Tree House, Part One".

Ladonna: Wait, back up. What do you mean "there's a ghost here"?

Buster: Did you really see it?

Arthur: Kind of.

Buster: What did it look like? Aw, man. You're so lucky. I want to see a ghost.

Arthur: No, you don't. Anyway, I'm not sure I want to talk about it.

Ladonna: Oh, come on! You can't just say you've seen a ghost and then not tell us about it.

Arthur: (sighs) Okay. I guess it all started about a week ago.

Arthur's story (in the form of a flashback)

Arthur (narrating): I had just told Mom I wanted to have a Halloween sleepover at the tree house.

Mom: I don't know, Arthur. I'm not sure it's safe to sleep up there. What if someone rolls over and...

Arthur: We're going to put a crate up there to block the opening.

Mom: Okay, but how are you going to get your sleeping bags and stuff up there?

Arthur: Already thought of that, too. We hooked up a pulley. It's really cool. You should come out and see it later.

D.W.: Did I hear someone say sleeping bags? Are we going camping?

Mom: No, sweetie. Arthur jsut wants to have a Halloween party at the tree house.

D.W.: I want to come, too!

Arthur: You can't, D.W. It'd be too scary for you.

Árthur (holding out a cereal box): Here, looking for the cereal?

D.W.: Too scary? Ha! The only thing that scares me are octo-potties, and they're only at the beach, so...

D.W. opens the cereal box to reveal fake snakes popping out. She screams.

Arthur (laughing): I rest my case.

Mom (sternly): Arthur.

Arthur: Sorry. I was just trying to prepare her for Halloween.

Arthur follows Mom to the house door.

Arthur (begging Mom): So, Mom. Please? Can I have the sleepover?

Mom: Well, I'd have to check with your father, but I guess it's okay.

Arthur: Yes!

D.W.: I wasn't really scared by the cereal snake. I was just acting.

Mom: You'll have a much better time at home anyway. Your father and I are going out that night, but Grandma will be here. Why don't you invite Bud over?

D.W.: Okay.

Mom heads out and closes the front door.

D.W.: But I'm ten times braver than you.

Arthur (patting D.W.'s head): Sure you are.

D.W.: Ha! Let's just see who's braver, Arthur Read.

The scene cuts to Arthur climbing a ladder to his house attic.

Arthur (narrating): The next day after school, I went up to the attic to get some scary decorations for the tree house.

Arthur tries to turn on the attic light, but ends up turning on a flashlight as the attic light was not working. He approaches a corner with a box labed "Halloween Decorations". On a table near the box, Arthur spots a doll.

Arthur (narrating): That's the first time I saw it.

Arthur picks up the doll, and one eye is shown.

Arthur: Ugh! Where on earth did this come from?

Arthur turns to the back of the doll, where its name is shown.

Arthur (reading off the doll): Zelda.

Arthur (narrating): I thought that the doll had belonged to Mom or Dad. Or maybe even Grandma Thora.

The scene cuts to the living room of Arthur's house. Arthur talks to his Dad.

Arthur: It's really old and spooky. If it's okay, I'd love to use it for my sleepover.

Arthur notices that the doll is not in the Halloween decorations box.

Arthur: Huh? But it was just here a minute ago.

Dad shrugs and leaves the living room.

Arthur: Maybe Pal ran off with it. It'll turn up.

Arthur (narrating): The next day, after school, I took the decorations over to the tree house.

Arthur sets down the Halloween decorations box on the pulley platform he built earlier. He suddenly notices a strange voice.

Unknown voice: Arrrr-thurrrrr....

Arthur (startled): Who's there?!

Arthur walks around the tree house and only sees leaves blowing with the wind.

Arthur: Just the wind.

He climbs up the ladder to the tree house. Inside the tree house, Arthur pushes the crate to block the opening. He notices strange writing on the back wall that reads "This is MY tree house".

Back in real time.

Arthur: It said, "This is MY tree house". Right there. Written in chalk.

Buster gasps as he turns to the back wall.

Arthur: I wiped it away.

Ladonna: Maybe it was just D.W. playing a trick on you.

Arthur: She's not allowed to come up here alone. And anyway, she can't write.

Ladonna: Well, neither can dolls.

Buster: Unless, of course, that doll isn't really a doll.

Ladonna: Oh, phony-baloney. You guys are jumping to conclusions.

Arthur: Wait, it gets worse. After I finished decorating, I didn't come back until earlier today.

The flashback resumes.

Arthur (narrating): I wanted to drop off some stuff before getting into costume and trick-or-treating. I also thought someone might be playing a trick on me, but I wasn't going to let it ruin my sleepover.

Arthur: If you're trying to scare me, it's not going to work, so you can just give up now!

Arthur climbs the tree house after looking around for things trying to scare him. After pushing the crate, he screams. The doll is seen beside a box. It falls over and opens the one eye. The flashback ends.

In real time

Arthur: She was sitting...

Arthur points to where he last saw the doll.

Arthur: ...right there!

Buster: (gasps) No way!

Ladonna: Come on! You're making this up.

Arthur: I'm not! I swear.

Buster: What did you do?!

The three friends look outside the tree house.

Arthur: I dug a hole and buried her over by that rock. But what if she comes back?

Ladonna: Guys, relax. I'm sure there's a rational explanation.

Buster: That's true. Maybe Zelda's an alien.

Ladonna: That's a rational explanation?

Arthur: Well, whatever it is, I'm starting to think that this sleepover was a really bad idea.

A knocking sound is heard, which scares the friends.

Voice: Arthur...

The friends scream. Francine climbs up to the tree house, wearing a prom queen costume.

Francine: Ha! I know this prom dress costume was scary.

Arthur (relieved): Phew! It's just you.

Francine: Who were you expecting? Muffy's not here yet? Oh, man! She's going to be so angry at me.

Buster: Why?

Francine pulls up a pulley to bring her stuff into the tree house.

Francine: I was supposed to meet her at her place, and then we were going to trick-or-treat at the fancy houses, but I got stuck at this one apartment in our building. It was actually kind of freaky.

Arthur: Was there a doll there? With a big head and one eye?

Francine: Huh? No. It was even scarier than that.

Francine's subplot (in a flashback)

Francine (narrating): Every year, the tenants in our building put up a list of apartments you can trick-or-treat at. I know them all by heart.

In the flashback, Francine walks up to an apartment. A woman walks up and opens the door.

Francine (narrating): There's Mrs. Parizeau. She always gives fruit.

Francine: Trick or treat!

Mrs. Parizeau hands Francine a bag of prunes.

Mrs. Parizeau: There you go. Prunes, sweetheart. That's nature's candy.

Francine: Uh, thanks.

The scene cuts to Francine walking up to another door.

Francine (narrating): There's Mr. Bellamy. He always does the old "hand in a bowl of candy" trick.

Francine: Trick of treat!

Mr Bellamy sticks his hand through the bowl of candy he holds out.

Francine (acting surprised): Oh, no! It's a live hand in a bowl of candy!

Francine grabs one piece of candy, but it falls to the floor.

Francine (narrating): And then Mr. Bellamy forgets that his hand is in the bowl.

Mr. Bellamy: Oh! You dropped some.

Mr. Bellamy accidentally pours out the candy bowl as he tipped his left hand downward.

Mr. Bellamy: Oh!

Francine sighs, then kneels down to help Mr. Bellamy fill his candy bowl again. The scene cuts to Francine getting candy from two costumed people.

Francine (narrating): Then there are the Lancasters. They always try to guess your costume, and fail.

Mr. Lancaster: You're a fairy godmother?

Mrs. Lancaster: Uh, a fancy lampshade?

Mr. Lancaster: Uh, Queen Isabella of Spain?

Mrs. Lancaster: Oh, oh! The Feudal System? Huh?

Francine (disappointed): I'm a prom queen. Thanks.

Francine (narrating): I only had one more apartment to hit. Someone I had never met before.

Francine approaches apartment 237 and knocks on the door. A woman opens the door.

Woman: Yes?

Francine: Trick or treat!

Woman: Oh, is it Halloween already? I completely forgot. Come in, come in!

Francine enters the woman's apartment.

Woman: Excuse the mess, I was just going through some old photos. Sit, sit. I have candy here somewhere.

Francine notices a photo of something weird. She picks up the picture.

Francine: What is that?

Woman: That, my dear, is a golem.

Francine: What's a golem?

Woman: A monster made from clay and then brought to life by a magic spell.

Francine laughs at the idea.

Woman: Oh, you don't believe me? I took that picture myself. But even without a photo, I would never forget the face of that hideous creature. I'd tell you the story, but I shouldn't be frightening children like this.

Francine smiles.

Woman: I was a little girl, just about your age. We lived in a small town called Mindelplatz, not far from Prague.

A flashback begins. A street of Mindelplatz is shown, and a trolley car on rails is seen passing by.

Woman (narrating): There was a young man in the town who was a great violinist.

The man is seen playing the violin on the streets of Mindelplatz. The woman, as a little girl in that time, gives the man some money for his performance. The flashback cuts to the man playing the violin in front of dead plants hanging from a window box.

Woman (narrating): His music was so beautiful, it was said it could make dead plants grow.

The violinist's music brings the dead plants back to life. People on the street clap for him. The scene cuts to the man walking down a street, near trolley tracks.

Woman (narrating): Then, one day, the violinist was in a terrible accident. He was hit by a trolley car, and all his fingers were broken.

The scene cuts to someone's house. The camera zooms into an upstairs window.

Woman (narrating): They eventually healed, but he was no longer able to play the violin.

Now inside the house, it is shown that it is the violinist's house.

Woman (narrating): People rarely saw the violinist after that. He stayed in his room, reading ancient books about magic.

The man hears a cat meowing, and walks out to his window. A cat is meowing on the street, and the girl takes a picture of the cat. The cat then leaves, and the girl turns to the open window with the violinist looking out from it. She waves at him. The man angrily closes his window.

Woman (narrating): He grew bitter, angry at the world.

In a dark area, the man is reading a book.

Woman (narrating): In one of his books, he learned how to make the golem.

A creature is shown lying down on a wooden board. The man pushes a piece of his violin into the body of the slimy creature. The creature starts moving.

Woman (narrating): And he brought him to life.

The golem gets up, and walks towards the man.

Woman (narrating): But the golem turned against him.

The golem chases the man, who then runs out of the basement.

Woman (narrating): He couldn't control the creature.

The scene fades to the girl trying to take a portrait of a boy.

Woman (narrating): No one could.

A crowd runs past the boy and girl. The golem is seen approaching the boy and girl. The boy runs away, while the girl falls over and takes a picture of the golem. The flashback ends.

Francine: Wow! That's some story! How'd you escape?

Woman: Who's to say I did?

Francine: Huh?

Woman: Anyway, look what I found for you.

The woman holds out a violin made of marzipan.

Woman: It's marzipan, a delicious almond paste.

She hands the marzipan violin to Francine.

Woman: Happy Halloween, my dear.

Francine leaves the woman's apartment, but notices something in her Halloween candy basket.

Francine (narrating): Right after I left the apartment, I noticed that somehow one of the woman's photographs had fallen into my Halloween bag. So I went to return it.

Francine returns to the apartment and knocks on the door.

Francine (narrating): But this time, a man answered the door.

Francine: Oh, hi. You must be Mr. Saperstein. Somehow this fell in my bag.

Francine lets Mr. Saperstein see the photo she had.

Mr. Saperstein: That's my little sister. She disappeared when we were children.

Francine gasps; the flashback ends.

In real time (again)

The friends gasp.

Ladonna: So, t-that was her g-ghost?

Francine: I don't know. Maybe.

Buster: Why does everyone get to see a ghost except me? No offense, but I think her story was scarier than both of yours.

Arthur: It's not a competition!

Francine: Can I borrow your phone? I have to call Muffy.

Buster lends his iPhone-like smartphone to Francine.

Francine: She already left by the time I got to her house.

Francine calls Muffy, who is seen answering the phone on a moving chair.

Muffy: I waited for 45 minutes!

Francine: I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I got held up at my building.

Muffy: Well, where are you now?

Francine: The tree house. Are you coming?

Muffy: I'll be there in a little bit. I still have to hit the McNeil Mansion.

Francine: Well, hurry up. I can't wait to tell you what happened to me. You're never going to beli...

The phone call is interrupted.

Muffy's subplot

Muffy: Hello? Francine? Are you there?

Muffy looks at her phone and finds that the battery is dead.

Muffy: Oh! I'm out of juice.

The camera cuts to showing Muffy riding in the back of a tandem bike with Bailey pedaling at the front.

Muffy: Bailey, can I borrow your phone?

Bailey: Alas, I didn't bring mine, Ms. Muffy. It didn't feel appropriate that the Mad Hatter would be carrying one.

A thudding sound is heard, and the bike shakes.

Bailey: Oh, dear!

Muffy: What happened?

Bailey: We seem to have blown a tire.

Muffy feels worried. The scene cuts to Bailey assessing the damage.

Muffy: Can you fix it?

Bailey: Perhaps. Do you have any chewing gum?

Muffy: Chewing gum?! Me?! Really, Bailey, you know me better than that.

Bailey: Hmm. I didn't think so. Then I'm afraid we're in a bit of a pickle.

Muffy: Well, we have to do something! The McNeils give out chocolate truffles and pralines. It's the best house on my list!

Bailey: Might I suggest walking, Ms. Muffy?

Muffy: Oh, I was afraid you were going to say that. These shoes are very pinchy. Well, if we're going to walk, we might as well take the shortcut.

Bailey: You mean... through the cemetery?

Muffy: Sure. Why not.

Muffy opens the gate to the cemetery.

Muffy (cunningly): Don't tell me you're afraid.

Bailey: Bailey Carson Belvedere III, afraid? I think not!

Muffy: Good. Then we'll be there in a jiffy.

A raccoon comes out of a bush and crosses Bailey's path, which causes him to fearfully yelp. Bailey then shivers in fright.

Muffy: And when we get to the McNeils, we'll call a taxi.

The scene fades to Muffy and Bailey continuing their cemetery walk. A cawing sound is heard in the distance.

Bailey: Egads! What was that?

Muffy (sighs): Probably another raccoon. You know, it's fine if you're scared.

Bailey (clearing throat): Yes, well, thank you for your concern, Ms. Muffy. But as I said, I'm absolutely...

An owl flies across the screen, scaring Bailey and causing him to yelp.

Bailey: Gadzooks! That looked like a flying badger!

The owl hoots.

Muffy: It's just an owl, Bailey.

Bailey: Well, owls are very dangerous... if you're a small rodent. (grunts) Perhaps I am a little edgy, but why aren't you, Ms. Muffy?

Muffy: Last Halloween, before Francine and I went trick-or-treating, we dared each other to run through the cemetery.

A flashback starts: Francine and Muffy are in front of the cemetery gates. Francine opens the gate and takes a look into the cemetery.

Francine: You sure you want to do this?

Muffy: Crosswires never back down from a dare.

Francine: Well, neither do Frenskys.

Muffy starts walking into the cemetery. Francine starts jogging, and so does Muffy. The duo jog through the cemetery, and an owl is heard hooting.

Muffy (narrating): We were both terrified. But we made it all the way. And, well, it was super exciting!

Muffy and Francine make it to the other cemetery gate, and lie down on the grass next to the path while panting, then laugh.

Muffy: Let's do it again!

They then run back the other way. The flashback ends.

Muffy: After that, we did it four more times. So now this place doesn't scare me anymore.

Muffy sits down on a bench to adjust her shoes.

Muffy: To tell you the truth, I actually miss being a little scared. It made Halloween more fun.

Thunder claps and it starts raining.

Muffy (gasps): Oh, no! This dress is going to get ruined. Now, that's scary. Come on!

As Muffy and Bailey walk, the rain gets heavier.

Muffy (screams): I can barely see where I'm going!

Bailey: We best take shelter, Ms. Muffy. Over here!

Bailey helps direct Muffy to a raised, covered platform in the cemetery, where the two wait out the rain. A meowing sound is heard.

Muffy: My sentiments exactly. This evening is ruined.

Bailey: I beg your pardon, Ms. Muffy. But I didn't say anything.

Muffy: You didn't? Then who...

The two turn around, and see a pair of eyes glowing in the dark. A screeching sound is heard, causing Bailey and Muffy to yelp in fright.

Back to the tree house

The scene cuts back to the tree house, where it is also raining. Arthur, Buster, and Ladonna are looking outside.

Arthur: Do you think we should go to my house? Even if there aren't any ghosts, this roof can leak.

Ladonna: What? No, we have to stay. I mean, just for a little bit longer? At least until the rain lets up.

A panting sound is heard, which Francine notices.

Francine: Huh?

Francine looks outside and screams.

Francine: What's that?!

An unknown figure is seen running towards the tree house.

Buster: I bet it's the golem!

The figure stops and reveals himself as Binky.

Binky: Hey! Sorry I'm late.

The friends sigh with relief.

Buster: What a night!

Inside the tree house:

Francine: What are you supposed to be? A couch?

Binky: I'm Puffy McPuffmeister. He's a professional wrestler. He pins people with his squishy body.

Binky squeezes Buster against a tree house wall.

Buster: You win! Uncle!

Binky: Sheesh! Have I had a strange night.

Arthur: You, too? We were just talking about all the spooky things that have happened tonight.

Buster: Nothing spooky happened to me. Except somebody gave me some Brussels sprouts. Want some? They're actually delicious.

Buster eats a Brussels sprout, to the disgust of the other friends, who say "Ew!".

Binky: Well, my story is the spookiest. It all started when I went over to toilet-paper Mr. Ratburn's house.

Arthur: You what?!

Buster: You are in so much trouble!

Francine: Are you nuts?!

Binky: Calm down. I didn't actually do it. In fact, I never even wanted to do it. But the Tough Customers always do a prank on Halloween. It's a tradition.

Binky's subplot (as a flashback)

Binky, Molly, Rattles, and Slink are at the schoolyard jungle gym. The Tough Customers draw straws, and Binky ends up with the shortest one.

Binky (narrating): And I drew the short straw.

Binky: Oh, man!

The other Tough Customers feel annoyed at what Binky said. Molly and Slink say "Huh?" in an annoyed manner.

Binky: I mean, yipee!

Binky fake smiles. The scene cuts to Binky in front of Mr. Ratburn's house on Halloween night. In his costume, he is carrying a backpack with many rolls of toilet paper. Binky approaches the front door of Mr. Ratburn's house.

Binky (narrating): But when I got to his house, I knew I couldn't go through with it. I was just about to turn around when...

Binky tries to leave, but is stopped by a voice.

Voice: Nevermore!

Binky looks at a raven decoration, thinking the voice might have come from there.

Binky: Was that you?

Raven: Nevermore!

Binky: Never more what?

Raven: Nevermore!

Binky: If you say nevermore one more time, I'm going to pluck your feathers!

The raven screams in fear. The front door to Mr. Ratburn's house opens, and a puppet appears after a puff of smoke.

Puppet: If you solve the puzzles within, countless treasures you shall win. But if you enter and you fail, eternal doom shall prevail. So, mortal, do you dare to enter Mr. Ratburn's terrible lair? (laughs)

Binky (narrating): The doom part didn't sound so good, but I did like the idea of "countless treasures".

Binky: Eh, it's worth a shot.

Binky leaves his backpack outside and enters Mr. Ratburn's house. The front door closes behind him.

Raven: Nevermore!

The scene cuts to Binky inside Mr. Ratburn's house. It is dark inside, and Binky walks into a room after passing through some curtains. Inside the room, a lantern is seen on a table, and a pendulum showing "12:00" dings. Binky looks at his watch as he enters the room.

Binky: Uh, Mr. Ratburn? That clock is wrong. It's only 8:15.

A fake spider drops down and shows Binky a note.

Binky (narrating): The note said to turn the lantern on. So that's what I did.

Binky walks up to the lantern and turns it on. The light shines on a puppet lying on a bed, and it opens one eye.

Binky (narrating): All of a sudden, I noticed this puppet in the corner, and it opened one eye.

Back to the tree house, briefly:

Arthur: Wait. Did this puppet have a baby's head? Was it called Zelda?

Binky: Um, no. It was some old guy. And I didn't ask him his name. But that creepy eye...

The flashback continues. Binky is staring at the one-eyed puppet.

Binky (narrating): It was really, really creepy!

A beating sound is heard.

Binky (narrating): And then, I heard this beating sound, like a heart. It wouldn't stop. And it kept getting louder, until finally...

Binky runs out of Mr. Ratburn's house.

Binky: That's it! You can keep the treasure! I'm out of here!

Back in real time

Binky: It was the scariest room I'd ever been in. Except, maybe for math class.

Francine: Wait a minute, that scene you just described. That's from The Tell-Tale Heart.

Binky (scratching his head): The wha?

Arthur: You know, the short story by Edgar Allen Poe.

Francine: Binky, we've been studying them in class for the past two weeks. Haven't you been paying attention?

Binky: Um, no comment.

Arthur takes out a book from his backpack.

Arthur: I thought it might be fun to read one aloud tonight.

Arthur hands Binky an Edgar Allen Poe book; Binky starts reading it.

Buster: Hey! I bet the treasure was under a floorboard. That's where the "thump-thump" was coming from in the story.

Binky: You mean I was standing on top of candy all that time? Oh, man!

Ladonna: Well, look at it this way. At least nothing actually scary was going on.

Binky: Yeah, I guess you're right.

Binky lies down to read the book. But then he suddenly yelps and drops the book.

Buster: What is it?

Binky: I left my backpack with the toilet paper in it at Mr. Ratburn's house! Now he'll know what I was planning! He could give me detention for life! I've got to get it back!

Binky hurriedly leaves the tree house, presumably to return to Mr. Ratburn's house.

Buster: You know, this is a very weird Halloween.

Francine: I'll say! But you know something? I'm not afraid. Ghosts-shmosts.

Arthur: Neither am I. If we all stick together, we'll be just fine. Let's get into our sleeping bags.

As Arthur is about to unwrap his sleeping bag, an evil laughter is heard, scaring the friends.

Arthur (frightened): Did you giggle?

Buster: I didn't giggle. (to Ladonna) You?

Ladonna: Uh-uh.

Francine: It wasn't me.

Arthur: Maybe it was a frog.

Buster: Do frogs giggle?

Arthur: I don't know.

The laughter is heard again.

Buster: Okay! That wasn't a frog!

Voice: This tree house is mine! ("mine" echoes)

The friends scream as a thunder clap is heard and lightning is seen. The friends climb down to the ground and run away from the tree house.

Buster: I'm out of here!

Ladonna is the last to climb down. She looks at the friends running away, and laughs.

Ladonna: Oh, the looks on their faces!

Ladonna then jogs away from the tree house.