The Tell-Tale-Heart

By
James Thayer

Edgar Allen Poe

INT. PRISON
JOSH is in prison, narrating his exploits. It’s dark. He
begins.

JOSH (NARRATING)
That eye. That hideous eye! Oh
how I wished the wicked wonders of
its wretched wrath went without
vexing me so.

INT. B-ROLL
Super Slow close up zoom on DAVID’S Vulture Eye.
JOSH (NARRATING)
It was an accident of course. His
sister brought home a feline,
which, like all its filthy kind,
scratched my cousin’s
eye. That...vulture eye.

INT. KITCHEN
JOSH and DAVID are eating together. JOSH is filling up
DAVID’S glass.

JOSH (NARRATING)
I was particular kind to him that
week. After all, he was my
guest. My cousin never did me
harm, nor insult. It was the eye
whose gaze drew drops of ice across
my spine. It made me furious.

INT. KITCHEN

JOSH tears black trash bags off a roll and begins to tape
them together.
JOSH (NARRATING)
I’m not mad. Would a mad man be as
careful as I? No! Mad men don’t
have the patience. The disease
only sharpened my senses, not
dulled them!
 2.

INT. BATHROOM
JOSH takes the garbage bags and places them inside a
bathtub. He tapes them tightly.

INT. BEDROOM
JOSH grabs a flash light, opens the door to his cousin’s
bedroom and pops his head in.

JOSH (NARRATING)
It was midnight, it was time. Yes!
You should have seen me. How
cautious was I.
JOSH shines the flash light on his cousin’s face. His eyes
are closed. DISAPPOINTED, he turns the light off, closes the
door, and takes the trash bags off of the bath tub.
JOSH (NARRATING)
It wasn’t my cousin who sparked
rage with-in my heart. Twas merely
that evil eye.

INT. MONTAGE
A montage of JOSH ripping trash bags, taping them together,
grabbing the flash light, shinning it on DAVID’S face,
taking down the trash bags,etc. runs with quick cuts and
twitch effects.
JOSH (NARRATING)
For seven nights I silently
sauntered to his somber
bedroom. Seven nights I softly
slithered my head through that
doorway slower than a second hand’s
tick. Would a mad man have such
stoicism?

INT. BEDROOM
JOSH sets up one last time and pokes his head through the
door.
JOSH (NARRATING)
It was the eighth night. Eve had
gone; everything was right. Yes, I
could feel it. Once again I
secretly solicited that sordid
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 3.

JOSH (NARRATING) (cont’d)

sequence I had perfected for seven
nights. Then (pause) it happened.
JOSH drops the flashlight on accident. There is silence,
and darkness.
DAVID
Who’s there? Is that you Josh?
More silence.

JOSH (NARRATING)
I kept quite still and said
nothing. For a whole hour I did not
move a muscle, and in the meantime
I did not hear him lie down. He was
still sitting up in the bed,
listening; just as I have done
night after night hearkening to the
death watches in the wall.
A little more silence. THEN, A faint heartbeat is
heard. Thump thump...thump thump...
JOSH (NARRATING)
Oh yes, fear! That mortal terror
I’d experienced night after night
as horrors closed upon me - twas
now upon him. Echoing up from his
heart.
The heart continues to beat, but louder this time. Suspense
builds. Josh then clicks the flashlight on. It shines
directly on the open vulture eye. Super close up of the
eye. DAVID SCREAMS. A fight ensues as JOSH suffocates his
victim. The heartbeat slowly comes to a still.
JOSH (NARRATING)
At last, serenity came from
suffocation’s silence. The eye
would see no more.

INT. HALLWAY AND BATHROOM

JOSH then drags the body out of the bedroom, through the
hallway, and into the bathtub covered with garbage bags. He
then pulls out a knife, takes his shirt off, and cuts the
body up. Blood drips from the knife and his arms.
 4.

INT. KITCHEN
He then takes the body parts and places them in garbage
bags, cloroxes the bathroom, washes himself, and
subsequently places the trash bags in the kitchen
trashcan. He smiles serenely. There’s a KNOCK on the
door. WHIP PAN from him turning his face to the door.

INT. FOYER

JOSH calmly walks to the door.

ANDY
Open up. Knoxville PD.
JOSH smiles as he opens the door. Two officers, ANDY and
MARISSA, are there.
ANDY
Sorry to disturb you so late sir,
but a neighbor reported hearing a
scream from this residence.

JOSH
A scream? (pause to think) Oh
yes! I apologize, I seemed to have
been suffering from a serious night
terror. The scream was mine as I
awoke. I haven’t been able to get
back to sleep since.
ANDY and MARISSA look at one another.
MARISSA
Do you mind if we take a look
around?
JOSH
Oh, not at all, please come in!

INT. HOUSE
The police search the house, room by room. Ending with the
bathroom and then kitchen.

JOSH (NARRATING)
Manic men aren’t as meticulous as
myself. These maestros of minute
detail wouldn’t find the minuscule
minces of my morbid deed.
 5.

INT. KITCHEN
ANDY
Everything seems to be in
order. We’re sorry to have
disturbed you.
JOSH
Twas no disturbance at all. I
rather enjoyed the company.
JOSH smiles at MARISSA, who smiles back.
ANDY
We’ll be on our way then.

ANDY turns to start leaving, MARISSA is hesitant.

JOSH
Wait!

ANDY turns around.

JOSH
(Pause) How much longer is your
shift? Surely you could spend a
few more minutes. I was about to
make some tea.
ANDY begins to hesitate when MARISSA speaks up.
MARISSA
Come on ANDY, dispatch hasn’t
called us yet.
She turns and smiles at JOSH, who smiles back.
MARISSA
I’m sure we can spare a few minutes
for tea.
ANDY obliges.

INT. KITCHEN
Montage of JOSH making tea and the officers making small
talk. SUDDENLY a loud heart beat is heard by JOSH. He
drops his cup, which SHATTERS. He stares at the trashcan.

MARISSA
Are you alright?
JOSH gathers his composure.

(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 6.

JOSH
Yes, I apologize. Just a clumsy
mistake...
Close up on JOSH’S face.

JOSH (NARRATING)
Did they hear? Surely they heard!
Damn by Casanovic charm!
Close up on MARISSA’S face.

The heart beats again, this time louder. It begins to pick

up pace. The officers seemingly don’t hear it and continue
their small talk, but JOSH is tormented in his mind.
JOSH
How could they not sense it? First
the eye, now the heart - why must
they vex me so! (pause) Wait a
minute, they did! They did hear
it! They were making a mockery of
my horror!

Suspense builds as the heart beat increases. The trash can

shakes at each beat. JOSH stares at it in disbelief, in
horror.
JOSH
This I thought, and this I think.
But anything was better than this
agony! Anything was more tolerable
than this derision! I could bear
those hypocritical smiles no
longer! I felt that I must scream
or die! and now, again louder!
louder! louder! LOUDER!
The whole room begins to shake, like film is falling off its
reel. The heart beat grows louder until JOSH snaps.

JOSH
Villains! Dissemble no more! I
admit the deed! tear open the bags!
it is the beating of his hideous
heart!

Fade to black. The heart beat slowly fades out as credits

pop in on each beat.