HOUSE OF LOST SOULS

House of Lost Souls is a full-length comedic horror screenplay by Pawan Bhatia. It follows four incompetent ghost hunters: Kevin, who believes a concussion gave him psychic powers; Carla, who sees visions mostly about laundry; Massimo, a skeptic who blames drafts; and Gianluca, who announces he is falling on his face whenever frightened. They drive into the mountains on Halloween, their car dies, and they reach the Hermit Motel, where the silent Clerk gives them Room 13. The motel is haunted, but not maliciously. Its ghosts are lonely, bored, and desperate for company. A skeleton in a wheelchair named Gerald zooms through hallways. An ice machine named Ferdinand speaks gently and only wants gratitude. A mannequin head warns them to check out. Nonna Concetta, a ghostly Italian grandmother, feeds them perfect lasagna and discovers Massimo is the grandson of her old cooking rival. The ghosts host synchronized swimming, a towel museum, karaoke, and bingo. When Kevin accidentally destroys the motel's only television, the ghosts put the group on trial for ruining their beloved soap opera, Il Cuore Tradito. The sentence: attend the Halloween party and discover the show's missing finale. The silent Clerk, Dennis, was an extra on the show and has kept the final episode for thirty-seven years. He finally delivers his one line: the baby belongs to the baker, revealing the baby was always a loaf of bread. The punchline delights every ghost. Meanwhile, a realtor arrives with demolition plans. The group pitches reopening the motel as a haunted tourist attraction, saving it from an outlet mall. Gerald finally wins bingo, the Monk achieves enlightenment, and everyone celebrates. At dawn, the ghosts fade. The four friends drive away, realizing they forgot to tip the Clerk. They promise to return, maybe. The post-credits scene reveals Dennis still received no tip. The screenplay mixes slapstick, ghost jokes, Italian family comedy, and genuine warmth. It argues that even the dead mostly want what the living want: companionship, forgiveness, a good meal, and someone to finally reveal how the soap opera ends. House of Lost Souls treats horror as loneliness with a sense of humor, turning scares into running gags and ghosts into flawed, funny, needy people. It is less about terror than about hospitality, memory, and the small dignities that make eternity bearable. The four visitors leave changed, having found friendship, forgiveness, and a very strange idea of home.