Of anyone reading this blog -- does this seem like a good opening for a movie?
EXT. DESERT HIGHWAY - DAY
Bleak. Empty except for a solitary SUV barrelling down it.
IN THE SUV
A California-style yuppie couple -- RANDALL and TABITHA.
TABITHA
I say, “Go left.” But does he listen? Oh, no, Mr. “I always know where I’m going” can’t take any suggestions from his wife. Never.
RANDALL
Tabitha!
TABITHA
Randall! We haven’t seen another car for an hour. Turn around.
RANDALL
There’ll be something, soon!
TABITHA
Please! We can’t even pick up a country music station on the radio!
RANDALL
You want me to drop some “country” on you?
TABITHA
“Short cut!”
A building appears ahead, nestled between elegant rock formations the look out over a desert valley.
TABITHA (CONT'D)
Stop there. Get directions.
RANDALL
Fine! Fine.
EXT. WE-COME INN - DAY
Old. Long and low-slung. A sign says it’s the “Welcome Inn”, but the “L” has broken off, leaving only a shadow of itself. It's a mess -- except for the HUGE bean-shaped pool; that is empty and perfectly clean. The SUV pulls to a stop and Randall gets out. Tabitha joins him.
RANDALL
Way to go, Tabitha.
The office door CREAKS open. An OLD MAN peers out, dressed in ratty jeans, a wife-beater and boots.
OLD MAN
Welcome to Welcome Inn. You folks lost?
RANDALL
Well...
TABITHA
Yes.
OLD MAN
Where you aimin’ for?
RANDALL
Vegas.
OLD MAN
That’s east. You’re headed west.
Tabitha glares at Randall.
RANDALL
How do we get back to the road?
OLD MAN
Got a map in my office.
TABITHA
Do you have a wash-room?
OLD MAN
Unit One’s open. Use that.
He leads Randall to the office. Tabitha heads for Unit One.
TABITHA
(muttering)
Why does this remind me of a slasher movie?
INT. OFFICE - DAY
Derelict. The Old Man leads Randall in.
OLD MAN
Only time folks stop here, now, is they’re lost.
RANDALL
How do you make a living?
Old Man just smiles and shakes his head.
INT. UNIT ONE - DAY
Dark. Dank. Nothing newer than 1950. Looks untouched for years. Tabitha enters and she’s wary. She goes to
THE BATHROOM
Definitely 1950’s and nasty. Tabitha flushes the toilet, testing it. It works, but a GROAN is heard.
TABITHA
Perfect.
INT. OFFICE - DAY
The Old Man shows Randall a fold-out map -- from the 50’s.
OLD MAN
Let’s see -- this road here. Ten miles up. Go right. Should get you back to the One-twenty-seven. Connect with the Fifteen at Baker.
RANDALL
How old is this map?
OLD MAN
That matter?
RANDALL
Well -- is the road still there?
OLD MAN
Was, a few years back.
INT. UNIT ONE/BATHROOM - DAY
Tabitha sort of washes her hands. The water is brown. She HEARS a THUMPH. Looks around. Shrugs and dries her hands. HEARS SKITTERING noises.
TABITHA
Okay, that was NOT the pipes.
She exits the bathroom and heads for the door. The bathroom door closes. The front door SLAMS SHUT! The room is totally dark. She tries to open the front door. It’s stuck.
TABITHA (CONT'D)
Randall! Randall, the door’s stuck! Randall!!
More SKITTERING NOISES. Getting closer.
TABITHA (CONT'D)
If a rat touches me...
A WHISPERY CHUCKLE comes from the darkness. Now she’s spooked. She pulls at the door. It will not budge. She pounds on it.
TABITHA (CONT'D)
RANDALL!
The SKITTERING gets closer. Closer. She grows frantic. Tries to kick the door down. Smash it down. Anything!
INT. OFFICE - DAY
Randall HEARS her pounding. Looks around.
OLD MAN
Door must be stuck, again.
Randall smirks.
INT. UNIT ONE - DAY
Tabitha tries a window. Pushes heavy curtains aside to find the windows are blacked out. She scrambles to the bathroom. That door is also stuck.
The NOISES STOP. Complete SILENCE. Tabitha slowly looks around.
The WHISPERY CHUCKLE is heard, again.
A BLACK FORM rises in the darkness. Two red dots shine in the middle of it.
Tabitha slams against the door, horrified. Rope-like metallic tentacles wrap around her head. She SHRIEKS.
EXT. WE-COME INN - DAY
Randall HEARS. Bolts from the office. The Old Man does not move. Randall runs up to Unit One and slams against the door!
RANDALL
Tabitha! Tabitha!!
The door finally opens! He sees inside. Freezes.
RANDALL (CONT’D)
Tab -- ?
A tentacle jumps out and YANKS HIM IN. The door slams!
The Old Man wanders out of the office and up to the door. He opens it. A set of car keys are spit out at him. He catches them, gets in the SUV and drives behind the building.
EXT. DESERT ROCKS - DAY
The mouth of a cave. The Old Man drives the SUV down to the entrance. Parked nearby is an old pickup truck covered with dirt and shrubs, as if being hidden. Just beyond the truck are two cars covered with dirt and surrounded by brush, like they’ve been there for years. The Old Man gets out and wanders into the cave.
INT. CAVE - DAY
The big opening quickly becomes several small side caves. The walls gleam, unnaturally. The Old Man touches one wall. A BRIGHT FLASH and -- NOW HE LOOKS LIKE RANDALL! The old man’s wife-beater and jeans fit him like a glove. He flexes his muscles, joyous in his tattooed skin.
OLD MAN/RANDALL
Shit, you wasn’t kiddin’.
A GROAN is HEARD. Randall nods.
OLD MAN/RANDALL (CONT’D)
I know, I know. Need folk nobody’ll miss. Be easy.
He returns to the mouth of the cave and looks out over the desert. Sees nothingness forever. He grins -- and it is spooky.
EXT. DESERT HIGHWAY - DAY
Bleak. Empty except for a solitary SUV barrelling down it.
IN THE SUV
A California-style yuppie couple -- RANDALL and TABITHA.
TABITHA
I say, “Go left.” But does he listen? Oh, no, Mr. “I always know where I’m going” can’t take any suggestions from his wife. Never.
RANDALL
Tabitha!
TABITHA
Randall! We haven’t seen another car for an hour. Turn around.
RANDALL
There’ll be something, soon!
TABITHA
Please! We can’t even pick up a country music station on the radio!
RANDALL
You want me to drop some “country” on you?
TABITHA
“Short cut!”
A building appears ahead, nestled between elegant rock formations the look out over a desert valley.
TABITHA (CONT'D)
Stop there. Get directions.
RANDALL
Fine! Fine.
EXT. WE-COME INN - DAY
Old. Long and low-slung. A sign says it’s the “Welcome Inn”, but the “L” has broken off, leaving only a shadow of itself. It's a mess -- except for the HUGE bean-shaped pool; that is empty and perfectly clean. The SUV pulls to a stop and Randall gets out. Tabitha joins him.
RANDALL
Way to go, Tabitha.
The office door CREAKS open. An OLD MAN peers out, dressed in ratty jeans, a wife-beater and boots.
OLD MAN
Welcome to Welcome Inn. You folks lost?
RANDALL
Well...
TABITHA
Yes.
OLD MAN
Where you aimin’ for?
RANDALL
Vegas.
OLD MAN
That’s east. You’re headed west.
Tabitha glares at Randall.
RANDALL
How do we get back to the road?
OLD MAN
Got a map in my office.
TABITHA
Do you have a wash-room?
OLD MAN
Unit One’s open. Use that.
He leads Randall to the office. Tabitha heads for Unit One.
TABITHA
(muttering)
Why does this remind me of a slasher movie?
INT. OFFICE - DAY
Derelict. The Old Man leads Randall in.
OLD MAN
Only time folks stop here, now, is they’re lost.
RANDALL
How do you make a living?
Old Man just smiles and shakes his head.
INT. UNIT ONE - DAY
Dark. Dank. Nothing newer than 1950. Looks untouched for years. Tabitha enters and she’s wary. She goes to
THE BATHROOM
Definitely 1950’s and nasty. Tabitha flushes the toilet, testing it. It works, but a GROAN is heard.
TABITHA
Perfect.
INT. OFFICE - DAY
The Old Man shows Randall a fold-out map -- from the 50’s.
OLD MAN
Let’s see -- this road here. Ten miles up. Go right. Should get you back to the One-twenty-seven. Connect with the Fifteen at Baker.
RANDALL
How old is this map?
OLD MAN
That matter?
RANDALL
Well -- is the road still there?
OLD MAN
Was, a few years back.
INT. UNIT ONE/BATHROOM - DAY
Tabitha sort of washes her hands. The water is brown. She HEARS a THUMPH. Looks around. Shrugs and dries her hands. HEARS SKITTERING noises.
TABITHA
Okay, that was NOT the pipes.
She exits the bathroom and heads for the door. The bathroom door closes. The front door SLAMS SHUT! The room is totally dark. She tries to open the front door. It’s stuck.
TABITHA (CONT'D)
Randall! Randall, the door’s stuck! Randall!!
More SKITTERING NOISES. Getting closer.
TABITHA (CONT'D)
If a rat touches me...
A WHISPERY CHUCKLE comes from the darkness. Now she’s spooked. She pulls at the door. It will not budge. She pounds on it.
TABITHA (CONT'D)
RANDALL!
The SKITTERING gets closer. Closer. She grows frantic. Tries to kick the door down. Smash it down. Anything!
INT. OFFICE - DAY
Randall HEARS her pounding. Looks around.
OLD MAN
Door must be stuck, again.
Randall smirks.
INT. UNIT ONE - DAY
Tabitha tries a window. Pushes heavy curtains aside to find the windows are blacked out. She scrambles to the bathroom. That door is also stuck.
The NOISES STOP. Complete SILENCE. Tabitha slowly looks around.
The WHISPERY CHUCKLE is heard, again.
A BLACK FORM rises in the darkness. Two red dots shine in the middle of it.
Tabitha slams against the door, horrified. Rope-like metallic tentacles wrap around her head. She SHRIEKS.
EXT. WE-COME INN - DAY
Randall HEARS. Bolts from the office. The Old Man does not move. Randall runs up to Unit One and slams against the door!
RANDALL
Tabitha! Tabitha!!
The door finally opens! He sees inside. Freezes.
RANDALL (CONT’D)
Tab -- ?
A tentacle jumps out and YANKS HIM IN. The door slams!
The Old Man wanders out of the office and up to the door. He opens it. A set of car keys are spit out at him. He catches them, gets in the SUV and drives behind the building.
EXT. DESERT ROCKS - DAY
The mouth of a cave. The Old Man drives the SUV down to the entrance. Parked nearby is an old pickup truck covered with dirt and shrubs, as if being hidden. Just beyond the truck are two cars covered with dirt and surrounded by brush, like they’ve been there for years. The Old Man gets out and wanders into the cave.
INT. CAVE - DAY
The big opening quickly becomes several small side caves. The walls gleam, unnaturally. The Old Man touches one wall. A BRIGHT FLASH and -- NOW HE LOOKS LIKE RANDALL! The old man’s wife-beater and jeans fit him like a glove. He flexes his muscles, joyous in his tattooed skin.
OLD MAN/RANDALL
Shit, you wasn’t kiddin’.
A GROAN is HEARD. Randall nods.
OLD MAN/RANDALL (CONT’D)
I know, I know. Need folk nobody’ll miss. Be easy.
He returns to the mouth of the cave and looks out over the desert. Sees nothingness forever. He grins -- and it is spooky.
2 comments:
Oooooooo! Creepy. A nice Halloween tale. Is that something that just popped into your head?
Actually, it's a script I was working on -- skateboarder kids v. a creature, like "The Blob" or "The Giant Gila Monster" -- and stopped. Contemplating getting back into it.
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