|
DARK OF THE MOON An Original Screenplay
Josh Becker June 6, 1987 EXT. LONE LAKE - DAY Lone Lake is a small body of water. A full moon sits in the daylight sky above the lake. It is surrounded by thick woods, an old residential section, a beach and a clubhouse. It is a pleasant, quiet, atmospheric community. EXT. CLUBHOUSE - DAY The clubhouse is a square wooden building with a cement deck. Sitting alone in a big wooden chair is an old man wearing a skipper's cap. He is silhouetted against the water. EXT. DOWNTOWN LONE LAKE - DAY The downtown area of Lone Lake is simply a row of stores, a gas station and a school. EXT. LONE LAKE BARBER SHOP - DAY The barber pole swirls. Through the front window we can see two bored barbers reading the newspaper with the TV on. EXT. IGA GROCERY STORE - DAY IGA Grocery is a small store. A stockboy carries an old woman's groceries to her car. EXT. ED DOWNING'S DRUG STORE - DAY A large mortar and pestle sit in the window of the drug store collecting dust. EXT. VILLAGE SNACK SHOP - DAY Many kid's bicycles block the entrance. A mailman with an ice cream cone has difficulty getting out. EXT. LONE LAKE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - DAY Lone Lake Elementary School is an old brick building with many trees shading it. The school bell rings and children come streaming out the doors. They carry lunch boxes and school books. At the crosswalk in front of the school a crossing guard holding a stop sign halts traffic. The children cross the street. EXT. IGA GROCERY STORE - DAY A little girl, followed by two little boys break away from the group. She is JESSICA STRAND, a pretty, five and a half year old with long dark hair that forms a widow's peak at her hairline. She carries a Barbie lunchbox. The boys are JIMMY and STEVIE. They are both six years old. Jimmy has black hair and Stevie is fat. They both have baseball mitts. They are teasing Jessica. JIMMY
JESSICA
STEVIE
JESSICA
Jessica tries to walk away but they follow her. Standing nearby is BRIAN CUMMINGS, a lanky, six year old with blond hair. He carries a "Six Million Dollar Man" lunchbox. He has a baseball and a mitt. Brian sees Jimmy and Stevie teasing Jessica. He takes the baseball out of the mitt and throws it at them. BRIAN Jimmy and Stevie are caught off guard. They turn too late, miss the ball and have to run for it. Brian runs up to Jessica. BRIAN
Jessica smiles. JESSICA
Jimmy and Stevie return with the ball and toss it to Brian. JIMMY
Brian looks at Jessica, then back to Jimmy and Stevie. BRIAN
Jimmy and Stevie start to leave. STEVIE
JIMMY
As they walk away they chant. JIMMY
& STEVIE Jessica goes over to the gumball machines in front of the store. She has pennies in her hand. JESSICA
Brian follows her. BRIAN
Jessica gets them both gumballs. They put them in their mouths and chew. Brian points at the quarter machine with the neat toys inside. BRIAN
JESSICA
Brian takes a quarter out of his pocket. He puts in the quarter and turns the knob. Brian looks at Jessica in suspense. He opens the door and the plastic capsule drops into his hand. It is the super ball. Jessica's eyes light up. Brian smiles and hands her the capsule. BRIAN
Jessica is really happy. JESSICA
Brian laughs. Jessica smiles. JESSICA
Brian looks down at his baseball and mitt, then up to Jessica and smiles. BRIAN
Jessica grins and they leave. EXT. LONE LAKE - DAY Jessica and Brian walks past the glimmering lake. Seagulls circle above the water, cawing and swooping down. EXT. TREE LINED STREET - DAY Jessica and Brian walk up a tree-lined street. Jessica bounces the superball and it flies high into the air. Brian catches it. EXT. BUTTRAM'S HOUSE - DAY They pass a house that only has half of the cedar siding up. A man is out in front watering his lawn. He is RANDY BUTTRAM. BRIAN RANDY
Jessica and Brian both giggle. They keep walking. EXT. CUMMINGS' HOUSE - DAY They walk past Brian's house. His mother, MRS. CUMMINGS, a thin, blonde woman, works in her garden. She looks up as the kids pass. MRS.
CUMMINGS BRIAN MRS.
CUMMINGS JESSICA EXT. STRAND HOUSE - DAY Next door to the Cummings' house is Jessica's house. It is an old red Tudor house with large bay windows and three stories. Beyond the Strand house is woods. The street ends right there in a cul-de-sac. The curtains in the front window are pulled aside. A face appears in the window looking at the two kids. Jessica and Brian cut across the lawn toward the backyard. EXT. BACK YARD - DAY Separating the houses is a thick line of hedges. Behind the house is a tall wooden fence. The two kids go to where the hedges meet the fence. Jessica gets down on her hands and knees. JESSICA
Jessica crawls under the hedges. Brian follows her. INT. HIDING PLACE - DAY The two kids crawl through a pathway under the hedges. They arrive at an open area under the hedges that's like the inside of an igloo. Sunlight streams through the foliage in thin little beams. Brian looks around. Jessica has a little house set up. A box is set as a table. It has a table cloth and plastic cups and dishes on it. Several dolls lie around. BRIAN
JESSICA
Jessica bends over and kisses Brian on the cheek. Brian recoils and wipes his cheek. BRIAN
JESSICA
BRIAN
JESSICA BRIAN
JESSICA
BRIAN
JESSICA Brian rolls his eyes. BRIAN
Suddenly they hear Jessica's mother's voice. She yells in a strident, desperate tone. JESSICA'S
MOTHER (O.S.) Jessica looks sadly at Brian. JESSICA
Brian smiles. BRIAN
JESSICA
Brian touches his cheek where she kissed him. BRIAN
Jessica leaves and goes into the house. INT. STRAND HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY JESSICA
Jessica puts her lunchbox on the counter and goes to the cookie jar. She takes out three Oreos. Jessica opens the refrigerator, takes out a bottle of milk, shuts the door -- and there stands her Mother, MELANIE. She is a slim, attractive brunette with dark circles under her eyes. Jessica is startled. Melanie takes the milk out of Jessica's hand and puts it back in the refrigerator. MELANIE
She slams the refrigerator door shut. Melanie snatches the cookies from Jessica's hand. MELANIE
Melanie puts the cookies back in the jar. MELANIE
Jessica solemnly does as she's told. INT. JESSICA'S BEDROOM - DAY Her room is filled with blue child size furniture, Dr. Suess books on the shelf and a collection of wind-up toys on the dresser: Felix The Cat, Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. She also has a Barbie's doll house with all the accessories. On the headboard of her bed sits a Raggedy Andy doll. Jessica goes to the window and looks out. Brian is playing catch with Jimmy and Stevie in his yard next door. Brian looks up and sees Jessica at the window. He smiles and waves. Jessica waves back. Brian goes back to playing catch. Jessica sits down on her bed, her hands folded in her lap. Tears stream down her cheeks as she sits all by herself. The voices of the playing children grows distant and indistinct. Jessica's lifeless toys sit all around her and seem to be staring at her. DISSOLVE TO: INT. JESSICA'S BEDROOM - DUSK Jessica's bedroom door opens and there stands her Father, JONATHAN STRAND. He is a tall, muscular, dark-haired man of thirty-five. He smokes an old wooden pipe and smiles at his daughter. JONATHAN Jessica jumps up with joy and runs to her Father. She sings the next verse of the song, "What's New, Pussycat?" JESSICA
They hug and kiss. Jonathan picks her up and sits down on the bed. JONATHAN Jessica looks down at the floor. JESSICA JONATHAN JESSICA Jonathan doesn't understand. JONATHAN JESSICA Jonathan shakes his head and frowns. He holds Jessica closer. JONATHAN Jessica looks worried. JESSICA
Jonathan shakes his head and shrugs. JONATHAN
Jessica reaches into her pocket and takes out the super ball. JESSICA
Jonathan takes the super ball and looks at it. JONATHAN
He gives it a bounce and catches it. JONATHAN
He hands it back to Jessica. She puts it in her pocket. Jonathan takes Jessica's hand. JONATHAN
INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT A serving spoon dumps peas onto a plate. Then another spoonful, then another... Jonathan and Jessica sit at the kitchen table. They watch in silence as Melanie literally fills Jessica's plate with peas. Melanie looks suspiciously at her husband and daughter, then sits down at the table. Now they all sit in silence. There is only the sound of silverware on the plates and chewing. Jessica picks at her food. Suddenly Melanie drops the dish of peas on the floor where it shatters. Jonathan and Jessica jump. They look at Melanie in bewilderment. Melanie looks at them both and smiles. EXT. STRAND HOUSE - NIGHT The full moon shines brightly in the sky. It casts sharp shadows of the trees against the front of the house. INT. JESSICA'S BEDROOM - NIGHT Jessica tosses and turns in her bed. She is having a nightmare. Her covers are in a pile on the floor beside the bed. Suddenly her mattress gives way like a trap door and she is plummeted into a black void. Our view follows her into the void... INT. CELLAR - NIGHT ...Our view pulls out of the black void which is Jessica's open mouth. Jessica lays on a large marble slab. Many tall, dark, hooded figures crowd around her. They chant an unholy tune. Two of the hooded figures step apart revealing a large black statue of a winged creature with a fly's head. It turns it's head and looks at her. Jessica's mouth is open but no scream comes out. A hand moves down toward her face and the thumb is red -- blood red. Then a red velvet robe moves close to her face. Something gold on a chain swings near her eyes, back and forth. Jessica's hand is taken in a larger hand. One of the hooded figures moves down to her and it has Raggedy Andy's face. It takes a curved silver dagger, puts it against Jessica's palm and cuts her. INT. JESSICA'S BEDROOM - NIGHT Jessica gasps and opens her eyes. She is in her bedroom and everything is all right. Just then Raggedy Andy falls onto her face from the headboard above. Jessica flings it to the floor and bursts into tears. INT. PARENT'S BEDROOM - NIGHT The room is dark. Jessica's parents lie in bed. Jonathan sits up in bed and can hear Jessica whimpering. He looks over at Melanie who is sleeping, then he gets out of bed. He puts on his robe and slippers and leaves the room. Melanie's eyes open. She watches Jonathan leave the room. INT. UPSTAIRS HALLWAY - NIGHT Jonathan walks up the hallway. He opens Jessica's bedroom door and looks in. INT. JESSICA'S BEDROOM - NIGHT Jonathan enters the bedroom, sees the Raggedy Andy on the floor and picks it up. He steps over to the bed, picks up the sheet and blanket and covers his daughter. JONATHAN
Jonathan holds out the Raggedy Andy to Jessica. JONATHAN
Jessica pushes it away. JESSICA
Jonathan looks at Raggedy Andy and frowns. JONATHAN
Jonathan gives the doll a mighty punch in the face sending it sailing across the room. Jessica smiles. JESSICA
JONATHAN
He tucks her in and gives her a kiss, then leaves. Jessica closes her eyes. INT. UPSTAIRS HALLWAY - NIGHT Jonathan leaves Jessica's bedroom door open a crack, then goes down the stairs. INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT Jonathan crosses the darkened living room and goes into the kitchen. INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT As Jonathan enters the kitchen he takes a key from his robe pocket and unlocks the cellar door. He goes in and locks the door behind him. INT. UPSTAIRS HALLWAY - NIGHT Melanie steps out of her bedroom fully dressed. She is wearing an overcoat. In her hand is a small coat and a suitcase. She walks quietly up the hall to Jessica's room. She sets the suitcase down and enters. INT. JESSICA'S BEDROOM - NIGHT Melanie goes to Jessica and wakes her. MELANIE
Jessica answers in a loud, sleepy voice. JESSICA MELANIE
Melanie puts Jessica's coat on her, picks her up and takes her out of the room. She leaves the suitcase sitting in the hall. INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT Melanie comes down the steps holding Jessica. JESSICA MELANIE
She looks into the kitchen to the closed cellar door. She turns and comes face to face with Jonathan. JONATHAN MELANIE
JONATHAN MELANIE
JONATHAN MELANIE Jessica begins squirming in Melanie's arms. JESSICA
Melanie puts Jessica down. Jonathan steps over to her. JONATHAN
Jonathan puts his arm around Jessica and leads her toward the stairs. Suddenly Melanie appears behind him wielding a blunt heavy candlestick. She clubs Jonathan over the head as hard as she can. Once. Twice. Three times. Jessica screams bloody murder. Jonathan drops to the floor. Blood gushing from his head. Melanie drops the bloody candlestick. She steps over Jonathan's convulsing body and grabs Jessica. Jessica is kicking and screaming as Melanie drags her to the front door. EXT. STRAND HOUSE - NIGHT Jessica is screaming as loud as she can as Melanie pulls her out the front door. The full moon is beginning to eclipse in the sky above. JESSICA
MELANIE
Melanie puts Jessica into the car and drives away quickly. EXT. CUMMINGS' HOUSE - NIGHT In an upstairs window Brian can be seen with a pair of binoculars. He watches the car drive quickly up the block. INT. AUTOMOBILE - NIGHT Melanie drives the car very fast with a frantic look in her eyes. Jessica sits in the passenger seat shrieking. JESSICA Melanie hauls off and smacks Jessica face hard. Melanie screams as loud as she can. MELANIE EXT. HIGHWAY - DAWN As the car speeds up the highway the sun begins to rise. EXT. CLARKSTON CATHOLIC CHURCH - MORNING It is a very ornate Catholic church. Many cars are parked in the lot. Sunday morning mass is in session. Melanie's car pulls into the parking lot and screeches to a stop. She gets out of the car hauling Jessica behind her. They go into the church. INT. CHURCH - DAY About one hundred people sit in the pews. An old lady begins to play the organ and they all rise to their feet. Sunlight streams through the colorful stained glass windows. Melanie, dragging Jessica behind her, walks up the center aisle between the pews. Outside the sound of police sirens can be heard. The doors to the church burst open and there stands Jonathan. Dried blood coats his head and face. He is accompanied by two UNIFORMED POLICEMAN. The organ abruptly stops. Everybody in the church turns and looks at Jonathan and the two policemen. They walk slowly up the aisle toward Melanie and Jessica. POLICEMAN
#1 JONATHAN
Melanie's eyes go wide with terror as Jonathan steps over to Jessica. The two policemen step up to either side of Melanie and take hold of her arms. POLICEMAN
#2 Melanie watches as Jonathan nears Jessica, then looks down at the gun in the policeman's holster. She grabs it and aims it at Jonathan. The policeman sees what she's doing. POLICEMAN
#2 Jonathan turns. Melanie shoots him five times in the chest. Everyone in the church hits the ground. Jessica is splattered with blood. Jonathan dies in a heap beside her. Melanie turns and sees the other policeman with his gun aimed at her. She raises the smoking pistol. POLICEMAN
#1 The policeman shoots her three times. The bullets go directly through Melanie, shattering the stained glass window behind her. Melanie goes flying backward into all of the holy relics and candles. She dies on the floor at the foot of the giant gold crucifix. The Priest runs over to Melanie's body and performs the last rites. Jessica looks from her dead Mother, to her dead Father. She looks up at the broken stained glass window. Her eyes are glazed. She is in a state of shock. Large pieces of colored glass drop to the ground and shatter into a million pieces. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. MULLIGAN'S FUNERAL HOME - DAY A hearse and several black Cadillacs sit in the circular driveway of Mulligan's Funeral Home. INT. FUNERAL HOME - DAY There are about fifteen mourners dressed in black scattered around the large room. Two open caskets repose in the front of the room. Jessica wears a black dress and approaches the two caskets. In the casket to her right is her dead Father. His face is pasty white with strange, unnatural make-up. To her left is her dead Mother. Jessica feels compelled to reach out and touch her Mother's face. She hesitantly moves her hand nearer. Just as her fingertip is about to touch her Mother s cheek Melanie's eyes open! Melanie's corpse becomes reanimated, opens its mouth and brutally bites Jessica's hand. Jessica screams as her Mother's teeth sink deep into her skin. Jessica tries to pull her hand away and blood begins gushing out of the wound. Jessica finally yanks free. Melanie, with blood coating her face, sits up in her casket. She grabs hold of Jessica's hair and pulls her into the casket with her. The Priest steps up from behind and slams the casket's lid shut. Jessica's horrified face goes black. INT. DORM ROOM - NIGHT Jessica bolts awake and she is now eighteen years old! She is very attractive with long brown hair that comes to a widow's peak in front. Jessica gasps and breathes heavily. A female voice comes from the bunk above. MARCY
(O.S.) JESSICA MARCY
(O.S.) JESSICA
MARCY, a cute seventeen year old wearing a tee shirt and bikini underwear, hops off the top bunk and sits on Jessica's bed. MARCY
Jessica laughs. JESSICA
Marcy reaches between her mattress and box springs. She retrieves an empty pack of Newports and squishes it. MARCY Jessica's eyes light up. JESSICA
MARCY
JESSICA
Jessica and Marcy both put on jeans and tennis shoes. They open the window and climb out. EXT. FIRE ESCAPE - NIGHT Marcy and Jessica come through the window onto the fire escape. Marcy closes the window behind them loudly. JESSICA
Jessica starts down the steps. Marcy follows. One floor down is a lighted window. Inside is MRS. STEVENS, a slim middle- aged woman wearing half glasses, sitting at her desk working. JESSICA MARCY
Jessica is watching Mrs. Stevens intently. JESSICA
Jessica darts past the window. Marcy panics for a second, then quickly follows. EXT. CLARKSTON FOSTER CARE CENTER - NIGHT The square three story building is illuminated by moonlight. A sign in front says, "Clarkston Foster Care Center." Jessica and Marcy sneak around the side of the building. They are acting like escaped convicts. Jessica scopes out the rooftop. JESSICA Marcy rolls her eyes and smiles. MARCY JESSICA Jessica makes a mad dash across the lawn. Marcy follows close behind. EXT. JOE'S PARTY STORE - NIGHT Jessica and Marcy arrive at an all night liquor store. They are out of breath. They go inside. INT. JOE'S PARTY STORE - NIGHT They go up to the counter. No one is around except the store CLERK, a tall, stern-looking man reading Penthouse. He looks at the girls and reluctantly closes the magazine. MARCY Jessica eyes the liquor. JESSICA Marcy is surprised. The Clerk reaches for the Tequila and sets it on the counter. Jessica takes money out of her pocket. He looks more closely at Jessica. CLERK Jessica hands the Clerk her I.D. He scrutinizes it for a long, tense moment. He hands it back. CLERK He rings it up. He puts the Tequila in a bag and hands it to her. Marcy turns and hugs Jessica. MARCY Jessica holds up the bottle. JESSICA EXT. FIRE ESCAPE - NIGHT Jessica hands the half empty bottle to Marcy. On the railing beside them is a long line of stubbed-out butts. Jessica adds another. JESSICA
She takes a drink and dribbles on herself. MARCY
JESSICA
MARCY
JESSICA
MARCY
JESSICA
The look at each other and begin to hum the opening bars of "The Patty Duke Show." JESSICA
MARCY
JESSICA
& MARCY Marcy looks all around in concern. MARCY
JESSICA
|
BECKERFILMS
SITE MENU
[
Main ] [ Film
& TV Work ] [ Screenplays
] [
Old Stuff ]
[ Reviews ]
[ Articles, Essays & Stories
] [
Ask the Director ]
[ Favorite Films ]
[ Scrapbook ]
[ Links (& Afterword)
] [ Web
Team ]
This
site is the property of Josh Becker
Copyright © 2003 Panoramic Pictures, All Rights Reserved.
