i. today

the first day.

Transcript

Who’s Afraid of the Dark

Written by A.B. Lamp & Cora Lynn Lassen

“Places, like people, sometimes go wrong. They turn off the path and head into the shadows, becoming something other than normal.”

-Dennis Detwiller

Director’s Note: The project will be recorded using multiple cameras and formats. As a general rule, physical film represents subjectivity, digital embodies objectivity, while tape represents the remembered/reexamined.

PART ONE: TODAY

1 INT. OUT OF A PLANE WINDOW - DAY

The skyline of L.A. or NYC as a plane descends.

FATHER (V.O.)

It starts with a fight.

2 INT. FRATERNITY COMMONS - EVENING

COLOR FILM: Chaos, shoving, pushing, boys in period clothing excitedly shouting and gathering. Somebody’s pouring drinks, which are spilling.

BOYS

They’re really gonna do it!

He’s pissed off this time!

I think he’s just pissed.

He’s gonna kill him.

FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!

Whip ‘em Murphy!

etc.

A tight, jostling circle forms around two boys, young, 19 or 20.

An older, bigger lad holds them apart. They snarl like dogs at one another. Somebody pours booze down the chin of contestant #1, a young man with shaggy hair. Others are exaggeratedly holding SHAGGY back. Contestant #2, in contrast, is calm, smiling. Cooly appraising, amused even, he removes his watch and signature glasses. GLASSES then suddenly throws a punch.

It may break the other boy’s nose - draws blood. This is clearly a dirty move and ALL react accordingly. Some lay hands on the calm, smiling boy while others are shoved off of tending the bleeding boy, SHAGGY, who instead lunges angrily and is caught by the other boy in a sort of embrace that lasts just a moment before SHAGGY is shoved away. GLASSES, glasses-less, is squinting, takes a step back, then puts his hands behind his back, smiles differently.

SHAGGY, ever more enraged, hesitates a moment then slaps GLASSES across his face. This is met by surprise and laughter. Pushing, back and forth and another caught punch. Now they’re dancing.

3 INT. OUTSIDE A CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY

FATHER, frowning, from over the shoulder of another man in a black or navy business suit. FATHER in an ill-fitting oddly muted colored suit and a colorful loose tie. The muted sound of…

SUIT

It’s just not what we’re looking for at this time. Some of the themes, they’re not quite right for our brand identity, that’s all. We feel you’ll be better off somewhere else.

FATHER stares off down the hall, cross-dissolve to…

4 INT. AIRPORT TERMINAL - DAY

FATHER catches himself staring off, looks around, finds a seat.

SFX: Text alert. Father looks down.

INSERT: He opens the app Blinks on his phone. There are several incoming texts from “Honey 🍯”. They read;

“How’d the meeting go?” “You okay?” “We can’t wait to see you!” w/ a picture attached of a woman, presumably honey, and a young BOY with a glazed look in his eye, looking up from a phone. A GIRL is seen in the background, leaving the room. She is reminiscent of a ghost caught on camera.

A song is playing in the airport bar. Let’s say free fallin’. Father is somehow having an evident emotional reaction to the song, lets out an audible sigh as it ends (or at an appropriately sighable moment). His neighbor at the bar speaks up:

BARMATE

Great song, huh?

FATHER

Yeah. Pretty classic.

BARMATE

Man, he was one of the greats. Gone too soon, if you ask me.

FATHER

Yeah, you said it.

Genuine. Beat.

BARMATE

Rough day?

FATHER

I hate airports.

BARMATE

Tell me about it. It’s like you’re in this huge rush, getting all your stuff together, running around, then you get where you’re going, and you just…wait. Drives me crazy.

FATHER

Yeah. Rushing to wait.

BARMATE

Yeah. (Beat) Hey man, you heard about the carnivore diet? You gotta balance your hormones, what with all the soy and 5G in the modern diet. Dudes are growing boobs.

FATHER

Sorry?

BARMATE

I’m serious. More and more dudes getting boobs every day. Hormones all outta whack. But if you eat pure meat, you can fight back.

FATHER

You *only* eat meat?

BARMATE

Yeah, I know what you’re thinking. My shits must be crazy. And they are! See that bathroom? I just WRECKED it before I sat down. Was in there for like an hour. But that’s the toxins leaving your body. Nasty on the way out. The *hormones* leaving your body, I mean. The girl hormones.

FATHER

Yeah, I don’t know what you’re talking about. (Going to leave)

BARMATE

You should check out Mammoth Man on Blinks. He really opened my eyes. We’re not meant to live like this. We gotta return to our ancestral roots.

FATHER

(Leaving) Pretty sure our ancestors ate vegetables.

FATHER rises and looks over at a couple of boys drinking at the airport bar, laughing. FATHER flips through the pages of his screenplay, dejectedly.

5 INT. ATTIC BEDROOM - GOLDEN HOUR

COLOR FILM: The boys who were fighting are bandaged now, the one more so than the other. They ache bad and touch one another where it’s tender. They grimace and playfully swat but the pain really is bad. GLASSES hops off the bed, pulls out a small wooden box with a lock on it from under the bed.

In the boy with glasses hand is a key. Key goes in lock and voilà open sesame the box is open. Inside, a needle and vial on a velvet cloth.

GLASSES

Ever tried it?

SHAGGY

(Shaking his head no)

Have you?

GLASSES

(Smirking)

Oh yeah, loads of times.

Once, before. When I broke my arm. And that hurt way the hell less than right now- So I can’t imagine the agony you must be in.

SHAGGY

Shut up-

SHAGGY pulls a punch on GLASSES’ shoulder and the strain hurts him more than the punch did for sure.

I’ll go first.

GLASSES

Oh, there was no question. Otherwise who would put me 

under.

SHAGGY

I could do it. What’s so hard about poking a vein.

GLASSES

(Prepping the needle, taking up a precise amount of dark brown liquid. And squirting a tiny bubble out)

Okay, sport.

SHAGGY

What? I’m serious.

GLASSES

You’re disrespecting my profession./ Now, roll up your 

sleeve.

SHAGGY 

/You’re a student!

GLASSES

And that means I know a hell of a lot more than you do, 

idiot actor boy. Now, roll up your sleeve.

SHAGGY takes off his shirt, sweat-drenched.

or do that.

GLASSES leans in close, brings the needle to SHAGGY’s arm.

Ready?

SHAGGY

Hit me.

GLASSES

Don’t tempt me.

SHAGGY smiles, GLASSES injects the heroine. SHAGGY slips backwards in bliss and GLASSES catches him with his other arm, though SHAGGY can hold himself. With one hand, GLASSES goes through the same process again, brings the needle to his arm- in control of himself again, SHAGGY sits up, somewhat unsteadily, head swimming.

SHAGGY

I’ll do it.

GLASSES

(Laughing)

Not a chance.

SHAGGY reaches for the needle, GLASSES lets him take his hand and together they press into GLASSES’ arm, inject - they both swim over, blissfully floating in each other’s arms. 

SHAGGY

That light... It's so beautiful. I’d ever seen it before.

SHAGGY pulls GLASSES in, and kisses him deeply.

GATE AGENT (V.O.)

Flight 1471 to Des Moines, now boarding.

4 CON. INT. AIRPORT TERMINAL - DAY

FATHER looks over, out of his daze.

GATE AGENT (V.O.)

All groups now boarding Flight 1471 to-

GATE AGENT (V.O.)

Now inviting all guests with disabilities and Active Duty 

military personnel to board flight 616 to Phoenix

FATHER’s phone buzzes - a facetime from “Honey 🍯”. He considers ignoring it, thinking of his boy’s face and the disappointment he’s encountered but, hastily, answers.

4.5 INT. AIRPORT TERMINAL/LIVING ROOM - DAY

A split-screen of two facetime calls simultaneously. The woman from the pictures sent earlier appears. Thin voices are echoed by the distortion and slight delay in the call.

MOTHER     

FATHER

Hi

Hi honey, I-

How are you doing?

Fine.

How’d the meeting go?

They passed. I didn’t get it.

Oh, well-

It’s fine.

I’m sorry, sweetheart. That’s disappointing.

You can always try another-

What’s the point?

It was a longshot anyways, right?

Oh, great./ I mean, Yeah, right.

What?

No, yeah, I guess. Nothing?

Alright. We’re very proud of you.

Why?

Beca- You’re trying for your dreams. You’re really going for it.

It’s a nightmare. I wouldn’t greenlight it. Look, I-

Don’t say that. Look who’s here!

Look, I have to board the plane.

Daddy’s coming home!

I gotta- I gotta go.

Can you say hi?

Sweetie? It’s daddy…/

Hey champ!

Sweetie?

I guess he’s distracted right now.

Well, can he-

Yeah, no time for his old man.

Oh, honey, no. He-

It’s okay, don’t bother the kid. I’ll see you later.

FATHER hangs up the call.

5 INT. LIVING ROOM - DAY

MOTHER is in the living room with her son, both isolated, him slightly in the dark, illuminated by the glow of a phone. She stares at him across from her. Blue light flashes across his face.

Cutaway to the images which flicker across the screen. Each lasts a few seconds at most before moving onto the next. The BOY’s feed is innocent enough, mostly animal videos, but interspersed with the occasional creepy urban exploration video– always the feeling that something is lurking just off-screen.

Then– a strange pattern appears, the same length as the other clips but entirely different. Shapes and codes, dots flashing at specific points on the screen.

In his left eye a tear begins to run down his face.

A moment later it’s gone, as if it had never been there.

MOTHER

Sweetie? Look at me?

He does so. A tight on his eye. Match-cut to:

(NOTE: instead of a match-cut, may need a series of shots of the empty house to establish their relative positions in the house.)

6 INT. ATTIC ROOM - DAY

The Blinks logo on another cell phone screen, a stylized eye that resembles a ‘b’ turned on its side. The cascade of images begins to play. A GIRL, sitting on the bed, stares at her phone, same as her brother downstairs. The room is barren and empty.

INSERT: Her face on a screen from the perspective of her phone’s front-facing camera in a dark office setting.

The girl’s face lacks almost all emotion except perhaps resignation and exhaustion. 

Returning to her feed, which includes “must-have” beauty products, people mad at celebrity Luke DiLucas for his apparent grooming, people doing rapid-speed unboxings, people facing imminent eviction asking for money, Tarot card pulls, etc. she swipes away text notifications; “wyd?” while a conversation carries on faintly downstairs.

MOTHER

Let’s be done with the phone today, okay?

BOY

Why?

MOTHER

Well, I think you’ve had enough?

BOY

Nuh-huh.

In a wide shot, the GIRL appears isolated and totally alone. Even more so when we match-cut ahead to the late EVENING. Long shadows creeping in from the corners of the room.

The same pattern as appeared for the BOY now manifests for the GIRL. Again, a tear develops in her left eye, accompanied by a wave of nausea. She wipes away at it and, looking green, continues staring into her phone, it’s then that the phone freezes and powers off, having drained the battery. At last she drops the phone, basically right on her face, and takes a breath. She looks around the darkening room. 

Her eyes stop on an Instax photo of what appears to be her and GLASSES.

A closet opens, backlighting the GIRL. Before her is a bottle of bleach occupying the center-frame. She stares at it, too long, sighs, closes the closet door. 

5 CON. INT. LIVING ROOM - EVENING

MOTHER has resorted to wrestling the phone from her son’s hands. She smiles once she has it.

MOTHER

There, isn’t that better?

BOY

Can I watch TV?

MOTHER

I… sure. Why not.

GIRL, like a ghost, creeps around the corner, silently trying to slip out the door.

7 EXT. HEDGES - EVENING

Long shadows grab at the heels of the GIRL as she hurries away from the house. At the same time, a car pulls up to the corner.

Out steps FATHER. He shuts the door, stares up at the house before him ala The Exorcist. He scowls, but the house is his own and as of yet there is no monster dwelling within. On the top floor a light shines through the window. FATHER looks up at it.

8 INT. ATTIC ROOM - MORNING

The open box which contained the needle from the previous scene with SHAGGY and GLASSES. Its contents strewn across the floor. SHAGGY coming up the stairs, the camera pulling back to reveal a body, SHAGGY falling to his knees.

7 CON. EXT. HEDGES - EVENING

FATHER grips his briefcase tighter, grits his teeth, pushes on.

9 INT. FRONT HALL - EVENING

The front door swings open and FATHER stands at the threshold, haggard with suitcase in hand.

In the TV room, lit by the glow of a larger screen, BOY jumps at the sound while MOTHER jumps up to greet her husband. 

A quick peck on the lips.

MOTHER

Welcome home, darling.

You’ll get them next time.

We’re watching Spectacular Relay! Wanna join?

FATHER

Eh, I don’t know. I’m pretty beat. I think I’ll just hit the hay, if that’s alright.

MOTHER

Whatever you want. Say hi to your son on the way up.

FATHER

Of course. Hey champ! Big day?

SON

Uh-huh.

MOTHER

If you consider 8 hours of screen-time a big day…

FATHER

Who the hell let him have 8 hours of screen-time?

MOTHER

Darling, it’s what he wanted. Let him have his summer vacation.

FATHER

Some vacation. I think we could all stand to cut back.

MOTHER

What is he supposed to do while I’m working? Or running errands, or making dinner?

FATHER

I dunno, play? I mean, don’t kids play anymore?

MOTHER

Play with WHO? Are they finally gonna let you work remote? You gonna drive home on your lunch break, squeeze in a little catch?

FATHER

Toys. He has plenty of real life toys, that we paid for with real life money.

MOTHER

I — I don’t know if he KNOWS how to play — not like that.

FATHER

Everybody knows how to play.

MOTHER

Sure. The two of us, for example. We play all the time.

FATHER

Every KID knows how to play.

MOTHER

Well, he doesn’t. All he wants is the phone.

FATHER

Hey, how about some catch tomorrow?

No response.

Great.

FATHER begins to climb the stairs.

MOTHER

I think that sounds great. Don’t forget about the potluck.

FATHER

Oh God, that’s right, the whole neighborhood’s descending.

MOTHER

It’ll be fun.

FATHER

Sure it will.

MOTHER

Just make the effort.

FATHER

I will. I do.

MOTHER

Just don’t be a mope.

FATHER

I’ll do my best.

With him rounding the corner, MOTHER is left behind.

10 EXT. GRAVEYARD - NIGHT

GIRL, in a daze, wandering through a graveyard.

11 INT. MASTER BEDROOM - NIGHT

FATHER, removing his tie, his shoes, taking off his jacket, opening his case, rummaging around, finds a pill bottle, shakes a few into his hand, swallows them down dry.

MOTHER at the door.

MOTHER

I’m putting him down for the night. Want to say goodnight?

FATHER

Eh, I just took some sleeping pills.

MOTHER

Oh, did you, need to?

FATHER

The time difference. I should lay down. I’ll see him in the morning. Oh, how’s the degenerate?

10 CON. EXT. GRAVEYARD - NIGHT

GIRL finds a grave, kneels beside it.

GIRL

It’s not fair. They don’t get me like you did. They think I’m a fuckup already.

11 CON. INT. MASTER BEDROOM - NIGHT

MOTHER

Who knows, up in her room, all day like every day. Maybe you could check on her?

FATHER

The pills, honey. I’m not long for the waking world. Besides, it’s creepy up there.

MOTHER

Your script isn’t real life.

FATHER

It bears a resemblance.

MOTHER

Right.

Darling, we’re happy, aren’t we? We have everything we could ever ask for.

FATHER

Do we? I didn’t realize.

He begins reclining in bed. The sleep aids affecting him already.

MOTHER

Look around us. We’re healthy, we’re wealthy, what more could we want.

FATHER

I don’t want this conversation right now. I’m, I’m too tired for this. I never asked for anything. Is it too much to want this one thing?

MOTHER

I don’t know, maybe.

FATHER

It’s bullshit.

10 CON. EXT. GRAVEYARD - NIGHT

GIRL gets up unsteadily.

GIRL

G-goodbye. Maybe, maybe I’ll see you soon.

11 CON. INT. MASTER BEDROOM - NIGHT

MOTHER

Alright, well, I’m putting our son to bed.

FATHER

Knock yourself out…

He’s nearly unconscious.

FATHER

I have never seen that light fixture before.

MOTHER

That one?

FATHER

Yeah. That new, huh?

MOTHER

No. It’s been hanging above our bed ever since we moved in.

FATHER

Never seen it. In my life.

BEAT.

MOTHER

He’s been having bad dreams. He doesn’t sleep.

FATHER

Too much, what, Blinks? I wouldn’t sleep either with the whole fucking world flashing an inch from my face.

MOTHER

He doesn’t, we have a rule, you know this. No screens an hour before bed.

FATHER

Right, great. How’s that working out?

MOTHER

Okay, well, you’re being a jackass so, goodnight.

FATHER

Yeah, me too.

She sighs exasperatedly and starts to shut the bedroom door. 

You can’t protect him from everything. Not from the bogeyman. Every house is haunted.

MOTHER

Not ours.

FATHER

Especially ours…

Incoherent, he may be asleep. She pauses, finishes closing the door. On the other side she closes her eyes a moment before composing herself, easing into a smile.

10 CON. EXT. GRAVEYARD - NIGHT

The grave alone. The GIRL far away, the sound of a train whistle.

12 INT. BOY’S BEDROOM - NIGHT

BOY in bed. A light goes out.

MOM (V.O.)

Goodnight sweetheart, love you. Sweet dreams.

SFX: A door closing.

Near total darkness. Very dim shapes. Heavy breathing, fearful and fretful then dreadfully controlled. 

Mom outside the door, also in the dark but silhouetted perhaps by a large window, it may be a full moon - she doesn’t know.

She has quick eyes and an air of dignity but her mind is scattered by worry.

Meanwhile, in the bed chamber, things begin to take shape, like a photograph developing.

There is something in the dark - something huge. It is holding its breath. It steps slowly inside. It is heavy and somehow blacker and darker than any of the other dim dark shapes in the room.

The BOY in the bed is shutting his eyes fiercely., forcing his fluttery breath to stay consistent, to ignore that there is something else in there.

What is in the room is impossible. It appears to be, as one stares closely at a screen in a darkened room to be a horse? With an enormous black rider on top of it. An eye waters in an insert shot then Blinkss. It is. The snout of a great black horse close to the boy’s face. Outside, a train roars through the night.

13 EXT. TRAIN TRACKS - NIGHT

Still night but almost dazzling with distant street lights compared to the total darkness of the BOY’s bedroom. The train din is overwhelming. The street is empty, the freight train rolling noisily along alone. There are no souls around except one.

She is far away at first standing stockstill off the sidewalk. She isn’t going to cry about this. Still, she is crying silently, not even the coal cars will hear her sob. So she takes a big shaky breath and a step forward.

12 CON. INT. BOY’S BEDROOM - NIGHT

In the pitch-black room the faroff roar of the heavy cars. Any extra shake from slicing a body would sound like the same noise. So, death stirs…? IN the grainy lowlight this looming shape moves its huge head. The boy is relaxed by will, against his every instinct. He must appear to be asleep, must convince the figure in the room it is a dream against the evidence of his senses.

13 CON. EXT. TRAIN TRACKS - NIGHT

She snaps her head away from the whipping train, suddenly much closer than when we left her. She comes to her senses as the train nears its end. A metal sign is pointing out the side of the caboose. She screams, lurches.

12 CON. INT. BOY’S BEDROOM - NIGHT

The boy screams out. The figure snaps its head towards the sound.

14 INT. LANDING - DAY

Blinding daylight, a large boy looms in a hallway, takes two steps, pushes the POV camera over onto its back, staring up at the ceiling.

13 CON. EXT. TRAIN TRACKS - NIGHT

The girl snaps her head back, lurching away from the train - the menacing sign slices past, she falls through the air.

12 CON. INT. BOY’S BEDROOM - NIGHT

MOM outside the door looks up in terror, she shoves the door open, flips a switch. The light comes on but the bulb blows. The BOY’s eye contracts then the veins expand and the eyeball bulges, oozes, eyelids pulled back by an unheard wind, skull peeking through gore, then bony white dust and red mist.

MOTHER screams. A tear rolls down her cheek, then another, bloody.

15 EXT. GARDEN - NIGHT

A wide shot of the house from the backyard. A light flashes in a bedroom window accompanied by the faint static of electricity. Silence. A cool summer night, lit by the nearly full moon.

11 CON. INT. MASTER BEDROOM - NIGHT

FATHER is sleeping soundly in his bed. Moonlight falls on the empty spot on the mattress beside him. Darkness swallows up the sleeping pills on his bedside table whole. A shot of a still from Gone with the Wind on the wall.