"THE CRAFT" (1996)

Red Wagon Prods. Doug Wick, Producer

Several thousand feet above. Los Ange:..es.

The afternoon sun streaks through layers of smog and haze.

Another word: afraid.

The delicate curves of her features, her Bottice2..li hai::-, her creamy skin, don't hide a pervasive sadness.

S.ARAH' S _VOICE. Something stra.nge is going t·o happen here. I can't tell if I'm afraid or not. Nervous. I wish I could snap my fingers like magic and it would be a month fror.i. now. A year ...

Sarah sits next to the window, writing in'a'diary. Her father, ROGERBAILY, and her stepmother, ~ENNY, are beside her, getting ready for landing. ·

Sarah looks out the window.

Confusion-- dozens of PASSENGERS, SKYCABS, all rnar~'l.er o: PEOPLE swarm around Sarah, her father, Jen ..'l.y, as the r:::.:-ee try to find a taxi.

IN~. CAB - AFTERNOON.

Ignoring her parents' chatter, ~,rah lies back, s:ari~g o~: the window, listless, mesmerized by the city as i: g:..:.des :0:/.

: j

I .. VAR:ous A!.'JGLES- OUT THE WINDOW

ON A STREET CORNER - A WOMAN screams to high hell at her KIDS, little ones, who hold her hands, numbed by her ragir.g.

:NA CENTER DIVIDER - An old Datsun has been neatly compressed into orie third its original size by a huge deli.very truck. POLICE and PARAMEDICSare all around. Two BODIES :ie underneath blood-soaked white cloth covers. ONLOOKERS gape. SOMEONE is crying hysterically.

IN THE NEXT LANE - A jacked-down, customized, white-on-white BMW,.cruises by. One of the darkly tinted windows is rolled down. A slumped-down GANG-BANGER with a shaved head and wr~paround glasses leers at us.

ON A SIDEWALK - A towering, psychotic, HOMELESS MAN with rotting dreadlocks holds a sign aloft: "December 31, 1999 will be the erid. PREPARE!!"

Old Los Angeles: the CAB takes a turn up a hilly street.

A hodgepodge of styles: rustic lodge turned Seventies party·

bouganvillea. Eucalyptus tr·ees creak in the breeze. .

But mostly, it's isolated; there doesn't seem to be a single house anywhere nearpy.

Roger pays the cab.·

A helico:p,ter BUZ.ZESoverhead .. They look up. ·

The room is huge, with wood beam ceilings, a stuccoed-over stone fireplace. 'All of the.Bailey's possessions are stacked in the middle of the floor, draped with furnit~re pads.

Jer.ny touches a Mexican light fixture.

Jfil."Nl It's certainly got personality ...

IN':'. KITCHEN -

Sarah walks• into the kitchen, painted laquer-red, ~ith Japanese lanterns and shoj:.. screens.

The room is a hitherto unachieved shade of cadmiu."Tlyellow. Sarah comes in, sees at it and sighs'.

She opens a double-door closet, but it only leads OC'TSIDE with a several story drop and no railing or balcony.

Roger and Jenny come in, .see the Doorway to Nowhere.

Her remark annoys him.

Sarah is rummaging aro.und in the huge pile of stuff. Behir:d 1.er, the set•ting sun streams through the front door.

A figure -is moving up the .f::::-ont step$i, . completely silhouetted.

BEHIND SARAH -

doorway. The shadow holds up a snake.

G I.N ONE INSTANT:

..,,•

Sarah t:.:..::-ns, and sees a di.::-ty VAGRA...'J':'·,.,rith hollow eyes, smiling, snake in hand.

Sarah shifts into another mode.

v.:..GR.ANT' S POV OF SARAH - SOMETHINGWEIRD IS F.APPENING: BRIGH':' LIGHT starts to ema~ate from behind Sarah. And her face starts to CHANGE...

Startled, the Vagrant drops the SNAKE, steps back.

The SNAKEwriggles towards Sarah. She scrambles away, knocking a chair over.

Roger sees the Man, picks up a fireplace poker and charges at him.

·ROGER Get the fuck out of here! ! ! ! !.

The Man j_ogs back, confused. Roger slams the door, breathes ..

THROUGH A WINDOW - The Vagrant is running away, up the hillside.

ANGLE - The snake is slithering across Roger's foot.

He raises the poker and slams it down with a fleshy PLO:t--.."K.

~NT. SARAH'S ROOM- NIGHT

Sarah sits on a mattress which has been made up for bed. She eats Chinese food from a container. Roger stands i~ ~er doorway.

;(j

that lives in Griffith park ... Sut he's

I . never hurt anybody ... You're not going to I be spending any tine here by yoursel:.

Jenny or I will always be around.

s;,..p_;...H I didn't say anything.

Roger goes .

garden.

Sarah. takes the photo from a packing carton, touches the glass.

~ ~_J. Sarah lies there,-eyes·op~n.

OUT THE DOORTO NOWHERE - It's very dark.

A breeze rustles the trees. We hear the clock T:CKING .

IN~. BEDROOM - MORNING

This is a different bedroom, fully furnished, very subdued.

A teenage girl is getting out of bed, BONN:E STEWART, so~ber, ·pale, covered in a longs1eeved nightgown. She puts her 1-:a:.r up in ·a ~OI_1ytail while ·she gets r.el,:"bearings. · ·

Bor.nie pulls qut a grey Catholic school uniform. She st~ps and :oaks in her full-length closet mirror. She slips 1-:er nightgown off.

We are looking OVER HER SHOULDER, but we see just enough c: ( ·-\ some very extensive, reddish scarri~g across her sh01.....:..ders, _\:;) chest and arms.

Something awful.happened to her.

Bor_.ie looks in her own eyes, doesn't like what she sees.

BO:NNIE Yeah.

IN~. KITCHEN IN HANCOCK PARK - MORNING

An attractive, well-coiffed black MOTHER, is just finishing a

to the tastefully decorated

Rochelle scoops up some scrambl~d eggs, her second helping, · and wolfs them down.

Rochelle's Mother watches this,c~re~ully.

ROCHELI.:E To get :ny books. Is that alright?

~ \3 An ongoing tension between them.

Rochel:e is crouched over the toilet, an empty package of plain doughnuts ·lying nearby. She wipes her mouch, flushes the toilet. A KNOCK on the door.

Rochelle very carefully and silently folds up ~he doughnut wrapper and puts it in her bookbag.

She picks up stray crumbs as she goes to the door.

,.·~..,-~~~j ,,,-./ NANCY DOWNScomes·out ·of the bathroom. She wears the same uniform as the others, but with a white-trash vibe: bleach~ ·blonde hair, too much makeup, an ankle tatoo.

Nancy is face to face with RAY, paunchy, unshaven, in Rote- Rooter cover-alls. As the two maneuver past each other in the tiny hallway, Ray looks down her shirt.

Nancy scratches her cheek while giving him the 'finger.

He laughs a smoker's laugh which turns into a smoker's q:01...:.gh. Then he lights up~

EJ Nancy's mother, GRACE, is out. cold on the bed a..1nidst a ·11:...::e bottle, an over:turned ashtray, a TV Guide.

No response. Nancy goes to the purse on the bedside table, opens the wallet: _a few singles, coins. Nancy takes it all.

,

Nancy steps outside th~·dilapidated TRAILER set in the backyard of an even more· dilapidated olcl BUNGALOW.

Nancy scans for a seat amid sea: of· HISPANIC WOMEN,all chattering on in Spanish.

Nancy sits in back. Across the- aisle are two ninth grade BOYS in school uniforms. They whisper to each other when they see Nanc·y.

One of them starts miming a blow job.

Nancy turns.

The Boys are afiaid.

BUSES and CARS deposit swarms of uniformed STUDEN'!'S: The school has a fading elegance: graceful stuccoed buildings, cracked, patched and tinged with graffitti.

CHR:S HOOKER, TREY HANTHAM, MITT ROGERS, and a handful of other JOCKS hang by the water fountain, perched on either side of the hall.

A spindly-looking lower-class BOY, has to walk through t:hem.

Trey and Mitt merely glare at the boy. This is enough to r:i.ake him sprint off.

Bonnie, Rochelle and Nancy are approaching. The Boys silent as they pa_ss.

I

~

Trey coughs art:.:·.illy spi r:ting out the word 'scum fuck' or ':uck me' or 'blow job'. Other boys follow suit, except Chris, who seerns annoyed.

Nancy g:ares at Chris: SOMETHING BETTNEEJ.~THEM.

So many men, so 1ittle ammunition.

I ANGLE - A huge, rather macho-looking, uniformed female SECtJRITY GUARD.

The girls LAUGH.

INT_. FRENCH CLASS - DAY

Bonnie sits in. French class, trying her best_ to avoid t.he gaze of MONSIEUR THEPOT, the rakish,. fortyish French ::.e·acher. He speaks only IN FRENCH and is SUBTITLED.

g

j

lC> 7HEPC':" How did you spend your ~eekend? At the beach? At a rock concer:? Looking for girls?

Mitt looks lost.

THEPO':' Cherchez les femmes? Hrnmrl'm? Les femmes?

Thepot makes ·an hourglass shape in the air.

The class LAUGHS. Thepot is not amused.

Heads turn. Thepot smil~s.

Thepot is im~ressed.

ANGLE .. - BONN-IE She .stares at Sarah.

The boys :augh, except for Chris.

Thepot keeps talking in French but it FADES AWAY as we

MOVEIN on Sarah. She's watching something.

UP AHEAD- Bonnie takes a pencil and stands it on its lead : ,:1 point, balancing it with her inqex finger.

She stares at the pencil and. concentrates.

She takes her finger away, and the pencil stays standing.

Sarah watches, mesmerized.

Bonnie turns to Sarah.

The pencil falls.

Bonnie's expressionless stare shoots through Sara·h.

Class hasn't started yet. Nancy and Rochelle are at a rear lab table.

ROCHELLE

ANGLE - LAURALIZZIE, a muscular, blonde swimmer, joking w1:~. her LAB GROUP.

Bonnie rushes in, excited.

ROCHE:SLE Who?

Sarah wanders in, confused. She talks to a TEACHERup front who directs her to take a seat. Sarah comes to the Girls.

Nancy crosses her eyes.

Sarah walks off.

Too late. She's at another table.

Sarah is eating lunch by herself when she notices Roc~e::e, Bonnie and Nancy across the way, staring at ~er.

• 1

~ Someone sits down at her table. It's Chris Hooker, from \:.:_7 French class.

SARAfi So many people have been rude, it's hard to keep track.

Chris very artfully yawns and stretches, turning his head to see the Girls. ·

WITH THE GIRLS - Bonni~ is watching closely.

Chris sneaks a nervous look at Bonnie.

Nancy's hand goes on Bonnie's shoulder.

BACK WITH CHRIS AND SARAH

8. SARAH

What?

•_.,. 1 CHR:S They're wi-:ches.

He touches her hair. / I:

He buries his face in it and sniffs. She tries to pull away.

· SARAH Nothing, I guess.

Annoyed, she finally swats him out of her hair.

Chris smiles his shit-eating grin and gets up ..

u CHRIS

I think you'll be there.

)_____ ·-···

s.;.R..AH ·:-::ir.k again.

Ee ·.var:.ders of:, taking sone Fr enc:. Fries from a SPINDLY ?RES~~, smili~g back at us.

EX:'. FOOT5A!..L F:EtD - ·DAY

Several cars are parked next cb.the fietd ~ith several

but mostly watching their BOYS doing scrinmages.

ANGLE - BEHIND SOME TREES - We spy Sarah, doing her best r-.ot to be seen. She scans for Chris on the field.

Saz:-ah turns. Nancy, Bonnie and Rochelle are right there.

BONN!E Some. of these football dicks make their

·~ girl.friends come watch them practice. As \,___j if it's interestin9. ---

Really?

~he girls laugh, even Sarah a little.

Corne on. It's a really cool mall, and really unique because.there's a Gap and a Benetton and a Mrs. Fields Cook~es and a Brookstone, so, it's like different from all the other malls.

'NANCY Or you can stay ar..d watch Chris.

They start walking off. Sarah thinks for a second, tpen follows.

CUT TO - A CLOSE UP

A SNAKE sli-:hers at us.

Sarah lurches away.

..L

n.

~ The girls watch this. Rochel:e ~ears a bright red beret, \:!J} Nancy red high tops.

Nancy leads them out of the pet store.

Browsing_.

BO~"'NIE It's a little conservative for me.

Bonnie.twists a new red scarf around her neck. Sarah looks around, nervous. ~ bitd1y SALESMAN is eyeir..g them_.

They look at Sarah~

The girls LAUGH, moving to the door.

They all make ab-line for the exit ... except Sarah ~ho stands right in front of the Salesman.

She touches his hand.

SARJ._f-! EXC'..lSeme ...

~HE SAI..ESMAN'SPOV - Sarah loo~ing straight at him.

Sarah's eyes are riveting.

Every-:hing behind her is bright.ening, FAD:NG TO a shimnering v\1HIT:S,.u:::::t.i.2.:..t.melts down. Sarah'.s shape is darkening IN':'O· SP.ADOW,dissipating .

BEHIND SARAH'S BACK - Nancy waves the girls away. They run.

BACK IN THE VISION -

Sarah's shape thins and twists into a wire hanger. :t fa2.2.s.

W:..th· a CLPl.i.'JG,. everything snaps back · to NORMAL.

The Salesman bends over, dumbstruck, to pick up a wire hanger.

Sarah stands over him,· hoiding up a shirt.

The Salesman rubs his temples and sits down qn the floor.

EX':'. MALL - AFTEP-NOON

The three Girls wait just outside the mai·n encrar.ce, -:as Sa=a~4 comes out.

J

SARAH Nothing.

Bonnie and Rochelle give a look.to.Nancy.

Rochelle·, s beret, Nancy's high tops, and Bonnie's scarf. Together with Sarah they march through a graffitti-splactered part of town.

Long silence.,.

Sarah walks ahead.

The girls all look at ·each other.

I

Dark, Catholic, and decrepit. The proprietor, an ethereal Latina with a lined face, narned LIRIO, eyes the Girls warily. Sarah browses the occult paraphenalia.

Rochelle comes over and hands Sarah a book.

;

ROCH:::LLE

- This is better. You put spells and power

thoughts in it. Then don't let anyone read it, ever. Except maybe us.

Roche:.leslips some incense into her pocket and wanders off.

Nancy approaches a PAINTING surrounded by candles and mirrors. ~he PAINTING is of a woman, a witch probably, enveloped in electric iight, deep in the throes -0f ecstatic pain or pleasure.

A small plaque below reads: 'Invocation of the Spirit.'

Bo:ir:.ie walks up.

BONNIE--

~ That'. s nice, Nancy. ~J. The girls stare at the painting.

WITH SARAH - She continues to browse. Books, ~edallions.

She picks up a boxed set of candles, red, black, white. She smells them.

'Just then, a MIDDLE-AGEDCOUPLE enters the shop. They nod co Lirio, then disappear behind a black GUrtain in the back of the store. Sarah is curious.

She approaches the curtain.

s~ddenly a wrinkled hand stops her.

:.IRIO That's not for you.

Lirio sees an old ring on Sarah's hand.

LIR:O A beautiful ring. It was your mother's.

2.l SARAH (taken aback) Yes.

·~irio looks at the box·of candles, the book.

They go to the counter. Sarah pays.

~irio gives her a small book covered in Old English scr~pt and engravings.

· creepy smile ..

Sarah goes to the girls.

·: EXT. CANDLE SHOP - CONT.

(-~ 1 ·. As t:hey trudge off . .._,____:./

~ANCY I can't believe you paid. Ic's so embarrassing.

zz.

.. @

Sarah trudges up the driveway. It's dark, and the hills are q..iiec.

Sarah's father and Jenny are sitting in the dining room 2.ooking very agitated. When Sarah comes in, he jumps up.

ROG~R It's seven o'clock in the evening. W~ were this far away from callir.g the , I po 1 ice.\

This stops him cold .. Sarah runs upsta_irs. ·

Sarah has passed out on her bed, still in her clothes. She has lit a dozen or so of the CANDLES from the store.

The breeze from .the open Doorway to Nowher~ light:.y tosses the flames to and fro.

Sarah BREATHESheavily while she sleeps.

The sound.of her BREATH is growing deeper, cavernous, like some huge beast· ... · and it synchs with the BREEZE from tr:e window. · ·

The CANDLESare blowing out and relighting with each BREEZE, with each breath.

Sudden2.y ~he PHONE RINGS.·Sarah dives for it.

The BREEZE stops.

VOICE What are you wearing?

~

Who is this ... ? Oh.

v

CHR!S' VOICE I'll take ~hat as a yes. Later.

She lies back, slightly annoyed, but rather more excited.

Sarah and Chris lie beneath the dilapidated neon 'Ambassador Hote·l' sign. Chris kisses her, rapaciously, bending.her body around his_, stroking her ever'JWhere.

His rnoutn goes down her chest, as he opens buttons on her uniform blouse.

Sarah is :1.ot emotionally engaged. She watches a srr.og-r:'...:ed sunset.

Just then, Trey and Laura Lizzie round a corner, hand·- hand. Sarah smiles at then, e~barrassed.

LAl'.JRA It was nice. to meet yo~, Sarah.

Bye, Laura.

Laura and Trey descen4 a ladder.

'

Chris dives back into Sarah. He star~s unbuttoning his pants, pushing her down. ~ ·

Chris dives away from her, panting.

He catches his breath .

It is cool. We can ju_st, you know ... hang.

He stuffs something back· in. his pants· and zips up ..

He puts-his arm around her, gives her a polite peck on the cheek, and checks out the sunset.

Awkward.

':'he Teacher is lecturing. Sarah and the girls TtlHISPER.

BONN:::E Do- you know wha~ they're saying about you? About what happened at the Ambassador with Chris?

· SARAH What???

Sarah is mortified. She turns around.

Laura Lizzie and her LAB GROUP look away, avoiding Sarah. But one o: them nudges Laura and they all laugh. ·

Rochelle ...

Sarah is walking toward her locker when she sees Chris, Tre;/, Mitt and the other Jocks in their formation on either side of the hallway.

·She wave;:_s, then decides to·keep going.

C::.ris won't look at her as she passes.

T:::-ey coughs out a 'hosebag'. Mitt coughs out a 'used 1..:.p hole'.

Sarah just keeps going.

·rNT. KITCHEN - NIGHT

Roger and Je~~~y·and Sarah sit around the ki:chen :ab:e, eating di~-~er in SILENCE.

Roger's about to say something to Sarah, but he's not sure how to from his thoughts into words.

Sarah looks at him.

What? Why don't you just say it ... ? You never just say what it is.

Roger gives up. Sarah shakes her head. They eat in SILENCE.

Sarah is washing dishes. Jenny comes in with-dirty pl.at.es.

Sarah lies on her bed, eyes red from crying. She looks wan, empty. She gets up and locks her door.

She goes to her desk and opens a drawer. Inside: amidst pencils and pens, an EXACTOKNIFE. She picks it up and goes into

She goes to the mirror and cuts open a vein on each wrist with the knife.

Blood drips down onto her white tile floor.

·she reaches for a glass and fills it with water from the tap.

A little blood drips in too'.

She drinks· the pinkish water.

She wavers, and the glass drops, SMASH!

Water, blood, shards of glass on the floor, all ar01..:.::d ::er feet.

Blood still drips down her hands, off the tips of her fingers.

She looks in the mirror. She's pale.

She falls to the floor, into a pool of red.

CJ ANGLE - There's knocking on the bedroom door.

POG"}..'"DING.The door rattles.

Sarah wants to move, to get help, but she's frozen.

She tries to speak. She tries to move her arms. But nothing.

The door BOWSin with an attempt to break it down WHAM!

Then it's quiet. No one's trying to heip.

TIGHT ON SARAH'S FACE - She's crawling to the door. Her body is like lead.

Gradually we PULL BACK to reveal she is on her bed.

There's no blood.

She rubs her wris-ts: they' re normal.

$he rolls over on her back,· burying her face in her arr.ts.

There's a distant KNOCKat the front door.

ANGLE~ DOWN THE STAIRS

Roger is talking to Nancy, Bonnie and Rochel:e.

( ..,__·--::)....... The Girls start walking out .

Sarah watches them go for a beat, then:

rtJait. .

T~e Girls hear her and t~rn back, see her a~ the top of ~he st.a.:.rs.

Sarah runs to her closet.

Rochelle's glacial Mother drives.

Bonnie and Rochelle GIGGLE.

Green hat, .green Keds, green T-shi+t and green Swatch Watch pile out of the car. -Rochelle waves goodby~ and they march up to the box office as the car drives off.

The Girls lead Sarah away, down the street.

EXT, HOLLYWOOD SIDE STREET. ,-.NIGHT

Dark and seedy. Abandoned cars and empty lots.

Sarah braces as they approach ...

The Girls parade stalwar~ through the mass psychosis.

:9

Sara~ steals glimpses from the corner of her eye: BEGGARS, ?IMPS, CR::::?PLES, RUNAWAYS,DE.ALERS.Noise., SCREAMING, S::::RENS, LAUGHTER.

:•,'ith their game faces, the Girls pass unnoticed.

A S:'REET WOMANshuffles by, clutching a dirty, crying BABY.

Please ... my baby needs food ...

Sarah stops, heartbroken.

The Gir:s keep walking. The Street Woman ~otices Sarah.

Suddenly Sarah has become a target. Everyone is lookir;.g at her. Someone jostles her. A PIMP turns around,. scoping her out.

Honey child ... I like your styie ...

He's blocking·.her way. She looks for the Girls.

But they' re gone. From down the bo,ulevard, a weird ST?.EET

PREACHER spies Sarah. i '

She turns and runs, and hits smack dab into a dirty Vagrant. He is familiar.·

Sarah recognizes him: he stood in the doorway with the snake.

He holds her arm.

Sarah SCREAMSand pulls away, running straight INTO STREET -

A car HONKS. Another SCREECHESto a ha:t right at Sarah's feet.

:JRIVER You fuckin' idiot!

A.NG~E- The·vagrant is coming after her, into the lanes of traffic.

The Gir~s have ccticed where Sa~ah is. They see the.Vagrant.

'VERYQUICK: Bonnie, Rochelle and Nancy .each thinking something. They are cool.

A speeding SPORT TRUCKwith monster wheels catches the Vagrant.

His legs get caught under the wheels. He SCREAMS as his legs are crushed.

People YELLING.

A hand comes out o-f nowhere and·grabs a dumbstruck Sarah. It's Bonnie.

Motorcycle Cops descend on the scene. Pandemoni:.i.m.·

The-four Girls sprawl on the grass, in the dark. We only catch glimpses of their faces whe~ the light of distant headlights pass·es over them. The wind ::..s RUSTLING through the t.rees.

BO:NNIE

~ ; ...

He ~as coming after you. He deserved .......

\,J

:SONNIE Man invented God. This is older than that. She's the trees, the rocks, the ground, everything.

·NANCY - It's kind of a transexual, I guess.

Sarah nods quietly.

ROCHELLE

BONN~E I guess we finally four:d our fourth.

NANCY

things? Anything you want?

SARAH

One time we chanted all night over an algebra test. The next day we all got the same grade.

I I I ROCHELLE '

Three 'F's. W~ should have studied.

They laugh.

(-~ Sarah turns to face the breeze. ·"1.....-...:...,,..;..J'

I

_c_jI

~ ~~)' Rochei'le steps up in a bat:iing suit.

~X~. SCHOOL ?OOL - DAY

The whole DIVING TEAM, including Laura Lizzie and her Friends, as well as several COACHESare watching.

R·ochelle puts her shoulders back, balances, and concentrates.

She bounces up and down and springs out.

Rochelle is thrown, her body contorts, and WHAM!

FROM UNDERWATER -.She belly flops.

The COACHwinces.

La~ra and her friends clap politely.

LAURA

Rochelle strt1,ggles to the surface;

Lau~a and her Friends are just getting dressed when Rochel:e :::1ears, wrapped in a towel.

Laura and her friends walk off.

She opens the door, sighs.

j

ROCHELLE

Roc~elle, wrapped in a man's bathrobe, talks with :he Coach.

Rochelle stands there. ANOTHERCOACHcomes in.

OTHERCOACH

LOOKING INTO THE BOYS LOCKER -

Rochelle stands there, numb, as a janitor fishes her clothes out of a urinc;t1 with a rake. A lunky FOOTBALLPLAYER takes a leak in the background.

Something ~licks in Rochelle.

~NT. F.ALLWAY- DAY

Laura and her Friends are walking along TALKING and LAC'GH::;G.

Sarah comes :owards them.

(- ..,.-) She bisects Laura.'·s group, physically brushing up against: "~ Laura.

Her fingers grab several strands of hair, and yar,k.

LAU?_; Ow~ You pulled my hair out!

SAR.;H Sorry. :t must have gotten caught on my :ting.

They walk off. Sarah smiles, clutching the hair.

All the Girls are staying over. The Horne Shopping Network drones on while Bonnie is busy braiding Laura's hair ir..to i::-.e

Rocheile lights a candle, WHISPERS something.

Nancy is cutting cake into pieces, pouring wine into a cup on a tray. She passes it to Rochelle who is on her right.

Rochelle drinks. Sarah takes the tray.

,SARAH Do.you think the ancients used fat-free lernon·twist fo.r their cakes and wine ceremony?

Nancy sips the wine, eats a piece o~ cake.

N.A.."'l'CY Rochelle, shut the fuck up! Jesus ...

3or::iie pic~s up the black and white PEOTO of SAR..~'SMOTHER..

A COUPLE OF TABLES AWAY-

Ch=is, Trey, Mitt and the otter Jocks shooting the sr.it. Chris' back is to us.

The guys chuckle. Mitt sees something, looks really embarrassed.

Shut the fuck up .

Oh shit. (smiles) Hi Sarah. , .

Sarah, sitting with Rochelle, has j~st heard a~l o: ~:::...s. 7:-.e Boys are laughing.

(.=:~) FLASH! A camera snaps off. ,,,_..,.,-

BOnnie stands in front of the boys' bathroom ·t1:.:h tr:e ca...-:-.e::-a as Chris comes out.

Sarah has her little spell book. Rochelle is cutting the picture of Chris into a small pentagon.

\ } fair. Whatever it is. I m~an, don't pull

·his limbs from his body or anything like that. On second thought, you can if you want to.

Rochelle and Nancy laugh.

Rochelle pastes the picture of Chris into the book, upsidedown. Nancy holds out a red candle' and drips wax arou:1d the edges. She has a handful of red rose petals.

She runs her hands over her skin.

ROCHELLE· Beauty. is a trap. Men use it to :.mprison women. Real beauty is internal.

Nancy raises her cigarette and takes a drag ..

Nancy, Bonnie and Sarah are sprawled on Rochelle's floor, eating Snackwells. Rochelle comes in with two containers, handing one to Sarah and Bonnie.

Sarah sticks her fingers inside the mixture of oil and. herbs.

Nar:cy does. Candles are lit. Bonnie slips her shir-: over her head, exposing her back.

Sarah dips a cloth in t:i.e oil and lightly swabs the scarred area.

• I NANCY I Sort of ... Not really .

We've been doing it two weeks now.

Bonnie looks at her skin. She's sickened. She starts co cry.

Bonnie crawls into a corner, covering her scars with her arms, crying.

The Gir.ls just wat,ch,. helpless ..

Nancy nods.

The Girls· step on an empty ·bus behind Sarah whil.e she :u.-nbles . with her __w~llet · for. the fare-.

DRI\TER No credit cards, honeybunch.

He looks over, shocked. He. looks into Sarah's eyes. He :alls C--~; quiet. '-..__/ HIS POV - Behind Sarah, everything is turning whi t.e, wr.i:..e she turns to shadow -- We've seen this before ...

_J

T::e Dr:.•;er st.ares at her, until she walJ<s away wit::out payi~g. He shakes his head, woozy.

Sarah sits with the Girls. Nancy leans up to her.

Sarah smiles.

Cranking up the hill, into the Angeles National Forest.

The bus stops and the Girls.pile off.

He raises an eyebrow.

The Gir~s walk along a path.

Intense green. Sunlight flaring off their faces, their hair. off· ·the boughs of trees, off the grass. BUZZING insects, RUSTLING trees, BIRDS.

~he Forest is· alive ..

Nancy walks in front. She starts taking off her shir~~ She steps out of her skirt, pulls off her shoes.

Bonn:.e sees Sarah watching Nancy.

- .., ' .

IN A MEADOW - Nancy lies dot...m in some tall grass. ~::e:ee_:::g of the earth against her body is ecstatic.

..,,_1 •

Rochelle reads fro~ her little book. The images and voices DISSOLVE into one another.

o:SSOLVE -.Bonnie sensually caresses a·huge rock.

'DISSOLVE - Nancy reads.· Sarah.rubs ointment on her feet.

DISSOL'i/E - Rochelle sits on the low bough of a tree, naked.

· DISSOLVE - Bonnie brushes a flower across Sarah's cheek.

DISSOLVE - Sarah has her feet in a small stream, ~aked, he~ chest pressed against her knees.

-=- BONNIE (readir..:g) ... I can't remember for about five minutes before we hit the wall. But when I came to, there were sparks coming from a huge saw trying to cut me out of the car, and I was on fire ...

:HSSO:..'JE - Nancy ·floats pe-rfectly stil2., face up, in a small pond, the sun glimmering all around her.

She looks up, still shaken by this past event, closes t:.er book.

She's the only one still fully clothed. Ever..1one is looking at her.

Slowly, Bonnie unbuttons her biouse,. slips it off. She pulls off her skirt.

··\_-r"!!?...__-,..~.'} The. SCAR covers more than half her body, in jagged strokes ,,,__) across her c"hest, arms, shoulders, knees·, as if someone had splashed paint on her and swirled it around.

She looks so vulnerable.

Bonnie relaxes; even gives a pained little smile. She gets:.:::: the water.

Sarah swallows and picks up her book.

· ·SARAH As long as I remember, I could do it. Wish things, the visions. And I always felt sick. Like the world didr.'t need a freak like me. A·mother would have been nice. Somebody to teach me it was actually a good thing. Then one day I realized I would rather be dead. But I didn' _t die. I made i: here, where I finally belong. It's been a long road, but I :inally found :hese three. Now we make four.

I

?he other girls are moved. Rochelle comes over and kiss~s her on the cheek .

® . St::::-ange shadows are falling on them. They look up.

A giant fluttering of BUTTERFLIES, hundreds of them, drifts overhead. ·

The. Gir:s are still. The butterfiies descend. They start ·to rest on Sarah's shoulders, on Bonnie's_head, everywhere.

Amazed looks between them.

· BoI"'..nie, Rochelle, Nancy and Sarah are al 1. c·overed wi t!'l a thick blanket of butterflies.

They are flushed with awe.

EXTREMECLOSE UP OF CHRIS HOOKER

He rubs his hands over his face. distiessed, distracted.

ANGLE - A .PAGE full of questions IN FRENCH.

Chris' pe~cil starts.to write something in French, then it wanders down the page and writes, 'Sarah' in flowery script.

He lifts his gaze across the

past all the STUDENTSenmeshed in their Frend'. test to see: SARAH. He just keeps looking at her.

Finally Sarah glances up -to find Chris, who smiles his dopey smile at her.

Bonnie looks at Sarah. They st~fle giggles.

EX~. SCHOOL - DAY

Sarah and Bonnie are moving with the CROWD towards t!'le CEAPEL. Each is struggling wic!'l a large stack of books.

Chris catches up with them.

CHRIS· Sarah ... how's it hangi~'?

The Girls keep walking.

Sarah doesn't want to look at Bonnie. She's afraid they'll both bust "J.P laughing ..

SARAH

~·· Have you told your friends? '~~~)

They go i.nto:

Th·e Chapel is f.ull as Sarah, Eori..nie and Chris encer, bovf, a.:-.:1 make their way up i:he aisle.

Just. when they are in :ror.t of t~e whole cong=eqatior., Sarah smiles t.o Bonnie and turr;:s to Chris, in full view of everybody.

Chris kind of checks out the crowd in the corner of his eye and laughs nervously. He definitely doesn't want to do.this, but he can't help himself.

Sarah hands him the stack.

Bon."'lie ·s go on top. They girls head for a seat, and C:-.r is follows.

Everyone has j~st seen thi~.

o IN THE.CROWD - TREY and MITT and tne other JOCKS.

KIDS start LAUGHING. Everybody.

Chris turns bright red, gritting his teeth, but ·smiling.

Art angry PRIEST starts SHUSHING·p~ople.

::N THE CROWD._ Rochelle and Nancy see.

ROCHELi..E It was on Chris! ~hat's right! How ~unny. You had like the total crush on him ...

· )Tar.cy steams.

IN~. HOSPITAL LOBBY - NIGHT

Bonnie and her Mother, MRS. MACK, are waiting, nervously. Bonnie has ·a small suitcase.

A young DOCTORapproaches.

BO~"'NIE Yeah ...

The Doctor is going over a lot of paperwork. Bonnie's ~other is signing in several places.

DOCTOR

" I've told.you this before, but•I want to" J n,, __...,_,.,..,J

be really clear. This i:S a very experimental procedure, and we cannot make any warranties regarding results or side-effects. I can tell you unofficia:ly th~t there is little to no risk. This form of gene threpapy is non-invasive. Painful, but non-invasive ...

Bonnie looks up sharply at the word 'painful'.

EXTREMECLOSE UP -'OF A ROBOTIC NEEDLE

The Needle is loaded with a clear· gel.

FROM ABOVE - Bonnie is awake, on her stomach. Her Mott.er :.s holding her hand. Bonnie's scars look especially bad, in :~:.s cold, bright light.

1he ~eedle descends into Bonriie's back.

EXTRE.'111:ECLOSE UP - It hovers a millimeter above the scar tissue.

Bonnie breathes.

?he Needle suddenly starts jut~ing into the skin, in rows, in rapidfire succession, like a sewing machine, going RAT-TAT- TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!

Bonn.:.e SCREAMS.

The Swim Team are all vying for the mirror, fussing witr. ,.

':!

their hair and clothes; CHATTING. Rochelle wa2.ks in.

LAu"RA Rochelle, I have to tell you, I was actually impressed with that last dive today.

They all nod and say yes. Rochelle is ready to believe her.

Everybody LAUGHS. Laura high fives several of the Gir:.s, as she turns back to the mirror, combing her long brown mane.

Suddenly, Laura is holding a handful of hair. The Girls notice. Somebody GASPS:

scalp where the hair came out.

Rochelle watches, without expression.

( ~-=·) ,,L-i/ INT. · HOSPITAL HALLWAY- N:GHT

Nurses scurry about.

Sarah is there, with a gift basket from the Girls. Outside it is raining.

Bon.'1.ie · buries her face in her arms.

-BONNIE It would be so much easier if I .could give up.

A tear runs down Bonnie's cheek. Sarah instinctively catches it on her fing~r.·

She· takes a glass and rubs the tear on the bottom of the glass.

Sarah opens the carafe and pours in some wine. She :.igr:cs up the sage stick. She douses the sage in the wine, it SIZZLES turning the liquid dark purple.

Sarah dips her fingers in the wine, and, pulli::g back Bonnie's sheets·, she flicks the liquid all over the bar.dages.

Bonnie closes her eyes.

,·~~J Sarah WHISPERS something, continuing to flick the liquid.

Outside the window there's a gust of WIND.

Suddenly the window flings open, and a GUST OF WIND blows·

EXTREMECLOSE UP - Surgical sissors are cutting bandage.

Bonnie, draped in an elaborate surgical shroud, ·sits w:.-:h her Mother and several NURSES. The Doctor pauses.

~ to·rnake several passes before we can see ~_) results.

Bonnie nods.

The Doctor cuts the section on Bonnie's back, behind her right: shoulder, where she can't see. He peels back the bandages.

RED FLAKY SKIN. A Nurse takes a picture with a DIGITAL CAMERA. The skin appears on a COLOR ENHANCEDCOMPUTER SCREE:.~ where Bonnie can see it.

The Doctor·. takes a swab· and· dips it in solution: He w::..pes away the flaky material.

~he Doctors face goes blank.

~

He c~ts some more, swabs some more.

BO!'-.'NIE ~r.~at does it :oak like?

The N:..irse t.akes a picture. The image appears on the COMPC"TER SCREE.."'J. .

Mrs. Mack looks at it and starts crying. ; r•' Bonnie something beautiful happens inside her.

We ·see Bonnie's back. Underneath a layer of slimy disinfectant and flaky bits:· glowing HEALTHYSK:N.

The ~actor runs his hands over Bonnie's back.

Sarah is huddled with Rochelle and Nancy in the back, while a TEACHERDRONESON reading an announcement:. Thirty or so STt1JE.'\\JTS,still not fully awake.

Nancy looks over at:

THE ENTRANCE- Bonnie swings in, wearing a black cape.

Scattered CHUCK::..ES.

As she crosses in front of the wh6le room, Bonnie nonchalantly drops the cape. Her knee-length p:aid ~ni:orm skirt: has been hiked up to a mini, ar:d she wears a c:ir:g'.J tank top instead of the requisite blouse.

But most importantly, her skin, of wr~ich we see qui :e a is ;lawless, no scars, nothing.

I I

5L

~ Mouthes drop. WHISPERING. Everyone is staring. \,J Especially Trey and Mitt.

The girls sit together admiring Bonnie's new look. The sun glints off them. They are fluid, smiling.

BONN:E Sarah brought me through it.

She and Sarah hold hands.

They laugh.

Sarah nods at something.

ANGLE - Chris, Trey and Mitt are all clumped together a:. :he

I

edge of the lawn, smiling at them.

i

The Girl~ laugh.

"A shadow falls over them.

TV SCREEN - We see DR. BRUCE HENSEL.

DR.· BRUCE

A Westside dermatologist is making c:aims

©'

of a very important discovery. Use of a certain skin production gene can cause s.ignif icanc reduction in scar tissue ...

I.

Nancy and her Mother, Grace;· are watching TV. Her mother drinks a tumbler full of Scotch and ice. She smokes.

Suddenly the LIGHTS GO OUT.

Grace. gets up and teeters down the hall, Scotch in hand, throwing open the .doo·r co the

Grace comes over and kicks him. He just lies there. She kicks him again, .and this time he grabs her foot, pulling her down onto the bed. The tumbler of Scotch. falls.

He's holding her down, roughly. I~ looks harsh. But she's fami2.iar with it. He starts to pulls his pants down.

MOVING IN ON NANCYsitting quietly in ~he darkness, ( :~ overhearing .

Something falls over, CRASH.

Nancy gets •up and runs out the door.

All fou.r Girls .. TV. Pe¢iicures. The phone RINGS next to Rochelle.

Sarah shakes her head. Bonnie takes the receiver.

BOm,JIE · Sarah doesn't feel like talking to you.

Bonnie hangs up, and they all LAUGH, except Nancy who hangs ov·er the _ledge o.f the Doorway to Nowhere. Bonnie r.otices.

Nancy stews.

The phone RINGS. Bonnie lifts it;: up and puts it back dowr. without even interrupting her pedicure.

/ \ \ ----j ROCHELLE ~✓ She's white.

- . :: ~ NANCY If it weren't for Catholic charity I wouldn't even be in school with you guys.

The Girls a·re · a moving black frieze against· the. dazzling Golor of approaching dusk. ·

They move in circles around a fire, holding smoking smudge- sticks aloft.

Two frozen dinners twirl in the Microwave Oven. Grace is pouring two beers

Nancy, in a thin robe, comes out of the bathroom, and ge~s a Diet Coke out of the little fridge. She has to carefully scoot around Ray to avoid brushing up against hi.:n. · ·

Sarah swats him. He laughs., coughs ..

Ray pu:i..:,s back ;.;ith a clenched fist when Nancy lets loose an unearthly SCREAM.

And the MICROWAVE OVEN EXPLODESin a spray of sparks.

The lights in the trailer FLICKER and OFF ·and ON.

Ray is puffing with anger. He steps back, sits down.

Grace looks at Nancy.

The c;:urtains ~ave caught FIRE. ~ ~ ··Grace jumps up, takes a dish. towel, and smothers the flames.

SMOKE every,,.,here. The alarm starts BEEPING.

Ray tries to stand up. He winces. He's having trouble breathing. He stumbles to the floor.

1 I GRACE Ray ... ?

·Ray is strapped down with an oxygen mask in his ·face, delerious, monitoring tabs 1across his chest, an erratic BEAT issuingfrcirn a machine.

The ambulance lurches to and fro as it weaves through traffic. Nancy and Grace sit next to.him in between PARh'1EDICS .

Sudder..ly -the- BEAT jumps faster, then stops.

The Paramedics start YELLING to each other, working on

Nancy stares coldy at Ray.

Grace, in a black dress, sits there with a t~:.er f'..lll of Scotch and ice. Nancy, also in black, looks out the window.

The door K..~OCKSti~idlY and is opened by IDA, the neighbor, ~ith an arrangement of flowers.

Up steps gangly young JEFF, in a bad suit with a briefcase. Ida lingers by the door, not-too-discreetly listenir.g i~.

·n--·/ I'm f:rom Inte.rstate Insurance. I know·

this is a difficult time, but it is procedure to ask just a few questions before we can start processing the policy.

He opens his briefcase and p~pers fall out onto :he floor.

JEFF

through the company. And, with benefits of this size,• it's standard to ...

Outside the door, Ida does a little dance.

I:JA Praise Jesus! He shall provide!

Grace sits back, stunned.

~7

~ Nancy can't help it. She s~iles .

ANGLE UP - A HUGE NEO-DECOAPARTMENT BUILDING

Bon:iie, Rochelle and Sarah get off a bus and make tl:leir way towards ·the building.

There's a DOORMAN and a RECEPTIONIST behind a huge console. The Girls check in.

The Girls amble across the plush carpeting. Nancy opens huge double doors to:

:NT. APARTMENT~ DAY

Spacious. Huge dramatic windows., marble fireplace. But no furniture, except for a JUKEBOXand a couch made from t:-..e rear-end of a '.57 Chevy.

-. : n,._,.__✓, BONNIE

Cool.

Grace is in the KITCHEN, fixing a drink. Rochelle pours over the jukebox.

Grace· ·tot_ters in, her highball TINKLING.

Nancy leads the others into

Suddenly 'Who's Sorry Now?' ~choes through :he giant space .

deep in the throes of an ~mpassioned lip-synch of the SONG.

Nancy SLAMS h~r door closed.

Nancy looks s~raight at Sarah and comes towards her.

A half-eaten pizza, Haagen Dahz, cigarettes. The Girls crowd - •··;·a,around a full lepgth mirror which has bee.n laid down sideways ·o-,,

Sarah closes th~ book.

Nancy smiles. coldy.

Sarah staies at Nancy's reflect:.on. ~hey :ock gazes.

(~) SARAH falls into shadow.

Ber.ind her there is a tremer:dous :.:GHT [l:.ke in the s:ore. ar.d on the bus l ..

·_.-.----.-x- -- .. ···- ··_;.: 5!:---l'lll- i.X.'

:i •I Her silhouet~e collapses i~to a SLIP OF SMOKE.

Then everything goes back to normal.

NANCY

i

Wow.

NANCY

Sarah scoffs.

They turn to.Nancy in _the mirror. ShE! closes her eyes. They wait. C Nancy places her hand on Sarah's.

W:i,thout any light theatrics, Nancy MORPHSinto a MALEVERSIOt-J of herself.

Rochelle and Bonnie burst into hysterics, knockir:g the mirror over - CRACK.

NANCY

Behind Sarah is a huge SNAKE about to crawl up Sarah's back. Sarah SCREAMSand lurches away .

The SNAKE dissolves into nothing. •

,.---:------

Sarah is still shaken.

,, , d

Rochelle luxuriates in the hot water, in seeming solitude

Rochelle looks down.

ON THE FLOOR - a clump ·of hair, not just stubble, lo:-ig strands.

She turns off tAe water and reaches for a towel.

We hear .'WHIMPERING.

We.FOLLOW A TRAIL OF HAIR around a co;rner .

towels, another draped across her head. She looks freaked.

She pulls the towel off her head.

Behind Rochelle, another of LAURA'S FRIENDS sees this.

Other GIRLS.come 1 pushing Rochelle back. They GASP at Laura's scalp.

• Rochelle and Laura lock gazes: cold exchange.

:N7. BONNIE'S ROOM - LATE NIGH7

~he four Girls are assembled, channel surfing, smoki~g. Nar.cy ~olls on top of Rochelle, co reach an ashcray

She pinches her on. the bμtt. LAUGHING.

BONNIE

· NANCY No, but it sounds like a guy I dated in ninth grade.

BONNIE'S ROOM - MOMENTS LATER

Nancy, Bonnie and Sarah are kneeling around Rochelle wholes on her back, arms folded over corpse-like. ':'he or.ly light. s from the TV which drones on.

SARAH· Okay, you you just hold out the one finger, and·youlift, but you have to _ .think she's incredibly light, like she's made out of air.

The three Girls stick their index fingers underneath Rochelle

0 and life . -

Not::-:.ing r:appens.

They try again, this time with more focus.

Suddenly the TV switches to a TEST PATTERN, filling the room with weird PURPLE LIGHT.

Rochelle's eyes are closed. She starts to move upwards, but it's hard to tell how far.

FROMABOVE - Rochelle is drifting towards us. An inch or .so, but then more: six inches, a foot, three feet. Final:y they let her go.

She opens.. her eyes~ midair .

Bonnie is flabbergasted.

NAl."JCY No thanks.

Sarah lies down. Nancy and Bonn::.e stick their fingers underneath.

THE 3 OF THEM

Sarah's already lifting up, drifting ar.d wafting like a clo~d of smoke.

Sarah passe~ Rochelle ~ho remains at about a three foot • height, slowly rotating, rotisserie-style.

Bonnie folds her legs into the lotus position and lays her arms down to meditate.

She lifts up a few inches but remains rigid, legs akimbo.

Sarah is bouncing off· the ceiling, emotionally and literally.

SARAH

Nancy glowers and simply pushes against the floor ~i:h ~er right arm. She flies upwards.

While Bonnie and Rochelle li:1ger down below, Sarah and ~~a::cy bounce arour.d above, play::·.:.l ;y shoving and pushing, :...;..::;GE::-JG and SHRIEK:NG. .

·-----

?1ANCY ~ did it.

Nancy shoves her and Sa.r'ah crashes into a hanging light. fixture.' Everybody LAUGHS.

;. . -~-=-:t~-·····.·Oh my God!

Suddenly there's POUNDING.

Suddenly- all of the Girls~' Bonnie, onto her butt st.ill in the lotus position, Rochelle, right onto the floor on her belly, Nancy and Sarah, through Bot".nie's lacey canopy or.':.o opposite edges of her bed, all of them SHRIEKING.

~I Her mother walks away.

They wait and listen, wincing with pain.

NA.'1'>..JCY

~

Bonnie, we broke your bed.

"-,~J

BONN:E (rubbing her derriere) Nevermind. I broke my butt.

Bonnie's Mother gets back in bed. Bonnie's FATHER rol:s over.

She turns out the light.

Bonnie looks more· 'done' , bigger hair, mo~e makeup.

They come to an intersection and a ratty PICKUP slides in next to them, the DRIVER, a low-budget Romeo. He leers at the girls.

The Girls smirk.

DRIVER . I Didn't· we all meet at a party s·omewhere?

NANCY· Yeah, that's right. And your name is Dick ... Dick,Hole, isn't it?

The Giils al~ laugh.

j1ANCY Yeah, I_'m a bitch ...

The LIGHT t~rns green and the PICKUP peels out. Nancy guns-~ to cacch up with him.

The DRIVER looks over.

DRI1/ER' S P.O. V. - As the Girl's· _car slides up n!::xt ':o him, we

see Bonnie, Rochelle, Nancy and Sarah all have THE FACES OF DOGS: a Labrador, an Afghan, a Bulldog and a Dalrnacian, respectively. ·

They all BARK and wave at him.

The Driver is bug-eyed.

DRI'i/ER Ahhhh!

He swerves away, and CRASHES into a parked car rtJHAM!

Nancy guns it down the street, LAUGHING with Rochelle and Bonnie.

Sarah look~ exhilarated,, but worried.

ROCHELLE AND BONNIE· Party-pooper! Party-pooper~~cooper! Super-duper-party-pooper-scooper

Roger Ba.fly is standing in the doo:n•1ay with Chris.

Roger closes the door after him. Sarah peeks out from a · doorway.

Sarah rolls her. eyes ..

·,,JA

It's late. Sarah's in bed:

Sarah gets up and goes to the window.

CHR::S Why don't you answer the phone?

·cHRIS Oh ... I guess that's a good reason. Shit. I think about you a lo:.

The ~ront door opens and Sarah's father comes out ~ith a broom, hold~ng it fourth.

He starts prodding Chris away.

He runs off, stumbles, keeps going.

Sarah doesn't laugh.

Nancy comes home. It's. late. We hear LAUGHTER..

THROUGH THE DOORTO HER MOTHER'S ROOM-

We see the back of a strange man doing something, and Grace, lying next to him.

Nancy comes fo:i:ward.

Gradually revealed: the man, a JUNKIE, is fixing up a wor-ks, getting ready to inject himself with a HYPODERMIC.

Grace rouses, but .she's wasted, siurririg.

GRACE: Hi, honey. . . Ooops.. I know· I said I wasn't gonna do chis shit, but ...

She laughs, falls back.

,JtJNKIE (:o Sarah)

You want me to fix you up?

Nar.cy actuqlly thinks about :t for a second, then walks away.

The four Girls come in, jingling the little met.allic SKELETON BELt.·

,,,,

The proprietor, Lirio stands behind the counter.

The Girls star~ selectiong candles, herbs, books.

A sly glance from Bonnie. Sarah wanders over to Lirio. She leans in so the other girls can't hear.

Undo"? When you open a floodgate, how do you undo it? You unleash something with a spell. There's no un-doing. It must ru.."1 it's course.

Lr'RIO It's not for you to judge suffering ...

Bonnie comes up and deposits her bags of herbs, candles, staring- at :he BLACK CURTAIN.

Lirio s:arts ringing up the purchases, saying nothing.

Nancy has picked up a book. She reads to Bonnie:

(reading) ... To invoke a god is a great deal; it is a guarantee of happiness, of power, even omnipotence. To invoke a god is practically the same as being a god oneself ...

IN THE BOOK - An illustration of a WITCH, seemingly electrified, eyes bright with ecstasy.

Lirio has heard this.

- try to fill it with the Spirit. Like food

or drugs or sex:

/ ,,\; T:ie Girl.s laugh. Liri:: steps up to Nancy. She looks very ½Y grave.

L::RIO You can use the spirit or he can use you.

71 • I I

@ Nancy takes the book and moves off, nonchalantly.

The Girls have all paid, their things all in shopping bags.

She smiles at Lirio. Nancy bends down behind a shelf, handing Sarah her bag.

SARAH· What are you doing ... ?

Rochelle and Bor..nie hustle Sarar. out.

Nancy climbs behind some boxes and lies dolNI'l.

Sarah, Rochelle and Bonnie watch the candle shop from a table. ~ \,,J Actually, Bonnie is watching a group of good-looking GuYS at a nearby ·table.

Bonnie smiles at ONE GUY.

The Guys..,.all laugh, ernbarrased.

ROCHELLE I Look.

ANGLE - the light inside the store GOES OUT.

Mu:fled VOICES as the Girls appear outside the door.

A l.itter of pickled FETAL PIGS bob in a dusty jar of formaldehyde.

Nancy crawls. ,9ut from behind ~he boxes, brushing against· the

Nancy freezes.

Ancient and musty, filled with memorabilia, various religious icons.

Llrio rises from a daybed and turnS·the television. down, listening.

~ Nancy covers her riose, slinks over to the door, and, holding ~--_) the skeleton bell still, opens the dobr;

The Girls all see the pigs. Rochelle stifles a gasp.

She waves them on. They tiptoe through the pigs.

ANGLE - MOVINGTOWARD THE BLACKCURTAIN.

Sarah doesn't look pleased.

~~;.51 We follow the girls as they move toward the cur~ain a~d through the doorway.

~!A:N7AIN:NG ONE CONTINUOUSSH07, we find·i~ very br~g~t on the ot~er side. In fact, we are outside and IT IS DAYTIME.

s~~ll in ONE SHOT, we move around the girls and see behind chem, where we came from, nothing but a broad expanse of open space, la, ....n, trees, .a few STUDENTS.

Sarah, Rochelle, Nancy and Bonnie come to a stop, dazed, utterly perplexed.

Sarah looks at her watch.

-~-- ·o·.· ROCHELLE

This is just like that time I blanked out after drinking eight Kamikazes at Fung Lums except this time I'm not waking up in a.pool of egg-roll vomit.

Sarah ru:is off.

SARAH" I don't know.

A CRACK OF L:GHTNING! And a s:ow roll of Tnu'NDER

The Mustang slips around a curve, going just a :~:::e t8c fast.

NT. NANCY'S CAR - CONT.

Nancy and Sarah are embroiled in a heated discussion.

SA..ttAH You're missing the point:. I know we £fill,_ but the point is whether or not we should.

Nancy's taking the curves even faster now, closer· to the edge.

We've accomplished what we set out to do. I think ~e should stop.·It's- like wh~t Lirio said, throwing·thin~s out of balance. We might get something :1.ow, but we'll pay for it later.

Rochelle shrugs. Bonnie takes a long drag from a cigare~:e and glares at Sarah.

I

NA.."JCY Are you part: of this cir.cle or not?

Suddenly, a pair of headlights· flashes around a·corner, Nancy swerves away .. The car SPINS out and slams sideways INTO A

WP.AM!!The Girls are thrown around. A window is shattered. ·

Nancy kicks open her door and jumps out. She pulls the other Girls out.

They huddl·e. in the rain, in shock, wondering what to do next.

Sarah stares at Nancy.

Nancy comes in; soaked.

The place is empty.

Nancy hits the jukebox. Connie starts belting out 'Fal:in; .·

Nancy sees a note, 'Went to Vegas ~ith Greg. Not ~u~e when we' 11 be-back. $ in drawer. Mom.'

Nancy looks in the drawer: Some crumpled up twenties.

She pours a glass of wine.

(_~ Nancy sits on the couch across from t:.:.e juke box, an el':'.pty ~ wine bottle and glass next.to her.

I I

Suddenly she throws the wine bottle at the glass do~e O'.:er- the turntable.

'I

The dome smashes, the record skips, the machinery S?.l:\.F..KS,and the juke box dies.

CLOSE UP - A NOTE IS PASSED: "Let's go to the beach."

ANOTHER NOTE: "You want a tan?"

ANO':'HER: "No, ·shit-head."

Nancy and Bonnie are writing notes to each other, Rochelle· passing them back and fourth ..

Sarah sits next to them, actually paying attention to t~e droning TEACHER. Nancy sees this and leans over.

_Nancy is incensed. She grabs Sarah arm.

The other three face Sarah.

NA.."JCY r:Je war.t to give thanks to Manon. Small sacrifices. Rochelle's going to offer her brain. Except that might be too small.

Rochelle ignores the remark.

Sarah thinks ...

The girls are pensive as the bus makes its way up PCH. The only other pass·enger is a SLEEPING WOt,-1'.A."J.

·Four black silhouettes file across the sand against the coloring sky. Breezes flap their clothes.

Rochelle steps· in Nancy's footprints, . Bonnie· in Rochelle's,. . Sarah in :aonnie' s ·.

Nancy carries a tiny ·sNAKE in a jar.

Bonnie, a BUTTERFLYin another jar.

Rochelle, a PARAKEET in a tiny wooden cage.

Sara~, a baggie.with a GbLDF]SH.

Bon..."'lie.finishes laying a ring of stones in the sand. Nancy starts a fire in the middle.

Sarah looks .at the snake in the.jar.

·sARAft When I was at my lowest, before I tried to, you know, kill myself, I thought everything had turned into snakes. Everything ...

SARAft No, it's small .... I don't care.

7:

-~ does bo=her her.

® The serpent is very powerf"..l.l.

~ac~ girl places her offering inside the ring and sits.

The Girls each light a black cand:.e. ':'hey stand ar.d move in a circle.

n The WIND stirs, blowing_ the· Girls' hair across· their faces .. ·,.J

Sarah is shocked.

The SUN nears the horizon. Sarah gets up and walks away.

F~s~ are jumping up above the surface of the water.

ROCHELLE

r®.:;,·I • : ..•• We want: this ...

' ···.·····

The GOLDFISH flips and flaps violently .

Please, Sara.h ...

Nancy holds out her hand.

Sarah slowly comes forward. They all clasp hands.

FAR OUT AT SEA;_ A bolt of LIGHTNING charges down from a cloud to kiss the ocean. A slow, delayed Rl.JMBLE..

The PARAKEET beats again.st the cage, forcing its head through. slats,.

0 The WIND· thrashes. them:.

The SKY· turns dark. ·

Nancy's eyes roll back in her head. She falls to the ground·.

The jars with the SNAKE and BUTTERFLYshatter. The SNAKE slithers off and the BUTTERFLYis tossed away in a violent · gust.

The wooden cage snaps apart and the PARAKEET flaps free.

The bag bursts open. The GOLDFISH lolls on the sar:d.

Nancy :s thrashing violently.

The ground ac:ually shakes, AN EARTHQUAKE. 1· ' 1-~~ Sarah looks at Nancy, the ocean, the snake. ·sidewindi:::g away. "<,;,,., She feels the ground shaking. She's awed, terrified.

I

Sudden:y a huge BOLT 0: L:GH'!'NINGDESCENDSON US, finger:ng

Everythir.g turns WHITE -

Then BLACK -

FADE UP -

Bonnie and Rochelle are waking from a sleep. Sarah sits beside them, dazed.

The GOLDFISH pathetically flaps on the sand.

\

Sarah gently picks it up and carries it t6 the water a~d lets it go .. Then s.he :sees something.

The ocean is calm now. Not a cloud in the sky. Arid twen:.y yards. out we· see NANCY, standing ·on the surface of the •,iater.

Sarah is transfixed.

Rochelle and Bonnie watch as Nancy walks to shore.

Nancy has a weird detached gleam.

A SIREN. The Girls turn.

UP THE BEACH there is some kind of cornrr.ot:on, CROWDSof ONLOOKERS,A TV NEWS VAN.·And a .COAST GUARDjeep flasl:::..::g :.:s cherz:y-reds.

The Girls get up to investigate.

IN THE MIVST OF THE .CROWD-

We dip down to find ... A GREAT vvHITE SHARK, dead, eyes a::d r I mouth bleeding, having beached itself far onto shore. ~7 ~men Nancy sees it, she starts laughir.g.

WE LI:T UP to see:

~.LL &..ONG THE COAST, more SHARKS, some even bigger, perhaps FIFTEE..~, all dead, beached, bloody.

Sarah backs away, horrified. She feels n.auseous.

Rochelle and Bonnie look blank. But Nancy just keeps laughing, her eyes glazed over in demented bliss.

She gets down and kisses the sand.

,· ·__·(9 INT. BUS - DAY \1,.,,.,__...../ As they ride home. Bonnie sits by herself.

Sarah WHISPERS to Rochelle:

Nancy faces the sun, all of the.windows on her side of the bus down. She takes ln the wind, practica:.ly drinkirig it, her hair blowing around violently.

·.sudderi.ly_all the lights on the bus SPARK and sputter 0u-:.

THE DRIVER is freaking. His controls are seizing up.

The.BUS swenres.

Nancy smiles at Sarah: a frightening smile.

, ........,......_

A..~ID THE LUNCHTIMECHAOS - We fir.d Sarah eating her-:......_ ... silently, Chris hunched over her shoulder.

She turns to him.

He smiles.

: 'd

It's as nice a place as we can imagine Chris choosing. He wears a coat and tie. Sarah's a little underdressed.

r!JJ'.\ \ ,..,.....,.__,..,/)

A beat.

Chris ...

Chris drives and Sarah rides silently. He turns up a quiet mountain drive.

There's nothing up here. He parks the car. Tur~s oF~ ~~e lights ... Quiet.

:NT. CAR - NIGHT

He sidles over to Sarah.

·. SARAH

Even ·if you end up drowning1

He wraps his arms around her tightly.

Long·pause.

He starts to stick his hand inside her blouse. She pu:.ls away, but he's too strong.

' .

He rips open her shirt. She s:ar:s fighting ::.1m of::. S::e reaches for the door handle, opens it.

o ...

® They spill out, but he's still on top of her. He's pulli~g up her skirt, unbuttoning his pants.

He's shaking, panting, ~ike an animal.

Sarah is terrified, crying. She controls herself.

She kisses him.

He smiles, lets go.

She reaches to touch hire down there. His eyes flutter witr. pleasure.

Then she wrenches her face as if squeezing. He HOWLSwith pain .

She gets Up and runs.

He clutches at his groin.

Sarah scrambles through the bushes and trees in total darknes-s.

The branches are reaching out at her, scratching her skin, as she'runs.

(Z,;7 Sarah stumb!es up the street, across the lawn, c:::-yi~g, s=~-- clutching at her ripped clothes. She makes it up the ~ran= steps and rings the DOORBELL.

Roc~el:e's ~other opens the door.

Sarah s ceps_ back into shadow, turning away awkwardly.

Rochelle's Mother steps back suspiciously.

Rochelle runs to the door. Bonnie right behind her

Sarah is slumped on Rochelle's bed wrapped i~ one o: her bathrobes, eyes· red from crying. Rochelle uses a darnp cloth to wipe clean some of the scratches and cuts. Bonnie watches, nervous.

We MOVE AROUND SARAH. The Girls are quiet.

Behind Sarah, in a shadow, something MOVES.

Sarah whirls around.

/ NANCY ' '~::.:,:,,; ... I'd say you do~'t trust me.

~\ NANCY \_·;.}r;j~} Shut che fuck up. ''-----P

(touching a scrape on Sarah's cheek) I wan~ to talk to Chris about this ...

A glass of water sitting on a table across the room SHATTERS.

NANCY·' When Chris hurts you.· He hurts all of us. We act as one.

She kisses Sarah on the cheek.

Nancy walks along the sidewalk. As she passes ur.der .each · STREET~P', it flickers.

Nancy is TALKING to herself, in angry bursts.

A lamp SHATTERS with a BANG in a shower of SPARKS.

(:-:') A big hCal.1.· fornia Tudor Md.ansion wi~h drun~en KIDS spill.:..r::g ?'.'- "-,~-· onto t e 1awn. BMW's an sporty N.1.ssans Jam every conce.1 ?ao_e parking spot.

\ Shoulder to shoulder revelry. The drunken Dionysian cult that is ·Football. Banners and crepe paper in ~he Footbal team colors: red and black.

Nancy scans the crowd.

Chris -is on a bed, ensconced by Trey and Mitt and ·several other Football·JOCKS. Chris takes swigs from a bottle of Jack Daniels, VERY DRUNK~

They laugh.

AT THE DOOR - A GIRL runs up.

He hands the bottle to Mitt and .stumbles o.ut.

INT, STAIRWELL -·CONT~

On the grand staircase we. find Chris at the top ar~d Nancy .at the bottom. They meet in the middle.

She nods towards a bedroom off a landing.

IN~. MASTER BEDROOM - NIGHT

Ct=is walks in, Nancy right behind him.

T~e door SLA..~SSHUT on its own.

Chris ·...:h,irls around. Nancy smiles at hirr,. The roo:n is dark and romantic.

Nancy is on her knees. She starts to unbutton his fly.

He grabs her hands.

Nancy rubs her hands over her face, contortir.g her features.

Nanc·y, s hands run over her face one· more time ar.d she TRANSFORMS INTO SARAH.

Still delerious from drink, Chris does a double t.ake.

CHR~S What the fuck ... ?

He reaches dovm. and takes her in his arms, kissing deeply, rapaciously. @

A CAB pulls up and Sarah, Rochelle and Bonnie get out.

They move up the front walkway.

Rochelle and Sarah make their way through the CROWD. Someone pulls on Rochelle's arm: it's Laura Lizzie, in a wig, looking terrified. · ·

ROCHELLE.

Sarah is talking to SOMEGIRL who points upstairs.

A TRICKLE OF BLOODruns down Laura's forehead.

Sarah rnoves·away towards the stairs

The display on a digital clock has gone HAYWIRE.

Objects on tables, pictures, boxes, are MOVINGon their own.

Chris, eyes closed, is deep in the throes of making love to ... we can't tell at first.· .. Nancy.

His eyes open and he gets a good look at her.

He stops, rolls away, freaked.

CHRIS

(3. Nar:cy LAUGHS.

The door opens and Sarah steps in.

NANCY-· Sarah's one too ...

The door THUNDEROUSLY SLAMS SHUT.

Nancy starts FLOATING UPWARDS,her feet hang t~o feet o~: -:~e ground.

· CHRIS Mother fucking shit ...

She s~ar':s FLOATING TOWARDSCHRIS.

He backs up, terrified.

BEHIND HIM - Open French doors, a balco:::i.y, ar:d a pre-c:.;:;:.:cY..:.s d.r-op.

9:. NANCY I think you're such a worthless piece of woman-hating crap that yo~r case is terminal.

Nancy's face contorts into a GROTESQUE VERSION OF HERSELF and she FLIES at Chris.

His back is to the railing. Three stories below GUESTS mingle.

Nancy ROARSwith LAUGHTER.

Then: She lightly taps her index finger on Chris' forehead; and he falls back.

FALLING,. SLOWMOT~ON, through space, towards a FLAGSTONE TERRACE.

His head meets the gr·ound and wehear BONES SNAPPING. ~ \,__}

CLOSE UP - KNUCKLES being cracked.

Sarah watches, sickened, as a MALE DETECTIVE ar:d his BUTCH FEMALEASSISTANT talk to her. Roger stands in the doorway.

Sarah shuts down and turns to the window. ':'he Detec.tive looks ar .•.,-r1oyed.

... DETECTIVE· ... Okay. Thank you, Sarah. That was~ helpful.

The Detective and Assistant get in :.heir unmarked c.;,R, :.he Detective giving Sarah a look as they drhre off.

Sarah turns inward, darkens.

Sarah covers her face and rolls onto her bed.

Roger leaves her alone.

· Sarah hears a NOISE in the bathroom, something small ROLLING.

An EXACTO KNIFE teeters off the sink, onto the tile floor.

Sarah looks at the knife, terrified.

The Detective and Assistant enter the building.

As they approach Nancy's door.

Nancy faces the two.

Nancy is blank, cool.

@ . Well ... Sarah is a liar. And she'll

suffer for her sins.

IN~. SARAH'S ROOM - NIGHT

Sarah lies there, unable to sleep. There's a slight SCRATCHING sound.at the window, lurking behit.d curtains.

Sarah gets up and checks the latch.

More SCRATCHING.

She moves the curtain back.

OUTSIDE - Nancy, Bonnie and Rochelle are floating midair outside her second Story window~ ·Their faces are chalk white.

·n,_•-'·_,,..__· NANCY

They all fly towards the window, SMASHINGit in. Glass f:ies everywhere. Sarah is flung against the far wall.

They all.keep flying toward Sarah, their hands grabbing at her neck, grinning and GIGGLING, trying to stracgle her.

Then _Sarah wakes up.

Quiet.

Except·· for some. slight SCRATC_HINGsound· at the window, lurking }2ehind the _c_urtains. ·

Sarah just stares at it.

lNT. B.ALLWAY- DAY

MOVINGthrough the throngs of ST"wENTS.

() Everyone is WHISPERING, staring at Sarah.

A GIRL is faced away to another G:RL, pulling books out o: her locker.

Eer friend nudges her. The Girl turns, pales, and hurries off, mortified.

Sarah just stands in the middle of the hall, paralyzed, everyone watching.

Sarah comes in. GIRLS whisper to each other and hurry out.

Sarah fi~ds a

· STALL - and locks herself in. She irmnediately starts crying, sobbing, but trying to remain silent, trying to not lose it -entirely.

With her face buried in he_r arms, she doesn't notice:

The LATCH on the stall door slowly SLIDES OPEN by itself.

The DOOR qpenS . ·

A jolt runs through Sarah as she looks up to see Nancy, Rochelle and Bonnie.

Sarah stares at them all.

V<i"hat?

Nancy and the Girls mirnick their neck-strang.:..ing movements from Sarah's drea~.

Sarah is shocked. They laugh.

· They start off.

Sarah runs.up.to the door.

Sarah comes in.. The place is empty. She sees the black curtain. She moves to it.

Just as she's about to reach it, a hand touches her shou:der and Sarah whirls around.

It's Lirio.

Sarah hugs her, starts crying. Lirio leads her to a chair.

· LIRIO I could see this trouble coming. The blonde one.

( ; ·.. SARAH Q (nodding)

She killed someone at school. You have t~ give me something to fight them off.

~irio looks disturbed by this.

®'

I can do nothing for you, child.

Suddenly a strange BRE~ZE moves through the store, like a huge inhurnan BREATH.

Sarah looks over: the black curtain is blowing open, light spilling· from inside.

Lirio takes Sa-rah's hand.

She leads Sarah through the doorNay into:

This is an old atrium with hugely overgrown trees and plants obscuring the light from above except ·for a small pool of

sun, sits an .-ANCIENTWOMAN, The Witch, ·o'r1.an old wooden. cllair. ·. She turns to Sarah. She has one milky grey eye and· one eye the color of blood.

She smiles, revealing rows of rotting brown and missir.g teeth.

She waves Sarah to come over.

Lirio pushes Sarah forward, pas': the dozens of BIRDCAGES hanging from the. gnarled bows. There are LIZARDS on the walls, BUTTERFLI~S here and there.

T:ie arthfitically wrenched HANDof the Witch touches Sarah's cheek. By the way the Witch looks off we know she is blir.d.

Sa~ah sits at .the Witch's feet. The Witch takes Sarah's hand and touches her _dJlg. She laughs, delighted and demented, babbling on in SP.r..NISH.

More SPANISH from the Witch.

The Witch tightens her·grip on Sarah, CONTINUING.

~ think I remember her .. . \ .·...__./j Sarah is softly crying. Lirio holds her.

Suddenly the place is ripped apart in a BLAST. A huge FIREBALL pours in through the door from the shop. GLASS fal~s from the ceiling. The three Women are rocked to the ground.

The wall into the shop has crumbled, the place is on FIRS, utterly destroyed.

Then suddenly, the entire sc_enemelds back to i';' s nor.nal state.

Silence.

Sarah anq Lirio. are· terrified.

A GIGGLE from out front of the shop. A silhouette of Nancy moves past a window.

The old Witch makes a remark.

SARAf! I'~ getting out of here.

· The old Witch grabs Sarah's arm, talking to her ernestly.

SARAf! What ... ?

Sarah. runs in the shadows, the sound of SIRENS comir:g closer .

everywhere.. .

She darts into·a street and SCREEECH! a BMW Station wagon almost hits her.

Inside the car are Rochelle and Bonnie.

SARAf!

Why?

Sarah isn't sure.

Rochelle op~ns the door. Sarah comes forward.

Bonnie drives and Rochelle looks straight ahead.

Silence.

Sarah leans forward into the front seat area.

·· ROCHELLE Where do you want to go?

SARAH

No answer.

Bonnie presses a button that locks the doors all around.

Sarah leans back, wary.

NANCYis right there, sitting up in the cargo section.

bJ Sarah jolts, heart pounding.

Nancy c~irnbs up next to her.

iOO NANCY Sarah? 1/ilhat's the matter? You don't look so good.

Sarah looks in the rear view reirror. Bonnie won't meet her g2.are.

Nancy ·pulls out.an ax, swings it around violently and buries it in her Sarah's chest.

Death SCREAM from Sarah.

Then the ax vanishes.

Nancy smiles coyly.

Sarah is hyperventillating.

·They come to an intersection.

Sarah looks blank.

Suddenly she explodes in movement: SLAMMING her fist dow:i c::;. the button ta unlock the doors, DIVING out of t::ie car.

, I i aoNNIE Bhit!

Bonnie grabs a -leg, Nancy. some hair, but it's too late. Sar:ah slips aw~.

Sarah is running up a huge old flight· o·f crurnbling stairs flanking a HILLSIDE.

Bor~~ie takes after her.

( ··~ us. 'C::;; UP THE STAIRS - Sarah is panting, heaving, stiii r~~~~~g ~p the hund.reds of steps. She pa;_;_ses, :.ooks back.

The B.Mi:'1peels O'J.t.

Nancy HOOTS raucously and it echoes up the hill. ·

Hair askew, dirty, exhausted, Sarah trudges up a curving hillside road.

Headlights.hit her from behind.

She moves out of the way. It's·a WOMAN and a CHILD in a STATION WAGON:

The WO~...ANlays on the HORNand speeds past her.

The place looks dark and quiet .. Sarah limps up the fronc walkway.

~J INT. FRONT HALLWAY- ..NIGHT \,- __J Sarah turns the lights on.

She checks into the LIVING ROOM, KITCHEN ... nobody. She sees the phone table.

ANGLE - The Yellow Pages are open to the airlines seccion. on· a small pad are written a FLIGHT NUMBER and a DEPART~"RE T:~.

Suddenly the ANSWERING MACHINEkicks on.

Just. behi:id .Sarah something explodes in SGC}ND... j ,...;,s:. the phone RINGING. Sarah grc;bs it.

:. J2 (laughing, it turns into ... ) NANCY'S VOICE Pretty good, huh? Your parents must care a lot about you to just jump on the next flight. Especially when flying is so dangerous ...

BEHIND SARAH - The TV bursts on playing THE NEWS.

ON THE TV - footage of a·devastating PLANE CRASH SITE.

ANGLE - The note reads: "Flight 321 - Global"

Sarah drops the phone. Her eyes flutter.

She falls down:, woozy, .but doesn't pass·out; She sits there.

Dizzy. WE SPIN AROUND HER.

And something else: The °lights are FLICKERING. They go OUT.

Quiet, dappled MOONLIGHT through the windows.

SARAH - Is losing touch, beyond afraid, sick wit:i doom.

She picks up the phone. It's dead. She presses on the hook. Nothing.

She gets up, locks the front door and moves upstairs.

Sarah looks out her window.

Dark and quiet.

The OOORBELLrings.

.. (~_) She slowly tiptoes.down the steps.

The OOORBELLagain_.

ABOVE THE WALL ir. the staircas·e, behind Sarah, t:ie shadows of tree branches sway slightly in the night: breeze. .. @ l·le hear soft HISSING.

The '!'REE SP.ADOWSgr. .. - ~ fully turn into t:ie SHADOWS. of GIANT SN.:...:-:;:s.

Sarah does not see this.

More. HISSING.

She -moves to the front door, silently. She .peeks through a side window. There's nobody outside.

She very c:autiosly opens the door. All ·quiet.

Then: the DOORBELL'rings again.

ANGLE - The BUTTON IS PRESSED without anybody pressing

Sarah' s. eyes go wide.

She backs away:towards the street, backing down the front steps, ~hen stops.

She's ~tandingon something strange. HISSING.

She looks down·:. She's standing on SNAKES, dozens of them.

The CAMERAPULLS BACK to reveal the front walkway, the lawn, , I the sidewalk, the street, are all composed of a HUGE TEEMING ·MASS OF ~HOutSANDSAND THOUSANDSOF SNAKES.

It's an ocean. It completely surrounds the house.

Sarah turns very slowly. She sees it all.

She starts shaking.

She ~an't catch her breath.

The SNAKES hang from the trees. They cover a CAR. They po~r · out of a mailbox.

A snake starts to spiral up her leg towards her :r~~er t~~g~.

She shakes the sriake off and tips ·for;.;ard onto the sa::e ::a·:e:: of the porch and back into the house.

....... ' - - ....

Sarah robotically comes in, closes and locks the door.

Faint girl GIGGLING.

Sarah· turn~ and runs into the

INr. KITCHEN - NIGHT - CONT.

LOOKING O:JT THE KITCHEN WINDOW- The Hillside is composed of snakes, just like the front.

At the front ooor, something is POUNDING.

Sarah runs out.

:NT. FRONT HALLWAY - CONT.

The front door is BOWINGwith the monstrous force of a huge creature pounding with all :ts might. POUND, POUND. Sarah sees through the window the silhouette if SOMETHING INHUMAN.

A She backs.up the .stairs. She ducks into "'-..,/'

She locks her door, shoves her dresser in front.

We hear the front door break down - S~.ASH!! !

Huge FOOTSTEPS coming up the stairs.

Deep,. inhuman BREATHING (we've heard ·it before) .

The doorknob turns. A massive body POUNDING.

Sarah runs into

We hear furniture THROWN out of the way, SMASHING.

POUND! The wooden slats on the bathroom door splir:ter. POL~"":)'.

Sarah,. backs up, panicked, out of ideas.

She backs into her shower, closes the door, hudd:~ng in ~~e corner, on the wet tiles.

SMASH!! The bathroom door shatters.

':'HROC:GH:'HE Bt,11PYSHOWERGLASS - We see a rr.assive BEAST, vague, h~nched, BREATHINGdeep resonant breaths.

It sees Sarah in the shower, moves to her.

It moves clpse to the glass.

The door opens.

As the glass passes, the shape turns into Nancy, grinning.

ON SARAH - It really makes no difference to her now. She's shifted into another mode: cornered animal.

Nancy leans in c:ose.

Nancy's hand is reaching for something ... the shower handle. She turris it o~ full blast.

Nancy slips away.

Sarah just sits there· getting soaked until finally, slowly,· she gets up and out of the stall.

Totally doused and dripping, she walks out.

There are no qroken doors, no signs of the Huge Beast.

Except_ ... ON THE DRESSER - The black and white photo of Sarah's Mother in the garden.

IN THE PHOTO - The trees are swaying gently,° Sa;;ah's Mother looks up and calmly smiles at us. Sarah moves on.

HALLWAY - TOP OF THE STAIRS -

Sarah co~es out, looks.down numbly, starts down the steps.

/ ., She c.ornes in and stands in the middle of the room. '/'Je a.:::e "c;;) MOVINGAROUND HER.

Light and shadow.

Af'. empty chair. GIGGLING. Now Rochelle sits there. ~ '\y Light shifts. Now Rochelle is over by :he window.

SARAH

An empty archway:

Sarah looks: Bonnie in the.archway now.

Nancy dips down from a shadow over Sarah's head, f:oatir:g.

Now she ' s gone.

(softly) · I'm not going ·to kill myself ...

Now a huge BOA CONSTRICTORis gracefully and silently lowering itself from the ceiling, unseen by Sarah.

Suddenly-the SNAKE coils around Sarah's neck ar..d wraps around.

Her eyes bulge and she paws at the SNAKE but it's. too tight.

It starts to lift her off the ground by the neck. Her :eet kick vio.:ently.

The SNAKE MORPHS INTO A ROPE. Sarah is being hung PY tr:e ~-

Nancy watches.

Sarah gives a silent scream as her neck SNAPS.

She falls to ~he gro~nd.

No snake. No rope. She kneels there choking, rubbing her neck.

Sarah gets up.

Sarah looks OUT THE WINDOW - The landscape is normal,· wir.hout a single_snake.

Sarah waiks to the front hall.

Just as Sarah pulls open the door she is met by Roger, ~enny and A FAMILIAR WOMAN.

Dad ...

She throws her arrns around him.

He :ooks in her eyes.

'ROGER I want you to meet someone. ,'.

_The Woman c6rhes forward.

' ROGER Sarah, this is your mother.

Sarah looks at her, in shock, not understanding.

She hugs Sarah who is speechless, on the verge of tears.

Sarah pulls back to get another look at her, but it's NANCY, who kisses Sarah on the lips, then pushes her dowr. on the floor.

The front door SLAMS CLOSED.

Nancy leans down in 'front of Sarah.

Without thinking, Sarah does. And before she can even reac:, Nancy has taken the Exacto knife and slashed through Sarah's wrists.

Blood runs. Sarah stares at its

Nancy smears the blood up her a::-m. r<~ v

She gets up and runs to the door, but Rochelle is there to block it.

Nancy grabs a pen and starts writing a note.·

Nancy puts the pen and the note in Sarah's hands, and she drops them.

ON THE FLOOR - The note and the pen are smeared i~ blood.

Sarah runs upstairs, panicked, bumping inco the wall.

~ANCY I wish sh~_would relax.

She bounds in, holding her wrists out, bumping into a dresse:=- and knocking ~he PHOTOof her mother off che table.

The glass cracks.

She stumbles into

Sarah sl!_ps to the floor, crying, hopeless.

She sees the photo on the floor. She crawls to it, touches the glass. She thinks.

Nancy and the girls are sitting there. Rochel:.e and Bonnie look very glum.

G ROCHEL:..E

I was just thinking ...

NANCY ·

Jesus. Go upstairs and ·see if she's dead yet.

Rochel1e ·is going f.rom·room to.room.

She meets up with Bonnie.

They see blood drips and smears on the floor.

·BO~IE - She was in here.

The drips lead over to double doors. Rochelle opens them ~o reveal

A LONG, S~RANGE-LOOKING HALLWAY.-

With flickering sconces.

They step fo:t"w'ard.

--- .

DOWNSTAIRS- WI':'H NANCY- CONT.

We hear distant SCREAMS.

She goes upstairs.

~NT. SARAH'S ROOM- NIGHT

Following the.drops of blood, she goes to the double doors, opens them, seeing the HALLWAY.

Nancy stops. She picks up a book and throws it into the hallway.

The BOOK vanishes, causing a soft gas~. The IMAGE OF ~HE HALLWAY DISSIPATES like fog.

Nancy .t_urns around.

~ out of the bathroom comes a SCREAMINGbloody Sarah, shoving Nancy out the double doors.

Nancy flies out into the darkness.

And then ... silence.

Sarah creeps forward and peers into the BLACK.

A CRACK of THUNDERand the skies FLASH, illuminating Nancy who lies motionless on the pavement, her neck is at an impossible angle.

Rochelle and Bonnie are climbing out of the bushes ~earby.

A'BREEZE_stirs the trees.

A HORN honks.

Roger and Jenny are getting out of a TOWTRUCK. ·sarah comes out the front door, walks right up and hugs her father.

(seeing her wrists) Sarah!

She passes out in his arms.

FADE TO BLACl<

FADE UP -

Sarah lies in bed, her wrists bandaged, in a daze.

A NURSE stands over her.

The Nurse goes. In. file Rochelle and Bonnie who has her arm in a sling.

0 ROCHELLE -

How are you?

Sarah just stares at them.

ROCHELLE·.. And you were totally right about not ·abusing the craft. Not that it really matters ar?,yrnore. We los.t all· our powers ... Do you still have .any powers?

Sarah looks at them for a long time.

3onnie and Rochelle fu.'nble for the door.

n,,..._.,/:JISSOUJE ':'0 -

BY .:'HE CHILDREN'S SECTION - MOTHERSand YOUNGDAUGHTERS .•.:e fil:..r.g in. A YO'C.JNGGIRL sees Sarah setting up chairs in an alcove.

(to her.mother) Mommy, that's the best reader!

She kisses her daughter and goes.

Sarah sits in front of the room with some fifteen YOt'NG GIRLS very intently listening. to her read a story. · · · ~ \ ...__./')

· SARAH So the Old Woman packed up her basket and went home ...

Sarah checks around: no adults in sight. She :oaks at the Girls.

I 'i

The lights starts to DIM.

... But late that night all the anima:.:s in the forest came out to the wishing well ...

Vecy gradually, as if through a mist, a. WELL appears just behind Sarah ..

A DEER walks from behind a bookshelf.

A OWL flaps in and perches atop a shelf.

RABBITS hop by.

BUTTERFLIES flutter down.

J

THE GIR~S - are wide-ey~~- G

SA.R.A.T-J: And even though :he Old Woman had warned them about the well, chey decided co try it anyway ... They would have to learn c~e lesson themselves ...

A BLACKBIRD lands atop the book.

Sarah turns the page.

FADE OUT -