Goosebumps(Second Draft 12-17-12) Script
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Goosebumps by Darren Lemke HALL JEFFDecember 18th, 2012 FADE IN: EXT. - CHICAGO; LAKESHORE DRIVE - LATE NIGHT Rain comes down in buckets. A MOVING TRUCK is parked out front of a Gothic, pre-war APARTMENT BUILDING. Stone gargoyles sit perched above. Thunder crashes bringing us to- INT. - APARTMENT 313; LIVING ROOM Dark wood. High ceilings. As charming as a haunted mansion. Near deserted, the bare rooms are filled with over-stuffed MOVING BOXES--all marked FRAGILE. Lightning flashes revealing- AN ANTIQUE DUMMY sealed within a sturdy glass display case. A mischievous grin is frozen on the dummy’s inanimate wooden face like a child with a secret. Then- A LANKY MOVER loads the display case onto a hand truck. Nearby, a BURLY MOVER abrasively grabs a box when- APARTMENT OWNER (o.s.) Careful with those. The Burly Mover turns as we reveal a figure in the shadows-- for now, we’ll simply know him as the APARTMENT OWNER. In his hand is a STRESS BALL. APARTMENT OWNERHALL They’re very delicate. With that, the Apartment Owner gives the stress ball a squeeze then disappears back into the darkness. The Burly Mover rolls his eyes and follows the Lanky Mover out. As he does we notice that the apartment is badly damaged. Broken floors. Shattered walls. The movers exchange curious glances. BURLY MOVER (under his breath) What, did a bulldozer go through this place? JEFFLANKY MOVER (under his breath) That’s why landlords created security deposits. With that the two movers continue on their way. EXT. - STREET - MOMENTS LATER As the Lanky Mover loads the dummy into the truck- BURLY MOVER Heads up. 2. The Lanky Mover turns as the Burly Mover tosses the box marked “fragile” in his direction. Missing the box, the carton tumbles to the ground, spilling DOZENS OF LEATHER- BOUND MANUSCRIPTS onto the street. LANKY MOVER Now look what you did... The two movers pick up the manuscripts and wipe them off. Each is bound shut with a sturdy, REINFORCED LOCK...much like the type you’d find on a diary. Among the titles: BURLY MOVER “Monster Blood”, “The Werewolf of Fever Swamp”, “The Haunted Mask”... LANKY MOVER Hey, I know these. I used to read them when I was a kid. The Lanky Mover eyes a book entitled “The Blob That Ate Everyone”. The lock’s been damaged from the fall. LANKY MOVER Oh, man. You busted the lock on this one. The Burly Mover examines the damaged lock, shrugs, then tosses the book back in the box, placing it in the truck. LANKY MOVER Whoa. Whoa. What are you doing? That’s property damage.HALL We gotta report it. BURLY MOVER For all we know that lock was busted before we got here. Besides,... The Burly Driver scans the scene for prying eyes then closes the truck’s delivery door. BURLY MOVER JEFFWho’s going to notice? EXT. - ABANDONED COUNTRY ROAD - LATER THAT NIGHT Rain falls harder. Thunder crashes louder. The moving truck follows the Apartment Owner’s distant car. BURLY MOVER (o.s.) Let me ask you something. INT. - MOVING TRUCK The Burly Mover drives while the Lanky Driver reads Mad magazine. 3. BURLY MOVER What kind of person hires a moving company to move them in the middle of the night? LANKY MOVER The same kind of person who puts dead bolts on manuscripts, I guess. Suddenly, a RUMBLING NOISE is heard from the back of the truck. Upon hearing the noise, the two movers eye each other uncertainly. LANKY MOVER Maybe a cat crawled inside... The rumbling gets louder. Whatever it is...it isn’t a cat. EXT. - ABANDONED ROAD The moving truck pulls over to the side of the road. EXT. - MOVING TRUCK The back doors are pulled open as the movers peers inside. Darkness peers back. The Burly Mover switches on his flashlight, revealing a wall of boxes. BURLY MOVER Is somebody back there?HALL Silence. Then- Something shuffles behind the boxes. Something that doesn’t want to be seen. The two movers exchange uneasy glances. BURLY MOVER (calling out) Okay, you got two choices, pal. Either you come out or we come in. You got until three to make up your mind. One... The tensionJEFF mounts. BURLY MOVER Two... The moment builds. The Lanky Mover swallows nervously, then- BURLY MOVER Th- But before the mover can finish his count--Boom! The back of the truck literally EXPLODES as whatever’s hiding inside bursts out. The impact of the blast sends the moving men tumbling backwards, crashing to the wet pavement. 4. As the two mud-covered movers dazedly gather their bearings, a SHADOW grows over them. Growing higher...higher...until- The movers’ eyes widen. Faces go white. And then- A MONSTROUS ROAR breaks the silence. The movers scream in horror as the shadow falls upon them, bringing us to- TITLE CREDITS As CREDITS roll a series of GOOSEBUMPS BOOK COVERS kaleidoscope across the screen. “The Haunted School”, “It Came From Beneath the Sink”, “The Girl Who Cried Monster”...Just to name a few. Endless tales of terror. The titles spin and swirl...growing faster and faster...until- TITLE CREDITS END Legend reads: THIRTEEN MONTHS LATER EXT. - RURAL MARYLAND - MORNING A hundred miles from Baltimore. A million from Manhattan. A SEA OF PUMPKINS stretches out alongside a two lane highway. A sign reads: WELCOME TO NORMALHALL POPULATION 1,245 A dusty mini-van roars past, dragging a clanking U-Haul behind it. Passing an ABANDONED AMUSEMENT PARK, the mini-van crosses an old TRESTLE BRIDGE leading to- EXT. - NORMAL; MAIN STREET A small town as small as they come. Norman Rockwell would die of boredom. Cornstalks and pumpkins adorn the gazebo in the TOWN SQUARE.JEFF Halloween decorations fill shop windows. INT. - MINI-VAN Meet GALE and ZACH COOPER. A forty-something mom and her fourteen year-old son. Both ex-Manhattanites. Both look as out of place as they feel. Zach wears a New York Yankees sweatshirt. Sitting in the child safety seat in the back is MELISSA, Zach’s two year-old sister. Melissa merrily chews on her foot as Zach fiddles with his Iphone, unable to get a signal. As a dispirited Zach takes in the small town scene- 5. ZACH Seriously, mom, are you telling me that they’re not hiring English teachers in Hawaii? GALE Not ones that have two kids to support. ZACH (serious) I just hope we’re close to a subway line. GALE (delicately) Yeah, about that... EXT. - SPRINGFIELD AVENUE Lined with lovely Victorian houses on a private cul-de-sac. Woodlands stretch off behind the homes. GALE (o.s.) Alright, kids, last stop. The mini-van comes to a stop as Zach and Gale exit. GALE It might not be much,HALL but,... We reveal the Cooper family’s new home. A broken-down two- story house. Chipped paint. Shuttered windows. The lawn is thick and overgrown. Gale sighs. GALE ...well, you get the idea. Zach studies the house uncertainly. ZACH Munsters go into foreclosure? GALE JEFFIsn’t there a moving box you should be carrying? Zach grumbles and heads to the U-Haul. As he does- INT. - NEIGHBOR’S HOME An UNSEEN FIGURE watches from above. INT. - COOPER’S HOUSE; FRONT PORCH Not much better on the inside. 6. GALE Okay, so the place could use a little work, but, it is only temporary. Just until we get back on our feet. A RACCOON rushes out the front door. MELISSA Kitty cat! Zach eyes his mother uncertainly. Gale puts on a brave face. GALE Everything’s going to be fine. Really. INT. - KITCHEN - MOMENTS LATER Gale turns on the kitchen sink. Pipes clank and spray. Water comes out in brown spurts. GALE (to Zach; off the sink) Okay, I’ll grab the toolbox, you grab some towels. Zach assumes his mom is kidding. She’s not. GALE What? You and your father used to fix the leaky faucet HALLin the bathroom all the time. ZACH He fixed the faucet. I held the wrench. GALE Well, you know what your dad used to say about trying. ZACH Dad used to say a lot of things... With that,JEFF Zach heads into the LIVING ROOM Zach sits on the couch, sinking beneath the broken springs. Gale appears with Melissa in her arms. She regards her son gently, putting a loving arm around him. She knows how he’s feeling. She feels it too. GALE Hey, look, Zach,...I know things are a little scary right now, but if we work together and everybody does their part...we can get through this in one piece. 7. Gale smiles confidently. Zach doesn’t seem as convinced. Knock. Knock. Gale and Zach look to see LORRAINE on the front porch--Gale’s bubbly forty-something sister. Lorraine is clearly the “country mouse” to Gale’s “city mouse”. LORRAINE Normal Welcoming Committee! Zach notices that Lorraine’s hand bag is made from denim jeans and sea shells. Bedazzled to nauseam. ZACH I see Aunt Lorraine’s still designing her own hand bags. GALE Be nice. Gale opens the door. The two sisters hug. LORRAINE Oh my gosh, I can’t believe you’re really here! GALE Thanks to you. LORRAINE Well, hey, what’s the point of being on the Board of Education if you don’t have some say in who’s doing the educating. HALL (to Melissa) Hey, there, little girl! (off Zach; playfully) And this must be the man of the house. ZACH Hey, Aunt Lorraine. Lorraine gives Zach a welcoming hug. LORRAINE I swear, you look more like your JEFFfather every time I see you.