First draft of script
- 1. Scene One. Inside Trevor’s house the camera turns on with typical home movie camera things in the corners (i.e. Battery use, REC., etc..) Trevor: Okay so it’s day one (He looks at himself in the mirror with the camera and talks to us) On our expedition to find out what this shit’s really all about. (He smiles awkwardly) The other four should be here soon… Yeah I dunno man. We gonna catch a ghost. (Camera turns off and comes back on again to the sound of the door bell.) Trevor: Oh. Intrepid explorer number one.. (He walks to the door with the camera and opens it.) Ray: Jesus, man! Trevor: Hey, ray is it? Ray: Fuck man, don’t just… Give me some warning when you’re gonna point that shit at me. Trevor: (Laughing) Sorry man, come in let me get you a drink. Ray: (Also laughing) Yeah I’d love a drink. Camera shows Ray and Trevor sitting around a coffee table chewing the cud (Improv) knocking on the door again. Trevor: Oi oi, looks like we got company. Trevor goes to open the door and the camera stays on Ray who notices it and makes some funny faces in to it. Trevor: Tracy? Tracy: Trevor, yeah? Trevor: Yeah come on in! You ready to hunt some ghosts? Tracy: (Laughing) Yeah totally! Trevor: Bought your camera? Tracy: Yeah. Tracy’s camera turns on and we get a shot from her point of view. She’s looking at Ray.
- 2. Trevor: Okay, Tracy this is Ray. Ray, you heard me say her name just now right? Ray: Huh? Oh yeah cool, hi Tracy nice to put a name to a face at last. Tracy: Likewise. Camera switches to a shot facing outside Trevors front door window to show Alice walking up to the front door. There is chatter in the living room. Tracy: Guys guys guys look! Trevor: Oh hey just one to go. Ray: Hey let me get this one, man. Ray walks towards the door and opens it before even giving her a chance to knock. Alice: Christ I didn’t even get a chance to knock. Laughter Ray: Hey there. And you are? Alice: Gamergurl_42 Ray: Yes that sounds vaguely familiar, come on in! Later in the afternoon. Tracy: Where the fuck is he? Ray: He’ll be here, don’t worry. Tracy: I know but… What the fuck though. Even later. Trevor: Okay, I think it’s safe to say he won’t be.. KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK Ali: (Through the door) OPEN IT BITCHES.
- 3. Trevor: (To Ray) You wanna get that? Ray: No. Pause. KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK. Ali: COME ON. LETS TEAR THIS CASE WIDE OPEN. Trevor walks up to the door and opens it. Trevor: Hello, Ali. You’re late. Ali: Yeah sorry, man we found some cool shit back at my place, time kinda slipped away… SO let’s meet the team, yeah? (He walks into the living room and stands in the middle of them all.) So this is Trevor’s house, I can only assume he’s the one who answered the door: wassup TayTay, how’s it going?! (He waves arrogantly at him.) Which leaves just one sausage in this sexy fry up, (He looks at Ray.) Hey Ray what’s good?! Now that leaves two. (He stands in front of Alice.) Hello girl, how’s it going, I’m assuming it’s good, good, nice to meet you Alice (He doesn’t give her time to respond.) And this must be the beautiful Tracy. (He breaths in heavily and breaths out waveringly.) Well hello there. Tracy: Hi Ali: How are you? Tracy: Cool. Ali: Cool. Long and awkward pause. Ray: Well that was romantic, can we go? Everyone gets up. Alice: Yeah the sun’ll be down soon. Everyone got their camera’s Trevor: Yup. Ali: Yup. (He takes out his camera phone and puts it in Ray’s face.) Ray: What is that?
- 4. Ali: (Says the make of the phone.) Ray: That ain’t a camera. Ali: Got a camera in it… And also angry birds. Ray shakes his head and walks off. Walking towards the woods Trevor documents Alice. Trevor: So Alice, as our groups expert tell us a bit about how you’re feeling right now. Alice: Well, Trevor I’d say I’m cautiously optimistic. Obviously theres no telling whether we’ll find anything or not, the ghost hasn’t been seen since maybe 1994, 95 at the very latest, but hey in a universe of infinite possibilities who’s to say he won’t come face to face with him? Ali: (Off camera) Gaaaay. Tracy is documenting Ray. Ray: Yeah I’ve always had a great deal of interest in the paranormal. I guess it’s just a cool concept I mean, life after death and all. I’m seriously buzzing for tonight. Yeah I think it’s gonna be cool. The camera comes back up on Ray and Trevor setting up the tent. Tracy: (In a mock documentary style voice.) And here, deep inside the woods we find two alpha males in their natural habitat, doing what it does best: failing to assemble a shitty little tent. Trevor: Funny funny funny funny Ray: Funny funny funny. Tracy: Oh jesus, not that again. (turns to Ali) And here on the outskirts of society lies the beta male, inferior in every way, but sadly blinded by the illusion he is also alpha Long Pause.. Ali flexes his biceps. Everyone sits around in a circle. Trevor is filming Tracy. tracy is filming Trevor. Ali’s camera is switching back and forth between the two. Ray starts to speak and Ali’s camera follows the voice. Ray: So I’m thinking we split up, three of us go out into the woods just to check there’s no… I dunno, dogging or what have you going on. Two stay here to guard the base.
- 5. Ali: (Sarcastically) Oooh the base. Alice: Bitch, are you serious? Have you never seen a horror film before? Never split up!! Laughter Tracy: Nah, he’s right it’ll be good to scour the perimeter just so we know the place a little better. Trevor: So what are you thinking, me, you and Ray go off while Ali and Alice stay here and document the legend? Alice isn’t happy with this suggestion. Ali: Nah come on dawg, I wanna come too. Ray: I’m not sure, You’re probably gonna need a bit of muscle back here at the tent. Ali: Well tracy took two years of gravmaga. Tracy: Oh I didn’t know you remembered that. That’s kinda sweet… (Looking in to the camera.) Or weird. Alice: Okay then it’s decided. they all mumble in agreement. Inside the tent, Alice and tracy chat, unaware that the camera has switched on. Tracy: I dunno he’s just a bit weird don’t you think? Alice: We’ll he’s cocky but is that weird? Tracy: What’s weird is I think he likes me or whatever? And like he knows everything about me and recognised me straight away, I’m just thinking ‘How long has this creep been checking out my prof… Alice: Oh shit the camera’s on. Camera turns off and on again now on a tripod recording Alice. Tracy: Name?
- 6. Alice: Alice Dawkins. Tracy: So tell us a little about the King’s Corpse. Alice: Well the King’s Corpse is a legend around these parts that is derived from the name of the forest we’re in now which is… Tracy: And what forest are we in, for the people at home? Alice: (Laughing) Yeah I was just about to say, we’re in the Kings Copse. So yeah, Kinda sounds the same. Uhh… We can cut that out yeah? Tracy: Yeah totally. Alice: Okay so back in the 1981 this Norwegian couple moved to the area to get married, god knows why here was the right place. So anyway, yeah um this guy (At this stage she has opened her scrapbook and points to an artist interpretation of the murderer.) **** He’s who we’re here for today because the story is that in the summer of 1984 he finds out that his wife has allegedly been practicing witchcraft and is directly responsible for the deaths of about 13 children in the area so he calls in a priest for an exorcism. But you see the thing is exorcisms aren’t commonplace, nor have they been since the 1800’s so obviously our local vicar was reluctant to perform such a service. (She’s still looking through the scrapbook) So by Autumn time the paranoia is getting to our man, he doesn’t know how to confront his wife but in his mind he’s pretty much certain she is what he thinks she is. Then (She turns the page.) In the winter of ‘84 the police are called in regarding loud noises heard in the night to find the wife hanging from the wall. She was like impaled in a crucifixion type pose using pipes from the bathroom. The autopsy showed that there was bruising in and around the mouth area, as well as scars on the forehead and wrist performed post mortem but the husband was nowhere to be seen. (Turns the page to show newspaper articles) Obviously this was all anyone in the area was talking about at the time, and you would wouldn’t you, I mean did you head about the witch murder next door? Cool beans. But here’s where it get’s really interesting. Tracy: It’s pretty interesting right now, Alice. Alice: Yeah but hold up… No one heard from the guy for another few months when suddenly, in the summer of 1985, the vicar, along with two other people from the town that our man had allegedly become friends with over the years, were found in the forest nailed to trees in the same fashion, all facing inwards like a triangle, only this time they were actually wearing thorns and branches around their heads and wrists… And that’s the second reason for the name of ‘The Kings Corpse’ um.. Forensic investigators thought that the way these guys had been hung up made them look like… Kings. Long pause.
- 7. Tracy: Cool. Alice: Yeah it’s pretty awesome. Tracy: And you’ve researched all of this, put this beautiful scrapbook together. basically of all of us you know the most. Alice: Yeah I kinda do. You need me, you guys! Laughter Piano music begins to play faintly. Tracy: Oh shit sorry, let me put that on silent. (She checks her phone.) Oh… It’s not me, must be you. Alice: It’s not me, I don’t have my phone on me. Tracy: No phone? Seriously? Alice: Yeah, didn’t bring one. Long pause. Tracy: Well then what the hell?! Alice: Did one of the guys leave theirs? Tracy: No, they couldn’t ‘cause they might need to contact us, plus Ali is using his for filming so I don’t see howAAAAH A shuffling right by the tent distracts them and they both scream. Alice: Don’t scream, never scream in the middle of nowh… A large blade comes through the tent from behind Alice and stabs her through the stomach. Alice Cont.: (Over Tracy’s screaming.) OHH FUCK! Tracy grabs the camera and tripod and runs out of the tent. Tracy: I’m sorry Alice, I’m so sorry, I.. I…
- 8. Tracy is running and turns the camera around to show the tent and a man standing next to it, his face obscured by green rags and a hat. He stabs through the tent once more and Alice ceases screaming. The man looks over at Tracy slowly and she runs off into the deeper woods. The camera comes back on Tracy who is pointing it at herself and walking through the woods. She had been crying. Tracy: I’m Tracy Anderson and I’m here researching the Kings Corpse and I’m alone in the woods and Alice Dawkins was just killed and I’m really fucking scared right now… Long pause. She kind of wanders around. Tracy cont.: I’m kind of just wandering around… And um… I dunno what to do… I’ve walked off in the same direction that the others did.. Um… That’s Trevor, Ray and Ali. They’re kind of scouring the perimeter right now making sure theres no danger… Could probably have used them back at the tent truth be told… So now I’m just trying to figure this all out. The camera jumps to in front of her with torch light on so she can see her way through the woods. She’s walking aimlessly forwards. Tracy: See the thing is I want to start shouting for the guys but then the ghost will hear me and I just… Yeah I don’t know… What do I... Oh fuck I dunno. She walks through the woods more and more. Scenes can probably be based around improvisation. Tracy comes through a clearing and see’s Ali lying on the floor. Tracy: Oh my god, Ali Ali Ali Ali (She runs up to him before realising he’s dead.) Oh Fuck. (She moves the body slightly so it turns over, his jaw is broken.) Oh Christ, no no. Scared out of her wits she wanders around a little before noticing his camera phone on the floor. She picks it up. Found footage on Ali’s phone shows how he died. The murderer places the camera on the floor facing Ali who is impaled on a large spike whittled away from a tree branch. The spike goes through the bottom of his jaw out through his mouth. Ali: (Mumbles) No no no, don’t be doing this yo. Think it through.
- 9. The murderer walks around a bit admiring his handiwork. He stands by the spike and kicks it very aggressively. Tracy, still watching flinches at this. The footage shows Ali lying on the ground dead. The murderer walks over to stand in front of the camera and kneels down slightly looking in to the lense for a few seconds. He then walks over the camera and out of shot. Tracy: … Alright. Okay fuck it I gotta get out of here. (She picks up the camera and runs into the woods.) The camera turns so it is recording her again. Tracy: So I’ve decided the best thing to do is to leave the woods and then maybe call the police, tell them about what happened to Alice and Ali. I dunno what the fuck I’m gonna tell them but I… AAAAAAH. She see’s Ray’s body. She runs. She runs through the woods panting desperately. Eventually she finds her way to a familiar point. Tracy: Oh good… Good good I know this place. Alright. She turns round to see in the distance Alice is crucified on a tree. Equidistant from her and the tree is another tree (i.e. they are forming a triangle.) Which Trevor stumbles out from behind. Trevor: RAY! RAY!! JESUS CHRIST RAY! Tracy: (Almost whispering but wanting to shout.) Shut the fuck up, Trevor. We are in seriousShe stops talking and the camera drops to the floor. Trevor’s camera takes over and shows in the distance the murderer standing over Tracy’s body. The murderer looks up at Trevor. Trevor bolts forwards hoping to get away from the murderer simply by running past him. This obviously doesn’t work. The murderer runs alongside Trevor and tackles him to the ground. Trevor holds the camera in front of him facing the murderer (First close up of his green masked face.) The murderer begins to strangle Trevor before our hero kicks him in the nads. trevor once again grabs the camera and runs for it. Additional running shots. More running. Panting and running through the woods.
- 10. Trevor finally comes to the end of the woods and jumps out into safety. He watches as cars pass on the busy street. He begins to laugh with joy as he knows he is safe (in spite of the other murders). He turns around and on the street the murderer is standing. Trevor: No. No. NO NO NO. The murderer begins to run towards him and eventually catches up, pulling Trevor on to the ground. The impact of the fall temporarily disables him and the murderer climbs on to his back where he proceeds to bash his head against the floor thereby knocking him unconscious. Time has passed, as indicated by the rising sun, and the murderer is filmed cutting Trevors stomach open. The murderer turns to the camera and walks towards it. He picks it up and it faces him before placing it down inside the corpse. The heart is beating against the camera and the murderer looks in. He speaks. The Murderer: Er du fornøyd nå? He closes the wound and there is just darkness and the beating of the heart. The heart stops. End