- Script Excerpt -
HearthTales©
by

Gordon Hayes

INTRO: DREAM HORROR SEQUENCE/SEATTLE HOTEL SUITE-SATURDAY NIGHT

FADE IN

1) NIGHTMARE SEQUENCE-BRYCE SATIN has a nightmare.

POV BRYCE being dragged along on his back, feet carried by a CREATURE, all decomposing and grotesque. It is dark with occasional glimpses of atrocities happening along the way through the forest/dungeon, dark, dank, dirty fearsome place. MEDIUM SHOT Bryce's torso, all bloody and such. His arm is a bloody stump. The CREATURE dragging his battered body is carrying the arm, taking frequent bites off of it & spitting out pieces of munched bone. This should be the worst kind of nightmare. CREATURE SHOULD NOT COMPETE WITH DEMON FOR WEIRDNESS.

HORROR. Just when you think all is over, the thing kicks open some doors and enters into a perfectly clean, very expensive office. Bryce's wife, DAWN is standing there in front of her desk looking studious and tapping a pencil on her front teeth. She tells the thing to put him over there. It throws the arm on the desk and does so. She is disgusted and complains about bringing the item in one undamaged piece. Thing argues that he was told he could sample wares. She says yes, all right.

She says clean him up and EVA enters in sexy Slave/Paramedic outfit. She starts to seduce him while cleaning him up. Then, when things are about to explode, wifey walks in and kicks out babe. She had him cleaned up so she could have her pit bulls tear him apart from the groin outward. BRYCE suddenly finds himself strapped onto a table which allows the dogs easy access for feeding. Wife puts her hand on his shoulder so the mutts can get a better hold. CUT TO

2 MIN.S

2) EVA WAKING BRYCE

EVA's hand on Bryce's shoulder. He awakens in a fright and stares at her hand in fear, then bursts out laughing, then grabs his head. Bryce's Personal Assistant, EVA BERNHARDT (A COOL, CLASSY AUSTRALIAN), awakens him and shows him his mail containing an 8mm video cassette from his wife Dawn in Hollywood. It is late afternoon. She opens the curtains and we see late afternoon (5 pm) and a summer storm. She shows him video tape from Dawn (JERRY has audio tape in there also: JERRY'S CONFESSION).

BRYCE has a migraine from the private, after-book signing party last night at the SPACE NEEDLE where there was a Playmate (also in town) for a video promotion. As she opens the drapes, showing the storm and the approaching evening, He sits up (wearing only pajama bottoms) and looks at EVA slyly, enjoying her movements. She questions him about that and he merely says it was a good dream. She acknowledges what his dream must have been about with a smile. Teases that he'll never know how good reality would be. She plays: "Don't touch";

2 Min.s

He: "Let's go for it", when it is really the other way around.

3) BRYCE GETS UP AND EVA EXITS

EVA shows him the mail and package, sets down his aspirin, lets room service in with the breakfast and exits with a flair. Bryce gets it together and starts to eat walking to the window, showing the panorama of SEATTLE from the penthouse.

He eats muffin and takes aspirin and drinks orange juice. He 1 min. looks over at picture of DAWN and shakes his head, not understanding why he had that dream.

HOLLYWOOD - THE BRYCE & DAWN SATIN MANSION/[FLASHBACK FROM LAST SCENE]

SCENE 1: DAWN, is a proper English type (SOCIETY BITCH RELEASED INTO DECADENT AMERICANA who goes wild), and Bryce's house in Hollywood. Dawn is reclining near the pool. Dawn and Bryce's friend, JERRY(A BEVERLY HILLS TYPE) brings her a drink. They are in expensive bathing suits, Jerry wearing a suit with the initials "BS" on them. Nice pool, nice home. Jerry and Dawn are involved. Dawn is married to Bryce. Dawn asks Jerry to post a package addressed to Bryce. He puts it away (IN CAR OR SOMETHING), they forget about it. She has a thing for her brother who's picture is available.

She then snubs Jerry, she wants someone else too, "They are adults; She is a Free Spirit; She's Married anyway"; etc.; besides, no one seems to be "tough enough" for her. She wants a "Bad Boy". She later also considers the Black Man (WHO HAS TOO MUCH RESPECT TO HAVE HER). She is surprised with Jerry's reaction. Jerry takes it badly, he has wronged his Friend (AND FOR HER?); She has snubbed him, so the Hell with HER. He will

3.5 min.s tell.

SEATTLE - LATER

SCENE 3:Bryce plays tape from Dawn. Turns it down after a bit of the sickening niceness. Turns on Jerry's audio tape and listens as Dawn mouth's words silently on. Eva, in the room being ever the Assistant, overhears audio tape from Bryce's friend Jerry about unfaithful wife Dawn, while video of Dawn plays with the sound turned down. Eva asks why he puts up with her. He says, "Because I stick to my promises. I promised I would never leave her."

SEATTLE - LATER AT THE PARTY/BRYCE'S SUITE

SCENE 4:Party later: thrown by LAIC(LOCAL AGENT IN CHARGE). Bryce offended by VARIOUS MEDIA PEOPLE doing drugs etc., in his Hotel Suite.

HOLLYWOOD

SCENE 5: Dawn in Hollywood. She gets out Original of the BOOK OF DEMONS which Bryce has a manuscript of. A rough type dude named BRUCE comes over and she puts Book away. They have a Sexual Encounter.

SEATTLE - BRYCE'S HOTEL SUITE

SCENE 6:Bryce calls old war buddy FRANK. Frank welcomes him on last minute notice. Bryce and Eva leave.

HOLLYWOOD

SCENE 7: Dawn comes downstairs to answer the door of the mansion. It is a small BLACKMAN, (ABORIGINAL TYPE--something is wrong with his appearance, he is very unusual and a bit scary). The friend comes downstairs. JERRY shows up. Jerry finds Bruce there.

Dawn tries to get Jerry to show up later, or tomorrow. Bruce is just a PLAYTHING for her (INFERENCE:JERRY IS ALSO). Jerry leaves after telling about the videos.

Bruce (IN ROBE) watches as Dawn gets ready for a Ceremony with the Black Man and the Demon Book. When he realizes what is going on, he sits, fascinated. The Ceremony also requires sexual relations (LIKE MOST DEMON WORSHIPING DOES) and Dawn and Bruce get it on, much to Bruce's shock and excitement. They finish the Ceremony, the DEMON is Conjured and it materializes far away in Seattle. THEY NEVER SEE THE DEMON.

SEATTLE - Limo RIDE

SCENE 8: Bryce and Eva enter Limo, meet DIRK, Limo DRIVER and take off as Demon appears in alleyway. They notice the Thunder and the increasing storm as the Demon arrives, (WE DO NOT SEE THE DEMON UNTIL THE END OF THE SCRIPT--WHAT WE SEE IS ALL POV SHOTS UNTIL DEMON TAKES OVER A MAN'S BODY) not realizing that it was a Supernatural Event.

HOLLYWOOD

SCENE 9: Dawn and the two men. Exposition. They talk and drink. The Black Man is cool is not in it for the money, but rather for the book which Dawn has promised to him (and will renege). He gets Respect back home & is a Big Deal; says that Demonology is like ordering from Sears and Roebuck only you always get someone from the Bloods and the Crypts, instead of what you order.

But if you're smart you CAN out-clever them. However, it takes a GREAT DEAL OF EXPERIENCE. Dawn says she has LOTS OF EXPERIENCE. Black man says, NOT that KIND of experience. They are starting to not get along. She thinks he is cute because he is small, he overhears this, which she says to Bruce, who knows how this can react on a man. She makes a pass at the Black man. He declines. They take their time as if this were a mere social event, very relaxed.

SEATTLE - DEMON

SCENE 10:The DEMON is wondering what happened. Juxtapose Dawn and Black Man burning a picture of Bryce and reading from the book which Bruce is holding (THEY ARE NAKED). The Demon seems to take this as a program to follow and heads out dangerously, to kill or Damn Bryce.

1.5 min.s

SEATTLE - HOTEL SUITE

SCENE 11: LAIC wonders where Bryce and Eva went to. Grey, the GAY OCCULTIST (A VERY SEDUCTIVE, BLACK GARBED, WANABEE VAMPIRESS, SEATTLEITE-TYPE) tells her story of the Cab and Bryce & is badly treated & leaves.

SEATTLE - Limo

SCENE 12: Bryce drinks from the Limo's bar and Eva tries to dissuade him from this. He politely refuses and she says fine, fill me one too, then. This is out of character for her type but shows her being cool.

SEATTLE - DEMON

SCENE 13: The Demon sees someone like Bryce and shoots out a power beam at him. The MAN sees the Demon first and backs up in fear, falling over something. The Demon hits a reflective surface and gets hit with Its own beam which destroys things near the Demon.

The Demon goes to the MAN and gives him a heart attack. It takes over the mans form after emptying Its "ugly sac" onto the MAN, which has to be emptied every so often. Having taken his clothing the MAN dissolves and the Demon is transformed into the MAN.

HOLLYWOOD

SCENE 14: Dawn heads out to the pool re-enacting the opening scene, this time with a new pigeon named Bruce. The Black Man just hangs out and watches and drinks.

SEATTLE - DEMON

SCENE 15:The Demon notices the things in the dead mans pockets, showing it how Earth works (DISCOVERING THINGS PSYCHICALLY). It heads off.

SEATTLE - Limo RIDE/SEATTLE CENTER

SCENE 16:In the Limo on the way, Bryce and Eva pass the Demon on the road. Bryce and Demon lock eyes. Bryce thinks the guy was just a weirdo. Demon is circumstantially stopped from acting.

SEATTLE - DEMON

SCENE 17:The Demon becomes furious, storm changes, things start to dry. Something (SEMI, TRAFFIC, INCIDENT, ETC.) keeps Demon from getting Bryce for a second. Then Bryce says (OUT OF SIGHT) stop here. Then Demon zaps a cab by accident which has struck It when It ran out into the street. The Limo Driver doesn't even know what happened; he goes for cigarettes; on the way back he gets trapped in traffic until come upon by Bryce and Eva.

SEATTLE - THE CENTER/Limo RIDE

SCENE 18:Bryce and Eva walk through the Seattle Center because they are early. Everything dries up suspiciously. They wait for the Limo on the other side, then walk, looking for it. They find it.

The CABDRIVER is dead, his head seared from his body. Another CABDRIVER is in shock. The POLICE take over. PEOPLE start saying weird things, describing the Demons from Bryce's Book (THE WAY BRYCE WILL SOON AT FRANK'S). Limo gets out of the traffic and continues to Frank's. The storm continues, it rains very hard now.

SEATTLE - Limo RIDE/FRANK'S HOUSE

SCENE 19:Limo arrives at Frank's. Much greetings and some settling in.

SEATTLE - DEMON

SCENE 20:Demon can change molecular structure, Its ineptitude keeps it from being Omnipotent, however. It walks into a WINO/BUM and literally throws him away.

Inside TUGGS Bar, Belltown. Grey's Lover is flirting with a younger nearly cheer leader type. Grey talks with Pat the Manager/Owner. Grey and female lover are leaving. As they exit bar, they see Demon. Harbor looms in the background. Grey sees Demon mostly for what It is; POV Grey: a blurred image of EVIL POWER, & Its distorted ugliness (SAVE FULL IMPACT FOR ENDING).

Grey nearly passes out; She passes out. Demon disappears. Grey comes around. She realizes that if no one else will, she HAS to do something. Lover wants nothing to do with it, but relents and follows. They take off in cool red with black trim Porche. It is obvious that Grey's lover doesn't deserve her and their relationship has been strained for some time; the end is near.

2 min.s

SEATTLE - FRANK'S

SCENE 21: Frank and Company talk and get into wine. A video is put on for Bryce to study, leaving Eva and Frank a chance to talk in the kitchen. New friends discussing the well being of a common old friend.

SEATTLE - FRANK'S

SCENE 22: Eva helps Frank with the food and snacks in the kitchen; she tells Frank the situation. Frank is intuitive and tells her that he knows that she loves Bryce, etc., and that it is okay.

He thinks she would be good for Bryce. That Dawn is a bitch, & Bryce a romantic. Their 9 month marriage is something only Bryce believes in. He was like that in Viet Nam. Always the Idealist and therefore the one who got the Purple Heart and the Medal of Valor saving Frank's life AND 50 Vietnamese (which didn't make for a lot of friends among their platoon. Bryce simply can't see Dawn's manipulations of him and needs something (OR SOMEONE) to wise him up. Eva says maybe the video from Jerry will do it. Frank says maybe Eva will do it.

SEATTLE - DEMON

SCENE 23: The Demon has never seen a woman, or ice cream, cars etc., but it learns fast. Grey had been a shock to it. It tries to find a woman that IT can have in secret; others have a woman, even women have women (HAVING BEEN OUTSIDE A GAY BAR). It notices lust beginning to stir in Itself, becoming more like Dawn, Its Conjurer. Demon begins to ache for the Earthly pleasures.

SEATTLE - FRANK'S

SCENE 24: Eva and Frank attempt to push Bryce into telling a story. He refuses, but tells of his Demon Book, what Demons look like, etc.; this to stall and get Frank to tell one instead. The telling of the First Story:

SEATTLE - FRANK'S/THE YARN (FIRST STORY)

SCENE 25:The First Story told on this unusual evening -- "Sarah's Tale"

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