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DEAD LAKE FEATURE SCRIPT

Joe Giambrone

FADE IN: MUSIC, TITLES INT. CAR, DRIVING - BACK SEAT DAY A girls ear, extremely close. -

THE GIRL, the badass with ear-buds. She avoids the others. Only she can hear the music. GIRLS POV: MOTHER, desperate, chatters and complains, but no one listens. DAUGHTER, prissy, reads, sitting next. All are in their own worlds. Headphones crackle, LOSE CHANNEL. wire. The Girl fixes the

MOTHER And youre to listen to whatever he says. Dont disturb him Outside, the Girl sees them pass by a STRANGE FIGURE in the woods with one arm.

2. EXT. RURAL ROAD DAY The car twists and turns (Lassen?). Eerie, cloudy, desaturated atmosphere. TITLES CONTINUE. EXT. DOCK - DAY Car arrives and parks. The Girl exits car, grabs her duffel, looks around. Mother and Daughter lead way onto the boat. End TITLES. MOTHER Come on! This is it. And remember what I told you. Be quiet and respectful. EXT. EMPTY HOUSEBOAT - DAY Mother, Daughter and Girl come on board. The Girl yawns, and she tosses down her duffel bag. INT. HOUSEBOAT DAY Girl follows the others. Hello? MOTHER Were here.

The Girl checks out the entertainment center, big TV. Suspense -- no one is there. Its eerie and silent. MOTHER Hello? The Daughter becomes frightened, sticks to Mother. DAUGHTER Stay with us. They search the floor.

3. The Girl checks out the Houseboat, curiously. They walk from room to room, look up the stairwell, out the windows onto the dock. DOWN BELOW Dim and dark. Mother steps carefully down the stairs, followed by Daughter and The Girl. They are afraid to call. MOTHER (whispers) Were here. They turn the corner and Mother startles the MAN whos working on the boat engine. MAN Shit! The girls scream. MAN You scared me. Hes all dirty, greasy. MOTHER I told you we were coming. She kisses him. MAN We? MOTHER Theyll be real good. girls? DAUGHTER Yes. The Girl walks away, back to the stairs. MAN Whos that one? Wont you

4. MOTHER Oh, Im doing a favor. MAN You know the bedrooms are right next to each other? MOTHER Itll be fine. (kisses him more passionately) What are you doing? MAN Im tuning up baby. The Girl yawns and retreats up the stairs, alone. KITCHEN Alone, the Girl checks out the fridge. Its full of beer. She looks around, takes a bottle of beer, and she tries twisting it. It wont open. She looks at it curiously, then she slams it back into the fridge. Mother and Daughter pop out. MOTHER Yes, yes, well see the falls after we eat lunch. Lets see what hes got for us. The Girl retreats to the entertainment center, and she unloads her duffel bag. Video game, Zombies. With expert skill, she connects the game before anyone notices, and she starts playing. The game is bloody and violent. with a hard-edged attitude. She shoots zombies Pauses

She smells the air, and she hears the SIZZLING. the game, walks over to investigate. EXT. HOUSEBOAT DAY

The Girl emerges to find Mother and Daughter cooking hamburgers and steak on the bbq grill.

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She gets a good close look at the searing meat, and she turns away. MOTHER Do you want something to drink? The Girl nods. MOTHER The coolers there. Daughter has a camera around her neck, and she aims at Mother who cooks. DAUGHTER Look over here. The Girl looks away annoyed, and grabs a drink. Daughter snaps photos. The Girl returns inside. INT. HOUSEBOAT DAY The Girl flops down and resumes TV zombie killing. MOTHER (O.S.) Come and eat! The Girl ignores her. Daughter opens the door to call her out. DAUGHTER Were eating now. THE GIRL I dont want that stuff. The Girl munches on some candy from her duffel. Continues zombie play. Mother suddenly appears, and she whacks the TV switch.

6. MOTHER Come and eat. The Girl reluctantly rises up and follows. EXT. HOUSEBOAT DAY The three eat lunch. The Girl picks at the lettuce and tomato, ignores the burger. Mother drinks beer from the bottle. MOTHER Eat your burger. THE GIRL Im a vegetarian. Mother laughs. MOTHER When did that happen? DAUGHTER Why? THE GIRL I refuse to participate in killing defenseless animals. MOTHER Whatever. The Girl looks around the lake. DAUGHTER Are we gonna go? MOTHER Wash up. Were going to see the waterfall, and let him finish his tune-up in peace.

7. THE GIRL Not me. MOTHER Yes, you. THE GIRL Nope. Yep. fun. MOTHER Dont start with me. Its

THE GIRL Doesnt sound it. Mother rises up and walks inside. and runs in after her. The Girl jumps up

Mother goes to the video game and pops out the Zombie cartridge. MOTHER Ill hang on to this. The Girl rushes over, flailing. Gimme it! THE GIRL Its mine!

She grabs at Mother, scaring her. MOTHER Ill give it back after the hike! Stop it! They wrestle over the video game, and Mother pushes her down onto the ground, where she rolls away. Oh my God. Bitch. MOTHER Im sorry. THE GIRL

8. MOTHER Look, you are out of control young lady. Mother takes the game to the bedroom, and she locks it in. Comes back. The Girl broods. EXT. TRAIL DAY Mother and Daughter hike up the trail along a stream. The Girl slowly follows. She pauses to see the sights. Daughter takes photos, and notices that The Girl has lagged behind. DAUGHTER Mom. She points back. Come on! MOTHER Why wont you keep up?

The Girl sees the same shadowy one-armed FIGURE off in the woods. She turns away, and she follows the others. STREAM - DAY The Girl lags behind. Mother and Daughter go on ahead. Girl gets a drink from the stream. They come back for her. MOTHER Stop wasting our time. We want to get up there and back before it gets dark. Stop being so selfish. DAUGHTER You need to listen to my mother. Spits it out, yuck.

9. Daughter marches off, and The Girl flips her off. The three cross the stream. PAN along the water. hand is in the muck. The hand twitches. WATERFALL - DAY Daughter takes photos. The Girl wets her head to cool off. Mother talks on the cel phone. MOTHER (phone) Yes were here. Its gorgeous! What time do you want us to come back? All right. (laughs) Oh I will. They climb to the top of the falls. A NUCLEAR POWER PLANT sits on the horizon. They drink bottled water. As the Daughter photographs ZOMBIE HIKER appears from the woods. Only The Girl notices him, and she watches curiously. He storms out of the trees and right up to Mother and tackles her! Zombie Hiker mauls Mother. fights him off. Daughter screams. Mother A

Shes bitten with a nasty wound. mud of the stream, wrestling. Mother screams and fights him off.

He drags her into the

Zombie Hiker rises up to chase her. Daughter grabs Mothers hand and they run down the hill.

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The Girl throws a rock at Zombie Hikers head --knocks him flying over the cliff. He crashes with a thud. The Girl takes another rock, and urns around. The One-Armed-Figure grabs her by the arm! and rotted. Hes blue

The Girl fights, and she slips away from his slimy grip, hits him with the stone. Zombie Hiker rises up to start after them again as they run away. His head hangs at an angle, broken neck. The Girl runs off after them, down the trail. In pursuit are the Zombie Hiker and One Armed Figure. EXT. TRAIL - DAY All run back toward the lake. Twists and turns.

Zombie Hiker hobbles along after them, head hanging at an angle. Are more SHADOWS rustling in the woods? EXT. DOCK - DAY Mother and Daughter run toward the dock. The Girl stops. She looks at the cars, the road, and to the woods. She tries to run away. ZOMBIES emerge from that direction. She runs in the other direction. MORE ZOMBIES appear. EXT. HOUSEBOAT CONTINUOUS Mother and Daughter run onto the houseboat deck. The Girl flees onto the houseboat, with the Zombie Hiker the closest in pursuit.

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MOTHER Come out here quick! The Man looks out from inside the houseboat. MAN What the hell? Man places a wire down, and as he steps out on deck. The Girl runs inside past him. NUMEROUS ZOMBIES appear from the woods, and they flood toward the dock. MAN Untie the lines! Man and Mother untie the houseboat and push off. Zombie Hiker jumps on board. INT./EXT. HOUSEBOAT CONTINUOUS The Girl watches LAKE ZOMBIE Slithers on board. The Girl says nothing, but she locks the door and grabs a big knife. Watches through the glass. Lake Zombie sneaks up behind the Man as he fights off the Zombie Hiker. Mommy! DAUGHTER Come inside!

Daughter pulls at Mother, toward the door. Mother is torn between running inside and wanting to help the Man. Zombies on the Dock try to jump ship but fall into the water.

12. Slimy Lake Zombie sneaks, tackles and knocks Man overboard. He fights and yells as they dunk him under. Several rotted WATER ZOMBIES drag him down for good. Daughter and Mother pound on the door. DAUGHTER Let us in! MOTHER Open the door! Open it! The Girl unlocks the door. Mother, enraged grabs the knife from her. MOTHER Give me that! She raises it up as if to stab her! The Girl sneers back. Daughter backs away from the door. They look out through the glass, helpless. The boat gently drifts back from the dock. horde GROWLS and HISSES MOTHER Oh my God, oh my God! Mother stumbles, and she collapses onto a seat. DAUGHTER Mommy your leg is bleeding! The Girl stands beside a hanging towel. MOTHER Give me that towel! The Girl just stares back, defiant. Zombie

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MOTHER Give it to me! The Girl just stares. snatches the towel. Daughter rushes over and

DAUGHTER What the hells wrong with you? Daughter gives the towel, and Mother wraps it around the leg. MOTHER Find me the first aid kit, in the bathroom. Daughter takes off in search. The Girl looks around, and she takes a broom. She unscrews the head, and she holds onto the handle like a staff. Cautiously, The Girl watches out the windows. Numerous Zombies control the shoreline. The Girl hears Mother. MOTHER (phone) Yes, we need help. Shasta Lake, send the police. Send ambulances. But lots of police. Just send it! VARIOUS ROOMS The Girl checks and locks all the windows, with the broom handle in hand. Follow from room to room. She sees the Zombies through the window, as they drift farther and farther away, and she hears the DISTANT GROWLS quieting. LIVING ROOM The Girl arrives back, with her broom handle, ready.

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MOTHER They should be here any minute. Im going to lie down. Mother rises up, and she limps over to the bedroom. Daughter assists her. The Girl tags along, and she watches. BEDROOM Mother lies down, and she puts her leg up on some pillows. The Girl watches from the doorway with her staff. MOTHER Get mommy a beer, darling. Daughter nods and jumps up. MOTHER And the bottle opener. The Girl straightens up, sneaks off back to KITCHEN Daughter retrieves the beer and opener, and then exits. The Girl looks in the drawers. She finds another opener, and she covertly sneaks a beer open. She smells it curiously, and she takes a sip. Spits it out! THE GIRL Blech! She tosses it in the garbage. Walks back to

15. LIVING ROOM The entertainment center, the empty video game. Girl quickly checks out the windows. The

She returns to the Zombie game instruction manual. Sitting on the floor, he studies the weapons and killing instructions. Nervously, she looks around. amplified. Little NATURE SOUNDS are

She sneaks back to the bedroom. BEDROOM The Girl watches Mother drink her beer. applies an ice pack to the wound. The Girl spots the video game cartridge. over, and she grabs it. LIVING ROOM The Girl returns the video game to the machine. She sees the Daughters camera with the long lens. She grabs it, and she takes off up the stairs with camera and staff. EXT. HOUSEBOAT TOP LEVEL - SUNSET Houseboat lingers. Flashing police lights become visible. The Girl watches through the camera lens as the Zombies attack the police. SHERRIFS are overrun by the undead mob. GUNSHOTS are not enough to repel the savage creatures. AMBULANCE DRIVERS are mauled. Daughter She sneaks

16. The Girl watches the Zombie Crowd attack the shore and surround people. THE GIRL Hmmm. She looks around the lake with the lens. She walks the length of the boat platform. She sees a little boat with TWO FISHERMEN bobbing up and down as their poles are held out. She tries to get a good look at them. They are motionless. She descends back down the stairs. INT. HOUSEBOAT HALLWAY The Girl tries the doorknob. locked. Who is it? THE GIRL Its me. Quickly, the Daughter lets her inside. BEDROOM The Girl looks around, and she places her staff down. Mother cries on the bed. Daughter bites her nails and shakes. DAUGHTER Thats my camera. Thats my camera. The Girl hands it back. chest. Daughter holds it close to her The bedroom door is

DAUGHTER (OS)

THE GIRL Call 9-1-1 again.

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Daughter nods rapidly, and she takes the cel phone. She calls. DAUGHTER We need help. We need help. need help. We need someone. THE GIRL Give me that. She grabs the phone away from her. THE GIRL Is anyone there? OPERATOR (VO) Miss, where are you? THE GIRL Were on the lake. On a houseboat. OPERATOR (VO) I will monitor your situation. We might not have anyone available for a while. THE GIRL What about a helicopter? OPERATOR (VO) Look sweety. Half of the Sheriffs department is missing. If I were you, Id find a nice safe place to hide out until we can get a handle on this disturbance. Okay? THE GIRL Theyre zombies. OPERATOR (VO) What? No, no, honey. Theres no such thing. A sharp BANG can be heard on the hull. to the door. The Girl turns We

18. THE GIRL Were on a houseboat. us.

Come and get

The Girl throws the phone back onto the bed. She takes the staff, and she steps to the door, puts her ear up to it and LISTENS. She gets up the nerve to open the door, and she whips it open. She looks down the hallway each way, left, right. She steps to the TOOL ROOM The Girl looks around, and she grabs the duct tape. KITCHEN The Girl duct tapes a long knife to the end of the broom handle. EXT. / INT. SIMULTANEOUS Shadows shuffle by out on the deck. BEDROOM The Girl brings supplies into the bedroom. confused. Daughter is

The Girl locks the door, and she moves a piece of furniture over in front of the door. Look around. Mother stirs. MOTHER What the hell are you doing? THE GIRL I brought you beer. THE GIRL See whats in here.

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Mother turns to see, and her color has faded. MOTHER My leg itches. Can you check it? Daughter unwraps the bandages. after the other. One after the other,

She and The Girl look on at the festering wound, discolored and gross. THE GIRL Dont touch it. Daughter jumps back, looks at her hands. MOTHER Honey, whats the matter? Daughter backs away. DAUGHTER I did it. Mother looks down. MOTHER That doesnt look too good. are they coming? Daughter looks to The Girl. When

The Girl shrugs.

DAUGHTER We, we, we dont know. MOTHER Well get me the peroxide, and some new bandages. DAUGHTER Are you sure? Im scared, mommy. I dont want to go out there.

20. MOTHER (to The Girl) Well then you go. THE GIRL Screw that. MOTHER So Ive gotta go myself! Mother jumps up, awkwardly. She passes the two girls, and she wrenches open the door. Her wound drips goo as she walks. The Girl follows along after her with the spear. The Daughter remains in place, more in shock. BATHROOM Mother rifles through the medicine cabinet, throwing stuff around. The Girl keeps watch with the spear. They walk out of the bathroom. The Fishermens little boat can be seen drifting away, empty. The Girl walks over to investigate through the glass. THE GIRL Look. MOTHER What do you want now? That boat. it. THE GIRL There were people in

They both step closer to the glass, closer, closer. SLAM!