Professional Documents
Culture Documents
FINAL VERSION
Brandon Terrell
Houdini11@msn.com
651.341.6556
HORRORWOOD ISSUE 3: ISOLATED
MANOS
Anthony Valmont has returned, old
friend. And his powers are stronger
than I had imagined.
PIERCE
Val--Valmont has my daughter?
MANOS
You must believe that my visit to
Sophia was in no way a ploy to
involve her. I had no intention of
placing her in harm's way.
BRUNO
My buddy Gill's dead, you son of a
bitch, and yer gonna tell me why!
SFX: CRASH!
BRUNO
Oof!
MANOS
Your quarrel is not with me. You
are wasting valuable time...time
that Sophia may not have.
PIERCE
I can't believe -- Valmont is
alive? He vanished...we assumed he
was dead.
2.
MANOS
I don't know how, but he survived.
I only recently discovered how
wrong we were.
PIERCE
And...and Michael?
MANOS
Michael is not an easy man to
conceal, even for Valmont. It was
in tracking the son that I
discovered the father.
PIERCE
He's still...?
MANOS
Scarred? Quite.
BRUNO
Wait a sec--you ain't behind the
killings, but you both know the guy
who is?
So who is he?
MANOS
It is a long story, and I must give
you the abbreviated version.
MANOS CAPTION: One night, the stage manager and two guards
were found dead, throats slashed. The lockbox containing the
weekly take was gone.
BRUNO CAPTION: This Valmont offed some guys and lined his
pockets?
PIERCE
Shortly after was...the accident.
BRUNO
So this guy comes back. Why now?
Why the carnival?
MANOS
I had a feeling that Valmont's
agents would be casing the
carnival. But murdering people?
Never!
PIERCE
Bruno's right. Why?
MANOS
Junior.
BRUNO
Junior? Seamus O'Malley Junior?
PIERCE
The sideshow. It shut down after
his father died. But -- he started
it up again, didn't he?
BRUNO
We saw him. Sophia and I, at the
theater. They had him strung up.
MANOS
Pierce, you must save your
daughter. I will do what I can, but
you and your friend must help her.
And quickly. Her time may be short.
BRUNO
Hey! Where you running off to?
MANOS
I must take my own path. Good luck!
BRUNO
So this is about payback, huh?
PIERCE
It appears so.
BRUNO
Well I got a couple things I aim to
pay him back for.
SFX: SLAP!
CULT MEMBER
The Father wishes to address you,
abnormal.
THE FATHER
Enough. We do not taunt our prey.
We cannot show our superiority if
we stoop to their level.
CULT MEMBER
My humble apologies, Father.
THE FATHER
If it isn't Patricia Jackson. Or
Sophia St. Claire, as Miss Powers
called you. You always were a
headstrong little girl -- even as a
toddler.
THE FATHER
And you've done quite a number on
my children. They have much to
learn.
SOPHIA
Mmmmpphhhh. OOooo mmmfffrrrr.
THE FATHER
Michael.
PANEL 3: The gigantic hulk reaches over and pulls the gag
from Sophia's mouth. Her eyes are wide.
SOPHIA
What do you want?--Kaff! Kaff!--
How...how do you know who I am?
SOPHIA
Ahh! Let go of me! Get yer
disgusting mitts off me!
THE FATHER
Look upon me, child. Let me show
you your innermost secrets and
desires.
THE FATHER
You have great rage inside you.
SOPHIA
No...no...
THE FATHER
Yes. You know the answer is yes.
SOPHIA
Weren't you ever told, when a girl
says no, she means no?
THE FATHER
I rest my case.
THE FATHER
Your father has let you down,
hasn't he Patricia?
PANEL 6: Sophia has gone limp, and stares back at the Father
in awe.
SOPHIA
How do you...?
THE FATHER
He has failed you, hasn't he? He
always has. And for this, you can
never forgive him.
8.
SOPHIA
He did what he could. It was never
enough.
THE FATHER
No, it never was. Listen to my
voice. This is a new beginning for
you. I will nurture you, as he did
not.
SOPHIA
A new...beginning.
PANEL 5: The Father places his hand on her chin again. She
does not protest.
THE FATHER
Good. Do not ignore your instincts,
for there are those out there who
wish to cause you harm. We will not
let them.
THE FATHER
We are your family now, Patricia.
SOPHIA
Yes...Father.
THE FATHER
For thirty years I've clung to the
shadows, working in darkness to get
where I am. We are everywhere. We
are anyone.
THE FATHER
Your father disgraced me. He ruined
my life, the life of my child.
THE FATHER
I have her.
THE FATHER
You are truly a gift, Patricia. A
gift indeed.
PANEL 5: The Father steps back, and from his cloak, removes a
large knife. He is grinning maniacally.
THE FATHER
I'm sorry, Junior. It appears we're
going to have to cut our reunion
short.
O'MALLEY
Huurrkkk!
O'MALLEY (O.S.)
Huur...aacckkk...gurgle...
10.
PANELS 7-9: The same shots of legs and feet from the first
issue, as O'Malley stops struggling and his feet hang limp.
This will mirror page 9 in issue 1, where Pierce's feet
dangle and sway in the air.
BRUNO (V.O.)
We're running out of time.
BRUNO
Sophia's out there, and this
Valmont guy could be doing God-
knows-what to her.
PIERCE
I...can't. I just can't.
BRUNO
Can't or won't?
PIERCE
I'm sorry, Mr. Barnsworth, but my
situation is...complicated, and,
well, as much as I'd like to help--
BRUNO
Like ta help!? This ain't exactly
the same as giving someone a lift
home from the bar or, or helping
someone move. This is your
daughter's life.
PIERCE
I am well aware of that. Stop
presuming that I don't care. You
don't know I've gone through.
BRUNO
The way I see it, something bad
happened. Shitty. I get that.
11.
Eventually, it got easier to hole
up in here -- easier than facing
the morons out there. They don't
know what you've been through.
Hell, they smile when all you wanna
do is scream. And it's tearing you
up.
BRUNO
Am I warm?
PIERCE
I th-thought I was okay. I really
did. After the accident, I came
here, to Hollywood. Patty was --
Sophia -- was so young. I never
knew...
PIERCE
I started having trouble.
Breathing. Speaking. I felt
trapped, like I was suffocating.
The only thing I knew for sure was
my work.
BRUNO
I can't do this alone. You know
that, right?
PIERCE
Yes.
BRUNO
They know who I am, what I look
like. But there's gotta be a way to
get into that theater. Cuz if they
done something to Sophia...
12.
PIERCE
These people. How many are there?
BRUNO
Couple hundred.
PIERCE
Hundred?!
PIERCE
Hundred...I don't...
BRUNO
You think Valmont remembers what
you look like?
PIERCE
I'm sure my face is forever
imprinted in his mind.
BRUNO
Well then, who should we go as?
NERVOUS MAN
Wha...!?
BRUNO
Sorry, pal, but trust me, this is
for the best.
PIERCE
How does this look? Does it look as
real as yours, Bruno?
PIERCE
I modeled it for Errol Flynn's
stunt double in "They Died with
Their Boots On."
BRUNO
Yeah? And mine?
PIERCE
An Old Testament film, never shot.
A grand, religious epic.
BRUNO
Well, I sure hope Mr. Flynn ain't
in there.
PIERCE
I highly doubt it.
BRUNO
Well, don't be signing no
autographs.
PIERCE
The wax is temperature sensitive.
Should our body heat rise, the
masks could slide right off.
BRUNO
Then I suppose I can't get hot
under the collar.
Here.
BRUNO
Now we both got one. They was
wearing these. All of them.
PAGE 17, PANEL 1: Pierce takes the robe and the bag from
Bruno as Bruno shrugs into a robe of his own. (This will be
kinda tricky, but it's from the first guy they knocked out,
so maybe we could have it draped on a trash can behind the
tied up guy?)
BRUNO
You think they knew what they were
doing? Killng, I mean?
PIERCE
I think to some degree, they know
what Anthony -- what Valmont -- has
done. But even thirty years ago he
was subverting minds. I shudder to
think what he's capable of now.
PIERCE
You have what you need?
BRUNO
Check. In my pocket.
PIERCE
And what...what should I expect?
BRUNO
A lot of them.
BRUNO
You'll do all right. Remember. You
ain't doing this to be a hero. Just
find Sophia, and we get her out of
there. Blend in.
PIERCE
Blend in.
BRUNO
You'll do it. I got faith in you.
PAGE 18, PANEL 1: Pierce takes the first step out of the
alley, tentatively moving towards the theater. He mumbles to
himself.
PIERCE
Come on, Pierce. You're okay. Just
don't make eye contact.
BRUNO
Come on, now.
PIERCE
You remember the plan?
BRUNO
I got it.
BRUNO
Pierce?
PIERCE
Yes?
BRUNO
Break a leg.
SQUARE JAW
You new?
PIERCE
Ye...yes. Um. Yes.
SQUARE JAW
Who invited you?
BRUNO
Gloria. Gloria Powers.
SQUARE JAW
Gloria? She ain't here tonight.
She's off on an errand for The
Father. You know who The Father is?
PIERCE
More...more than you know.
SQUARE JAW
You giving me lip? Cuz the door's
right there. The Father doesn't
need your kind.
CULT MEMBER
Come! The Father speaks!
17.
CULT MEMBER
Forget this nonsense; you'll miss
it if you don't hurry.
SQUARE JAW
This ain't over.
BRUNO
You holdin' up?
PIERCE
Yeah...yeah...
BRUNO
Breathe.
PIERCE
Can't...I can't. Oh God, I'm a
coward. No. No!
BRUNO
Sophia, Pierce.
PIERCE
For Sophia...I can do this for
Sophia. I'm her father, for
Christ's sake. I can, I can do this
-- any father would.
PIERCE
Oh God, my...my mask is peeling.
How does it look?
BRUNO
Like Errol Flynn went on a bender.
PIERCE
(to himself)
Breathe.
PIERCE
(barely audible)
Oh God...oh dear merciful God...
BRUNO
Relax, Pierce. Remember the plan.
I'm gonna head off now.
PIERCE
Right...right...
THE FATHER
Children! My wonderful children.
Another glorious evening is upon
us.
THE FATHER
We are the blessed few, and those
who stand in our way will pay for
their sins!
19.
THE FATHER
Behold!
PIERCE
(barely audible)
Junior...?
THE FATHER
Tonight, our number grows by one,
and we become stronger.
PIERCE
I can't...I'm so sorry, Sophia.
THE FATHER
Isn't that right, Sophia?!
SOPHIA
That's correct, Father.
SOPHIA
We are strong, indeed.
BRUNO
Sophia?
PIERCE
Oh no...
PIERCE
Sophia!
TO BE CONCLUDED!!