INT.

DARK HALLWAY -- EVENING

Window frame shadows stretch across the wall like stretched

spider webs. A SHADOWY FIGURE slivers down the dim hallway.
Echoing through the hall, we hear...

VANESSA (O.S.)
You're not going to believe this,
but I just ran into Melinda Whitney
and...

CHLOE (O.S.)
I haven't seen her since forever.

VANESSA (O.S.)
Probably graduation day.

CHLOE (O.S.)
Was it weird?

VANESSA (O.S.)
It's always a little awkward with
her. She gave me her latest children's
book for Blake.

INT. VANESSA'S BEDROOM -- CONTINUOUS

VANESSA (31) chats on Facetime with CHLOE (31) while gazing

in the mirror and applying lipstick.

VANESSA
And you know that name we used to
call her?

CHLOE
(via facetime)
Ms. Witchy?

VANESSA
Yeah. Well, that's what she's calling
her character in her new book.

INT. DARK HALLWAY -- CONTINUOUS

The shadowy figure slinks down the hallway arriving at

Vanessa's bedroom door. Peeks through the narrow opening.

INT. VANESSA'S BEDROOM -- CONTINUOUS

Vanessa applies mascara.

CHLOE
(via facetime)
We were total bitches back then.
But we were teenagers.

The door opens behind Vanessa.

 2.

VANESSA
Although, I must say her nose is
sooo much bigger than I remembered.

As Vannesa stands back up, she sees a grotesque creature

behind her in the mirror.

Vanessa screams. Swivels around.

Vanessa stares into two grotesque glowing eyes.

MUFFLED LAUGHTER as BLAKE (6) takes off his rubber mask.

VANESSA
(laughing)
You got me, Blake.

She tickles Blake creating even more giggles. Vanessa reaches

into her bag and pulls out a children's book.

VANESSA
Hey bud, look what Mommy's old
classmate gave her today.

Vanessa does her best version of diabolical laughter as she

presents the children's book to Blake.

Blake jumps up and down with excitement. Blake grabs the

book and examines the cover.

ON BOOK COVER: "Under the Bed" by Melinda Whitney

A green witch with a great big nose and pointy black hat
sits in her bed. Underneath the bed is a goofy looking blue
and orange monster with horns and fur.

VANESSA
Sorry 'bout that, Chloe. It was
just Blake doing his thing...

CHLOE
(chuckling)
Such a troublemaker.

Vanessa squeezes Blake in a jumbo bear hug.

VANESSA
What am I going to do with my little
monster boy?

They chuckle.

INT. BLAKE'S BEDROOM -- NIGHT

Fake spiders and rubber skeletons sit on Blake's shelf. His

night-light resembles a little glowing haunted house.
 3.

In his pajamas, Blake rests in his tucked bed. Vanessa sits

on the edge of Blake's bed as she continues to read from the
book "Under the Bed."

VANESSA
(fun vibrant voice)
Ms. Witchy asks the monster 'Mr.
Monster, you agreed to stop hiding
under my bed and yet you are still
here mocking my big nose. I have no
choice, but to cast a spell on you.'

Vanessa turns the page. The blue and orange monster lays
under the bed. Ms. Witchy raises her hands.

VANESSA
'You shall be trapped in the mirror
for all eternity. Monster… monster…
monster in the mirror.' Mr. Monster
suddenly vanishes. Ms Witchy is
very pleased with herself.

Vanessa turns the page. Ms. Witchy smiles a toothy grin.

Vanessa reads on.

VANESSA
Warning. Don't turn this page or
you will see Ms. Witchy's cursed
monster looking back at thee.

Deadly serious, Blake grasps his mother's hand; shakes his

head "no."

Vanessa turns the page revealing...

A totally blank page.

The next page is also blank.

And so is the next one and so forth as Vanessa thumbs through

the book.

VANESSA
(to herself)
Hmmmm. That's strange. Some gift,
Ms. Witchy.
(to Blake)
Oh, well. You need to go to bed
anyway, mister.

Blake breathes a sigh of relief.

Vanessa hugs Blake good night. Blake smiles. Vanessa turns

off the light and leaves.
 4.

INT. VANESSA'S BEDROOM -- LATER

The shadow from the tree outside stretches across the wall
like a skeletal hand.

Vanessa rolls over in bed. Her bare foot sticks out from
under the blanket. Feeling vulnerable, she gently pulls it
in. Her eyes grow heavy. They close.

Vanessa's blanket is tugged. Her eyes open. In her sleepy

daze, she just shakes it off.

Vanessa pulls her blanket back over her shoulder. But the
blanket pulls back jerking her hand forward. Startled awake,
Vanessa sits up.

The blanket is pulled from underneath the bed.

Vanessa's leg gets tangled in the blanket, she's yanked

forward towards the foot of the bed. Vanessa panics. She
disengages her leg from the blanket as it gets sucked
underneath the foot of the bed.

Vanessa scrambles backwards leaning against the headboard.

A swift creepy CRAWLING sound moves from under Vanessa's bed

towards the door. The door whips open and the CRAWLING sound
fades down the hall.

Vanessa cranes her neck, but sees nothing. Collecting her

thoughts and her breath, Vanessa slowly steps off her bed.

Her bare foot steps on something furry. Her foot recoils.

Vanessa looks down. Laughs. Her son's teddy bear stares up

at her. Picks up the bear. Exhales. It must've been Blake.

VANESSA
(to herself)
Too much, Blake. Mommy needs her
beauty sleep.

INT. DARK HALLWAY -- MOMENTS LATER

Holding Blake's teddy bear, Vanessa yawns as she shuffles

down the hall. She opens Blake's door.

Cold fear races through her body as Vanessa witnesses...

INT. BLAKE'S BEDROOM -- CONTINUOUS

Blake screams as he's pulled underneath his bed. Half of

Blake's body is already pulled under. Blake's fingers dig
into the rug...

BLAKE
Mommy. Mommy. Stop it. Stop it.
 5.

Blake gets sucked into the shadows under the bed.

Vanessa dives forward. She desperately reaches under the

bed. There's nothing. She leaps to the other side. Again,
nothing.

She hoists the mattress off its frame. Nothing.

A silhouetted DARK FIGURE rapidly approaches.

Before Vanessa can let out a scream, her feet are swept out
from under her. Vanessa's body hits the ground hard.

The dark figure flips Vanessa over like caught prey. Now on
her stomach, Vanessa struggles to keep her face from dragging
on the ground as she's pulled through Blake's doorway to...

INT. LIVING ROOM/KITCHEN -- CONTINUOUS

Vanessa grasps for passing furniture as she's rapidly dragged.

Disoriented. Dizzy. Dismayed.

She grasps the coffee maker wire. She yanks it down along
with a tray and knife rack. They all CRASH to the floor.

Vanessa snags a knife.

With a ferocity of a mother lion, she twists around and

plunges the knife deep into the dark figure. The shadowy
dark figure arches its back in pain while emitting a
horrifying SCREECH.

Vanessa struggles to her feet. The dark figure has vanished.

Vanessa dashes back to...

INT. BLAKE'S BEDROOM -- MOMENTS LATER

Blake's mattress lays slanted off its frame as Vanessa had

left it. But now, blood streaks run across the mattress.

Vanessa approaches. Hands tremble. As Vanessa moves closer

to the tilted mattress more is revealed.

Vanessa sees her boy's lifeless body under the bed frame.
Blake's chest is drenched in blood. A thin dribble of blood
seeps from the corner of his mouth.

Vanessa opens her mouth to yell, but no sound comes out.

Her knees grow weak. Collapses to the ground.

She reaches over the mattress to touch Blake's sweet face.

From underneath the tilted mattress, the dark figure grabs

Vanessa's arm.

Vanessa breaks free. She darts out to...

 6.

INT. LIVING ROOM -- CONTINUOUS

Vanessa SLAMS Blake's door shut. Vanessa braces all her

weight against the door as the dark figure ferociously SMASHES
against the door. Over and over again.

Vanessa shakes with every jolt.

And then silence.

Vanessa breaths heavy; her eyes dart back and forth.

Out of nowhere, the dark figure rises in front of Vanessa.

Petrified, Vanessa cowers against the door. The dark shadowy
figure steps into a patch of light.

Vanessa looks into the figure's eyes and SCREAMS in horror

as she looks at her OWN face.

The dark figure is Vanessa herself. The other "Vanessa"

SCREAMS back in horror.

Suddenly, Vanessa now with a blood splattered face is in the

room all by herself.

Vanessa looks down and now a bloody knife is in her own hand.
As if it were fire itself, Vanessa drops THE BLOODY KNIFE.

FLASHBACK MONTAGE:

Blake hides under his bed. A deranged Vanessa hoists the

mattress off it's frame. Vanessa pulls Blake out.

BLAKE
Mommy. Mommy. Stop it. Stop it.

Vanessa drags a distraught Blake by his ankle through the

apartment to the kitchen.

A crazed Vanessa grabs a knife and plunges it into Blake's

chest. Blood splatters onto Vanessa's face.

Vanessa drags Blake's limp body back to his bed leaving

streaks of blood on the mattress. Vanessa pulls out the knife.

BACK TO THE PRESENT:

THE BLOODY KNIFE crashes to the floor.

In disbelief, Vanessa examines her own bloody hands.

Vanessa looks up and gazes into the mirror on the wall. She
stares at her own blood splattered face.
 7.

INT. BLAKE'S BEDROOM -- CONTINUOUS

We sliver through the wreckage of Blake's room past blood

splattered toys towards the children's book "Under the Bed"
strewn open on the floor.

VANESSA (V.O.)
(fun vibrant voice)
Ms. Witchy didn't like when the
Monster made fun of her nose.

An illustrated image slowly appears on the blank page of the

children's book. It is a drawing of Vanessa staring at her
own blood splattered face in the mirror on the wall.

VANESSA (V.O.)
So, Ms. Witchy cast one of her
powerful spells. Monster in the
Mirror. For all eternity, you shall
see a monster looking back at thee.'

INT. LIVING ROOM -- CONTINUOUS

A horrified Vanessa stares at her blood splattered face in

the mirror on the wall.