THE HILLS HAVE EYES
Written by
Alexandre Aja & Gregory Levasseur
Based on the original film by Wes Craven
FEB 14 05
EXT. DESERT HILLS - DAY
Open on a GEIGER COUNTER scanning over a rocky terrain.
A SAND STORM blows over the landscape. We are lost somewhere
in the middle of the New Mexico desert.
According to the instrument, the area contains high levels of
radiation...
THREE MEN WEARING FULL ANTI-RADIATION SUITS have left their
jeep behind to collect samples of contaminated rocks.
Not at all worried or bothered by the dust storm or high
winds, they walk towards the hills.
The man holding the counter stops in his tracks -
MAN 1
(loudly through the
STORM)
ALRIGHT, GUESS.
MAN 2
I'D SAY 43.9?
MAN 1
IT'S OVER 124.5!
MAN 2
IT'S GOT TO BE OFF.
(WALKING AWAY)
THAT'S THREE TIMES HIGHER THAN THE
FALLOUT IN CHERNOBYL...
- MAN 3
(following his colleague)
YEAH. PROBABLY NEEDS SOME
ADJUSTMENT.
MAN 2
...CAN'T TRUST THE DIGITAL ONES...
MAN 1
(STANDING STILL)
No...It's something else... It's
like the radioactivity is moving
around us.
The numbers on the dial continue to fluctuate. Where is this
intensity coming from?
(CONTINUED)
2.
1 CONTINUED: 1
He turns around, seeing nothing but sand and rock through his
mask.
Suddenly, for no apparent reason, THE GEIGER COUNTER GETS
LOUDER AS THE NUMBERS SKYROCKET.
In confusion, he taps on the instrument attempting to
stabilize it, but the radioactivity continues to climb...
He looks up to the horizon obscured by the sand storm - still
nothing in sight.
He sighs. His colleague is probably right, the Geiger counter
simply needs an adjustment...
He turns it off when A MAN COVERED WITH BLOOD, HALF NAKED,
comes out of nowhere and jumps at his face-
MAN
HELP ME... HELP ME, PLEASE HELP ME!
Scared to death, the scientist pushes him away and backs off.
The man covered by blood falls on the ground and starts
crying, begging for help. The scientist doesn't have time to
REACT-
THE RUSTY POINT OF A PICKAXE COMES THROUGH THE BACK OF HIS
MASK AND OUT OF HIS FOREHEAD!
Terrified, the man covered with blood watches the scientist's
dead body-fall to the ground revealing, for a quick second, A
DARK SHAPE FLASHING IN THE SUN.
CUT TO:
In the distance, the other scientists continue their work,
oblivious to the attack. Kneeling behind a rock, they make a
DISCOVERY-
MAN 2
What the hell is it?
With his hand, one of the scientists removes the dust around
some SKELETAL REMAINS.
MAN 3
They look human...
The strange shape of the bones and skull makes it impossible
to tell whether they are human or animal.
(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: (2)
A SHADOW appears above them-
MAN 2
(without turning around)
Look what we found. Have you...
THE PICKAXE SWINGS THROUGH HIS BACK.
IMPALED LIKE A PIECE OF MEAT, HIS BODY IS SWEPT INTO THE AIR
ONLY TO BE SLAMMED AGAINST THE ROCKS...
Blood splatters on the third man, who steps back suffocating
with fear behind his mask.
The shadowy figure continues the assault on Man 2, finishing
him off. Powerless to stop'the massacre, the last scientist
runs away in a panic.
At the top of the hill, he appears, out of breath. He doesn't
have time to climb the rocks as he is pulled down, screaming
in his mask.
CUT TO:
The scientists' Jeep takes off dragging behind it the three
bodies in their radiation suits and the dead body of the
other man...
2 OPENING CREDITS ON 2
A thick, juicy steak lands on a hot skillet.
WE ARE IN A 1950'S COMMERCIAL FOR NUCLEAR ENERGY-
While preparing dinner, the perfect housewife presents the
kitchen of tomorrow by praising all the benefits of nuclear
energy.
She is joined by her husband, their children, and their dog.
The entire family sits at the table with big smiles.
The frame freezes on this naive image of prosperity and well
being. A slogan appears:
"NUCLEAR ENERGY, TRY IT...WE DID!"
CLASSIFIED STOCK FOOTAGE replaces the commercial-
These new images are of nuclear tests performed by the US
Army in the New Mexico desert during the same period-
(CONTINUED)
4.
2 CONTINUED : 2
Old mining towns are evacuated by soldiers. Their inhabitants
are rounded up like cattle and loaded into trucks.
Somewhere else, prefabricated towns filled with test dummies
are eradicated by atmospheric explosions...
Caged animals used for experiments are carbonized by nuclear
waves.
Scientists study the evolution of certain radiated species...
In a split second, gigantic craters are formed in the middle
of the desert.
Explosions destroy everything in their path leaving behind
only a giant nuclear mushroom, beautiful and terrifying...
FADE TO BLACK.
3 EXT. DESERT HILLS - SUNRISE 3
SUPER: NEW MEXICO - TODAY
The sharp outline of the hills appears with the first morning
light.
The sun begins to rise revealing-
A long deserted horizon stretching out endlessly.
Nothing lives in this and wilderness.
4 EXT. GAS STATION - DAY 4
A road curves through the desert terrain.
On the side of the road, at the bottom of a hill, a gas
station has survived years of wind and dust.
Around the main building, a tool shed, three gas pumps, a
dilapidated well, a water tower, and gutted carcasses of cars
from the 1950's accentuate the desolate feeling which
prevails in this place.
A sign reads "LAST STOP FOR 200 MILES".
A few tumbleweeds roll across the road.
5 INT. GAS STATION ROOM - DAY 5
Beams of light slice through the shutters.
(CONTINUED)
5.
5 CONTINUED: 5
KRIIINK KRONK - a metal grinding noise is heard outside.
KRIIINK KRONK - the noise becomes regular.
In the darkness we discover a room hardly furnished. The
withered and yellowed wallpaper flaps slowly in the draft.
On the dresser, dozens of empty liquor bottles.
KRIIINK KRONK - On the bed, THE OLD GAS STATION ATTENDANT
lays with his back to the window.
KRIIINK KRONK - The noise outside continues steadily without
disturbing his sleep.
KRIIINK KRONK - Suddenly, the old man wakes up short of
breath and looks around trying to locate the noise.
KRIIINK KRONK - He looks through the shutters, then quickly
puts on the top of his gas station overalls. He grabs a
SHOTGUN, loading it swiftly.
6 INT. GAS STATION - DAY 6
KRIIINK KRONK - The metal grinding noise increases as we move
towards the gas station door.
The door opens and the old man walks out holding his gun.
Nobody. Silence has returned. The metal grinding is gone.
The lever from the water well still moves. IT'S JUST BEEN
USED!
Hidden behind the house someone or something observes the old
station attendant walking slowly to the well.
DRIP... DRIP... DRIP...- water falls on the palm of his hand.
Worried, the old man scans the surroundings.
HE IS NOT ALONE.
OLD GAS ATTENDANT
Ruby? Is that you?! Ruby?
The sun is already high above, the heat waves shimmering over
the desert.
The old gas station attendant moves away from the road
towards the hills.
(CONTINUED)
6.
6 CONTINUED:
He stops by a broken fence which is bent halfway to the
ground. On a rusty sign next to an atomic symbol, we can
READ:
MILITARY ZONE - NO TRESPASSING - RISK OF RADIATION
OLD GAS ATTENDANT (CONT'D)
(towards the hills)
RUBY! RU-BY!
On the side of the hill,-THE ENTRANCE TO A CONDEMNED
NINETEENTH CENTURY MINE.
He approaches the mine and looks through the wooden planks
barring its entrance.
OLD GAS ATTENDANT (CONT'D)
RUBY?
His echo is the only sound that can be heard from the
depths...
He aims the shotgun, ready to open fire.
OLD GAS ATTENDANT (CONT'D)
IF THAT'S YOU JUPITER, I GOT A
BUCKSHOT FOR YA... YOU HEAR ME?!
Behind the gas station, someone observes the old man coming
back to the house.
AN EXPENSIVE LEATHER BAG was placed in front of his door
during his absence.
The old man looks-around terrified.
Diligently, he enters the house leaving the bag on the
ground.
On second thought, the door reopens and the bag is dragged
inside.
7 INT. GAS STATION - DAY 7
The shutters are all closed leaving the station in darkness.
The old man throws the leather bag on the dining table and
sets down the shotgun.
He takes a cigar from an ashtray and lights it. He grabs a
whisky bottle.
(CONTINUED)
7.
7 CONTINUED : 7
After a solid gulp, he turns on a bare light-bulb hanging
over the table, and stares at the bag in silence. One more
swig for courage, and the old man empties the bag on the
TABLE-
Jewels, a Swiss watch, a DV Cam, glasses, several cell
phones, a pager, loose cash, credit cards, a wallet...
.A FEW GOLD TEETH, AND AN EAR ON WHICH HANG GOLD EARRINGS.
He grabs the wallet and pulls out a photo already sticking
out.
On the bent picture, we see a young couple kissing. The young
woman wears the same earrings found on the severed ear...
The old man heaves a sigh before putting the wad of cash in
his pocket. Outside, a voice is heard.
MAN (O.S.)
SOMEONE THERE?!
The voice is followed by a car horn.
The old man quickly gathers the objects from the table
returning them to the bag.
8 EXT. GAS STATION/ROAD - DAY 8
A 1988 AIRSTREAM TRAILER HOME hitched to A CHEVROLET SUV is
parked in front of the gas station.
BIG BOB CARTER, an imposing man in his late fifties, stands
outside the vehicle still honking the horn.
The trailer home and SUV with the AMERICAN FLAG waving on the
side, completes the image - Big Bob is an obvious cliche of
the middle class Republican father with a touch of John
Wayne.
BIG BOB
where the hell is everybody? I'm
gonna...
Before he can finish his sentence, the old gas station man
appears.
BIG BOB (CONT'D)
Ah, there you are. Fill it up and
check the fluids my friend.
(CONTINUED)
9.
8 CONTINUED: (2) 8
OLD GAS ATTENDANT
California? Sure didn't take the
fastest road!
ETHEL
My crazy husband absolutely had to
see the desert.
OLD GAS ATTENDANT
Nothing to see in the desert.
Big Bob glares at the old man who fills up the tank while
still chewing on his cigar.
BIG BOB
You know, it's illegal to smoke
around a gas station.
The old man bursts out in laughter revealing rotten teeth.
9 INT. TRAILER - DAY 9
Inside the trailer home, DOUG BUKOWSKI, 32, Lynn's husband,
tries to fix the broken A/C.
His glasses and white oxford shirt drenched in sweat, Doug is
totally out of his element. This is a guy who has never been
out of the city.
Using a Phillips screwdriver, he forcibly removes the front
grill to access the mechanism.
The heat and incessant BARKING wear on Doug's nerves.
DOUG
Piece of shit! Why couldn't we fly
like normal people?
LYNN
Relax Doug, please. It's their
silver anniversary and they're so
happy you're here.
DOUG
Please, your parents can't stand
me.
LYNN
You're wrong. They love you.
(CONTINUED)
10.
9 CONTINUED: 9
DOUG
We could have taken them on a
cruise.
LYNN
Yeah, that's a great idea. Why
didn't you plan it?
DOUG
What's that supposed to mean?
LYNN
Never mind.
Lynn grabs the milk bottle from its heater.
DOUG
Maybe I shouldn't have even come.
LYNN
Doug, please stop. I never ask you
for anything, OK?
(she looks at the baby)
Well see how happy you are when
Catherine comes along on our 25th
anniversary.
She walks out.
DOUG
(TO HIMSELF)
It won't be in a shitty trailer
home-that's for sure.
LYNN (O.S.)
I heard that...
10 INT. SUV - DAY 10
In the back seat, BRENDA, 17, sleeps against the window.
A twig tickles her nose.
Without opening her eyes, the young girl slaps her face as to
chase away a fly.
But the twig persists -
It's her little brother, BOBBY, 15, teasing her. Linkin Park
blasts through his iPod.
Lynn knocks on the window, interrupting his little game.
(CONTINUED)
11.
10 CONTINUED: 10
LYNN
If you want to use the restroom,
it's now or never.
Bobby removes his headphones and pushes Brenda.
BOBBY
Wake up, lard ass.
11 EXT. GAS STATION - DAY 11
Behind the gas station, Brenda plays with AN ALBINO PIGLET
tied to a rope.
BRENDA
Bobby, come look at this.
Bobby joins her.
BRENDA (CONT'D)
(holding the animal)
Oh my god! Poor thing.
BOBBY
You two make a perfect pair.
Bobby turns to a rusty car and unzips to urinate.
BRENDA
Don't pee there...
BOBBY
Why not?
BRENDA
(pointing to a small
WOODEN OUTHOUSE)
Hello?
BOBBY
God, what do you care?
Bobby re-zips and heads towards the small wooden outhouse
while Brenda plays with the baby pig.
BRENDA
Piggy, piggy, piggy...
SOMEONE OBSERVES HER FROM THE CORNER OF THE HOUSE.
12.
12 EXT. CAS STATION/ROAD - DAY 12
In front of the gas station, Lynn leans on the car giving
Catherine a bottle.
Big Bob opens the hood while the old man continues to fill
the tank.
At the same time, Doug comes out of the trailer holding his
cell phone.
DOUG
(to the old man)
Excuse me sir, do you have a phone
I can use? I can't get a signal
around here and...
Big Bob interrupts.
BIG BOB
Give. the phone a rest, Bukowski!
DOUG
Sorry Bob, "duty calls"...
LYNN
Honey, you haven't put that phone
down since we left.
DOUG
This is why I don't go on vacation.
They're lost without me.
BIG BOB
Stop being at everyone's beck and
call, Bukowski. You're the boss,
remember?
ETHEL
.I'm sure all that important
business can wait till next week.
Doug gives up. He kisses Lynn and takes the baby from her.
LYNN
(TO DOUG)
Are you wearing sunblock? The sun's
so strong.
13.
13 INT. SUV - DAY 13
While they are talking outside, a DEFORMED HAND slides into
the back window of the SUV.
A HAND WITH ONLY THREE STRANGELY PROPORTIONED FINGERS.
It moves slowly, snatching BOBBY'S HOODED SWEATER from the
back seat.
SMALL VOICE (O.S.)
(WHISPERING)
.Annnnaaaaau...
Under the car the visitor's feet walk way. They are bare,
dirty and covered with dust.
14 INT. / EXT. OUTHOUSE - DAY 14
Rays of light pass through the wooden planks.
The outhouse is so dirty that Bobby is forced to hold his
breath...
An EYE peeks between the wooden planks!
BOBBY JUMPS-
BOBBY
What the hell Brenda!
The eye goes away...
He re-zips looking outside. Nobody.
When he exits, Brenda appears on the other side.
BOBBY (CONT'D)
Freak.
She looks at him slightly confused...
BRENDA
What?
15 EXT. GAS STATION/ROAD - DAY 15
Doug sits on the porch giving the baby her bottle.
The old gas station attendant checks the oil and the water.
,Ethel joins him, holding a road map.
(CONTINUED)
14.
15 CONTINUED: 15
ETHEL
How far are we from 1-88?
OLD GAS ATTENDANT
You're at least six or seven hours
away'from there.
Ethel gives her husband a dirty look.
ETHEL
I told you we should have gone
through Santa Fe. You never listen
to me.
OLD GAS ATTENDANT
This is the only southbound road
that goes to 1-88. From there you
can take the 231 West to
California. But you'll never make
it before sundown...
BIG BOB
Doesn't bother me. I had night
patrol for almost fifteen years...
OLD GAS ATTENDANT
You a cop?
BIG BOB
Detective...
ETHEL
(with a smile)
Not anymore. Thank God!
BIG BOB
I'm starting a private security
firm...
The old man turns to Doug-
OLD GAS ATTENDANT
You a cop too?
DOUG
Who me? No way. I'm in
telecommunications.
A beat.
OLD GAS ATTENDANT
Huh...Make money in that?
(CONTINUED)
15.
15 CONTINUED: (2) 15
DOUG
Everybody's gotta have a cell
phone...
OLD GAS ATTENDANT
Well you won't find any customers
around here.
DOUG
No kidding...
As the old man closes the hood, a familiar sound returns-
KRIIINK KRONK - KRIIINK KRONK - KRIIINK KRONK
He leans over and catches Bobby and Brenda in the distance,
playing with the well. Brenda is about to drink from her
hands.
OLD GAS ATTENDANT
(shouting to them)
DON'T DRINK THAT WATER, MISS. IT
AIN'T NO GOOD.
(TO ETHEL)
She'll get sick.
ETHEL
YOU HEAR THAT BRENDA? DON'T DRINK
THE WATER!
Big Bob walks to the old man.
BIG BOB
What do -I owe you?
The old man looks at the gas pump.
OLD GAS ATTENDANT
36 dollars...
DOUG
Let me pay, Bob.
BIG BOB
(OFFENDED)
Keep your money Bukowski, I can
still afford.the gas!
DOUG
That's not what I meant...
(CONTINUED)
17.
16 CONTINUED: 16
There is another room behind the counter, and the beaded
curtain which separates the two rooms is still moving.
LYNN (CONT'D)
Beauty? Come on, sweetie...
No answer.
Cautiously, Lynn moves through the store to the beaded
curtains. Above the cash register, an old sepia photograph of
a miner stares at her.
LYNN (CONT'D)
Beauty?
Lynn goes into the other room.
In the darkness, among the old empty bottles, she finds
Beauty standing with her front legs on a window sill and
barking to the backyard.
Lynn looks outside- Nobody. Only the desert and hills.
Inside the room, THE HALF OPEN EXPENSIVE LEATHER BAG laying
alone on the table awakens her curiosity.
As she goes to inspect it, she hears the SUV starting and
Doug calling out-
DOUG (O.S.)
Honey!? We're leaving...
Lynn grabs the dog by the collar.
LYNN
(NOT CONVINCED)
Come on, Beauty. There's nothing
here...
She turns around and runs into-
THE OLD GAS STATION ATTENDANT, STARING AT HER.
OLD GAS ATTENDANT
May I help you miss?
LYNN
Sorry, our dog got out...She won't
stay put...
A car horn breaks the silence.
(CONTINUED)
16 CONTINUED: ( 2)
DOUG (0.S.)
Honey? What are you doing?!
LYNN
(YELLING OUTSIDE)
I'M COMING!
The old man lets her pass with the dog, watching her WITH
SUSPICION- Has she seen the contents of the bag?
17 EXT. GAS STATION - DAY 17
Through the gas station window, we see Lynn leaving with the
dog.
Outside, next to the rusty abandoned cars, THE PIGLET HAS
DISAPPEARED. Only the rope remains.
A MURMUR IS HEARD AS A SHADOW PASSES SLYLY ON THE FLOOR.
18 EXT. GAS STATION/ROAD - DAY 18
Lynn puts the dog in the trailer where Doug and Bobby are.
She enters the SUV. Behind the wheel, Big Bob turns around
one last time before driving off-
BIG BOB
Let's go!
KNOCK KNOCK The old man knocks on the window. Big Bob opens-
OLD GAS ATTENDANT
(SLIGHTLY MOCKING)
Isn't it illegal to have people in
a trailer while you're driving, "my
friend"?
ETHEL
He's right, Bob.
BIG BOB
I'm fully aware of the driving
laws.
OLD GAS ATTENDANT
Have a safe trip.
Big Bob smiles back and starts the engine.
BIG BOB
Everyone ready?
(CONTINUED)
19.
18 CONTINUED: 18
The old man stops him-
OLD GAS ATTENDANT
You know, it's not on the map, but
if you take a right at the road a
couple miles from here, it'll lead
you through the hills. Probably
save you three or four hours.
BIG BOB
Thanks for the tip.
CUT TO:
The trailer drives off in the distance leaving the attendant
in a cloud of dust.
The old man looks to the hills, taking a deep breath...
19 EXT. MINE ENTRANCE - DAY 19
THE WIND BLOWS OVER THE ROCKY HILLS WHILE WE MOVE TOWARDS THE
ENTRANCE OF THE OLD ABANDONED MINE.
The camera passes through the wooden planks blocking the
entrance and moves into the depths. DARKNESS.
FADE IN:
20 EXT. HILLS - DAY 20
POV through binoculars from the hilltops.
The binoculars pan across the deserted terrain before
stopping on the Carter vehicle, a tiny dot at the end of the
road. The car and trailer approach.
Off screen, we hear ANIMALISTIC BREATHING behind the
binoculars.
The SUV turns off the main road onto a dirt trail. We see
Brenda lifting the gate and allowing the vehicles to access
the path, unaware of the danger lurking about.
Brenda gets back in the SUV. It pulls the trailer on the dirt
road towards the hills.
MAN'S VOICE (O.S.)
..Lizard?!...Lizard?! Dinner's on
the way...
(CONTINUED)
20.
20 CONTINUED: 20
GOGGLE, the man behind the binoculars, talks into a WALKIE-
TALKIE. His voice is rough and deep. His pronunciation is
poor and we cannot understand everything he says...
GOGGLE (O.S.)
(in the walkie)
Just got on the road... A Chevy and
a trailer...
21 INT. TRAILER - DAY 21
We see the scenery through the window blinds.
On a wall, photographs of other Carter vacations are
reminders of the good times spent in the trailer home.
The thermometer reads above 100 degrees. Sweating, Doug hangs
on while the camper bounces over the rough road.
Bobby works on the A/C. He has removed the face plate and
tries to fix the motor with the screwdriver.
DOUG
(cleaning his glasses)
I tried for an hour but I couldn't
get it cold in here.
CLICK- the light turns on and the A/C starts.
BOBBY
(PROUDLY)
There!
A breeze of cool air circulates through the trailer. On the
table, TWO PARAKEETS fly about their strapped-down cage.
BOBBY (CONT'D)
It was nothing... The thermostat
was disconnected.
He turns to Doug.
DOUG
How do you know all this stuff?
BOBBY
I don't know.
DOUG
Well, at least we can breathe now.
(CONTINUED)
21.
21 CONTINUED: 21
Bobby sets down the screwdriver under the sleeper and sits
next to the dogs. Doug grabs a cigarette.
BOBBY
I thought you stopped smoking?
(NO ANSWER)
Does my sister know?
DOUG
(lighting it with a
SMILE)
Fuck her!
BOBBY
(TEASING)
Big Bob would kill you if he knew
you were smoking in his "88
Airstream"...
DOUG
(PLAYING BACK)
Fuck him too. You want one?
Doug extends the pack. Bobby hesitates before reaching for
one, but Doug pulls the pack away at the last moment.
DOUG (CONT'D)
Yeah right, if you start smoking
your sister would cut my nuts off.
BOBBY
(after a pause)
It's cool that you came with us.
It's a drag when it's just us and
our parents...
DOUG
Hey, I like seeing your parents...
Bobby is surprised.
DOUG (CONT'D)
.in pictures!
22 EXT. SW/ HILL ROAD - DAY 22
Under a "too perfect" blue sky, the Carter vehicles pass
through the barren landscape, lifting a cloud of dust.
ETHEL (O.S.)
I think we're somewhere on this
blue road...
(CONTINUED)
22.
22 CONTINUED: 22
LYNN (O.S.)
Mom, we're not on the blue road or
any other road. He said it wasn't
on the map, remember?
In the distance, A LIZARD moves through some rocks before
heading across the road unconcerned by the approaching car.
BRENDA (O.S.)
Dad, you shouldn't have listened to
that guy. We're lost.
BIG BOB (O.S.)
Look how beautiful it is here
girls... The hills, the colors...
It's amazing. Imagine the first
people who crossed this desert.
They had no idea where they were
going.
BRENDA
Neither do we, Dad.
On the road, the Lizard continues carving a dusty path.
23 INT. SUV - DAY / INTERCUT WITH THE LIZARD 23
Close up on the radio dial moving back and forth
unsuccessfully in search of air waves...
In the back seat, Brenda, annoyed, sits staring at the
passing scenery.
ETHEL
Don't drive so fast Bob, you might
lose the camper...
BRENDA
(TO HERSELF)
.this is fucked...
ETHEL
Hey... Watch your mouth, young
lady.
(to her husband)
Will you please back me up here?
LYNN
(calming things down)
Relax, Mom. We're all just tired.
(CONTINUED)
23.
23 CONTINUED: 23
BRENDA
You grew up in the 60's. How can
you be so uptight?!
Still driving, Big Bob turns to his daughters-
BIG BOB
(SLYLY)
She wasn't like that before... You
should've seen her when she was
your age.
(to his wife)
Do you remember honey?
ETHEL
(PLAYFULLY)
Oh, stop it...
BIG BOB
She remembers...
24 EXT. HILL ROAD - DAY 24
The lizard has almost crossed the road when-
SHLING!- RAZOR SHARP METAL SPIRES come out of the ground
slicing the lizard in two.
A trap has been set: a long chain of retractable spikes have
emerged across the road.
A few seconds later, the SW drives over them at full speed.
INSTANTLY, THE TIRES EXPLODE.
Big Bob loses control of the vehicle.
The car rolls on the rims causing the trailer to almost flip
over.
Inside, Doug loses his grip and is thrown against the side of
the trailer.
On the road, the spikes retract, disappearing into the
ground.
THE SW AND THE TRAILER HOME ZIGZAG ON THE DIRT ROAD BEFORE
CRASHING AGAINST SOME ROCKS.
Silence.
The chain of spikes slithers away in the dust like a snake.
(CONTINUED)
24.
24 CONTINUED: 24
NO TRACE REMAINS OF WHAT CAUSED THE ACCIDENT.
The dead lizard, sliced neatly in half, bakes in the hot sun.
25 EXT. TRAILER - DAY 25
The dust slowly settles revealing the broken down vehicles.
Lynn jumps out of the car and runs to the trailer.
LYNN
Doug? Bobby? Are you alright?
Bobby opens the door releasing the barking dogs.
BOBBY
Don't worry, we're fine.
DOUG
(STILL SHAKEN)
What the hell happened?! Where's
Catherine?
LYNN
She's fine. Mom has her.
DOUG
I knew this wasn't gonna be safe
for the baby.
LYNN
The heat must have caused a blow
out.
DOUG
Are you all right?
LYNN
I think so... Just a little shaken
up.
Bobby walks around the car evaluating the damage-
The SUV tires are shredded - the rims buried into the ground.
BOBBY
Holy shit!
(MOCKING)
I hope they have triple A out
here...
(CONTINUED)
25.
25 CONTINUED: 25
On the other side of the trailer, Brenda has gotten out and
regained her senses. She takes a few steps, taking in the
land surrounding them...
The lunar terrain of sand and rocks extends beyond the
horizon. In the distance, only the jagged hills are cut out
against the sky. Something OMINOUS AND INDESCRIBABLE lives in
this place...
Behind the trailer, Doug walks off with his cell phone.
DOUG
97% nationwide coverage, and we
have to find ourselves in that
3%...
He searches desperately for a signal, extending his arm
forward. Lynn grabs him tenderly by the waist.
DOUG (CONT'D)
(staring to the lifeless
HORIZON)
Your father wanted to see the
desert...
LYNN
Doug...
DOUG
I hope he's enjoying himself.
On his knees, by the SUV tires, Big Bob inspects under the
vehicle... Not only are the tires flattened, but the front
axel has buckled from hitting the rocks.
BIG BOB
(TO ETHEL)
How am I supposed to drive with you
talking my ear off? I'm pulling a
trailer on a dirt road and it's 200
degrees out here!
Behind him, Ethel walks with the baby who has stopped crying.
ETHEL
Oh, so now it's my fault?
Doug joins them.
DOUG
So what's the damage, General?
(CONTINUED)
26.
25 CONTINUED: (2) 25
BIG BOB
The damn axel is broken...
DOUG
Can we fix it?
BIG BOB
With what? The frame is completely
twisted... Give me your phone, I'm
gonna call a tow truck...
DOUG
I already tried. I'm not getting a
signal.
ETHEL
Can we use the C/B?
BIG BOB
That old thing? Give it a try, but
this is mining country. Whatever
metal is left in those hills will
probably scramble the signal...
DOUG
What are we going to do?
Without answering, Big Bob gets back on his feet, wipes his
hands and grabs a bottle of water from the car. After a long
DRINK-
BIG BOB
We're going to walk, that's what...
DOUG
Walk?! But we're miles from
ANYWHERE-
BIG BOB
(cutting him off)
So we wait here for someone to
drive by? Have you seen a car in
the last three hours?!
26 EXT. BOULDERS - DAY 26
A hundred yards away, Bobby has come to retrieve the dogs.
Beauty and Beast have stopped below a boulder extending
twenty feet high. They bark and growl towards the top.
(CONTINUED)
28.
29 CONTINUED: 29
FURTHER AWAY-
ETHEL
I bet this desert is full of
rattlesnakes...
BOBBY
I saw a documentary on The
Discovery channel about desert
snakes. If you get bit, you'll die
in twenty minutes.
Big Bob reaches into the glove compartment pulling out a 9mm
and an extra clip. He hands it to his son.
BOBBY (CONT'D)
.or was it five?
Bobby grabs the firearm pointing it to the desert.
Big Bob grabs another gun from the car, A 44 CHROME PLATED
MAGNUM.
BIG BOB
(with a big smile)
I'd like to see how they stack up
against this...
Ethel brings her husband's jacket and helps him put it on.
ETHEL
Some things never change...
BIG BOB
(loading his weapon)
I'll take my bullets over your
prayers any day.
BOBBY
You think we'll see scorpions and
coyotes?
Big.Bob grabs his son by the shoulders, proud. They look like
two kids getting ready to play Cowboys and Indians.
Bobby calls out to Doug, offering the gun-
BOBBY (CONT'D)
Hey Doug, wanna try?
(CONTINUED)
29.
29 CONTINUED: (2) 29
DOUG
(SMILING)
Oh no! No thanks buddy...
BOBBY
Come on, just one shot, it makes
you feel kinda powerful.
Big Bob answers for Doug-
BIG BOB
Leave him alone son. Doug is a
liberal, he wouldn't touch a gun...
Obviously, the two men disagree.
Behind the trailer, Brenda sits on a lounge chair in her bra
revealing a sexy body. She applies suntan lotion ready to
kill some time. Behind her sunglasses, she observes the
silent desert looking like Paris Hilton.
Lynn exits the trailer and joins her.
LYNN
Catherine just fell asleep. How are
you holding up?
BRENDA
(IRONICALLY)
Thrilled to be here!
LYNN
Yeah, this is a total drag,
especially with a baby.
BRENDA
I don't care what they say, next
year, I'm going to Cancun with my
friends. No more "family trips" for
me...
LYNN
We're not going to have many more
trips like this together... As for
Cancun, you're gonna have to find a
job.
BRENDA
C'mon, with all the money your
husband makes, you could at least
buy me a plane ticket.
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
30.
29 CONTINUED: (3) 29
BRENDA (CONT'D)
Don't you think? Please, for your
poor little sister...
Doug's voice interrupts.
DOUG (O.S.)
Lynn, can you bring me my jacket
honey?
Lynn gets up and returns to the trailer.
BRENDA
(imitating her sister)
"Right away, honey..."
Without turning around, Lynn gives her sister the finger.
Brenda smiles with satisfaction.
30 INT. TRAILER - DAY 30
Lynn finds her husband's jacket and stops when she sees a
cigarette butt in the sink. She's pissed. She picks it up and
throws it away.
A FLASH OF LIGHT catches her attention outside. She looks
through the kitchen blinds and spots the quick reflection of
light coming from the top of the hills when-
BOBBY JUMPS UP AT THE WINDOW SCREAMING!
Lynn falls back against.the kitchen table scared to death.
Bobby laughs, pleased with himself. Annoyed, Lynn shuts the
blinds in his face.
31 EXT. TRAILER - DAY 31
Outside, Doug and Big Bob look at the road map laid out on
the ground.
DOUG
I'll keep walking north. This
road's gotta lead somewhere.
Lynn comes around with the jacket and sees Big Bob and Bobby
both holding guns.
LYNN
What are you going to do with
those?
BIG BOB
It's always good to be prepared.
Right?
(CONTINUED)
31 CONTINUED:
LYNN
(TO DOUG)
Are you taking a gun too?
Big Bob answers for him.
BIG BOB
We've only got two and it's better
if you guys have one here. You
never know.
LYNN
Are you sure you're going to be
alright?
Lynn puts a fisherman's hat on Doug to protect him from the
sun and kisses him tenderly.
BIG BOB
If you don't find any help in six
or seven miles come back. I'll go
to the gas station...
ETHEL
It's almost 3, you'll never be back
before sunset.
BIG BOB
It's only about ten miles from
here. I'll borrow that crazy old
man's truck and use his phone if he
has one... Don't worry... I'll be
back with a tow truck before
nightfall.
BOBBY
Can I go with Doug?
BIG BOB
No. Stay here with your mother and
sisters.
(TO BRENDA)
And you, don't tease your brother,
he's in charge now.
Holding the gun, Bobby winks at his sister who continues to
sunbathe.
BRENDA
Yeah, right.
Ethel remains silent and worried.
(CONTINUED)
32.
31 CONTINUED: (2) 31
ETHEL
We should pray before you go-
BRENDA
Oh please!
ETHEL
Is it really too much to ask?
(turning to her husband)
Bob?
Bob finally agrees, and like a good family man, he gathers
them around.
Brenda slips on her shirt and joins them.
BRENDA
(GRUMPILY)
Thank God nobody's watching us.
In a lowered voice, Ethel recites a prayer. Even though only
Ethel takes it seriously, in that precise moment the arguing
stops and the family seems united and strong.
But seen from the surrounding summit, through Goggle's
binoculars, the family looks small and vulnerable...
Behind them the sun begins to descend.
DOUG HEADS NORTHBOUND ON THE DIRT ROAD, WHILE BIG BOB BEGINS
HIS JOURNEY IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION.
32 INT. TRAILER - LATER 32
Catherine wakes up crying in her crib.
LYNN
Hey, little princess. Who doesn't
want to sleep anymore?
The baby looks at her mother, appeased.
LYNN (CONT'D)
Are you hungry, my angel?
Lynn picks her up and exits the trailer.
33 EXT. HILLS - DAY 33
Goggle grabs his 1950'S MILITARY WALKIE-TALKIE-
(CONTINUED)
33.
33 CONTINUED: 33
GOGGLE (O.S)
Papa Jupe... Papa Jupe... Coast is
clear.
PAPA JUPE'S VOICE (O.S)
Wait 'til it gets dark...
On the radio, Papa Jupe's voice is deep and distorted.
Devilish.
Goggle's binoculars POV on Lynn-
She sits down with Ethel, unbuttons her blouse and
breastfeeds.
34 EXT. TRAILER - DAY 34
A table and fold out chairs are set up in front of the
camper. Lynn continues to feed Catherine.
ETHEL
You shouldn't go from the bottle to
the breast. At her age she should
get used to one or the other.
LYNN
Mom, thanks for the advice, but
she's my baby.
Vexed, Ethel remains quiet.
LYNN (CONT'D)
It's starting to get cold out here,
isn't it?
(trying to be nice)
I can't believe you're spending
your anniversary stranded in the
middle of nowhere.
BRENDA
I can already see the headlines:
"Family found dead in New Mexico
desert."
ETHEL
This place isn't so bad. At least
the air is fresh.
BRENDA
I think it stinks.
(CONTINUED)
34.
34 CONTINUED: 34
LYNN
Better than Cleveland...
BRENDA
Anything's better than Cleveland!
ETHEL
(after a beat)
Maybe it was my fault we had this
accident...
LYNN
Please, Mom. Nothing can stop Dad
when he thinks he's found a
shortcut. Remember when we ran out
of gas on the "shortcut" to the
Great Lakes? How old was I? 12, 13?
ETHEL
This family has certainly seen its
share of adventures.
BRENDA
If we had just stayed on the main
road we'd already be in
California...
LYNN
Yeah-what I'd do for a shower and
a margarita...
BRENDA
The beach...
LYNN
A real bed...
Bobby sits down at the table.
BOBBY
Has anybody seen my grey
sweatshirt? It was in the car. I've
looked everywhere.
BRENDA
I didn't touch your smelly
sweatshirt.
Beast has been pulling on his chain nonstop, while Beauty
cries softly from inside the trailer.
(CONTINUED)
35.
34 CONTINUED: (2) 34
LYNN
Why are the dogs so excited?
ETHEL
Probably some rattlesnakes not far
away.
BOBBY
(JOKINGLY)
You know how Freud would've
interpreted your obsession with
rattlesnakes Mom?
Ethel throws her kitchen towel at him. They laugh. A beat,
then Ethel becomes sentimental.
ETHEL
Brenda's going off to college. And
then, next year, it's Bobby's
turn... The house is going to feel
so empty...
Lynn grabs her mother's hand-
ETHEL (CONT'D)
I'm really happy that we're all
together on this trip.
Brenda moves to the trailer. Beauty is still barking inside.
BRENDA
That makes one of us.
They glare at her as she opens the door.
BOBBY
Brenda, the dogs!
Too late. Beauty runs out in the direction of the hills
Bobby drops his plate and gives chase.
BOBBY (CONT'D)
Dam¢nit, Brenda! Beauty!
Worried, Ethel watches her son distance himself from the
camper.
ETHEL
(YELLING)
Bobby, come back!
36.
35 EXT. HILLS - DAY 35
Beauty escapes to the hills.
Bobby runs as fast as he can but cannot keep up. The dog gets
further and further away, climbing up the side of the
mountain.
Beauty moves through the first series of rocks. Bobby loses
sight of her and stops. Out of breath, he hesitates-
Ahead, the rocky horizon shows no indication of a definite
path.
He spots Beauty climbing between some rocks and continues his
chase.
BOBBY
BEAUTY!
At the bottom of the hill, the rocks are too jagged for him
to continue running. He slows down and begins moving past the
first set of rocks.
With much more agility, Beauty climbs quickly towards the
top, disappearing behind some rocks.
BOBBY (CONT-D)
BEAUTY? BEAUTY?
Nothing. Only sharp rocks stand before him.
SUDDENLY, A HIGH PITCHED HOWLING SOUND TEARS THROUGH THE
SILENCE AND ECHOES IN THE VALLEY.
Bobby freezes.
No doubt about it - Beauty found what she was looking for,
and it was much stronger...
In the distance, Bobby hears his mother calling.
36 EXT. TRAILER - DAY 36
A few feet from the trailer-
ETHEL
BOB-BY?! BOB-BY!?
Overcome with worry, she turns to her two daughters.
(CONTINUED)
37.
36 CONTINUED: 36
ETHEL (CONT'D)
You think he can hear me?
LYNN
I don't know, Mom.
ETHEL
She couldn't have gone that far.
Brenda notices the revolver on the table. Bobby is unarmed.
ETHEL (CONT'D)
(back to the hills)
BOB-BY?!
37 EXT. HILLS - DAY 37
Back on a threatening mound of rocks.
Bobby must decide-
Return to his family waiting by the trailer or continue his
search for Beauty?
Bobby hesitates, then gathers his courage and decides to
confront the hills.
Jagged rock after jagged rock, Bobby slowly climbs towards
the summit.
38 EXT. ROCKY LABYRINTH - DAY 38
He appears between two big stones reaching an intermediate
zone before the top-
A type of NATURAL LABYRINTH formed in the rocks by years of
erosion.
BOBBY
Beauty? Beauty?
Bobby moves cautiously.
He picks up a big stone for protection-
A dangerous animal could be hiding behind any corner.
A SHADOW PASSES BEHIND HIM.. Bobby doesn't notice.
Anaaaaaau - A swift sound of breathing breaks the silence.
Bobby spins around, ready to strike.
(CONTINUED)
38.
38 CONTINUED: 38
No one. Just the labyrinth formed in the mountain.
BOBBY (CONT'D)
Beauty?
Bobby is ready to give up when something attracts his
ATTENTION-
A THIN SHADOW ON THE GROUND. Someone or something is hiding
behind a rock.
Bobby freezes. He stares at the shadow. Who will make the
first move?
He makes the decision, creeping towards the shadow. Squeezing
the stone, he lifts his hand to strike but stops when he
DISCOVERS-
A YOUNG GIRL, ABOUT 14, WEARING HIS STOLEN SWEATSHIRT. She is
about five feet tall and frail.
The hood covers her head, partly hiding her face. She is
rather pretty, even with her ABNORMALLY LARGE EYES...
She trembles, frightened and intrigued by Bobby. What is this
girl doing in a place like this?
BOBBY (CONT'D)
Don't... Don't be scared. I won't
hurt you... What are you doing
here?
The girl keeps silent. Bobby drops the stone to the ground
but the young girl remains suspicious.
BOBBY (CONT'D)
So you're the one who took my
sweatshirt? Where did you find it?
The young girl smiles shyly. The ice is broken.
BOBBY (CONT'D)
What's your name?
The young girl hesitates and murmurs in a frail voice.
YOUNG GIRL
Ru... Ruby... Ruby...
(CONTINUED)
39.
38 CONTINUED: (2) 38
BOBBY
What are you doing here Ruby? Where
are your parents? My family needs
help. We had an accident.
Ruby repeats her name mechanically as if she doesn't
understand the questions.
RUBY
(in a low voice)
Ru... Ruby... Ruby...
Bobby gets closer.
BOBBY
I heard you, Ruby... Are you here
alone?
Ruby won't answer.
BOBBY (CONT'D)
Ruby... I'm looking for my dog...
Do you understand? My dog... her
name is Beauty... She's a German
Shepherd, about this high...
RUBY
Beauty...
BOBBY
That's right, have you seen her?
RUBY
Ruby.. _Ruby is Beauty...
The last sentence makes her laugh. A STRANGE AGONIZING
LAUGHTER.
BOBBY
Have you seen her?
Ruby looks down. She knows something.
BOBBY (CONT'D)
Look at me, Ruby... Look at me...
Where did you see my dog?
Ruby keeps looking to the ground. Bobby reaches under her
chin to raise her head.
Instinctively, Ruby SCREAMS as she backs off, lifting her
hands to protect herself.
(CONTINUED)
40.
38 CONTINUED: (3) 38
HER HANDS LOOK LIKE CLAWS. DEFORMED AND MISSING FINGERS, THEY
ARE NO LONGER HUMAN.
Frightened, Bobby takes a step back. The girl murmurs softly.
BOBBY (CONT'D)
What? I can't understand. What are
you saying?
He comes closer trying to make eye contact as she continues
to murmur the same thing. She too is terrified-
RUBY
(SOFTLY)
The hills... The hills have
eyes...The hills have eyes...The
hills have eyes...
Behind him, a small rock slide grabs his attention. He turns
his head. When he turns back to Ruby, she is gone.
BOBBY
Ruby, come back!
Once more, Bobby is alone in the labyrinth.
On the other side, he finds a trail of blood as if a body had
been dragged on the rocks.
The bloody trail is still fresh and disappears behind another
set of rocks a few feet away.
Bobby hesitates, unsure of what he might find...
As soon as he's around the outcropping to the other side
Bobby sees something that stops him dead in his tracks.
Before him, on the ground, is Beauty.
Dead. Disemboweled.
Bobby drops to his knees, disbelieving, his face turning
white. He touches the animal's head as if to convince himself
that this nightmare can't be possible at all. Beauty's face
is locked in a grimace of horrible pain and shock. And... the
animal is missing its front right leg.
DRIP... DRIP... DRIP... DROPS OF BLOOD fall on Bobby's hand -
ABOVE HIM, PERCHED ON A ROCK, A FIGURE OBSERVES HIM. A man
with an impressive build crouches like a monkey. He wears old
clothes covered with dust, and a DERBY HAT on his head.
Binoculars hang around his neck.
(CONTINUED)
41.
38 CONTINUED: (4) 38
IT'S GOGGLE.
Goggle has no face, as if it were totally covered with wax.
He has two little holes for nostrils and no ears. His mouth
is like an opened wound sliced in his skin. His eyes are the
only features which give him any human resemblance at all.
Using his hand, Goggle devours something ferociously-
BEAUTY'S LEG!
Terrified, Bobby runs away.
Goggle laughs from his rock.
Bobby jumps down the hill.
From the summit, Goggle continues feasting. A few yards away,
Ruby's slender silhouette slides between the rocks. Goggle
stops eating, sees Ruby, and throws her the remains. Ruby
looks at the half-eaten leg in disgust, and pushes it away.
GOGGLE (O.S.)
(rough and deep)
What's the matter Ruby.. .You don't
like dog anymore?
39 EXT. HILLS - DAY 39
Moving at top speed, Bobby descends from the hills,
occasionally glancing behind him.
He jumps from one rock to the next. Anything to get out of
this hellhole.
He turns around one too many times and fails to see the sharp
precipice ahead. He tries to stop, but it's too late.
Bobby slides down a few feet before grabbing hold of a
protruding rock. The rock tears his skin.
Bobby tries to climb back up, losing his grip. He falls.
His head hits the bottom. He loses consciousness.
Behind him a RATTLESNAKE slithers rattling its tail.
The snake zips its tongue around his face when -
A WOODEN STICK WITH FORKED END, TRAPS THE SNARE'S HEAD TO THE
GROUND SAVING BOBBY FROM A CERTAIN BITE.
(CONTINUED)
42.
39 CONTINUED: 39
With the hood of the sweatshirt still over her head, RUBY
WATCHES THE WOUNDED BOY TENDERLY with her big, abnormal eyes.
CUT TO:
40 EXT. ROAD - END OF THE DAY 40
Close on THE RED SUN on the horizon.
We hear Doug, singing "California Dreaming" a capella.
DOUG
"...All the leaves are brown and the
sky is gray. I've been for a walk
on a winter's day. I'd be safe and
warm if I was in L.A... California
dreamin..."
After hours of walking down this road, his face shows signs
of fatigue.
DOUG (CONT'D)
I was in LA._ California
Dreamin..."
The lyrics resonate throughout the desert. Suddenly, he stops
singing.
DOUG (CONT'D)
(TO HIMSELF)
What the hell?!
IN FRONT OF HIM, ABOUT A HUNDRED YARDS AHEAD, THE ROAD ENDS-
A mound of earth blocks the road like a wall, extending
hundreds of yards on either side.
Confused, Doug approaches the wall and starts climbing.
Reaching the top, he takes off his sun clips from his glasses
and tries to grasp what's on the other side-
A HUGE ATOMIC CRATER, three hundred yards in. diameter.
THE CRATER HAS BEEN TURNED INTO A GRAVEYARD FOR CARS, TRUCKS,
TRAILER HOMES, MOTORCYCLES...
Doug climbs down and wanders between the rusted vehicles.
Doug lights a cigarette before continuing his inspection.
(CONTINUED)
43.
40 CONTINUED: 40
In the reflection of a shattered rear view mirror, we see him
approaching another car.
Dust completely covers the windows. Doug wipes one down to
LOOK INSIDE-
He notices a baby seat still strapped to the back.
The cars all seem to be in good condition, as if they were
simply pushed into the crater.
He leans down towards another car-
Barbed wire is rolled around the flattened tires...
As Doug looks around in confusion, trying to figure out what
this place might be, THE CAMERA CRANES UP TO A WIDE AERIAL
SHOT - revealing five or six others craters.
41 EXT. TRAILER - MAGIC HOUR 41
It's getting colder.
Lynn warms her hands at a fire in front of the trailer.
A few feet away, Brenda collects firewood while calling out
her brother's name...
BRENDA
BOBBY! BOB-BY!
Inside the camper, Ethel watches the sun set in the horizon.
She cradles the baby in her arms.
Brenda joins Lynn and throws some firewood into the flames.
BRENDA (CONT'D)
(looking at the hills)
We should've gone looking for him
when it was still light out. I'm
nervous.
LYNN
Keep it together Brenda, Mom is
already worried enough... The fire
will help Bobby find his way back.
BRENDA
What if he doesn't come back? Maybe
he's hurt. Maybe there was an
accident...
(CONTINUED)
44.
41 CONTINUED: 41
LYNN
He and Beauty will find their way
back together.
Lynn hugs her sister.
LYNN (CONT'D)
I never thought it could be so cold
in the desert...
BRENDA
Bobby was only wearing a t-shirt
when he left.
LYNN
I know...
42 EXT. GAS STATION - NIGHT 42
Clouds pass, revealing an almost full moon. Wind blows around
the dark gas station.
Between the broken-down cars, we see Big Bob approaching on
the road.
A rusty tea pot sits on a pile of trash and whistles in the
wind. By placing his hand on the spout, Big Bob stops the
whistling and silence returns.
Whistling. Silence. Whistling.
Big Bob walks to the porch.
BIG BOB
HELLO! ANYONE HERE?!
No answer. He knocks on the door.
BIG BOB (CONT'D)
It's Bob Carter, I got some gas
from you a couple of hours ago.
Still nothing. Big Bob draws his gun and opens the door when-
SILENCE.
From the other side of the house, the whistling has stopped.
BIG BOB (CONT'D)
Anybody there? Answer me!
After a few seconds, the whistling returns.
(CONTINUED)
45.
42 CONTINUED: 42
Big Bob shrugs it off and enters.
43 INT. GAS STATION - NIGHT 43
Holding his gun, Big Bob steps into the empty gas station
store. A faint light comes from the back room. The wind blows
dust through the broken windows...
Vigilantly, he moves through the empty shelves, behind the
counter and past the beaded curtain separating the two rooms.
The light bulb above the dining table is on.
BIG BOB
Somebody home? Hello?
Big Bob pushes the last door leading to the back room.
His hand feels for the light switch.
CLICK - an old lamp comes on in the corner.
He finds a wall mounted phone and picks up the receiver.
No tone.
BIG BOB (CONT'D)
(TO HIMSELF)
Dammit...
Through the window, Big Bob sees a pick-up truck.
He starts searching for the keys.
Going through the different rooms, he discovers a drawer full
of money, jewels, watches, credit cards... A REAL FORTUNE.
He spots a key chain hanging from a nail next to the desk. He
reaches for the keys when something else grabs his attention-
Partially hidden in the dark, he discovers a few family
photos and a few newspaper clippings from the 1950s pinned to
the wallpaper.
Big Bob lights the desk lamp and turns it towards the wall-
His face goes cold-
On the aged photos, we recognize the old gas station
attendant in his younger days, next to his wife and his
CHILDREN-
(CONTINUED)
46.
43 CONTINUED: 43
ABNORMAL CHILDREN GRUESOME AND DEFORMED BY NATURE...
Cleft lips, tumors, uneven extremities, malformations, skin
diseases, and gangrene of the face...
THEY ARE ALL AFFECTED BY GENETIC ABNORMALITIES.
On a more recent polaroid, we can recognize Ruby at 6 years
old. Besides her three fingers and big eyes, half of her
skull is missing or caved in.
Another polaroid - in a wheelchair, a little boy has
difficulty holding up his hugely disproportionate head.
The headline from the clippings makes Big Bob understand the
origins of these horrors-
"New Mexico- Nuclear enters a new age."
".. .Miner town evacuated"
"Miners refuse to abandon their lands by hiding in
MINES"
"Military destroys miner's town."
The old man's family was. one of those families whose genetic
lineage was forever changed by the nuclear fallout.
Big Bob is shocked, never believing such a thing was
possible.
A COUPLE OF MORE RECENT ARTICLES MENTION PEOPLE DISAPPEARING
IN THE REGION.
BIG BOB (CONT'D)
You son of a bitch...
Worried for his own family, he grabs the keys and walks out.
From the bedroom window, we see him running to the pick-up
truck.
44 INT. PICK-UP TRUCK - NIGHT 44
Big Bob slams the door, starts the engine and turns on the
headlights.
The headlights shine on the outhouse.
The wooden outhouse door slams back and forth in the wind.
Something blocks it from shutting completely-
(CONTINUED)
47.
44 CONTINUED: 44
A FOOT STICKS OUT...
Big Bob exits the vehicle holding his gun and approaches.
A voice comes to him. A MAN SOBBING-
MAN (O.S.)
(through his tears)
JUPITER! I GOT BUCKSHOT... YOU
HEAR?
BIG BOB
(MOVING SLOWLY)
IS THAT YOU MISTER?
Big Bob kicks open the door revealing-
THE OLD GAS STATION ATTENDANT, IN TEARS, HOLDING HIS SHOTGUN
TIGHTLY, READY TO SHOOT AT ANYTHING... HE'S OBVIOUSLY DRUNK.
BIG BOB (CONT'D)
(aiming his gun at him)
PUT THAT WEAPON DOWN RIGHT NOW
MISTER!
The old man seems mad.
BIG BOB (CONT'D)
I SAID PUT THAT WEAPON DOWN!
OLD GAS ATTENDANT
(lifting his eyes to Big
BOB)
My wife... She didn't want to
leave ...she wouldn't move to town
even when the state police ordered
us to. The kids grew up in the
mines... Like animals...
(smiling through his
TEARS)
What kind of place is that for
children?
In a split second, the old man sets the shotgun under his
CHIN-
BIG BOB
FREEZE!
BANG! - THE OLD MAN'S BRAINS SPLATTER IN THE OUTHOUSE...
(CONTINUED)
48.
44 CONTINUED: (2) 44
Suddenly, VOICES coming from different directions echo around
him.
VOICES
Daddy... Daddy...Daaaddyyy...Daddy..
THE VOICES ARE HORRIFIC AND TERRIFYING. Big Bob backs up
pointing his gun in their direction.
VOICES (CONT'D)
Daaaaddyyy...Dad-dy...Dad-dy...
BIG BOB
Who's there?
VOICES
Dad-dy...Dad-dy...Daddy...Dad-dy...
Big Bob can't contain his fear and shoots blindly into the
darkness.
BIG BOB
Who's there? Show yourself!
The voices become louder and louder, omnipresent.
VOICES
Dad-dy...Dad-dy...Daaaddyyy...
Daddy.. Daddy...
Big Bob walks backwards to the truck, and trips on the
ground.
Wide eyed, he stands and throws himself on the car door.
45 INT. PICK-UP TRUCK - NIGHT 45
Panicked, he enters the vehicle and turns the ignition.
As the engine turns over-
A DEEP VOICE RIGHT BEHIND HIM-
VOICE
(CALMLY)
..Daddy...
In a split second, Big Bob sees, in his rear view mirror, A
DARK HAIRY FIGURE WITH EVIL EYES IN THE BACKSEAT-
It's PAPA JUPITER.
49.
46 EXT. PICK-UP TRUCK - NIGHT 46
BIG BOB'S FACE SLAMS REPEATEDLY INTO THE WINDSHIELD!
The truck shakes as Big Bob is attacked inside. Blood
splatters on the windows.
47 EXT. MINE ENTRANCE - NIGHT 47
Bloodied and screaming, Big Bob is dragged out of the car in
the dirt to the entrance of the old mine behind the gas
station. Big Bob disappears inside. The night is once again
calm and silent.
FADE TO BLACK.
49 INT. TRAILER - NIGHT 49
Miles away, inside the trailer, Ethel washes dishes while
dinner cooks on the stove.
SUDDENLY THE RED LIGHT ON THE C/B TURNS ON AND THE RADIO
SQUAWKS TO LIFE, DISRUPTING THE SILENCE.
She wipes her hands on her apron and site down next to the
radio.
ETHEL
(into the mic)
Hello...Hello... Can somebody hear
me? Please answer if you hear me.
Hello?
No answer. The radio goes silent. Lynn joins her, holding the
baby.
LYNN
How's it going?
ETHEL
I heard something.
She fiddles with the radio.
ETHEL (CONT'D)
I'm not even sure I know how to use
this thing.
Lynn hands her Catherine, and sits in front of the C/B.
(CONTINUED)
50.
49 CONTINUED: 49
LYNN
(in the mic)
Mayday ...mayday... This is a
distress call... Do you copy?
Still nothing.
50 EXT. TRAILER - NIGHT 50
Lynn's distress call is heard from the trailer isolated in
the middle of the desert.
51 INT. TRAILER - NIGHT 51
LYNN
Mayday. . .We're stranded in the
desert, we need help...mayday...
Suddenly, the light on the C/B turns green and static can be
heard. Ethel grabs her daughter's hand, hopeful that someone
may have heard them.
A second later, HEAVY BREATHING is heard over the radio.
The light turns off. The two women look at each other in
confusion.
LYNN (CONT'D)
What was that?
ETHEL
It sounded like an animal...
Lynn stands up worried.
LYNN
If animals start answering our
radio calls, we're really fucked!
ETHEL
Watch your language!
LYNN
Give it a rest, Mom. We have more
important things to worry about.
She walks out.
ETHEL
Lynn, wait.
Ethel stays alone with the baby.
51.
52 EXT. TRAILER - NIGHT 52
Still tied to the trailer, Beast growls and pulls on his
chain.
Lynn raises the collar of her jacket to protect herself from
the wind and moves closer to the fire.
LYNN
Brenda?
No answer.
LYNN (CONT'D)
(LOUDER)
BRENDA?!
In the distance, we see Brenda looking for her brother.
BRENDA
BOBBY? BOBBY?
With a flashlight in one hand, the gun in the other, and a
blanket over her shoulders, Brenda moves through the night.
BRENDA (CONT'D)
BOBBY? BOB-BY?
She hears her older sister calling.
LYNN (O.S.)
Brenda? Brenda?
BRENDA
I'm here! I'll be back in a minute.
The flashlight partially lights the desert as she disappears
into the night.
BRENDA (CONT'D)
BOBBY? BOB-BY?
53 EXT. HILLS - NIGHT 53
We fly over the hills before stopping over Bobby's
unconscious body laid out between two rocks.
Ruby is still at his side, observing him silently.
She hears Brenda's calls and runs away.
(CONTINUED)
52.
53 CONTINUED: 53
Bobby slowly opens an eye, regaining his senses. Blood has
coagulated on his face. He turns his head in the direction of
his sister's voice, realizing that it's night. How long has
he been unconscious?
CUT TO:
54 EXT. TRAILER - MIGHT 54
The sky is so clear that you can see the milky way above the
Carters' trailer home.
Beast strains on his chain, a low growl of rage coming from
his chest.
55 INT. TRAILER - NIGHT 55
Inside the trailer-
The first aid kit is open on the table. Even with a blanket
around his shoulders, Bobby shivers.
Ethel soaks cotton in alcohol using it to clean his wounds.
ETHEL
You're lucky Brenda found you.
Imagine if you had to spend the
whole night out there in the cold.
Bobby winces from the pain.
BRENDA
Don't worry, Beauty will come back
when she's hungry...
Bobby doesn't answer. He keeps the truth to himself, not
wanting to worry his family.
BOBBY
Have you tried the radio?
ETHEL
It doesn't work...
LYNN
We heard something. Some sort of
breathing...
Bobby lifts his head.
BOBBY
What do you mean?
(CONTINUED)
53.
55 CONTINUED: 55
LYNN
It was really weird, right mom?
ETHEL
(minimizing the incident)
I'm sure it was just static.
LYNN
Mom, it sounded like a perverted
crank call.
BRENDA
(JOKING)
Only Mom would get an obscene phone
call out here!
Suddenly,a muted sound echoes outside.
Bobby jumps up, grabs the gun and crouches behind the door.
BOBBY
(to the others)
Ssshhhh...
His mother and two sisters are surprised by his agitated
behavior.
BRENDA
What's wrong with you?
Footsteps. Someone approaches.
BOBBY
(stern but soft)
I want you guys to stay in here.
Brenda?! You hear me?
Gun in hand, he opens the door-
Bobby is about to shoot when a figure emerges from the dark.
IT'S DOUG, holding as much as he could carry from the car
graveyard.
DOUG
What the fuck are you doing? Don't
point that thing at me.
Bobby lowers the weapon.
BOBBY
I didn't know it was you.
(CONTINUED)
54.
55 CONTINUED: (2) 55
DOUG
Who else would it be?!
Bobby is interrupted by Brenda who sees Doug from the window.
BRENDA
Doug's back!
DOUG
Hey girls!
Quickly, Lynn exits the trailer and jumps into her husband's
arms. They kiss.
Doug sets down all of his findings.
DOUG (CONT'D)
Look what I found.
Various tools, a fishing pole...
DOUG (CONT'D)
With all of this, we can find a way
to fix the car, right Bobby?
Bobby doesn't answer.
DOUG (CONT'D)
I found this really huge crater at
the end of the road! I've never
seen anything like it! People must
use it as a dump site. It was full
of all this garbage...
(pointing to the fishing
POLE)
Look at this, it's brand new!
LYNN
What are you going to do with a
fishing pole in the desert? You
didn't you find anybody?
DOUG
No. The road just stops there. I
hope your dad has better luck.
Is there anything to eat? I'm
starving.
LYNN
Let's go, it's freezing out here.
Doug follows Lynn inside the trailer.
(CONTINUED)
55.
55 CONTINUED: (3) 55
Bobby stays outside, worried. Everything seems calm. Perhaps
too calm.
He looks around-
BEAST IS GONE. He finds the BROKEN CHAIN.
CUT TO:
57 EXT. ROCKY LABYRINTH - NIGHT 57
At the top of the hill, Beast has found what's left of
Beauty's mutilated body and whines as he licks her face.
CUT TO:
58 EXT. TRAILER - NIGHT 58
From outside we see Doug and Lynn finishing dinner while
Brenda clears the table.
Doug holds Catherine on his knees.
Outside, Bobby stands guard with the gun. His mother comes
out.
ETHEL
Looks like we're camping out
tonight. How's your head?
Bobby doesn't answer.
ETHEL (CONT'D)
Bobby? What's going on?
A beat.
BOBBY
Nothing, Mom.
ETHEL
Are you sure?
BOBBY
I'll feel a lot better when dad
gets back.
ETHEL
Me too, honey. Come inside. You've
already spent enough time in the
cold for one day, don't you think?
(CONTINUED)
56.
58 CONTINUED: 58
Bobby agrees to follow his mother, abandoning the fire.
The flames dance with the desert wind in the night.
59 INT. TRAILER.- NIGHT 59
Bobby double bolts the lock on the door. Behind him, Lynn
comes out of the bathroom, while Doug has just changed
Catherine.
LYNN
Don't close the door, we're leaving
in a second!
BOBBY
(WORRIED)
Where are you going? You don't want
to wait until Dad comes back?
DOUG
I'm tired, I really need to rest
for an hour or so...
BOBBY
We can squeeze in here. You'll be
more comfortable.
DOUG
You want us to sleep on the floor?!
Doug kisses Catherine and hands her to Brenda so she can put
her to bed.
Bobby takes him aside.
BOBBY
(QUIETLY)
I need to talk to you...
DOUG
What?
Bobby hesitates to talk.
DOUG (CONT'D)
So, what Bobby?
Lynn walks by-
LYNN
I'm almost ready...
(CONTINUED)
57.
59 CONTINUED: 59
DOUG
Listen... I'm sure your dad will be
back soon. He's "Big Bob". It's
gonna take more than a few snakes
in the dark to stop him, right?
(TO LYNN)
Are you coming, honey?
Lynn, holding a blanket and pillows, joins him. They exit
together hand in hand.
DOUG (CONT'D)
(FROM OUTSIDE)
If he's not back by midnight, we'll
go get him. Deal?
Bobby hates himself for not saying anything. He bolts the
door shut and stands facing it.
Behind him, Brenda sets the baby in her crib and starts a
FISHER PRICE MOBILE hanging above, setting off the music and
rocking the baby to sleep.
She disappears in the bathroom for a moment and comes out in
t-shirt and panties. She turns to her brother-
BRENDA
Can I listen to your iPod?
Bobby is still focused on the door.
BOBBY
What?
BRENDA
Can I borrow your iPod?
BOBBY
(DISTANT)
Whatever...
Brenda grabs it and cranks the volume. she starts swaying to
the music, unaware of the dangers lurking about.
Next to her, Catherine sleeps quietly in her crib.
On the other side of the trailer, Ethel works on a crossword
puzzle.
INSERT- " family, revenge, homicide..." are some of the words
in the puzzle...
(CONTINUED)
58.
59 CONTINUED: (2) 59
WIDER- Bobby joins her and sits.
60 EXT. TRAILER - NIGHT 60
In between some bushes, we see the Carter trailer home
isolated in the desert under the starlit sky. Backlit in the
window, Brenda dances...
Next to the trailer home, the SUV-
61 INT. SUV - NIGHT 61
In a makeshift bed in the back, Doug is laying on his back
and Lynn rubs his legs.
DOUG
Ow, Ow... Yeah right there.
Perfect. God, I feel like I crossed
New Mexico on foot.
Amused, Lynn squeezes his legs a bit harder. She moves up to
his love handles.
LYNN
A little work out can't be all that
bad for these guys, right?
Doug laughs and giggles.
DOUG
Stop! Stop, you're tickling me!
Lynn continues with more fervor.
DOUG (CONT'D)
Oh, so you want to play?
He turns around and starts tickling her as well. They laugh
together before kissing passionately.
LYNN
I love you...
DOUG
I love you too...
They start making out.
62 EXT. SUV - NIGHT 62
At the same time A HAND opens the gas tank and unscrews the
cover.
(CONTINUED)
59.
62 CONTINUED: 62
In total silence, the hand slips a rubber hose into the tank
and starts siphoning gas. We follow the hose up to the
monstrous mouth of-
PLUTO - The deformed bald giant with a child's face. But a
child with a thick, primal cruelty snapping in his
asymmetrical, protruding eyes.
Silently, Pluto siphons some of the Carter's gas into a gas
can.
Lynn's hand presses against the window, as she and her
husband continue, unaware.
Pluto laughs stupidly, excited by the situation. His large
smile reveals POINTY SHARK-LIKE TEETH.
Once the gas can is full, he waves at somebody hidden in the
dark.
63 INT. TRAILER - NIGHT 63
Brenda rests on her bed. Exhausted, she turns off the bed
lamp,. and slides under the sheets. She falls asleep listening
to the music.
In the other room of the trailer, Bobby's watch reads
11:45pm. Bobby is restless. He doesn't know what to do.
A few feet away, Ethel sleeps on the couch.
Suddenly, Bobby hears barking in the distance.
BOBBY
Beast?!
He grabs the gun and exits the trailer, leaving the door
open.
64 EXT. TRAILER - NIGHT 64
Bobby moves into the night. Beast is still barking somewhere
in the dark.
As he passes the SUV, he overhears the moaning and heavy
breathing coming from inside.
His flashlight moves over the desert terrain and the
occasional bush. He calls out to his dog, trying not to wake
anyone.
(CONTINUED)
60.
64 CONTINUED: 64
BOBBY
Beast? Come on, boy. You hear me!
Come on now.
Bobby moves further from the trailer towards the barking.
HIS FLASHLIGHT PASSES QUICKLY OVER A SHAPE HIDING IN THE
BUSHES!
Bobby shines the light on the bush and approaches-
Nothing. It must have been his imagination.
The barking becomes a ferocious growl.
BOBBY (CONT'D)
Beast? Beast? Its me. Come on...
All of a sudden the growling becomes a "mooing" cow.
Then a goat. Then a chicken.
Terrified, Bobby turns around and runs back toward the SUV.
65 INT. TRAILER - NIGHT 65
In the living room, Ethel sleeps.
At the other end, Brenda turns under the sheets. The muted
bass coming from the iPod drums on in the background.
A GNARLED HAND ENTERS FRAME AND BRUSHES A STRAND OF HAIR FROM
BRENDA'S FACE SO STEALTHILY THAT SHE DOESN'T EVEN STIR.
IT'S PLUTO. THE DIVERSION OUTSIDE HAS ALLOWED HIM TO ENTER.
He stands above Brenda watching her sleep, an innocent smile
on his face. His hand softly grazes her hair as if she was a
kitten, then pulls on the sheets to expose her body.
Pluto covers her mouth, silencing her. BRENDA'S EYES OPEN
WIDE.
66 EXT. TRAILER - NIGHT 66
Panting and panicked, Bobby knocks on the SUV's tailgate
window, interrupting Lynn and Doug.
BOBBY
Doug! Doug!
Caught red-handed, Lynn dresses and Doug pulls up his pants.
(CONTINUED)
61.
66 CONTINUED: 66
DOUG
Damanit! What is it now?
LYNN
(through the window)
What do you want, Bobby?
BOBBY
Come on, open up!
Lynn opens the back window giving him a dirty look.
LYNN
This had better be important.
Bobby is too scared to keep the truth hidden. He regains his
calm before talking.
BOBBY
Something's going on around here.
We're not alone.
Exasperated, Lynn takes a deep breath, not taking him
seriously.
BOBBY (CONT'D)
I know this sounds weird, but there
are people living in those hills.
LYNN
Bobby... We're in the middle of
nowhere. Believe me, no one could
survive out here!
BOBBY
I saw them. And Beauty...
DOUG
Beauty what?
BOBBY
They cut out her insides.
LYNN
What are you talking about?
BOBBY
Her guts were all over the place...
He struggles to talk.
(CONTINUED)
62.
66 CONTINUED: (2) 66
BOBBY (CONT'D)
I...I didn't want to scare you so I
didn't say anything, but
something's going on... You even
said you heard some breathing on
the radio didn't you?
Lynn nods.
BOBBY (CONT'D)
We're not alone, I'm telling you...
Doug exits the car. Obviously, Bobby is not kidding.
DOUG
Calm down Bobby, OK? Let's go check
it out together. Lynn, stay right
here.
67 INT. TRAILER - NIGHT 67
From the window, we can see Bobby and Doug walking to the
trailer.
In the back room, Pluto hears them, grabs his walkie-talkie
AND GROWLS-
PLUTO
Noaowww!
68 EXT. TRAILER - NIGHT 68
AT THAT MOMENT, an explosion takes place a few hundred yards
away from the trailer.
The flames climb into the air lighting the surrounding rocky
desert.
SOMEONE SCREAMS. Doug and Bobby turn around.
IT'S BIG BOB!
He has been crucified to a Joshua tree and transformed into a
HUMAN TORCH...
The explosion and the screaming has awakened Ethel who comes
out of the trailer in her nightgown. Recognizing his screams,
she runs to her burning husband.
ETHEL
IT'S BOB! IT'S BOB!
(CONTINUED)
63.
68 CONTINUED: 68
Doug tries to hold her back, but she is determined to get to
him.
69 INT. TRAILER - NIGHT 69
Doug runs into the trailer grabbing a fire extinguisher and
some blankets. In the panic, he fails to see Brenda
restrained by Pluto.
DOUG
(PANICKED)
Brenda, stay with Catherine!
He jumps out without waiting for an answer.
Pluto gives Brenda a satisfied smile- NO ONE WILL BOTHER THEM
NOW.
70 EXT. TRAILER - NIGHT 70
Doug runs out leaving the door wide open.
Someone jumps from the roof and, on all fours, lands in front
of the door. He stands and, for the first time, we see the
face of -
LIZARD - Pluto's cousin.
Lizard is as thin as Pluto is imposing. Extremely pale, his
face is disfigured by A CLEFT LIP WHICH EXPOSES HIS DEFORMED
JAW. A SAVAGE WITH NO SENSE OF PITY, LIZARD IS, AFTER PAPA
JUPITER, THE MOST VIOLENT INHABITANT OF THE HILLS.
Lizard has Big Bob's Magnum. He enters the trailer and closes
the door behind him.
71 EXT. DESERT - NIGHT 71
Big Bob screams as the flames devour his naked flesh.
His fingers tighten. His bloodied face distorts with pain.
Even his eyes are burnt. Considering the condition of his
body, it's a miracle he's still alive...
Doug arrives with the extinguisher and begins putting out the
fire under Ethel's horrified, watchful eye.
72 INT. TRAILER - NIGHT 72
Back inside the trailer.
(CONTINUED)
64.
72 CONTINUED: 72
With a wicked smile on his face, Lizard puts on Ethel's apron
and places her flowery sun hat on his head. This disturbed
mind takes pleasure in dressing up in "Mama's clothes"...
Then, famished, he eats everything he can find in the
trailer.
Raw meat, fruit, potato chips... He washes it all down with
milk, orange juice...
His eyes stop on the bird cage. He smiles.
Lizard moves closer, opens the cage and grabs one of the
parrakeets.
The small bird looks around in confusion.
HE TEARS OFF ITS HEAD AND SQUEEZES THE BLOOD INTO HIS MOUTH!
Blood drips on his chin.
Brenda's muted screams attract his attention.
Lizard walks across the trailer. HE WANTS HIS SHARE.
He pushes Pluto violently to the ground.
LIZARD
Move!
(with a smile)
You gotta be a man to do that...
Pluto is outraged and tries to stand up. He wants to talk but
no words come out. JUST GRUNTS AND GROWLS.
Lizard savagely hits him several times.
Behind them, terrified, Brenda watches helplessly as they
fight.
Lizard puts his foot on Pluto's face, pinning him to the
ground, and then points the gun to his head.
LIZARD (CONT'D)
I told ya to move!
Pluto moves away and, in a fit of rage, breaks everything in
the trailer. Dishes, chairs, table... everything.
Lizard laughs like a goon. He grabs Brenda by her feet and
pulls her to him.
(CONTINUED)
65.
72 CONTINUED: (2) 72
Excited and amused at the same time, he stares at Brenda's
appetizing calf muscle. He smells it, licks it, and then,
without hesitation, plunges his teeth into her leg.
73 EXT. TRAILER - NIGHT 73
Brenda's muted screams are heard from inside the trailer.
74 EXT. DESERT - NIGHT 74
The flames have been replaced by white smoke.
Doug unties Big Bob. His body falls motionless to the ground.
COMPLETELY CARBONIZED, HE HAS STOPPED BREATHING.
Smoke comes out of his mouth.
Doug uses the blanket to extinguish the last flames.
Behind Doug, Ethel looks at her husband refusing to accept
the truth.
ETHEL
No..No.. It's not possible. That's
not Bob. That's not my Bob.
She grabs Doug by his shirt trying to convince him.
ETHEL (CONT'D)
Doug.. It's not him. Tell me it's
not him. It's not my Bob!
The poor woman has lost her mind. Ethel erupts in laughter
pointing to her dead husband.
ETHEL (CONT'D)
(HYSTERICALLY)
That is not my Bob! That is not my
Bob! That's not him!
Lynn and Bobby are paralyzed. Doug turns to his wife.
DOUG
Take your mother away from here!
With her eyes fixed on her father, Lynn walks her mother
away.
In Bobby's eyes, sadness has been replaced by hatred. Full of
rage, the youngster grabs the gun and walks away.
(CONTINUED)
66.
74 CONTINUED: 74
DOUG (CONT'D)
Where are you going? Bobby?
BOBBY
I'm gonna take care of the
motherfuckers!
DOUG
Come back here, Bobby!
Bobby disappears into the night.
Doug covers Big Bob's face with a blanket.
75 EXT. TRAILER - NIGHT 75
Returning to the trailer, Lynn struggles to restrain Ethel.
Ethel finally realizes it's too late for her husband and
collapses into her daughter's arms.
Just then, a muffled scream from Brenda pierces the night.
LYNN
Oh my god!
Lynn runs inside leaving her mother alone.
76 INT. TRAILER - NIGHT 76
Bursting into the trailer, Lynn stops on a dime when she sees
Lizard, in Ethel's clothes, holding the baby.
Behind him, Pluto restrains Brenda.
Lizard walks up with the baby.
LIZARD
(EVIL)
Big fat baby good.., you fat... Fat
and juicy!
Lynn is paralyzed with fear.
Lizard imitates a mother cradling her baby.
LIZARD (CONT'D)
Baby... Baby...
Instinctively, Lynn grabs the closest thing, a FRYING PAN,
and hits Lizard brutally in the face.
(CONTINUED)
67.
76 CONTINUED: 76
Stunned, he falls to the ground and drops the baby, who
begins to wail.
when he lifts his head, Lynn strikes again-
He blocks her arm and twists it, bringing her to her knees.
Lynn tries to fight him off, but he is too strong.
Still restrained, Brenda spots the PHILLIPS SCREWDRIVER under
the sleeper. The one Bobby had used to fix the A/C.
At the other end of the trailer, Lizard has immobilized Lynn
and POINTS THE GUN AT THE BABY!
Lynn stops.
LYNN
(PANTING)
No...No...Please... Please don't...
Without a word, Lizard tears off Lynn's shirt and bra.
The gun stays pointed at the baby as-
Lizard removes Ethel's sun hat and hovers over Lynn's
breast...
Seen from behind her shoulder, we can't figure out exactly
what this mental case is doing... Is he nursing from her
breast?
Lynn trembles, but can only think of her baby and her sister,
who are still threatened.
Excited by what his brother is doing, Pluto fondles Brenda.
Suddenly, Ethel jumps into the trailer with a broom and
starts batting away at Lizard.
For once, her adrenaline kicks in as she fights for the most
important thing in her life - Her family.
The broom has little effect and is almost comical...
BANG! - Lizard shoots Ethel in her chest, throwing her back.
77 EXT. DESERT - NIGHT 77
From far away, Bobby hears the gunshot. He quickly turns
around to help his family.
68.
78 INT. TRAILER - NIGHT 78
In the trailer home, Brenda takes advantage of the confusion
to get away from Pluto and grabs the Phillips screwdriver
from beneath the sleeper.
Brenda slides the screwdriver to Lynn who raises it and is
about to strike when-
BANG! - Lynn is shot in the chest.
Lizard turns to Brenda and aims at her head.
He is about to shoot when Lynn, with her last breath-
PLANTS THE PHILLIPS SCREWDRIVER IN HIS THIGH. IT STARTS
TEARING THROUGH HIS FLESH!
Lizard screams in pain and turns the gun back to Lynn-
BANG! - He blows off part of her skull.
Blood splatters throughout the cabin.
79 EXT. DESERT - NIGHT 79
Alarmed by the gunfire, Doug gets up and looks at the trailer
in the distance. He doesn't know what to do.
Bobby appears behind him-
BOBBY
Come on Doug! They're in the
trailer-!
They both take off running.
80 INT. TRAILER - NIGHT 80
Witness to the slaughter, Brenda is petrified with fear.
Lizard pulls out the screwdriver and stands with difficulty.
He picks up the baby and hands it to Pluto.
LIZARD
Take it.
Pluto obeys. Lizard grabs Brenda by the hair and pulls her
out of the trailer.
(CONTINUED)
69.
80 CONTINUED: 80
LIZARD (CONT'D)
Come on bitch...
She screams and resists by grabbing at furniture and pulling
off the curtains...
Her nails scratch against the paneling.
BEFORE LEAVING, LIZARD RIPS THE JEWELRY FROM ETHEL AND LYNN'S
BODY...
81 EXT. TRAILER - NIGHT 81
Brenda is pulled out by Lizard.
When he sees Bobby and Doug approaching, Lizard changes his
MIND-
HE INSERTS THE BARREL OF HIS GUN INTO BRENDA'S MOUTH...
Brenda is wide eyed. Without hesitating, Lizard pulls the
TRIGGER-
CLICK! - no more bullets.
Lizard drops Brenda.
LIZARD
I'll come back for ya...
Lizard disappears into the night.
Brenda lays on the ground trembling and crying.
Doug arrives at the trailer, while Bobby aims the 9mm at the
assassins.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
It's too late. They're gone.
Bobby runs to his traumatized sister laying on the ground. He
holds her in his arms, trying to calm her down.
Doug approaches the open door. He notices bloody hand prints
along the side of the trailer home- One of the attackers has
been hurt...
82 INT. TRAILER - NIGHT 82
Doug enters the trailer unable to imagine the tragedy.
(CONTINUED)
70.
82 CONTINUED: 82
Horrified, he discovers Ethel on the couch, not quite dead,
but short of breath and in pain.
Doug is stone faced-
ON THE GROUND, LYNN'S BODY, HIS OWN WIFE, SOAKS IN HER BLOOD!
His eyes fill with tears. He tries to keep from crying but
his sadness is too deep.
His hand approaches her face. His fingers graze her hair.
SUDDENLY, LYNN'S BODY SUFFERS A LAST MUSCLE SPASM, LIKE A
CIRCUIT SHORTING OUT.
Doug tries to breathe life back into her body, but death has
overtaken her open eyes. He closes them and starts weeping.
The music from the Fisher Price mobile is the only other
sound...
Doug turns around. THE CRIB IS EMPTY...
DOUG
(SOFTLY)
No...No...
He squeezes his fist with rage.
83 EXT. DESERT - NIGHT 83
At the foot of the burnt tree, Big Bob's body is laid out on
some rocks, the blanket over his face.
A few figures emerge out of the darkness and gather around
the body like a pack of hyenas.
BIG BOB IS DRAGGED AWAY THROUGH THE DUST...
CUT TO:
84 EXT. HILLS - NIGHT 84
Backlit by the moon, at the top of the hill, we find Goggle
and his binoculars.
Reflecting in the lenses, we see the carters' trailer glowing
in the night.
A rustling noise attracts his attention.
(CONTINUED)
71.
84 CONTINUED: 84
Before Goggle can turn around, a wild animal jumps at his
face- IT'S BEAST.
The German shepherd tears at Goggle's face and locks deep
into his throat. Goggle tries to fight it off, but the animal
is determined to kill.
Goggle grabs AN OLD RAZOR out of his pocket and tries to cut
the animal.
The dog bites down tightening its grip. BONES CRACK.
He drops the razor. Goggle's derby hat falls between some
rocks.
BEAST AVENGES BEAUTY IN A BLOODFEST!
Someone calls him on the on walkie-talkie-
RADIO (O.S.)
"Goggle? Goggle..."
Goggle will not answer anymore...
85 INT. TRAILER - NIGHT 85
Laid out on the couch, Ethel agonizes between life and death.
Brenda stares into space, saying nothing. Doug touches her
head as he passes. Instinctively, she backs off terrified.
Across the trailer, Bobby paces back and forth.
BOBBY
(PANICKED)
What are we going to do Doug? What
are we going to do if they come
back?
Completely defeated, Doug comes back and goes to Ethel's
side.
BOBBY (CONT'D)
Doug!
Doug does not answer and takes Ethel's hand. She opens her
eyes and looks at him as if nothing happened.
ETHEL
This camper's so small. No matter
how much you clean, it's always a
mess.
(CONTINUED)
72.
85 CONTINUED: 85
Doug nods in silence.
ETHEL (CONT'D)
Is Big Bob home?
DOUG
Not yet.
ETHEL
Did everyone go to bed?
DOUG
Yes, Brenda is here and Bobby is in
the kitchen.
At the other end, Bobby turns away, crying. Brenda looks away
as well.
ETHEL
(short of breath)
Is Lynn sleeping?
Doug holds back the tears.
DOUG
Yes..
(after a beat)
Do you need anything?
Ethel finds it more and more difficult to talk.
ETHEL
Look in the closet Doug, I'm sure I
have another blanket. I'm so cold.
Doug tucks one of the blankets around her.
DOUG
(REASSURING)
There's one here. Nice and warm.
ETHEL
You've always been so sweet. I
understand why Lynn loves you so
much.
She raises her arm to caress his face.
Her hand falls on the bed. Lifeless.
Brenda screams, bursting into tears.
(CONTINUED)
73.
85 CONTINUED: (2) 85
At the same time Bobby pounds his fist against a wall. His
eyes full of hate, he joins Doug.
BOBBY
(DETERMINED)
Come on! I'm not going to take this
shit...
Doug gets mad as well.
DOUG
DON'T BE STUPID! WE'RE NOT GOING
ANYWHERE, DO YOU HEAR ME?
BOBBY
Fine. You stay here. I'm going
after them.
Doug gets between Bobby and the door, preventing the kid from
leaving.
BOBBY (CONT'D)
Let me go!
DOUG
You want to die, too?
BOBBY
I don't care.
Doug drags him in front of his mother's body.
DOUG
Look! Look at what they did to your
mother. Look at what they did to
your sister.
He slams Bobby against the door.
DOUG (CONT'D)
You're not a fucking child,
alright? Think before you do
something stupid. You won't make it
three feet! We need a plan, OK? We
need to think...
BOBBY
Think about what? They have
Catherine, Doug...
Doug remains silent...
(CONTINUED)
74.
85 CONTINUED: ( 3) 85
BOBBY (CONT'D)
THEY HAVE CATHERINE... You know what
they could to do to her, and you're
not going to stop them?! You're
just a coward...
Doug jumps back on Bobby grabbing him by the collar.
DOUG
(ENRAGED)
STOP IT! SHUT UP! JUST SHUT YOUR
FUCKING MOUTH!
A MUFFLED SOUND COMES FROM OUTSIDE!
They all freeze.
Doug releases Bobby and immediately turns off the light.
Plunged in darkness, Brenda panics again-
BRENDA
No.. No... don't turn it off!
(HYSTERICAL)
He swore he'd come back to get me.
He swore it. Don't let him take me,
Bobby!
Outside, another noise, AND A SHADOW PASSES BACKLIT BY THE
CAMPFIRE!
BRENDA (CONT'D)
(TERRIFIED)
THEY'RE HERE... THEY'RE BACK... I
DON'T WANT TO DIE BOBBY...I DON'T
WANT TO DIE...DO SOMETHING...
Bobby picks up the gun-
BANG! BANG! BANG! - With no hesitation, he shoots through the
door.
Brenda throws herself into Doug's arms.
Bobby stares at the bullet holes in the trailer door.
Suddenly, the sound of a radio is heard-
RADIO (O.S.)
"Goggle, you copy? Goggle..."
Bobby and Doug look at each other confused.
(CONTINUED)
75.
/Ï¿½ 85 CONTINUED: (4) 85
RADIO (O.S.) (CONT'D)
"Goggle?"
Doug silently moves closer to the door.
From outside we can see Doug's eye through one of the bullet
holes. Nobody, everything seems quiet.
DOUG
Get ready Bobby..
Doug opens the door and jumps out ready to fight.
From beneath the trailer, someone observes him...
Doug bends down and discovers-
GOGGLE'S SEVERED ARM. In its hand, the walkie-talkie still
works.
RADIO (O.S.)
"Goggle? Goggle?"
Doug grabs the radio. It's dripping with blood.
Bobby is about to join him when Doug signals-
THERE'S SOMEONE HIDING UNDER THE TRAILER.
Without a sound, Bobby aims the gun at the kitchen floor.
Outside, Doug backs up to see who is hiding.
Behind the step ladder, he sees an inert shape in the
shadows.
BANG! - Bobby shoots through the floor. Immediately, the
shadowy figure jumps out into the light-
DOUG
Beast!
The dog jumps into Doug's arms and begins licking his face.
Bobby can't believe it, his dog has returned.
Radio static comes back on the walkie. Bobby picks it up-
RADIO (O.S.)
"Papa Jupe... Goggle is dead. I
found him in the rocks..."
"Dead?"
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
76.
85 CONTINUED: (5) 85
RADIO (O.S.) (CONT'D)
"They got him. He's all torn
up..."
Bobby is proud of Beast. Still in the trailer, Brenda looks
at them, not as hopeful.
BOBBY
Good boy.. That's a good dog.
PAPA DUPE/RADIO (O.S.)
"I'm gonna take care of those
bastards myself"...
Bobby exchanges a worried glance with Doug. Even though
neither of the two has yet met Papa Jupe, something in his
voice tells them that it's only going to get worse.
Doug grabs the radio-
DOUG
(in the radio)
WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU WANT? WHY ARE
YOU DOING THIS TO US?!
No answer. Just static.
DOUG (CONT'D)
ANSWER ME! WHY US?!
(IN DESPERATION)
Give me back my little girl... Give
her back to me...
More static...
DOUG (CONT'D)
DO YOU HEAR ME?!
Silence. Suddenly we hear-
CATHERINE'S CRIES ON THE RADIO!
Doug drops the radio, scared speechless...
DOUG (CONT'D)
How much ammo do you have left?
BOBBY
I don't know, half a clip?
CUT TO:
77.
86 INT. DARK PLACE - NIGHT 86
On a dimly lit wooden table, Catherine lays, wrapped in a
blanket.
A butcher's knife is planted next to her...
Asthmatic breathing, and the sound of running water punctuate
the silence.
Ruby steps out of the darkness and moves towards the baby.
She watches through her abnormally large eyes and extends her
stringy fingers to touch the baby.
A large screen splits the room in two.
A strangely shaped shadow moves behind the screen: A
HANDICAPPED BODY washed by A LARGE WOMAN...
An empty wheel chair rests in a corner.
Amused, Ruby looks at the baby who smiles back. She carefully
takes Catherine in her arms when the invalid's voice
INTERRUPTS-
LARGE WOMAN (O.S.)
Put that down Ruby... You know
better than to play with your
food...
Ruby takes a step back, hugging the baby tighter.
- RUBY
Mama, pleaaase...
HANDICAPPED (O.S.)
(weak asthmatic voice)
Listen to your mother Ruby and put
that baby down... Now!
Frightened, Ruby obeys and quickly runs out of the room.
The baby starts crying...
CUT TO:
87 INT. TRAILER - NIGHT 87
Brenda sits by the C/B and retries the SOS calls.
(CONTINUED)
78.
87 CONTINUED: 87
BRENDA
Mayday... Mayday... We need help
..Mayday... Mayday... can anybody
hear me?
Something has gone off in her eyes. She is absent, no longer
living, just surviving.
Doug is about to leave, taking with him anything from the
trailer which might be useful.
BASEBALL BAT, FLASHLIGHT, PHILLIPS SCREWDRIVER...
BOBBY
Let me go with you.
DOUG
No, you stay here with your sister
and stay by the radio. Somebody's
bound to hear us.
Brenda continues her distress call.
BRENDA
Mayday...mayday... Can anybody hear
me?
DOUG
(TO BOBBY)
The sun'll be up soon. One of them
is hurt, I'm going to follow his
trail through the hills.
Bobby pulls out the 9mm gun and hands it to him.
DOUG (CONT'D)
No. You keep it in case they come
back.
BOBBY
What about you?
DOUG
Don't worry about me, I'll take
Beast.
Beast sits at his feet ready to go. Doug straps the walkie-
talkie over his shoulder.
BOBBY
Doug?
(CONTINUED)
79.
87 CONTINUED: (2) 87
DOUG
Yes?
BOBBY
I... I didn't mean what I said...
Doug hugs him like a brother.
Before walking out, he bends down to Lynn's body and kisses
her one last time on the mouth.
DOUG
I'm going to find.our baby my
love...I promise.
CUT TO:
88 EXT. HILLS - SUNRISE 88
The first sign of dawn lights the distant horizon.
The vultures perched on a dead Joshua Tree swivel their heads
around, to see a distant, running FIGURE -
DOUG AND BEAST, moving steadily among the rocks.
89 EXT. MINE ENTRANCE - DAY 89
Doug and Beast arrive at the old mine's entrance on the side
of the hill. The trail of blood leads inside.
Doug hides behind a rock. Sweating, he catches his breath.
Beast breathes heavily as well. Doug remembers what his wife
always used to say-
DOUG
(to the dog)
I told you to stop smoking.
Doug sets a different frequency on his radio-
DOUG (CONT'D)
(Into the walkie)
Bobby? Bobby? You read me?
BOBBY (O.S.)
Yeah, Doug...
DOUG
I followed the blood, I'm in front
of a mine!
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
80.
89 CONTINUED: 89
DOUG (CONT'D)
I'm not sure if I'll get a signal
from inside. If you don't hear from
me in a half an hour, you're on
your own.
(A BEAT)
Bobby?
BOBBY
Yeah... Good luck, Doug.
He puts the walkie away and takes out the flashlight.
DOUG
(TO BEAST)
You ready big guy? I hope you're
not afraid of the dark.
He pets the dog one final time and stands up.
90 INT. MINE - DAY 90
With the light from the entrance behind him, shadow enters
the mine.
The beam from his flashlight follows the trail of blood on
the ground.
The wooden pylons which have held up the walls for a hundred
years threaten to crumble at any second.
Only static on the radio. Doug turns it off.
He moves further into the darkness, probing with his
flashlight into the inky pit.
Doug arrives at a fork splitting the tunnel off in two
different directions.
Doug lights each tunnel with the flashlight until he finds
the one with-the blood trail, then continues on into that
one. Tracking.
Suddenly he stops.
The beam of the flashlight has revealed TWO DOZEN PICKAXES
that have been planted in the ground over mounds. That look
very much like graves. The pickaxes look eerily like crosses,
given the whole place the feel of A SUBTERRANEAN GRAVEYARD.
Hanging from the graves, dates and portraits of all the
miners who have died here, including women and children...
The flashlight dims. Doug taps it to no avail.
(CONTINUED)
81.
90 CONTINUED: 90
DOUG
Come on. You can't be serious.
Then light goes. completely off, leaving Doug in darkness.
Scratch! - He lights a match.
Holding the tiny flame, Doug continues down the tunnel until
he arrives at another fork. He can no longer see the blood
trail.
A SHAPE SLIDES SWIFTLY BEHIND HIM!
DOUG (CONT'D)
(to Beast, meaning
HIMSELF)
Just stay calm, boy...
A gust of air kills the match.
He immediately lights another-
Again, THE DRAFT SNUFFS IT OUT.
He turns around, looking for the source of the air, and
notices a reflection of light at the end of the tunnel.
He moves towards the reflection.
91 EST. MINE EXIT - DAY 91
On the other side of the hill, the collapsed wooden beams and
stones block part of the mine's exit.
Doug emerges with Beast. His eyes takes a moment to adapt to
the bright sunlight.
He. cannot believe what he sees. At the bottom of a hill, A
SMALL TOWN - A CLASSIC ONE-STREET TOWN BUILT BACK IN THE
50'S.
Doug turns the walkie on.
DOUG
(ENTHUSIASTIC)
.Bobby, Bobby, it's Doug... I
can't believe it! I found a street
and some houses. Maybe somebody
does live here...
The radio remains silent.
(CONTINUED)
82.
91 CONTINUED: 91
DOUG (CONT'D)
Bobby, do you hear me? Bobby?
Still nothing. Doug turns around and looks up-
A wall of rock towers behind him.
He tries one last time, but the signal won't go through.
92 INT. TRAILER - DAY 92
Close up on the C/B radio in the trailer-
Only static comes from the speakers.
93 EXT. TRAILER - DAY 93
Brenda drags one of the tires from the SUV 30 feet away.
She douses it with lighter fluid and-
Whoosh! - a match sets it on fire creating a thick, black,
smoke signal.
Brenda joins her brother who is busy planting wooden stakes
in a circle fifty meters around the trailer.
BRENDA
Maybe somebody heard our calls..
BOBBY
Nobody's going to find us Brenda,
even with that smoke...Nobody's
coming._.. You heard what Doug
said-We're alone now, just you
and me. Let them come, I'm waiting
for them.
Now, Bobby stretches the nylon wire from the fishing pole
around each stake. He sets the fishing pole next to the
trailer, rigging to it one of Catherine's TOY SHAKERS-
An improvised alarm system.
94 EXT. HILLS - DAY 94
At the summit, somebody observes the trailer and the thick
cloud of smoke rising to the air.
CUT TO:
83.
95 EXT. TOWN - DAY 95
Doug runs down the hills towards the town. Behind him, from
the mouth of the mine, someone observes between the rocks-
it's Ruby.
Doug slows his pace as he enters Main Street. The town is
deserted. No sign of life anywhere. All the houses and cars
are covered with a thick layer of dust.
Taking a closer look, he realizes all the parked cars are
from the 50's.
Uncertain, Doug walks through the ghost town, with Beast at
his side...
No movement besides the wind blowing and lifting an
occasional cloud of dust. Doug walks up to a house and knocks
on the front door.
No one to open the door. Doug wipes one of the windows-
It's too dark inside to see anything. The door is unlocked,
Doug pushes it.
It squeaks open. He hesitates before entering.
96 INT. FIRST HOUSE - DAY 96
Sunlight passes through the dusty windows revealing a
living/dining room decorated from the 50's.
Doug can't believe his eyes-
Through the kitchen door, he can see a woman doing dishes.
A man sits in the living room reading a newspaper.
Children play in front of the blank TV set...
THESE ARE NOT REAL PEOPLE BUT MANNEQUINS!
They have been dressed and placed into real life situations.
THE ATOMIC SYMBOL CAN BE FOUND ON EACH OF THEIR FOREHEADS.
Doug spots a telephone behind the staircase and checks for a
dial tone.
Nothing. He picks up the phone casing.
EMPTY. JUST LIKE EVERYTHING ELSE IN THE HOUSE, IT'S FARE.
84.
97 EXT. TOWN - DAY 97
Doug quickly crosses Main Street to visit another house.
98 INT. SECOND HOUSE - DAY 98
New interior- New surreal setting.
Around a table, a family of test dummies eat dinner.
99 EXT. TOWN - DAY 99
Stupefied, Doug enters yet another house.
The door remains open as we see another family of dummies
living a perfect little life. A LIFE WHICH STOPPED IN THE
LATE 50'S...
Around the corner of a house, a little girl dummy is sitting
on a swing, her face half broken.
A second later, Doug thinks he hears CHILDREN LAUGHING. He
TURNS AROUND-
Nothing but the wind blowing through the houses.
Doug takes Catherine's bib from his pocket and lets Beast get
its scent.
DOUG
Find her, Beast, find Catherine...
With his nose to the ground, the dog pulls Doug straight
ahead.
Doug walks away through the streets, pulled by the dog.
On the outskirts of town, we discover a fence buried in the
sand. On it, an old metallic sign reads-
TEST SITE 3B - MILITARY ZONE - HIGH RADIATION RISK
The scent leads Doug into an alley off the main street.
He sees an old generator on full throttle. A thick smoke
pours from the exhaust.
SOMEONE LIVES HERE!
His daughter could be there...
(CONTINUED)
85.
99 CONTINUED: 99
Doug tries to see into the windows, but they are caked in
filth. He decides to go around when-
A MAN WALKS INTO VIEW WITHOUT SEEING HIM!
Immediately, Doug backs away.
The man drags a cadaver by its feet. Half of the dead body
is missing, having apparently been torn off.
Beast GROWLS.
The man turns around, revealing his horrible face-
A METALLIC BRACE is screwed on four sides of his head helping
him stand straight. ENORMOUS CYSTS DISFIGURE HIM AND COVER
EVERY VISIBLE PART OF HIS BODY. Let's call him "CYST".
Cyst traces back his steps, trying to find what caused the
noise. He holds the gas station attendant's shotgun!
The alley is empty. The generators are still motoring.
All seems normal. Cyst turns back towards main street.
Cyst passes an old'parked car without seeing Doug and the dog
hidden inside.
Doug breathes a sigh of relief. Close call.
Quietly, Doug gets out of the car. He hesitates as to whether
he should bring Beast with him or to leave him in the car.
The dog could be his best weapon but, on the other hand, he
also represents a_bigger risk to be spotted.
DOUG (CONT'D)
(SOFTLY)
You wait here Beast! Come on,
sit!... Good boy. I'm gonna find
Catherine...
The dog is confused and whines through the half-opened
window.
DOUG (CONT'D)
Shhhh... Quiet Beast... Don't move!
I'll be back...
He closes the car door and starts down the alley, lowering
his head.
(CONTINUED)
86.
99 CONTINUED: (2) 99
From inside the car, Beast watches Doug getting further
away...
Doug sneaks along the side of the building towards the front
door.
He hesitates, unsure of what awaits him inside-
102 INT. HOUSE - DAY 102
Doug crosses a doorway without making a sound. He enters the
front hall squeezing the bat in his hands.
Something in the air, A DISGUSTING SMELL, catches his
attention. Doug moves slowly and discovers, in the dining
room, sitting amongst the dummies-
BIG BOB'S CHARRED BODY!
His father-in-law's arms have been torn off and devoured. THE
AMERICAN FLAG that used to adorn his SUV is planted THROUGH
HIS FOREHEAD!
Doug approaches terrified.
BEHIND HIM A WEAK AND ASTHMATIC VOICE BEGINS TO SING THE
NATIONAL ANTHEM-
VOICE (O.S.)
"Oh, say can you see, by the dawn's
early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the
twilight's last gleaming?"
Doug jumps and quickly lifts the baseball bat, ready to
swing.
Nobody. Just the fake living room filled with inert dummies.
No trace of his baby. An electrical fan turns in a corner,
close to a shelve full of old books...
Doug moves forward, gripping the bat tightly.
VOICE (O.S.) (CONT'D)
(feeble and asthmatic)
"...Whose broad stripes and bright
stars, through the perilous
fight..."
He can hear his own heart beat as he searches through the
house. In another room, close to the window and in the
shadows, he sees someone sitting in a wheelchair.
(CONTINUED)
87.
102 CONTINUED: 102
VOICE (O.S.) (CONT'D)
"...And the rockets' red glare, the
bombs bursting in air..."
Doug gets closer-
A ray of light shines on the skull of whoever sits in the
wheel chair.
The wheel chair moves forward revealing a most horrific sight-
BIG BRAIN - We recognize the handicapped man whom we have
seen before, bathing behind the screen. Big Brain's body is
skeletal. He was born with a genetic disease giving him a
head ten times bigger than his face. A head so heavy, he is
unable to hold it up. It rests back on his chair, forcing him
to stretch his eyes to see from side to side.
Big Brain is maybe the most representative character of the
damage done by nuclear fallout in this area.
Doug threatens him with the baseball bat-
DOUG
Where's my baby! Where's
Catherine?!
Big Brain does not answer.
DOUG (CONT'D)
What did you do with her?
BIG BRAIN
(MURMURING)
..Nothing..
Doug is beyond his breaking point -
DOUG
Where is she then? ANSWER ME!
He raises the bat.
BIG BRAIN
(weak and asthmatic)
.I don't know where she is. I
never leave this place...
Big Brain moves away from the window wheeling himself to the
couch. His hands are thin and pale, like a child's.
(CONTINUED)
88.
102 CONTINUED: (2) 102
BIG BRAIN (CONT'D)
..You should've read the signs
before taking that road...
DOUG
What signs?!
BIG BRAIN
(SMILING)
Boom. .. Boom... Boom
DOUG
What the hell are you saying?!
BIG BRAIN
(weak and asthmatic)
You people settled on our lands,
you destroyed our homes, destroyed
our silver mines. . .You 'ye made us
what we've become!
One day my father went into town
begging for your help, and you know
what the doctors did? They
sterilized him like a dog!
You thought that in the desert no
one would see anything, or say
anything, but the hills... The
hills never forget...
BOOM...BOOM...B000M!
DOUG
I don't know what you're talking
about. All I want is my daughter.
Please...
Big Brain remains silent.
DOUG (CONT'D)
What do you want? Money? I can give
you money... WHAT DO YOU WANT?
BIG BRAIN
Maybe a trailer? Yeah, a pretty
trailer, just like yours.
DOUG
Where are the others? Where is my
baby?
Big brain starts laughing a high pitched sound.
(CONTINUED)
89.
102 CONTINUED: ( 3) 102
DOUG (CONT'D)
What? What's so funny?
BIG BRAIN
IT'S BREAKFAST TIME!
At the same moment-
CRASH - PLUTO, THE DEFORMED BALD GIANT, PULVERIZES THE DOOR
WITH AN AXE AND SMASHES INTO THE HOUSE!
Like a wild animal, Pluto charges Doug, destroying everything
in his path.
Doug retreats in the living room, throwing the dummies at his
assailant.
The giant comes closer and closer.
Dummies are chopped into pieces.
Doug dodges away and tries to escape, using the stairs in the
hallway but the giant grabs him by the feet and pulls him
down...
The axe swings through the air missing him by a hair each
time.
103 INT. 1950 CAR - DAY 103
Sensing his master is in trouble, Beast jumps around inside
the car trying to find an exit...
The passenger window opening is too small for him to break
out...
104 INT. HOUSE - DAY 104
Doug runs into another room, escaping from Pluto and his axe.
Instinctively, he uses the first piece of furniture he can
find, A CHEST, to block the door behind him. He looks
desperately for an exit. No way out.
The axe penetrates through the door. The chest won't be
enough to hold back Pluto.
Second axe blow- This time the axe tears up the boards of the
door, allowing Pluto to stick his gruesome face inside.
Seeing Doug trapped in the room, the bald giant begins to
laugh stupidly before turning around and walking away.
(CONTINUED)
90.
104 CONTINUED: 104
The house is now silent. No sign of the giant.
With his heart pounding through his chest and the baseball
bat in hand, Doug moves towards the half-broken door,.
CRASH! - PLUTO EXPLODES THROUGH THE WALL, LANDING ON TOP OF
DOUG!
Doug loses his bat but slides away before the axe comes
swinging down.
Desperate, he picks up the bat and uses it as a shield. The
axe splits it in half.
Doug throws himself at Pluto plunging the splintered bat into
his abdomen.
The sharp piece of wood enters Pluto's stomach.
Completely out of his mind, Pluto removes the piece of wood
from his abdomen and beats Doug in the face with it, sending
him across the room.
Pluto lowers his head, charging Doug like a bull. Doug
crashes into one of the walls.
He can't even take a breath before the giant grabs him by the
leg like a rag doll and throws him through a wall.
Doug falls to the ground in the living room. Wounded and
exhausted, he is also defenseless. He has lost his glasses.
Not far away, Big Brain savors the spectacle.
The giant walks to him spinning the axe in his hand like a
baton.
His foot crushes Doug's glasses on the floor.
The axe swings through the air. Doug jumps out of the way.
ANOTHER SWING-
THE AXE STRIKES INTO HIS LEFT HAND, CUTTING OFF SOME FINGERS!
Doug stares wide eyed at his amputated fingers and screams
with pain.
Blood is everywhere.
In an act of self preservation, Doug crawls under the table.
(CONTINUED)
91.
104 CONTINUED: (2) 104
Pluto destroys it with the axe and advances to finish him
off.
His asymmetrical eyes stare coldly-
Doug is at his mercy.
Pluto slowly caresses the axe's blade on his victims throat
and face.
The sharp blade moves dangerously across Doug's skin. Pluto
stops when he sees Doug holding his PHILLIPS SCREWDRIVER!
Pluto laughs like a dumb child at the feeble weapon. Behind
him, Big Brain joins in on the laughter-
Disfigured by his wounds, Doug is frozen with the screwdriver
pointed at the giant. He looks ridiculous and starts sobbing
like a terrorized child.
DOUG
Please, I'm begging you... Don't
kill me...
PLUTO
(making fun of him)
Loook at-t hiiis fa-ace... Loook at-
at hiiis fa-ace...
Even the frozen faces of the test dummies seem to mock him.
SUDDENLY-
Doug stops crying_instantly, it was a trick!
He turns the screwdriver around and slams it into Pluto's
foot.
The screwdriver goes through the shoe nailing Pluto to the
floor. Pluto screams in pain.
Doug rises and moves behind him. In a swift movement, Doug
takes the American flag from Big Bob's forehead, stabbing
Pluto in the back of the neck!
OLD GLORY'S STAFF COMES THROUGH HIS THROAT ON THE OTHER SIDE.
Pluto screams again, dropping the axe.
Outraged, Pluto tears the flag from his neck and turns to
Doug.
(CONTINUED)
92.
104 CONTINUED: (3) 104
PLUTO STOPS-
DOUG IS HOLDING THE AXE.
The blade swings through the air and slams into Pluto's
skull!
Pluto's eyes freeze and his body falls to the ground, his
skull half open. DOUG JUMPS ON TOP OF HIM. FULL OF RAGE, HE
MUTILATES PLUTO WITH THE AXE TO THE POINT OF EXHAUSTION.
Big Brain watches Pluto die without showing any emotion.
Silence returns to the destroyed house.
Doug tears off a piece of Pluto's shirt and uses it as a
BANDAGE for his hand...
He picks up his half broken shattered glasses on the floor
and put them back.
SLING! - Doug removes the bloody axe from the corpse. He
turns to Big Brain, who backs off-
BIG BRAIN
The baby... the baby is in the last
house on the left...
CUT TO:
105 EXT. TRAILER - DAY 105
The back door to the SUV opens, revealing Bobby and Brenda
carrying Lynn's body inside where Ethel's body has been
moved.
Not far from the car and above the fishing pole, Catherine's
shaker remains still and silent...
106 EXT. TOWN - DAY 106
Still imprisoned in the car, Beast barks, desperate to find a
way out.
A hundred yards away-
Cyst crosses Main Street toward Big Brain's house still
holding the shotgun.
Through the broken door, Cyst spots Pluto in a pool of blood.
Hatred fills his eyes as he loads the shotgun and prepares to
shoot.
(CONTINUED)
93.
106 CONTINUED: 106
He looks for Doug but sees no one.
Cyst moves in between a few cars, failing to see Doug hiding
behind one of them.
Doug hits the man in his knee with the axe.
HE SEVERS HALF OF HIS RIGHT LEG. Cyst screams in agony.
In one swift move, Doug removes the axe from Cyst's kneecap
swinging it into his back.
Cyst falls on the ground.
The fall pushes the axe further into his back. Cyst reaches
for the shotgun lost in his fall.
Doug steps on his chest and pushes slowly-
Crack - The axe finally hits the spine, killing him
instantly.
Doug picks up the shotgun.
107 INT. HOUSE - DAY 107
From the broken window, Big Brain watches Doug walk away
down Main Street. He picks up a walkie-talkie hidden in his
WHEELCHAIR-
BIG BRAIN
Lizard... Kill the baby...
108 INT. LIZARD'S HOUSE - DAY 108
Lizard enters the house holding a MACHETE. The wound Lynn had
given him before she died still bleeds through his improvised
bandage.
He moves to the kitchen with a limp. There, he comes face to
face with Ruby. Behind her, the baby is wrapped inside a
blanket on the table.
The kitchen walls are covered with dry blood. Severed human
remains are scattered about and hanging like slabs of meat.
Ruby blocks his way-
LIZARD
Get out of the way Ruby...
(CONTINUED)
94.
108 CONTINUED: 108
Ruby refuses to let him pass. Lizard lifts the machete
threatening his little sister.
LIZARD (CONT'D)
I TOLD YOU TO MOVE. NOW MOVE!
Scared, Ruby obeys and runs out the kitchen door. Lizard
approaches the baby, who moves inside the blanket.
109 INT. LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT- DAY 109
At the same time, Doug arrives at the last house on the
street.
He looks for his baby in every part of the house.
Nothing but dummies.
Doug enters a room and sees a crib.
DOUG
Catherine?!
He goes to the crib and discovers a plastic doll...
BIG BRAIN LIED!
SMALL VOICE
(INNOCENT)
You want to play with us mister?
Doug turns around and sees two children playing in the
shadows. They smile at him kindly-
THEIR FACES AND LITTLE BODIES ARE MONSTROUSLY DEGENERATED!
Doug backs away terrified.
110 INT. LIZARD'S HOUSE - DAY 110
Lizard is about to butcher the baby on the table.
Catherine is calm and moves slowly under the blanket.
111 EXT. TOWN - DAY 111
In a panic, Doug runs out of the last house screaming.
DOUG
CATHERINE!
95.
112 INT. LIZARD'S HOUSE - DAY 112
Lizard lifts the machete and removes the blanket-
THE BABY HAS BEEN REPLACED BY THE PIGLET STOLEN FROM THE GAS
STATION!
Ruby made the swap before Lizard entered the kitchen.
The piglet runs off oinking...
LIZARD
RUUUBY!
Enraged, Lizard sticks the machete into the table.
113 EXT. HILLS - DAY 113
Outside, with the baby in her arms, Ruby runs as fast as she
can.
114 EXT. TOWN - DAY 114
Desperate, Doug runs through the test town looking for his
daughter.
In an upstairs window, he sees Ruby's mother, THE OBESE
WOMAN, swinging on a rocking chair staring back.
Suddenly, coming from the hills, Doug hears the sound of a
baby crying. In the distance, he spots Ruby running through
the rocks. He runs with the shotgun in hand.
DOUG
Catherine!
115 EXT./INT. 1950 CAR - DAY 115
Under the fake car, in between the seats, Beast finds a hole
big enough to fit his nose.
The animal forces his way through, scratching at the floor
until he finally fits his body through the hole and out of
the car.
The dog runs down Main Street...
CUT TO:
116 EXT. TRAILER - DAY 116
Back on the trailer-
(CONTINUED)
96.
116 CONTINUED: 116
Sweating, Bobby joins his sister hidden behind the SW. With
the 9mm in hand, staring at the horizon, he is ready to face
the enemy.
Above the fishing pole, Catherine's shaker is still.
Gust of wind blow on the eerily silent plains.
Suddenly, in a flash, the fishing line tightens and THE
SHAKER MOVES AROUND, MAKING NOISE.
Then, quiet returns as if nothing had ever happened.
Brenda is terrified. Maybe someone has crossed their zone of
security.
Bobby Lifts his head and looks a full 360°-
NOTHING.
Bobby and Brenda exchange worried glances when-
THE FISHING POLE MOVES, SHAKING CATHERINE'S SHAKER
FRENETICALLY.
The fishing reel quickly unwinds...
This time there is little room for doubt, even if all seems
clear around the camper.
BRENDA
I don't.see anybody... What's
happening?
Bobby and Brenda leave their hiding place. They move, back to
back, cautious...
BRENDA (CONT'D)
answer me, why isn't anyone there?
I'm scared...
BOBBY
(LOW VOICE)
Stay close Brenda.
From inside the SW, we see the two adolescents getting
further away when-
A DARK FIGURE JUMPS IN THE FOREGROUND, IN FRONT OF THE
WINDOW!
(CONTINUED)
97.
116 CONTINUED: (2) 116
It's PAPA JUPITER. His long hair and thick beard cover
everything except his determined and PSYCHOPATHIC EYES.
Bobby and Brenda have arrived at the end of their security
zone...
BRENDA
Look!
Further ahead, on the ground, a tumbleweed is stuck on the
fishing wire, moving it in the wind.
BRENDA (CONT'D)
Let's go back...
Not convinced, Bobby agrees, but his face freezes when he
turns back to see- THE BACK DOOR OF THE SUV, WIDE OPEN.
At a loss, Bobby and Brenda return.
THEIR MOTHER'S BODY HAS BEEN REMOVED!
BRENDA (CONT'D)
(PANICKED)
What happened? What happened Bobby?
Where's mom?
A trail of blood leads from the trailer to somewhere behind
some rocks.
BOBBY
(TO BRENDA)
He's over there. Get the trailer
ready.._
The new "visitor" has brought the nightmare back to life in
Brenda's eyes. She's paralyzed.
BOBBY (CONT'D)
Brenda? Come on?
Brenda remains still.
BOBBY (CONT'D)
BRENDA?!
Terrorized, Brenda backs up to the trailer, while her
brother, with a determined look on his face, walks to the
hills.
98.
117 INT. TRAILER - DAY 117
Brenda returns to the trailer where two propane tanks have
been brought out from under the sink.
Through the window, she watches her brother get further out.
118 EXT. TRAILER - DAY 118
What Bobby discovers behind the rocks is beyond horrific-
Kneeling next to his mother's corpse, Papa Jupiter devours
her heart, tearing into it with his teeth. FEELING BOBBY'S
PRESENCE, HE TURNS AROUND AND STARES AT THE YOUNG MAN WITH A
SADISTIC SMILE. BLOOD DRIPS DOWN HIS BEARD.
Bobby points his gun at him.
Papa Jupiter stands and, in a fit of rage, charges at Bobby.
Keeping his cool, Bobby fires-
BANG! BANG! BANG! The bullets only slow him down.
CLICK! The gun is empty.
119 INT. TRAILER - DAY 119
Brenda opens the valves to the gas tanks.
120 EXT. TRAILER - DAY 120
.Outside, Bobby throws the gun and runs to the trailer as fast
as he can. _
Papa Jupiter is right behind him.
He takes a SMALL PICKAXE from his belt and throws it at
Bobby.
THE PICKAXE STICKS INTO THE TRAILER INCHES FROM BOBBY'S FACE!
121 INT. TRAILER - DAY 121
Bobby enters the trailer, closing the door behind him. He
quickly tapes matches at the bottom of the door, right above
the striking part of the matchbox on the floor.
Next to him, the propane flows freely.
99.
122 EXT. TRAILER - DAY 122
Behind the trailer, Brenda helps her brother squeeze out of
the back window.
They both run and hide behind a rock.
At the same time, Papa Jupiter stands in front of the trailer
door, relishing the idea that his victims are inside.
He opens the door. The matches strike-
PAPA JUPITER IS ENGULFED IN THE FLAMES.
THE TRAILER HOME EXPLODES!
Protected by the rocks, Bobby and Brenda watch as the
explosion climbs to the sky. They did it...
CUT TO:
127 EXT. HILLS EDGE - DAY 127
With Catherine held tightly in her arms, Ruby runs on the
edge of the mountain.
Seventy yards behind, Lizard gives chase with a limp and the
chain of spikes in tow.
LIZARD
Ruby...Ruby! You come back here
right now. You hear me, you little
bitch?
The road on the edge comes to a dead end.
Ruby is stuck, the only way out is to climb. Without using
her hands, she attempts to ascend. It's close to impossible.
SUDDENLY, LIZARD GRABS HER ANKLE!
She tries to fight him off, but he is too strong.
Ruby kicks him in the jaw enraging him more. He pulls her
down swiftly when-
BEAST APPEARS BEHIND RUBY!
The animal shows his teeth, advancing towards Lizard who
backs off.
(CONTINUED)
100.
127 CONTINUED: 127
Lizard is amused and almost excited with this last
confrontation... Discreetly, he grabs the chain of spikes
while keeping his eyes on the barking German Shepherd.
THE RUSTY, RETRACTABLE SPIKES ARE RELEASED ALONG THE CHAIN!
Beast sees the weapon and leaps towards Lizard.
Too late. The chain strikes the dog in the air, sending him
over the edge.
BEAST WHINES AS HE LANDS ON A PROTRUDING SECTION OF THE
RAVINE A FEW FEET FURTHER DOWN...
Ruby refuses to hand over the baby, holding it tightly to her
chest.
LIZARD (CONT'D)
Give me that baby, Ruby!
With no time to react, Lizard is brutally struck in the face
with the shotgun butt-
DOUG IS BACK!
Taking no chances and screaming like a wild beast, Doug beats
Lizard repeatedly pushing him away from the baby.
With a bloodied face, Lizard can hardly stand.
Doug turns the weapon around and-
BANG! - He shoots Lizard in the chest.
Lizard is thrown back with the force.
Doug reloads still screaming-
BANG! Lizard is hit in the throat and falls.to his knees.
Blood sprays everywhere.
Doug reloads again-
BANG! - hit in the shoulder, Lizard falls back in the dirt.
His face slams into the dust.
Exhausted, Doug walks over to his adversary.
He is dead.
Disfigured with wounds, Doug turns to Ruby, who extends the
baby.
(CONTINUED)
127 CONTINUED: (2)
Doug can barely comprehend it - the nightmare is finally
over!
He. drops the smoking gun and opens his arms to embrace his
baby. He cries tears of joy as he holds Catherine close to
him.
DOUG
My baby ...My little princess... It's
me, it's daddy...
He kisses the baby and hugs her tightly, elated. Ruby is
moved. She smiles when suddenly her face freezes-
LIZARD STANDS FIFTEEN FEET BEHIND, HOLDING THE SHOTGUN!
Trembling, he lifts the weapon towards Doug and the baby.
Instinctively, Ruby moves to stop him.
KA-CHUNK! - Lizard reloads.
His finger squeezes the trigger.
BANG!
At the last second, Ruby jumps on Lizard changing the
direction of the blast.
They both fall off the mountain into the emptiness. Their
bodies plunge a hundred feet down, splattering on the rocks
below.
RUBY HAS SACRIFICED HER OWN LIFE TO SAVE DOUG AND THE BABY.
130 EXT. TRAILER - DAY 130
One of the FAMILY PHOTOS of the carters posing with their
dogs is slowly burning away in the flames.
Pieces of the trailer still burn in the middle of the desert.
Surrounded by debris, Papa Jupiter's body is impaled.on a
darkened metal siding. Still alive but entirely burnt, his
skin is raw and unrecognizable. With every breath, blood
spits from his mouth...
Facing this post atomic creature, Bobby hesitates to take it
out of its misery. Brenda comes to his side-
(CONTINUED)
102.
130 CONTINUED: 130
BRENDA
Come on, Bobby. Let's get out of
here...
Bobby's face has changed. He is no longer the innocent kid of
just a few hours ago. His eyes are now filled with rage and a
determination to survive and succeed no matter what.
Brenda and Bobby walk away from the burning trailer. On the
other side of the smoke, they see-
DOUG WALKING BACK WITH THE BABY, BEAST LIMPING AT HIS SIDE.
Exhausted, wounded, disfigured, but still alive.
131 EXT. HILLS - DAY 131
From a distance, next to the fiery trailer, we see Doug,
Brenda, and Bobby gathered around the baby. Reunited again.
FROM THE SUMMIT OF THE HILLS, SOMEONE OBSERVES THEM WITH
BINOCULARS.
THE END
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