JENNIFER'S BODY
Written by
Diablo Cody
9/20/2007
INT. LEECH LAKE WOMEN'S CORRECTIONAL HOSPITAL - DAY
ANITA "NEEDY" LESNICKI, 17, sits on her hospital bed in
pajamas. She's a plain-faced girl with a haunted
expression. As she stares out the window, she winds
colored yarn around a pair of Popsicle sticks to create a
"god's eye."
Out a single window, we see an imposing nine-foot
SECURITY FENCE.
Next to Needy, we see a pile of unopened mail scattered
casually on the floor. There are letters, packages, even
creepy little gifts and totems sent by admiring "fans."
NEEDY V.O.
Every day, I get letters. I think
I get more letters than Santa
Claus, Zac Efron and Dr. Phil
combined. I'm kind of the shit.
RAYMUNDO, a counselor raps on the door and sticks his
head in cautiously.
RAYMUNDO
Rec time in five minutes, Needy.
NEEDY
Grassy-ass, Raymundo.
Needy stands up and begins changing into an institutional
gym uniform. As she slips off her pajamas, we can see a
series of puffy, slash-like SCARS on her body.
NEEDY V.O.
Sometimes the letters are from
people who say they're praying for
me. They tell me everything will
be okay if I just accept Jesus
Christ into my heart. I say the
words, but nothing ever happens.
Nobody comes back. Nobody gets off
the cross.
She glances sadly at a PHOTO OF A BOY on her dresser. She
touches the frame wistfully, her eyes full of remorse.
NEEDY V.O. (CONT'D)
Occasionally I get presents from
starfuckers who saw my picture in
the paper and want to marry me or
something. They think they can
take me away from all this.
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
2.
CONTINUED:
NEEDY V.O. (CONT'D)
Like I'd really date some
perverted Chester with a hard-on
for jailbait. I might be insane,
but I'm not desperate.
We see a morbid "hall of fame" of creepy photos sent in
from guys. They line the mirror, grinning at us. There's
even a DICK SHOT tucked in there.
Needy pulls on her threadbare uniform T-shirt. It hangs
down to her knees, covering her shorts.
NEEDY V.O. (CONT'D)
A lot of people ask me if I'm
sorry I did it.
Needy picks up a paper cup of COLORFUL PILLS on her
dresser, dumps the meds into her mouth, and dry-swallows
them.
NEEDY
(ALOUD)
I'm sorry I didn't do it sooner.
She saunters out of the room in her GYM UNIFORM and BUNNY
SLIPPERS.
INT. LEECH LAKE HOSPITAL GYMNASIUM - MORNING
Several badminton courts are set up in the gym. As an
intense OPERATIC ARIA plays over the public address
system, the FEMALE PATIENTS enthusiastically--almost
violently--whack at the flying shuttlecocks.
The patients appear to be varying levels of crazy. A
TOOTHLESS WOMAN grins as she dives with her racket,
clipping her partner in the leg. In the corner, one
forlorn patient nurses her injured arm while another
hurls her racket against the wall again and again.
Counselors look on approvingly, despite how miserable
their charges appear. In the background, a few sulking
patients jump rope.
Needy enters the gym unnoticed, padding along in her
bunny slippers.
NEEDY V.O.
Welcome to the Mental Olympics.
They're big on recreation here.
Supposedly it helps us vent our
aggressions. We've traded in our
hatchets for rackets, our Drain-O
bombs for double dutch.
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
3.
CONTINUED:
NEEDY V.O. (CONT'D)
Even the cutters get in on the
action when they're fully
conscious.
We see a GIRL swinging a jump rope who has a ladder of
fresh bandages on her arms and legs.
NEEDY V.O. (CONT'D)
Me? I'm just trying to stay
invisible.
Nelly shuffles over to a tetherball and takes a furious
WHACK at it.
INT. LEECH LAKE CAFETERIA - ONE HOUR LATER
The freshly showered PATIENTS assemble for breakfast.
They grab trays and settle into noisy cliques. Needy
selects a single toaster pastry from the breakfast line
and sits down, alone.
NEEDY V.O.
Personally, I think they're trying
to wear us out. Keep us sluggish
so there won't be an uprising.
Well, those J.V. tactics won't
work against me. I'm a kicker. K-I-
C-K-E-R. It even says so on my
chart.
We briefly cut to Needy's chart, on some doctor's
clipboard. We see her name: ANITA "NEEDY" LESNICKI and a
few brief details about FIRST DEGREE MURDER and GRANDIOSE
NOTIONS. Beneath that, we see a triple-highlighted
warning in bright ink: KICKER.
A NUTRITIONIST with a clipboard approaches Needy casually
and eyes her breakfast plate.
NUTRITIONIST
Just one Toastem, huh?
NEEDY
(QUIETLY)
I like Toastems.
NUTRITIONIST
That's good. But I'm not sure a
Toastem can provide you with
sufficient energy for your day.
I'd recommend more complex
carbohydrates...
(CONTINUED)
4.
CONTINUED:
Needy scrambles to her feet and delivers a sudden,
powerful ROUNDHOUSE KICK to the nutritionist's face.
NEEDY
I'D RECOMMEND THAT YOU SHUT THE
FUCK UP!
The nutritionist is KNOCKED OFF HER FEET-- as if she's
been kicked by a far mightier creature than Needy-- and
collapses, clutching her bleeding nose. We see that the
bone has SNAPPED.
The patients shriek. Chaos. As Needy is restrained by
staff members, she thrashes like a trapped fish.
Needy snorts up a killer LOOGIE and hocks it at the prone
nutritionist. The glob nails her in the eye.
It takes four STAFF MEMBERS to haul Needy away as she
hollers in protest.
The nutritionist curls up on the floor, cupping her
bleeding nose as a ring of curious patients surrounds
her. She spits out a TOOTH.
INT. "THE HOLE" - SAME
Needy is tossed into seclusion. Her hair is wild and her
face is wet with tears. The heavy door slams behind her,
leaving only a shaft of light.
NEEDY V.O.
I wasn't always this cracked. I
used to be normal-- well, as
normal as any girl under the
influence of teenage hormones. But
after the killings began, I
started to feel, I don't know...
loose around the edges or
something. I was coming undone
like those jeans I made in Home
Ec. Falling to pieces like Patsy
Cline. Shredded like moo-shu pork.
Dead inside.
Needy cringes as she briefly hallucinates abstract SHAPES
in the darkness. Grinning skulls. Faces drained of life,
half eaten. Grimaces of terror.
Suddenly, soft music is piped into "the hole," ostensibly
to calm the patients in solitary. Needy shudders and
recoils at the sound of it. It's a CHEESY ROCK BALLAD
that we'll soon hear again...
(CONTINUED)
5.
CONTINUED:
CHEESY SONG LYRICS
"Through the trees, I will find
you. Heal the ruins left inside
you. And the stars will remind
you, we'll meet again..."
NEEDY V.O.
God, I hate this fucking song.
Needy plugs her ears as if it physically hurts her to
listen to the song. She curls up in the corner and steels
herself for solitary confinement.
DISSOLVE TO:
TITLE: TWO MONTHS EARLIER
EXT. DEVIL'S KETTLE, MN - NIGHT (TO ESTABLISH)
Devil's Kettle is a quiet farming community, surrounded
by dense woods and mirrored lakes. It's the kind of town
that has one high school, one pizza joint, and one
stoplight.
On an overgrown rural route we see a rustic sign that
reads "WELCOME TO DEVIL'S KETTLE- Pop. 7,036. Come See
What's Cookin'!"
NEEDY
This is where it all went down.
"Devil's Kettle" sounds twisted, I
know, but the place just is named
after a dumb waterfall.
EXT. THE FALLS - NIGHT (TO ESTABLISH)
We see the titular falls, surprisingly powerful, gushing
over a rock face.
NEEDY V.O.
Well technically, it's two
waterfalls. One of them is normal--
it empties into a river basin. But
the other one goes into a hole.
And it doesn't come out. The
scientist guys can't explain it.
They've dropped all kinds of
things down there--bouncy balls,
red dye, radioactive slime-- but
nothing ever surfaces.
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
6.
CONTINUED:
NEEDY V.O. (CONT'D)
Maybe it's another dimension. Or,
you know, just really deep.
EXT. JENNIFER'S HOUSE (TO ESTABLISH) - MIDNIGHT
The sprawling ranch house is dark from the outside except
for a single FIRST FLOOR WINDOW-- Jennifer's-- still
illuminated.
There's a chicken coop and a wire livestock pen in the
backyard. We're definitely in deep north country.
NEEDY V.O.
I've probably spent years of my
life in this house. Hundreds of
sleepovers, thousands of aimless
homework sessions, a million phone
calls. I've climbed through
Jennifer's window so many times.
But tonight, only one of us is
going to come out.
INT. JENNIFER'S BEDROOM - SAME
JENNIFER CHECK lies on her bed, fidgeting as she watches
TV. She's a girl of 16 with LONG, MATTED HAIR and a thin,
frail body. Her features are gorgeous, but she looks sick
and haggard. She picks at her skin with yellowed,
Nosferatu-like fingernails and chews idly on a limp lock
of hair.
Jennifer wears a tight T-shirt that says KETTLE HIGH
FLAGS and underwear.
An `80s HORROR MOVIE flickers on the TV. Jennifer half-
watches, distracted.
NEEDY V.O.
Jennifer didn't always look this
rough. Actually, she was the
prettiest girl in Devil's Kettle
when she wasn't so...hungry.
Some recent photos on a corkboard reveal that Jennifer
was indeed BEAUTIFUL AND CURVY.
NEEDY V.O. (CONT'D)
She hadn't fed in weeks.
Jennifer rolls over and glances at the window briefly.
We see the OUTSIDE of the house again. It's dark and
silent, but for the nearly inaudible snapping of twigs.
(CONTINUED)
7.
CONTINUED:
Jennifer turns her attention back to the TV.
Suddenly, we see NEEDY'S FACE pop up against the window,
white and startling. Before Jennifer notices, the face
disappears.
Outside the house, the bushes rustle. Needy is crouched
below the window. We hear the pulsing of her HEART as if
via ultrasound. It's a wet, rhythmic sound: Sploish,
sploish, sploish.
Inside, Jennifer stretches and shuts off the TV. She
turns out the light. A beat of silence.
Then, the sound of cracking near the window.
JENNIFER
Huh?
Needy PLUNGES through the window, screaming and
brandishing a HAMMER. She takes a SWING at Jennifer's
head, but misses and BURIES IT IN THE WALL, specifically
in Jennifer's Fall Out Boy poster.
Needy throws herself on top of Jennifer. She STRADDLES
Jennifer and grips her throat, throttling her.
NEEDY
You'll throw me a bone, huh? Huh?
You killed Chip! You goddamned
monster! You...ZOMBITCH!
Jennifer struggles to fight off Needy in the darkness.
Her clawlike fingernails rake Needy's back and arms.
Needy pulls a BOX CUTTER out of her waistband and flicks
it open like a switchblade. Kshink!
JENNIFER
(GAGGING)
Do you buy all your murder weapons
at Home Depot? God, you're butch.
NEEDY
Know what this is for? Cutting
boxes.
She takes a swipe at Jennifer's CROTCH. Jennifer
instinctively CLUTCHES herself and rears up in defense.
We see Jennifer's mouth come down on Needy's neck. Needy
shrieks as if BITTEN, but continues to strangle Jennifer,
straddling her and bearing down.
(CONTINUED)
8.
CONTINUED: (2)
Jennifer's T-shirt slides up to her armpits, exposing her
breasts. For a moment, her eyes meet Needy's and she
grins. It's as if she has control over Needy for a split
second, sexual control...
Needy recoils and SLASHES Jennifer's body left and right
with the box-cutter, marking a gory, oozing "X" on her
torso.
NEEDY (CONT'D)
(HYSTERICAL)
CROSS OUT JENNIFER!
Jennifer gasps, staring at her wounds in shock and
disbelief. She looks back up at Needy. A beat of silence.
Suddenly, THE GIRLS' BODIES LEVITATE RAPIDLY TOWARD THE
CEILING. They wrestle in a bloody, screaming airborne
heap, their figures entwined. Their bodies FALL,
collapsing back onto the bed with a thud.
Needy raises the box-cutter and plunges it into
Jennifer's HEART. Blood GEYSERS from the wound.
JENNIFER
(CHOKING)
My tit!
Suddenly, the room is flooded with BRIGHT LIGHT,
revealing a Needy straddling Jennifer's MUTLIATED BODY.
Jennifer's breathing is a raspy death rattle.
MRS. CHECK, a middle-aged woman in bad sleepwear and a
worse perm rushes into the bedroom.
MRS. CHECK
Jennifer! What is it, baby? Oh my
God! Oh my God!
She pulls Needy off her daughter. Jennifer rolls over,
gasping and bleeding.
MRS. CHECK (CONT'D)
(SHOCKED)
Needy?
Needy drops the boxcutter. It lands on Jennifer's copy of
Flag Team Quarterly, splashing the model with fresh gore.
NEEDY
Is she dead, Mrs. Check? Did I get
her?
(CONTINUED)
9.
CONTINUED: (3)
Mrs. Check cradles her maimed daughter on the floor like
a white-trash Pieta. Jennifer takes one last breath,
vomits blood, and DIES.
Mrs. Check SCREAMS. Needy SMILES.
EXT. JENNIFER CHECK'S HOUSE - MOMENTS LATER
Three police cars squeal up to the curb with sirens and
lights engaged. OFFICER ROMAN DUDA, 22, a muscular young
COP, jogs authoritatively toward the house. He shakes his
head, dumbfounded.
ROMAN
Christ, Needy, what have you done?
INT. POLICE SQUAD CAR - DAWN
Needy, innocent-looking in PIGTAILS, is hustled into the
back of the squad car. Her clothes and face are smeared
with blood.
Officer Duda starts the ignition. His partner, a hard-
faced FEMALE COP, slides into the front seat. Her cap is
pushed back to accommodate a huge round pouf of
shellacked MALL BANGS.
NEEDY
Hi, Roman! How's the Force
treating you? I like that jaunty
cap. Blue like your balls.
ROMAN
How could you do this, Needy?
(EMOTIONAL)
You killed Jen-- Jennifer-- I
mean, the victim. Are you on
something?
NEEDY
Everything's going to be okay now.
I rule.
FEMALE COP
Shut your mouth back there!
NEEDY
Hey. Didn't you used to baby-sit
me in like 1998? When my mom
worked the overnight at Hormel?
The female cop fidgets uncomfortably.
(CONTINUED)
10.
CONTINUED:
NEEDY (CONT'D)
Yeah. Gracie, right? Gracie. I
really like your hair, Gracie. How
many cans of Salon Selectives did
it take to erect that monument?
The cop reaches into the backseat and SLAPS Needy, who
hiccups with laughter.
NEEDY (CONT'D)
Watch it, Puffy Combs. That's
police brutality!
FEMALE COP
You're one to talk about
brutality, Ms. Lesnicki. You're
looking at attempted murder.
NEEDY
Ugh, don't say attempted. That
sounds so JV. Small time. Teeny-
weeny, just like Officer Duda up
there. And trust me-- I'd know.
Roman swallows nervously, eyes on the road. Officer
Warzak glances at him.
NEEDY (CONT'D)
Let's get our facts straight: I
successfully committed a hard
core, fully premeditated murder
back there. I fucking destroyed
that brat, OK? I, Needy Lesnicki,
put a stop-payment on Jennifer
Check.
She slumps down in the backseat.
NEEDY (CONT'D)
Why am I even in these cuffs? I
just saved every guy in this town
from becoming Satan Chow. I'm a
hero.
FEMALE COP
She's delirious.
ROMAN
(MUTTERING)
This is going to be a circus.
(CONTINUED)
11.
CONTINUED: (2)
FEMALE COP
At least we've already got a
confession.
NEEDY
Confessions are for pussies.
You've got a declaration, Grace.
She giggles maniacally.
Roman turns on the radio, violating protocol. It's a
soaring rock anthem-- the SAME SONG we heard being piped
into solitary confinement.
Both cops BRIGHTEN when they hear the song.
Roman cranks the volume.
ROMAN
God, I love this song.
FEMALE COP
I know. And they've done so much
for this town.
ROMAN
They're way more than a band,
really. They're heroes.
FEMALE COP
Wait, this is my favorite part...
Roman and the female cop begin to sing along with the
uplifting, corny song:
FEMALE COP AND ROMAN
(in unison)
"Through the trees, I will find
you. Heal the ruins left inside
you. And the stars will remind
you, that you are home..."
Needy stares out the window at the sun creeping up over
the forest on the horizon.
NEEDY V.O.
So I killed her. Whatever. It
won't undo anything. Three pulses--
three lives-- all stopped cold by
adolescent bloodlust. It's hard to
believe that just two months ago,
me, Jennifer and my boyfriend Chip
were completely normal people.
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
12.
CONTINUED: (3)
NEEDY V.O. (CONT'D)
We were our yearbook pictures.
Nothing more, nothing less.
We see a brief montage of black-and-white yearbook
stills: JENNIFER executing the splits on a football
field, her smile bright. NEEDY inspecting a school
newspaper layout, pen in hand, glasses on her nose. And
finally, CHIP DOVE, playing a strap-on snare drum at a
school pep rally, his head bent in concentration....
NEEDY V.O. (CONT'D)
Jesus, Chip..
The photo fades into the pep rally itself. CHIP is
animated, drumming in full color...
INT. KETTLE HIGH - DAY
CHIP drums on the sidelines of the Devil's Kettle High
basketball court. The stands are packed with BORED
STUDENTS for a pep rally. Chip is 16, clean cut, and an
awful drummer.
NEEDY V.O.
Chip couldn't drum for shit. He
only knew "Land of a Thousand
Dances" and the solo from
"Wipeout." Lucky for him, the pep
band gig wasn't too demanding.
Sure enough, the band is playing "Land of a Thousand
Dances." Nearby, the FLAG TEAM claps with gloved hands,
picking up their flags for a choreographed stunt.
Jennifer steps forward in her flag team uniform,
breathtakingly beautiful. She hoists her flag aloft,
twirling it. Time FREEZES as the flag unfurls.
NEEDY V.O. (CONT'D)
If you can believe it, that's
Jennifer. Yeah, the same girl I
iced with the box-cutter. Only
back then, we were tight. Sisters,
practically. People found it hard
to believe that a babe like
Jennifer would associate with a
dork like me. But we'd been the
Wonder Twins since we were
practically preverbal. Sandbox
love never dies.
Jennifer finishes her maneuver and WAVES to the stands.
Needy waves back at her excitedly from the bleachers,
small and owlish with glasses and lank hair.
(CONTINUED)
13.
CONTINUED:
CHASTITY, a similarly geeky-looking girl standing next to
Needy, rolls her eyes at this display of affection.
CHASTITY
You're totally lesbigay.
NEEDY
What? She's my best friend.
The geeky girl mockingly imitates Needy's excited wave.
CHASTITY
You stare at her like you want to
dry hump her.
Needy ignores her.
CHASTITY (CONT'D)
Like, hump her through pants.
NEEDY
(INTERRUPTING)
Are you jealous?
CHASTITY
Of what? That rich bitch?
NEEDY
She's not rich.
INT. KETTLE HIGH HALLWAY - AFTER SCHOOL
Needy digs through her locker, carefully selecting
textbooks to take home. Jennifer skips up to her,
smiling.
JENNIFER
Hey, Monistat.
NEEDY
What's up, Vagisil?
JENNIFER
You and me are going out tonight.
She checks herself out in Needy's locker mirror.
NEEDY
Tonight? Why?
JENNIFER
Soft Shoulder are playing at the
Carousel.
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
14.
CONTINUED:
JENNIFER (CONT'D)
And it's all-ages, for once, which
means I won't have to play Hello
Titty with the door guy.
NEEDY
What's Soft Shoulder?
JENNIFER
They're this indie band from the
city. I saw their MySpace and the
singer is extra salty. And there
will be lots of other salty
morsels there for you. Come on
Needy, it's the weekend!
NEEDY
It's Thursday.
JENNIFER
Thursday counts as the weekend in
college. And we're going to be in
college twenty-three months from
now. University of Northern
Minnesota Duluth- woo!
Needy continues loading her backpack.
JENNIFER (CONT'D)
Please, please you're a social
disease?
NEEDY
I have to study.
Jennifer pouts. With an outstretched finger, she draws a
dramatic X in the air over Needy and boos loudly.
JENNIFER
(SHOUTING)
Boo! Cross out Needy!
Needy blushes, shrinking self-consciously. She obviously
hates to displease Jennifer.
NEEDY
Fine. What time is the show?
JENNIFER
I'll pick you up at 8:30. My mom
has a date with that guy who owns
the ham store.
NEEDY
He seems nice.
(CONTINUED)
15.
CONTINUED: (2)
JENNIFER
(SMIRKING)
Yeah, Mom says he's got a huge...
heart. So huge he gave her a
recurring bladder infection. Wear
something cool, okay?
NEEDY
Okay.
INT. NEEDY'S HOUSE - 8:45 A.M.
Needy is standing in a small, dingy bathroom, trying on
different configurations of clothing.
NEEDY V.O.
"Wear something cool" meant
something very specific in
Jennifer-speak. It meant I
couldn't look like a nerd, but I
couldn't upstage her either. I
could expose my stomach, but never
cleavage. Tits were her trademark.
Needy wiggles her jeans a bit lower, exposing her
childishly round tummy. She walks out of the bathroom
into her bedroom, a frilly pink hell complete with canopy
bed.
CHIP DOVE is sitting on the bed, looking lost in all that
pink. He raises an eyebrow at Needy's abdomen.
CHIP
Those jeans are hella low. I can
almost see your front butt.
NEEDY
Chip, it's a rock show. This is my
rock look.
CHIP
I can see, like, your womb.
Needy sighs and hoists up her pants.
CHIP (CONT'D)
Why are you blowing me off for
some dumb concert, anyway? We were
supposed to have Movie Night. I
even rented Orca. It's like Jaws,
except with a harmless whale.
(CONTINUED)
16.
CONTINUED:
NEEDY
Jennifer needs me. She really
wants to go see this band. It's
extremely important to her.
CHIP
I've never even heard of Soft
Shoulder. Which one is Jennifer
stalking?
NEEDY
The lead singer, of course. Girls
like her don't go out with
drummers.
CHIP
Thanks a lot!
NEEDY
No offense. I mean, she'd probably
make an exception for a drummer
who was also the lead singer.
CHIP
Like Phil Collins.
NEEDY
Who's Phil Collins?
CHIP
Forget it. He's seminal, but
whatever...
NEEDY
Anyway, this singer guy is like
22, so he could get locked up in
the state pen if he actually dated
her. But Jennifer says he's extra
salty, so...
CHIP
Salty. You guys ever going to stop
using that secret language?
NEEDY
"Salty" means beautiful.
CHIP
Then you must be soy sauce, babe.
Needy and CHIP start MAKING OUT. CHIP unbuckles his belt
eagerly even though they've barely begun. Needy stops.
(CONTINUED)
17.
CONTINUED: (2)
NEEDY
Jennifer's here.
CHIP
How do you know?
Needy shrugs. A beat of silence. Then we hear the door
swing open. JENNIFER'S VOICE floats up from downstairs.
JENNIFER
(O.S.)
Needy, quit tampooning yourself
and get down here!
CHIP
That's fucking weird.
NEEDY
(straightening her
CLOTHES)
I'd better hurry.
CHIP
You always do what Jennifer tells
you to do.
Needy pulls her NECKLACE out from beneath her shirt and
flashes a heart-shaped "B.F.F." charm at Chip.
NEEDY
She's my best friend, Chip.
Remember? This necklace is no
joke.
CHIP sighs, resigned. They head downstairs.
INT. NEEDY'S HOUSE (LIVING ROOM) - SAME
Jennifer is waiting in the front hallway. She's heavily
made-up and dressed in a predictably sexy outfit. She
dangles a set of car keys in front of Needy and CHIP.
JENNIFER
(GLOATING)
Guess who's got the whip `til
11:30? A 2003 Chrysler Sebring and
it's all mine.
NEEDY
Wow.
(CONTINUED)
18.
CONTINUED:
JENNIFER
You're lucky you get to ride with
me to the club in style!
She does a sexy little dance in the doorway, then notices
CHIP.
JENNIFER (CONT'D)
Oh, hi Chip. Do you like puppies?
She grabs her boobs and thrusts her chest outward at him,
giggling. Needy watches jealously and MANEUVERS HER WAY
IN FRONT OF JENNIFER.
CHIP
I think you forgot, like, two
buttons.
NEEDY
I think she remembered two
buttons.
Jennifer sniffs the air.
JENNIFER
It smells like Thai food in here.
(BEAT)
Have you guys been fucking?
NEEDY
You're gross!
She shoves Jennifer and they begin wrestling playfully.
CHIP slumps against the wall, staring awestruck at
Jennifer's cleavage.
JENNIFER
Okay, let's go to the club.
The three of them shuffle onto the porch. Needy locks the
door.
CHIP
The Carousel is not a club.
JENNIFER
Eat my ass, Chip. You're just
jello `cause you're not invited.
CHIP
I'm not jello! That place is
gross. Everyone there has a
mustache.
(CONTINUED)
19.
CONTINUED: (2)
JENNIFER
You're totally jello! You're lime
green jello and you can't even
admit it.
The girls scamper toward the car.
CHIP
(calling after them)
Stop kidnapping my girlfriend!
INT. THE CAROUSEL - NIGHT
THE CAROUSEL is a run-down tavern at the edge of town,
the kind with NASCAR posters, wobbly chairs and strands
of plastic pennants crisscrossing the ceiling. It's a
busy night and the bar is teeming with locals.
A bartender sells a CASE OF BEER to a customer and passes
it over the bar.
NEEDY V.O.
Chip was right. The Carousel is
definitely not a club. Clubs are
for attractive people in populous
urban areas. Clubs have DJs and
champagne and separate bathrooms
for guys and girls. All we have is
a broken jukebox, a few domestic
taps and the Sticker Toilet.
SMASH CUT TO:
INT. BATHROOM - SAME
We see a lone, nasty-looking TOILET covered in BAND
STICKERS.
BACK ON NEEDY:
Needy and Jennifer enter the bar. Every guy in the joint
stares at Jennifer, who snaps her "MINOR" wristband
distastefully.
JENNIFER
God, I can't wait until I'm old
enough to get wasted. Have you
ever had peach schnapps?
NEEDY
I don't think so.
(CONTINUED)
20.
CONTINUED:
JENNIFER
Peach schnapps are excellent. They
even taste good when they come out
of your nose mid-puke.
A teenage guy, CRAIG, passes by and waves.
CRAIG
Hi Jennifer. You look nice.
JENNIFER
(without enthusiasm)
What up, Craig.
She elbows Needy and makes a GAGGING GESTURE.
JENNIFER (CONT'D)
He thinks he's cute enough for me.
No wonder he's in retard math.
Jennifer pulls out a pack of Camel Wides and lights one
awkwardly. Needy notices AHMET FROM INDIA, a FOREIGN
EXCHANGE STUDENT, standing by himself away from the
crowd.
NEEDY
Hey, it's Ahmet from India. The
foreign exchange guy. He's all by
himself.
JENNIFER
I can't believe we traded a cute
hockey player for that.
NEEDY
He seems okay. He's got that cool
elephant statue in his locker.
JENNIFER
Do you think he's circumcised? I
always wanted to try sea cucumber.
NEEDY
Ew!
ROMAN DUDA saunters up to Jennifer, swigging a bottle of
beer. He snatches the pack of cigarettes away from her.
ROMAN
You're smoking dicks now, Jen?
JENNIFER
What? I like the Wides.
(CONTINUED)
21.
CONTINUED: (2)
She sticks the fat cigarette between her lips and inhales
pointedly.
ROMAN
I just bet you do. I should arrest
you for possession under the legal
age.
JENNIFER
Arrest me, pfft! You're not even
out of the academy yet, Roman!
ROMAN
Two more months and I'm on the
force for real. Then I'll be able
to cuff you whenever the hell I
want.
He grips her wrist and twists it behind her back.
JENNIFER
How will I wait that long?
She paws Roman's crotch discreetly. Needy winces.
ROMAN
Not here, babe. I gotta keep my
nose clean.
NEEDY
(POINTING)
Look, there's the band!
A group of skinny INDIE ROCK BOYS are setting up their
equipment on a pathetically tiny stage-- it's more like a
dais. The LEAD SINGER has intense, spooky eyes, nearly
obscured by a shock of hair. The locals, mostly good ol'
boys, eye the band suspiciously.
JENNIFER
You can tell they're from the
city.
ROMAN
Yeah, `cause they look like a
bunch of faygos.
JENNIFER
You would think that. You're such
a small-time Gomer. I wish we had
more guys like that in Devil's
Kettle. All stylish and shit.
Needy nods dumbly. She stares at the band, awestruck.
(CONTINUED)
22.
CONTINUED: (3)
NEEDY
They look so-- so cool.
She gazes at the stage, hearing only the whistling rush
of ARCTIC AIR. In SLOW MOTION, the GUITARIST unsheathes
his Fender Jaguar from its gig bag. He notices her
staring and runs the tip of his tongue over his lips.
Needy swallows hard.
JENNIFER
Hey, I think they need two
groupies. Come on! It'll be like
Almost Famous! I'll be Penny Lane
and you can be the other girl.
She grabs Needy's hand and enthusiastically tries to drag
her toward the stage.
NEEDY
No!
JENNIFER
Don't be J.V., Needy. They're just
boys. Morsels. We have all the
power, don't you know that?
She plants her hands on Needy's CHEST.
JENNIFER (CONT'D)
These things are like smart bombs.
Point `em in the right direction
and shit gets real.
Needy shrugs free of Jennifer's grasp and follows her
reluctantly across the room.
The lead singer of Soft Shoulder, NIKOLAI WOLF, is
already striding forward to meet them at the lip of the
stage. His gait is as smooth as his shock of dyed-black
hair.
JENNIFER (CONT'D)
Hi. Um, we just really wanted to
meet you or something? I'm
Jennifer Check and this is my
friend.
NIKOLAI
I'm Nikolai Wolf, and this is my
band.
He reaches down and pumps Jennifer's outstretched hand.
(CONTINUED)
23.
CONTINUED: (4)
JENNIFER
(AWKWARD)
Yeah! Soft Shoulder, right? I've
heard you guys are super, super
good at playing your instruments.
NIKOLAI
I hope we can live up to
such...high praise.
NEEDY
Hey, if you don't mind me asking,
why did you want to play all the
way out here in Devil's Kettle?
You live in the city, right?
NIKOLAI
Yeah. But I think it's so
important to connect with our fans
in rural areas. Plus, the
audiences in small towns really
appreciate us.
JENNIFER
Can I show you my appreciation
right now?
Needy looks at the floor, embarrassed.
Jennifer's voice scales up nervously.
JENNIFER (CONT'D)
Like, I'll buy you a drink? I
mean, I'll see if I can get you a
drink. They make this great 9/11
tribute shooter? It's red, white
and blue, but you have to drink it
fast or it gets all brownish.
NIKOLAI
(GRIMACING)
Mmm.
Jennifer hurries off toward the bar.
Needy moves self-consciously into a nearby corner, not
wanting to continue the conversation with Nikolai alone.
A LOCAL plugs a Loretta Lynn tune into the jukebox, with
a challenging stare at the band. A DRUNK COUPLE begins
two-stepping in front of the stage.
Nikolai walks up to the guitar player, DIRK, and pulls
him aside. Needy pricks up her ears and listens.
(CONTINUED)
24.
CONTINUED: (5)
NIKOLAI (CONT'D)
Dirk, what about her?
DIRK
(gesturing to Needy)
Who, Training Bra Jones?
Needy looks offended.
NIKOLAI
No, the hot one. The one who just
walked away. She's it, man. She's
exactly what we're looking for.
DIRK
You're sure she's...
NIKOLAI
She's a kid. We're in God's
country, man. Everyone out here's
a fundie bible-banger. Of course
she's a virgin.
Dirk hesitates.
NIKOLAI (CONT'D)
Dirk, we didn't haul our asses out
to this corn palace for nothing!
DIRK
Fine. Okay. You know, I know I'm
not "just the bassist." I'm a
person who happens to play the
bass guitar. And I would like some
respect...
Nikolai is already ignoring him.
Needy, alarmed, emerges from her hiding place and
discreetly rushes over to the bar where Jennifer is
arguing with a jealous-looking Roman. He shakes his head
in disgust and leaves the bar.
Jennifer walks over holding an ostentatious PATRIOTIC
THEMED DRINK. She laughs when she sees Needy's concerned
expression.
JENNIFER
What? Are you scared of rock stars
too?
NEEDY
Those guys are rank, Jen. Just
forget about it.
(CONTINUED)
25.
CONTINUED: (6)
JENNIFER
I think the singer wants me.
NEEDY
Only because he thinks you're a
virgin. I heard them talking.
JENNIFER
Yeah, right! I'm not even a
backdoor-virgin anymore, thanks to
Roman. By the way, that hurts. I
couldn't even go to flags the next
day. I had to stay home and sit on
a bag of frozen peas.
NEEDY
Oh my God.
JENNIFER
Well, if Nikolai wants innocent, I
can do innocent. I'll be Little
Miss Fucking Sunshine.
NEEDY
He's way too old for you.
JENNIFER
Don't cock-block me, Needy.
Piercing FEEDBACK signals the beginning of the set.
Nikolai takes the mic and smiles broadly.
NIKOLAI
Good evening, Devil's Lake.
Someone in the back shouts "Devil's Kettle!"
NIKOLAI (CONT'D)
Sorry. Anyway, we're Soft
Shoulder. And we just want to make
you happy.
He WINKS at Jennifer.
The band launch into the same intense, soaring song we
heard in the COP CAR and the HOLE. Jennifer's eyes never
leave Nikolai's. She's hypnotized, clinging to Needy's
arm. Even the locals look charmed.
Suddenly, a lick of FLAME appears on the wood paneling
next to the stage. Needy is the first to notice. As she
watches in horror, the fire is reflected in her glasses.
(CONTINUED)
26.
CONTINUED: (7)
The flames quickly climbs up to the ceiling and begin to
blaze uncontrollably. People SCREAM and scatter. Someone
ineffectually tries to throw a pitcher of beer on the
fire.
Nikolai turns and sees the fire spreading. He and Chas
exchange glances. The BASS PLAYER pitches his guitar
aside and jumps off the stage, and the drummer abandons
his kit. Nikolai seems perfectly cool and composed as he
watches from the stage...is he smiling?
CHAOS. Everyone is trying to get out of the bar at once,
causing a stampede. A woman's clothes and hair CATCH FIRE
and she falls to her knees. We see a BEAM fall from the
roof, nearly killing AHMET FROM INDIA.
Jennifer stands still in a dreamlike state.
NEEDY
(to Jennifer)
I know where to go!
Needy grabs Jennifer by the elbow and pulls her into the
tiny BATHROOM. Choking on smoke, they climb onto the
Sticker Toilet (which now sports a giant SOFT SHOULDER
sticker on the tank) and boost each other out the
BATHROOM WINDOW. Hundreds are still trapped inside,
screaming.
EXT. THE CAROUSEL- CONTINUOUS
Jennifer collapses in Needy's arms, coughing. Needy hugs
her fiercely, almost romantically. She cups Jennifer's
flushed face and looks into her eyes.
JENNIFER
(DAZED)
It's so hot, Needy. I think I'm on
fire. Oh God, I'm burning!
NEEDY
You're okay, I promise. You got
burned worse when you wore that
tin-foil bikini to the beach.
Everything's fine.
Suddenly, a HAND clamps onto Jennifer's shoulder. Both
girls jump. It's Nikolai, his forehead creased with false
concern.
NIKOLAI
Are you girls all right?
(CONTINUED)
27.
CONTINUED:
Needy is less than thrilled to see him.
NEEDY
We're great. Maybe you should try
to find your band?
NIKOLAI
Those guys? They were the first
ones out the door. Ran for the van
like a bunch of Marys. Frankly,
I'm ashamed of them.
Needy narrows her eyes suspiciously.
Muffled SCREAMS rise up from the flame-engulfed building.
Jennifer covers her ears and cowers, sweat rolling down
her face.
NIKOLAI (CONT'D)
God, it feels like hell out here.
Come and hang with us in the van
for a while, just until they hose
this place down.
JENNIFER
Okay...okay...
She slumps against Nikolai's chest.
NIKOLAI
You're in shock. Here, drink this.
You'll feel better.
He smoothly retrieves a plastic bottle of PEACH SCHNAPPS
from his coat and holds it to Jennifer's lips. She swigs
it cooperatively, dribbling down her chin.
Needy blinks in disbelief at the coincidence.
NEEDY
Aren't you a little freaked out
about this? What about all your
stuff? It's probably melting, and
when you get to the next stop
you'll have to do like, a crappy
acoustic set! Nobody likes that.
NIKOLAI
We'll be able to afford new gear
soon enough. I have a feeling
we're gonna blow up.
(CONTINUED)
28.
CONTINUED: (2)
JENNIFER
(SLURRING)
I want to see your van. C'mon
Needy, let's go to the van.
NEEDY
Why? Why should we? We have the
Malibu. Let's just get out of
here. We can go to El Ojo and get
Northwoods Nachos with extra
Badger Sauce! Please? I'm
starving.
JENNIFER
Needy, stop it. Just stop it!
She defiantly follows Nikolai toward the WHITE VAN, which
is parked a suspiciously safe distance from the bar.
Needy staggers after them slowly, watching.
Behind Needy, the bar EXPLODES. Screams. Flames. Silence.
Needy doesn't even look back as she watches Jennifer get
into the van. Ash drifts into her hair like snowflakes.
Nikolai takes off his shirt as he enters the van,
revealing his slick, muscled white torso.
NEEDY V.O.
I watched her get into that van
and I knew something awful was
going to happen. But for some
reason, I felt drawn toward them.
Toward him. He was pale and
twisted and evil, like this
petrified tree I saw when I was a
kid.
EXT. PETRIFIED FOREST NATIONAL PARK - (FLASHBACK)
We see LITTLE NEEDY, about five years old, staring up at
a petrified tree in the darkness, horrified yet
compelled. The tree seems to stoop forward, cracking...
BACK ON NEEDY:
Needy's face is fixed in the same haunted expression.
Nikolai turns to look at her, his teeth bared in a
vicious smile.
Needy turns and sprints off in the opposite direction,
away from the van and the fire.
29.
INT. NEEDY'S BEDROOM - 11:00 P.M.
Needy stumbles into her bedroom, overwhelmed. Her clothes
are smoke damaged and her cheeks are sooty.
She grabs her cheap, taped-up cell phone and dials CHIP's
number shakily.
CROSS CUT
PHONE CALL:
INT. CHIP'S BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS
Chip's bedroom is pitch black until a cheap cell phone
lights up under the covers illuminating his sleeping
form, clad only in jockey shorts.
CHIP
(SLEEPILY)
Hey, Niedermeyer.
NEEDY
Thank God you're there. I hoped
you were sleeping with your phone.
CHIP
What's wrong?
NEEDY
Jennifer's gone. She ran off with
that rock band. And the Carousel
burned down.
CHIP sits bolt upright
CHIP
Like, burned down? To the ground?
Is everyone okay?
NEEDY
No. I think they're mostly dead.
CHIP
Shit. You're okay, right?
NEEDY
We went out the bathroom window.
Everyone else was trying to use
the door. It was like a stampede.
The people who fainted got run
over and you could hear their
bones breaking.
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
30.
CONTINUED:
NEEDY (CONT'D)
There was all this screaming and
popping, like a million Black Cats
all going off at once. And the
smell...
CHIP
This is real, right? This isn't
just, like, some crazy dream like
last time?
NEEDY
No! Anyway, it took me like an
hour to walk home. But Jennifer's
still with those creeps! They had
one of those white molester vans
with no windows. The back was all
blacked out.
CHIP
Who cares about Jennifer and those
douchebags with douchebag
haircuts? People just burned to
death. In our town!
The DOORBELL chimes.
NEEDY
(FRANTIC)
Oh cheese and fries! Someone's
here. I'm alone, Chip. I'm freaked
out!
CHIP
Where's your mom?
NEEDY
Swing shift. Listen, I'll call you
in a minute. Stay awake.
CHIP
(SLEEPILY)
Holla back.
Needy hangs up the phone and rushes downstairs. As she
passes through the shadowy kitchen, appliances HUM all
around her. The silence is menacing.
INT. NEEDY'S HOUSE (FRONT ENTRY) - CONTINUOUS
Needy opens the door. Nobody there.
She slams the door, turns around and SCREAMS.
(CONTINUED)
31.
CONTINUED:
Jennifer is standing in the dark hallway, looking ghostly
pale and smiling. Her clothes are tattered and stained--
her entire front is soaked in blood. Her makeup is
smeared, and her eyes are bruised and sunken like a
zombie's. She looks HORRIFYING, especially with that
ghastly, clownish grin.
NEEDY
Um, Jennifer?
Jennifer says nothing and continues to smile with blood-
tinged teeth.
NEEDY (CONT'D)
What happened?
Utter silence. Then a dripping sound. Needy looks down
and sees large drops of blood spattering the linoleum.
Jennifer continues to smile, staring directly at Needy.
NEEDY (CONT'D)
(TREMBLING)
J-Jen?
Jennifer lets out a horrifying banshee SCREAM, wailing at
the top of her lungs. She vomits a torrent of evil-
looking black bile all over herself and Needy and
staggers wildly down the hallway.
The bloody black bile hits the wall, splashing a framed
school portrait of Needy. Needy screams and watches in
horror as it slides down the wall.
The bile has hundred of tiny SPINES sticking out of it,
like little porcupine needles, and it appears to move by
itself, oozing across the linoleum, creeping into the
corners. It's truly revolting.
Needy grabs Jennifer blindly and claps a hand over her
mouth.
Jennifer falls to her knees, her screams turning to
jagged, insane laughter.
Needy tries to run, but Jennifer grabs her and THROWS her
against the wall with superhuman force, pinning her.
Jennifer slowly, tantalizingly brushes her face against
Needy's hair, her earlobe. Needy doesn't move a muscle.
Jennifer's hand slides up Needy's ribcage. She presses
her lips against Needy's carotid artery.
We hear Needy's blood pumping, swishing.
(CONTINUED)
32.
CONTINUED: (2)
JENNIFER
(WHISPERING)
Are you scared?
Needy nods.
Jennifer parts her lips. Then suddenly, she stops and
PULLS AWAY, pushing Needy to the floor. Jennifer bolts
out the front door and takes off running down the street.
Needy is motionless for a moment, then stumbles toward
the doorway.
NEEDY
(screaming after her)
Jennifer!
But she's long gone.
INT. KETTLE HIGH - THE NEXT MORNING
Moments before the first morning bell. Needy is sitting
at her desk in English class, still visibly bruised from
her scuffle with Jennifer the night before. She looks
like she hasn't slept a wink.
The mood is quiet and somber-- kids whisper about the
fire and gather in groups.
GOSSIPING GIRL
(WHISPERING)
I heard Needy and Jennifer were
there and they had to fight their
way out with a machete.
OTHER GIRL
Look, she's not even moving.
GOSSIPING GIRL
It's called Post Traumatic Stress
Disorder...
Suddenly, a figure steps in front of Needy. It's
JENNIFER, looking absolutely gorgeous-- and remarkably
unscathed. She smiles brightly at Needy as if nothing
happened the night before.
JENNIFER
Happy Friday!, D-bag!
NEEDY
You-- you're all right!
(CONTINUED)
33.
CONTINUED:
JENNIFER
Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?
NEEDY
Last night. At my house. You were
hurt. You had two black eyes and
blood everywhere and...
JENNIFER
Needy, you're delusional. I got a
little banged up when you made me
go out that window, but I'm fine.
NEEDY
(DUMBFOUNDED)
We had to go out that window. The
bar was like, engulfed in flames!
JENNIFER
You do have a tendency to
overreact. Remember at Girl Scout
camp when you thought there was an
earthquake and it was really just
two guys with a ghetto blaster?
NEEDY
A lot of people died, Jennifer.
They burned to death, or they
choked, or they just got trampled.
More than half of the people there
didn't make it out. It's like, all
over the news. National news. Kids
are dead. Parents are dead.
JENNIFER
Anyone we know?
NEEDY
We know everyone!
JENNIFER
Sucks to be them, I guess.
She giggles and reaches for her knockoff designer purse.
NEEDY
I don't get it. What's wrong with
you?
Jennifer applies lip gloss and smacks her lips together.
JENNIFER
What's wrong with you? I mean,
besides the obvious surface flaws.
(CONTINUED)
34.
CONTINUED: (2)
Needy rubs her eyes, stunned.
NEEDY
(to herself)
There's no way I dreamed it. No
way.
She looks down at her hands. There's DRIED BLOOD under
her fingernails.
NEEDY V.O.
Her blood was still under my
nails. See, I'd been up all night
scrubbing the carnage off the
linoleum.
INT. NEEDY'S HOUSE (FRONT ENTRY) - DAWN (FLASHBACK)
We see Needy on her hands and knees in the eerie blue
light of dawn, sobbing as she diligently scrubs blood and
bile off the floor with a dirty sponge. The black, spiny
vomit repulses her, and she gags.
She reaches for a Swiffer WetJet mop and pulls the
trigger. No solution comes out. She curses, hysterical
and sleep-deprived.
NEEDY
Work, you...twat! Swiff, darn it!
Swiff! Swiff!
She collapses in tears on the floor.
BACK ON NEEDY- PRESENT DAY
NEEDY (CONT'D)
(softly, to herself)
Shoot.
JENNIFER
Don't talk to yourself. It's one
of your more freakish Needy
behaviors and it makes us both
look like total gaylords.
Needy raises her hands desperately to Jennifer, spreading
her fingers to display her filthy fingernails.
JENNIFER (CONT'D)
Eww, you need a mani bad. You'd
better find a Chinese chick to
buff your situation!
(CONTINUED)
35.
CONTINUED:
MR. WROBLEWSKI, a middle-aged teacher, enters the room.
He has a gnarly-looking robotic hand and moves awkwardly.
JENNIFER (CONT'D)
(SMIRKING)
Here comes Handi-Snack.
Mr. Wroblewski clears his throat. His voice quavers.
MR. WROBLEWSKI
I'm sure those of you who made it
here today have all heard the
news. It's a dark day for Devil's
Kettle, a day we can never, ever
forget.
A single, stifled sob rises from the class. Needy glances
around the room and sees students fighting back tears. A
huge JOCK weeps openly, tears spattering his swimsuit-
model decorated notebook. Jennifer smirks, barely able to
contain her laughter.
MR. WROBLEWSKI (CONT'D)
The administration here has
decided that today will be a
unstructured day of support and
remembrance. We've lost nine
precious students-- including
Ahmet from India-- several
parents, and a teacher, Ms.
Parrish.
He fights back tears.
JENNIFER
No way! Parrish ate shit?
Needy shushes her, appalled.
MR. WROBLEWSKI
This tragedy is obviously beyond
anything we can measure. More than
ever, we need to band together and
draw strength from each other.
Mr. Wroblewski painstakingly retrieves a tissue from his
pocket with his robotic hand and dabs at his face.
MR. WROBLEWSKI (CONT'D)
(his voice cracking)
We can rise up. We can overcome
death.
Needy eyes Jennifer warily.
(CONTINUED)
36.
CONTINUED: (2)
The jock collapses in sobs. A tiny, acne-scarred GEEK
leans over and folds the jock into an unlikely hug.
JENNIFER
(DRY)
Oh look, they're united in grief.
That'll last.
INT. KETTLE HIGH HALLWAY - AFTER SCHOOL
The automated bell rings. Needy slings on her backpack
and hurries over to CHIP's locker. He's packing up a pair
of drum mallets.
CHIP
No band practice today.
NEEDY
No anything today.
CHIP
It's surreal, right? I mean, when
just one guy dies in Devil's
Kettle, it's like time stops. And
now so many people are dead,
nobody knows when it's okay to
start again.
NEEDY
I feel guilty just breathing.
CHIP
Word.
NEEDY
Chip, I need to tell you something
kind of weird. It's about
Jennifer.
CHIP
What?
NEEDY
You know last night when we were
talking and someone came to my
door? That was Jennifer. But she
didn't talk. She just stood there,
smiling at me, but a bad kind of
smile. She looked like she'd been
beat up or shot or something. She
was all bloody.
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
37.
CONTINUED:
NEEDY (CONT'D)
And then she barfed up this
disgusting prickly stuff that was
like roadkill and sewing needles
all mixed together.
She shudders at the memory
CHIP
Yuck. Like those porcupine
meatballs my mom makes with the
rice sticking out?
NEEDY
Yeah, like almost that bad!
CHIP and Needy ponder the grotesque image in silence.
CHIP
It was probably because she
inhaled a whole bunch of smoke.
NEEDY
No. It was something evil.
CHIP
You might want to talk to the
school shrink, Needy. I'm not
saying that to be a dillhole. I'm
actually kinda concerned.
NEEDY
Chip, I'm a National Merit
Scholar. I don't tell whoppers and
I'm not crazy.
CHIP
I didn't say you were crazy. It's
just that everyone's a little
messed up about this. It's okay to
feel...
NEEDY
Discombobulated?
CHIP
Yeah, you know. Fucked up.
As they prepare to leave, COLIN GRAY approaches Needy.
He's a cute PUNK/GOTH guy wearing black nail polish, a
lip ring, and full wardrobe by Hot Topic.
COLIN
Hi Needy.
(CONTINUED)
38.
CONTINUED: (2)
Chip blatantly scoots closer to Needy, eyeing Colin
suspiciously.
NEEDY
Oh. Hi, Colin.
COLIN
(DRAMATIC)
I heard you were there last night.
In the fiery trenches.
NEEDY
Uh-huh.
COLIN
Well, I'm glad you made it out.
Really.
NEEDY
Thanks.
Colin walks away. Chip looks jealous.
CHIP
How are you friends with Colin
Gray? I thought Colin Gray only
talked to the Dead Girls.
We see a group of GOTH GIRLS splayed against their
lockers in full regalia. One wears an ACCORDION for no
reason.
NEEDY
I just am. We have Composition
together. He's a really good
writer. You know-- he's so dark
and emotional and all.
CHIP
Oh. I can relate. I'm also like
that, even if I'm not all obvious
about it like a poseur.
NEEDY
Walk me home?
CHIP
You know it.
EXT. KETTLE HIGH FOOTBALL FIELD - CONTINUOUS
JONAS KOZELLE, the JOCK we saw sobbing earlier, is
standing at the deserted football field.
(CONTINUED)
39.
CONTINUED:
It's a gray, overcast fall day and the wind whistles
eerily through the trees. The football is set back a good
a distance from the school, and Jonas is all alone.
In the distance, a tiny figure slowly approaches, It
starts a dot on the horizon. As it draws closer, we see
it's JENNIFER. Her bright, lipsticked grin is eerie and
unmistakable.
Jonas glances briefly over his right shoulder,
indifferent.
A few seconds later, he glances again. Strangely,
Jennifer ISN'T THERE.
Jennifer suddenly appears on Jonas's left side, startling
him.
JENNIFER
Hi!
JONAS
(ALARMED)
Oh. Hey, Jennifer.
JENNIFER
I'm crazy-sorry about your
profound loss. You are crying
about Craig, right?
JONAS
He was my best friend.
Jennifer puts her arm around him sympathetically.
JENNIFER
I know. I was close to him too.
You know, I was there last night
in that horrible place. I saw
Craig a few minutes before the
fire broke out.
JONAS
You-- you did?
JENNIFER
Yeah. I was probably the last
person to talk to him. Like, ever.
Literally.
JONAS
Wow. What did he say?
(CONTINUED)
40.
CONTINUED: (2)
JENNIFER
Well, we got to talking about you,
actually. And do you know what he
said? He said you were like a
brother to him. Not a bro. An
actual brother.
Jonas's lip trembles as he unsuccessfully fights back
tears. Jennifer cuddles closer to him.
JONAS
(choking up)
I just can't believe he's gone.
JENNIFER
I know, I know.
(BEAT)
Hey, you know what else Craig
said?
JONAS
What?
JENNIFER
Forget it. It's too intense.
JONAS
What? Please, Jen, you've gotta
tell me!
JENNIFER
Well, he said he always thought
you and me would make a totally
bangin' couple. Isn't that so
weird?
JONAS
He said bangin'?
Jennifer reaches for Jonas's hand and slides it slowly up
her shirt, placing it on her left breast.
JENNIFER
(WHISPERING)
Feel my heart, Jonas. I think it's
broken.
JONAS
(choking up)
Mine too.
(CONTINUED)
41.
CONTINUED: (3)
JENNIFER
Come with me. Just for a while.
We'll help each other get through
this nightmare. It's what Craig
would have wanted.
Jonas nods dumbly, brainwashed. Jennifer leads him away
from the field, toward the WOODS bordering the school
campus. They vanish into the woods. In the distance, we
see the FALLS rushing into the lake.
EXT. RESIDENTIAL STREET - CONTINUOUS
Needy and Chip are walking home from school, still deep
in discussion.
CHIP
The whole night must be a total
blur, right?
NEEDY
That's the thing, it's not a blur
at all! I remember everything, in
like ultra-high-def detail. The
band, the fire, everything.
Especially what happened after.
CHIP
"After" is the part I don't really
get, to be honest.
NEEDY
Please, I need someone to believe
me. Jennifer was-- she was
destroyed. She was dying in my
hallway, Chip. I saw. I used my
CPR training to check her pulse.
And I felt her dying, on the
inside, I mean. I've known her so
long that it's like sometimes I
can feel what she feels. We're
like E.T. and Elliot Ness.
CHIP
I believe you.
Chip takes Needy's hand and squeezes it.
NEEDY
Thanks, Chipper.
42.
INT. WOODS SURROUNDING SCHOOL - CONTINUOUS
Jennifer and Jonas are in the woods. Jennifer efficiently
whips off her top and bra and begins kissing Jonas
hungrily. As Jonas touches her, he recoils.
JONAS
You feel so warm. Why are you so
warm?
JENNIFER
(firmly covering his
MOUTH)
Shutties!
She pulls off Jonas' shirt and digs her nails into his
arms, kissing him with renewed ferocity.
The woods are dead silent. A few squirrels approach the
clearing, and Jonas watches them warily with one open eye
as Jennifer kisses him. Then a deer wanders into the
clearing. Then a fox. The animals pause in their tracks
and watch, motionless. It's an eerie, unnatural tableau.
Animals continue to gather.
JONAS
(MUFFLED)
Jennifer! Jen...
Jennifer is annoyed.
JENNIFER
What?
JONAS
Look!
He gestures to the ANIMALS, who are watching, still as
statues. A few crows alight on a nearby tree.
JENNIFER
Mm-hmm. They're waiting.
JONAS
Uh, okay...
Jennifer unzips Jonas's jeans and smiles, reaching down
and working him with her hand. Jonas moans, still eyeing
the animals.
JENNIFER
Do you miss Craig?
(CONTINUED)
43.
CONTINUED:
JONAS
(STARTLED)
Of course.
JENNIFER
Don't worry. You're going to see
your buddy again.
JONAS
You mean like in heaven someday?
JENNIFER
No.
She smiles and shakes her head.
Jonas jerks back, creeped out. He tries to pull away from
Jennifer, but she's too strong. She PINS him to the tree.
We see her jaw begin to UNHINGE, like some horrible
snake. Her eyes cloud over with blood...
EXT. KETTLE HIGH CAMPUS - CONTINUOUS
A horrible SCREAM of agony rises from the woods. Mr.
Wroblewski is exiting the school, briefcase in hand. He
stops in his tracks when he hears the scream. He shakes
his head sadly.
MR. WROBLEWSKI
(to himself)
God, they're feeling so much pain.
Another scream, this time weaker.
MR. WROBLEWSKI (CONT'D)
Let it all out, kids.
He heads for his Ford Festiva, then pauses as if thinking
better of it. Something isn't right. He puts his keys
back in his pocket and walks toward the woods to
investigate.
INT. NEEDY'S HOUSE - KITCHEN - CONTINUOUS
Needy is preparing herself a fried bologna sandwich in
the kitchen. Needy's ALBINO FERRET chases a ball across
the cracked floor.
Needy scrapes the sandwich out of the skillet and takes a
bite.
(CONTINUED)
44.
CONTINUED:
NEEDY
Fried bologna is the bomb!
(to ferret)
You want some, Greedo?
She tuns on the kitchen radio and is surprised to hear a
very familiar song: "Through the Trees," by Soft
Shoulder.
Suddenly, she pauses, a look of UNEASE and even FEAR
crossing her face. She stops and braces herself against
the counter, her KNEES SHAKING. Something isn't right.
She drops the sandwich. Greedo goes straight for it.
NEEDY (CONT'D)
Something's wrong...
As Needy sinks to her knees, she stares straight ahead at
the REFRIGERATOR. A photo magnet of JENNIFER leers back
at her.
She closes her eyes. A brief, near-subliminal FLASH of
the carnage in the woods...
The song ends, snapping Needy out of her reverie.
RADIO DJ
That was Soft Shoulder, the local
band who became the unlikely
heroes of the tragedy in Devil's
Kettle last night. Eyewitnesses
say the boys helped numerous
people escape the inferno, risking
their own lives in the process.
That's rock n' roll with a
conscience, ladies and gentlemen.
Had a lot of requests for that
one...
EXT. KETTLE HIGH CAMPUS - SAME
Mr. Wroblewski ventures into the woods, heading toward
the clearing. At first, we can only hear mysterious
sounds-- scratching and smacking. Birds and animals are
closely gathered in a circle.
Suddenly, Mr. Wroblewski clutches his arm and gags,
realizing the animals are feeding on a huge CARCASS.
A BADGER looks up, its snout soaked in blood.
Mr. Wroblewski begins to scream. The animals scatter.
(CONTINUED)
45.
CONTINUED:
A glimpse of the CORPSE: It's Jonas, of course. His
entire torso has been torn open, exposing his ribs and
guts. Blood and viscera everywhere, INTESTINES strewn
about the forest floor like party streamers.
MR. WROBLEWSKI
Virgin Mother!
Mr. Wroblewski falls to his knees, hollering.
INT. NEEDY'S HOUSE (KITCHEN) - CONTINUOUS
Needy is seated at the kitchen table. She accidentally
drops the remains of her sandwich on the floor, where the
ferret quickly pillages it.
NEEDY
Crap!
Needy's mom, ANTONIA "TONI" LESNICKI, has quietly entered
the kitchen in her pajamas. She's pale and sweaty, as if
she's been spooked.
TONI
You said it.
NEEDY
Oh, hi, Mom. I didn't know you
were awake.
TONI
I just had one of my night
terrors.
NEEDY
It's four o' clock, so technically
you had a day terror.
TONI
Right, right. I'm all mixed up
since I started working swing
again.
NEEDY
What did you dream about?
TONI
I dreamed some bad people were
trying to nail me to a tree with
hammers and big stakes and shit.
Just like Jesus.
She crosses herself piously.
(CONTINUED)
46.
CONTINUED:
TONI (CONT'D)
They were trying to get to you
too, but I wouldn't let `em. I'm a
hard-assed, Ford-tough mama bear.
NEEDY
(SMILING)
Yes you are.
TONI
It's like, don't y'all touch my
daughter. I'll piss on you like
Calvin.
NEEDY
You know, I can take care of
myself, Mom.
TONI
That's what you think. One of
these days you're gonna be crying
out for me and I might not be
there.
NEEDY
Hey Mom? Did you get a chance to
catch the news after you clocked
out this morning?
TONI
No. I just did my scratch tickets,
snorted a few Lunesta and went
straight to bed. Is something
going on?
NEEDY
Nothing. Forget it.
TONI
Don't nothing happen in Devil's
Kettle.
She watches the FERRET skitter across the kitchen floor.
TONI (CONT'D)
Anita, that ferret stinks. He
needs to be washed from craw to
cornhole.
NEEDY
Yes ma'am.
Toni shakes her head and heads upstairs.
47.
EXT. KETTLE HIGH CAMPUS - EARLY EVENING
A hysterical SCREAM pierces the twilight.
The sun has begun to set. An ambulance and four police
cars have pulled up near the woods, which are cordoned
off with yellow police tape. Near the woods, JONAS'S
PARENTS are crying. His MOTHER screams and begins beating
the ground with her fists.
A stretcher is being loaded into the ambulance.
OFFICER WARZAK exits one of the police cruisers. Her
signature giant poofy bangs are in full effect.
She rushes to comfort Jonas's bereaved mother.
OFFICER WARZAK
We will get the man that did this
to your son. You hear me? We'll
get that sick M.F.
JONAS'S DAD
I'll get him myself! I will! You
hear me, you bastard? I'll cut off
your nutsack and nail it to my
door! Like one of those lion
doorknockers rich folks got!
That'll be your balls!
EXT. ACROSS THE LAKE - CONTINUOUS
The sound of Jonas's parents screaming carries across the
lake. The water is eerily calm.
Suddenly, a HEAD breaks the surface of the lake. It's
Jennifer, gliding through the water. She looks calm and
serene.
The SCREAMING continues across the lake. The sirens,
shouting and chaos contrast sharply with this peaceful
scene.
Jennifer paddles to the shore and hoists herself onto the
pier, naked and dripping wet. She runs her tongue over
her teeth briefly and nonchalantly picks something out
from between her two front teeth, like she's just
finished a delicious rib dinner.
Jennifer wrings out her sopping hair and reaches for her
clothes, which are neatly folded on the pier.
(CONTINUED)
48.
CONTINUED:
Once she's dressed, she walks off into the woods, as if
nothing out of the ordinary has happened.
INT. NEEDY'S ROOM - EVENING
Needy is sitting at her lamp-lit desk, reading an old
E.C. horror comic and eating a banana.
The phone rings. Needy picks it up.
NEEDY
Needy speaking.
CROSS CUT
PHONE CALL:
INT. JENNIFER'S BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS
Jennifer's hair is still wet from the lake, but she's
changed into shorts and a tank top. Music blasts from her
stereo. She admires herself in the mirror, popping her
ass.
JENNIFER
I feel sooo scrumptious!
She picks up a Soft Shoulder button and POKES her arm
hard with the pin without flinching. Blood spurts from
the wound.
NEEDY
Good for you.
JENNIFER
You know, like when you kiss a hot
guy for the first time and your
whole body feels like it's on
vibrate.
NEEDY
Yeah.
JENNIFER
It's that good.
Jennifer gazes at her arm, transfixed. She wipes the
blood away-- the wound has magically DISAPPEARED.
(CONTINUED)
49.
CONTINUED:
NEEDY
Lucky you. See, I'm still kind of
depressed about, you know, the
giant smoldering funeral pyre in
the middle of town?
JENNIFER
Move-on dot org, Needy! It's over.
Life's too short to mope over some
white-trash pig roast.
She flicks a Zippo lighter and touches the FLAME to her
tongue-- first tentatively, then confidently.
NEEDY
That's really nice.
JENNIFER
I tell it like it is. Besides, you
should be happy for me. I'm having
the best day since, like Jesus
invented the calendar.
NEEDY
Jesus didn't invent the calendar.
Jennifer giggles maniacally and sighs with happiness.
Needy's call-waiting beeps.
NEEDY (CONT'D)
That's my other line.
JENNIFER
So blow it off.
She casually lights her HAIR on fire. The flames leap up,
then die down, leaving her entirely untouched.
NEEDY
It'll just be a second.
JENNIFER
Pooh. I'm crossing you out.
She draws a mini-X in the air.
Needy clicks over. It's CHIP. We get a nice trifold pie-
chart illustrating the intersecting calls. CHIP is
panicked and sweaty in his living room. In the
background, Chip's little sister CAMILLE bangs on a
piano. Red police lights flash outside the picture
window.
(CONTINUED)
50.
CONTINUED: (2)
CHIP
I need to see you right now.
NEEDY
I can barely hear you.
CHIP
Camille is playing piano. Knock it
off, Camille!
CAMILLE
You knock it off!
CHIP
Can you meet me at McCullum in
ten?
CAMILLE
You knock it off, Chip! You're
penis cheese!
NEEDY
Fifteen.
Back on JENNIFER:
Jennifer is impatiently dragging a razor down her arm.
Blood drips onto the rug. She smiles, in awe of herself.
Needy clicks back over.
NEEDY (CONT'D)
I have to go.
JENNIFER
What could possibly be more
important than me and my godlike
powers?
NEEDY
I have to meet Chip at McCullum
Park.
JENNIFER
Chip is looking cute to me lately.
So tell me, is he packing some
serious pubic inches? What's the
story down there?
NEEDY
(QUICKLY)
I gotta go.
(CONTINUED)
51.
CONTINUED: (3)
Needy hangs up the phone abruptly and grabs one of her
many cardigan sweaters, heading for the door.
EXT. MC CULLUM PARK - FOURTEEN MINUTES LATER
The park is dark and tree-lined and appears to be a
popular clandestine meeting spot for the youth of Devil's
Kettle. The abandoned sand volleyball pits are full of
couples making out. Needy runs past them skittishly.
As she ascends a grassy hill, CHIP is revealed,
silhouetted against a backdrop of twirling police lights.
Needy squints at the lights, sees CHIP's house in the
distance.
NEEDY
Why are the cops at your house?
CHIP
They're not. They're at Jonas
Kozelle's house. He got murdered.
NEEDY
What?! Like, he was shot by
gangbangers?
CHIP
(EXASPERATED)
No, Needy! Do you see anyone
rollin' on dubs around here?
(BEAT)
Someone ripped Jonas limb from
limb in the woods behind the
school. Ate parts of him. They
found teethmarks on him-- on the
body.
His voice cracks. We see a brief, terrifying FLASH of
Jonas's mutilated body and pain-stricken face.
Needy doesn't want to believe it.
NEEDY
Some animals must've got to him.
CHIP
Human teethmarks.
NEEDY
Who would do that?
(CONTINUED)
52.
CONTINUED:
CHIP
I don't know. It just happened
after school. No one's supposed to
know yet, but my dad went over
there and talked to the cops.
Jonas's mom is catatonic. She's
just staring out the front window
like a zombie mannequin robot
statue.
NEEDY
This can't be a coincidence.
CHIP
What do you mean, Needy?
NEEDY
A fiery death trap last night, and
now a cannibal eats our starting
tight-end? Come on!
CHIP
Don't get spooky on me, babe.
NEEDY
Seriously Chip. Most small towns
only have something gruesome
happen like, once every decade
maybe. Devil's Kettle gets two
nightmares in 24 hours? It's
freaktarded. It's not right.
CHIP
What, do you think it's, like
supernatural?
NEEDY
I don't know. I'm extremely
intelligent but I obviously don't
know everything.
CHIP
Well, the bad luck's gotta be over
now, right? It can't get any
worse, right? Obviously it can't.
It can't. I mean, you agree,
right? There won't be another
victim.
NEEDY
You're shaking.
CHIP
I'm cold. It's very cold out here.
(CONTINUED)
53.
CONTINUED: (2)
NEEDY
Want my sweater?
CHIP
It's pink.
NEEDY
Pink is cool. Rap guys wear pink.
She's shaking now, too. Chip leans forward and kisses
her. She closes her eyes.
In the chaste space between CHIP and Needy's bodies, the
volleyball-pit couple fuck like rabbits.
DISSOLVE TO:
A SERIES OF NEWSPAPER HEADLINES
The familiar Soft Shoulder ballad plays as we see a
dreamy montage of headlines.
The headline of the Devil's Kettle Sun-Post simply reads:
"WHY?"
The headline of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reads:
"'BUTCHERED': Devil's Kettle youth brutally murdered in
wake of devastating fire."
A smaller headline on the front page of the New York
Times reads: "Minnesota town rocked by grisly murder,
blaze."
NEEDY V.O.
We were famous. We were saints.
Our town's only bar had burned to
the ground and our star
quarterback was somebody's Quarter
Pounder. The whole country got a
huge tragedy boner for Devil's
Kettle. And the press-- God, they
couldn't get enough of our little
world of shit.
We see Devil's Kettle citizens holding a tearful
candlelight vigil by the former Carousel site. They
softly sing along with the Soft Shoulder song.
MOURNERS
(SINGING)
Through the trees, I will find
you...
(CONTINUED)
54.
CONTINUED:
We see weeping students shoving flowers through the slats
of Jonas' abandoned locker. The hallway floor is covered
with teddy bears and bouquets.
We see the PASSING OF TIME as the bouquets wilt and the
blooms droop.
The pile of discarded scratch-off tickets next to Needy's
mother's bed grows steadily as the days go by.
Another Star Tribune headline. This one reads: "Two weeks
later, cannibal killer still at large." A smaller subhead
reads "ARTS: Local band Soft Shoulder sign to major."
NEEDY V.O.
The days marched on as usual, but
most of us were too numb to enjoy
ourselves. Most of us.
We see Jennifer cheerfully skipping down the school
hallway in a sleazy Technicolor outfit. The rest of the
kids look grey, ashen and depressed, but Jennifer pops
like a Roman candle.
NEEDY V.O. (CONT'D)
Still, we were healing. Like CHIP,
we figured things could only get
better. We had faith.
We see clusters of cautiously optimistic kids in the
school courtyard. They smile, then laugh, as if they're
re-learning how to be happy.
NEEDY V.O. (CONT'D)
We were fucking idiots.
EXT. KETTLE HIGH CAMPUS - TO ESTABLISH
It's late September. Leaves are beginning to drift off
trees. The surrounding woods are still blocked off with
yellow police tape.
INT. KETTLE HIGH - MORNING
Mr. Wroblewski stands solemnly in front of the class, his
mechanical hand tensing and releasing nervously.
Needy and the rest of the class fidget.
MR. WROBLEWSKI
Before the period ends, I have an
announcement.
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
55.
CONTINUED:
MR. WROBLEWSKI (CONT'D)
As you know, this is the one month
anniversary of the Carousel fire
and also the murder of Jonas
Kozelle...
JENNIFER
Bo-ring!
We see Jennifer. She looks haggard, thin, and cranky.
NEEDY
(WHISPERING)
Are you okay?
JENNIFER
No. I feel like boo-boo. My skin
is breaking out. My hair is dull
and lifeless. God, it's like I'm
one of the normal girls!
Needy smooths her own hair self-consciously.
NEEDY
Are you PMS-ing or something?
JENNIFER
PMS isn't real, Needy. It was
invented by the boy-run media to
make us seem crazy.
NEEDY
Oh.
Mr. Wroblewski clears his throat, annoyed by their
talking.
MR. WROBLEWSKI
...As I was saying, Needy and
Jennifer, I finally have some good
news to share with all of you. The
members of the rock group Soft
Shoulder have decided to extend a
helping hand to our community.
A ripple of excitement in the room. A girl seated in the
front row is wearing a Soft Shoulder T-SHIRT.
MR. WROBLEWSKI (CONT'D)
As you know, their song "Through
the Trees" has become our
unofficial anthem of unity and
healing. So, they've decided to
release it as a benefit single.
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
56.
CONTINUED: (2)
MR. WROBLEWSKI (CONT'D)
3% of the profits will go to local
families who have been affected by
loss.
The class is happily abuzz-- except Needy, who looks
appalled.
NEEDY
What about the other 97%?
MR. WROBLEWSKI
Excuse me?
NEEDY
The other 97%. I mean, that's just
crass. Right?
She looks around for support, finding none.
NEEDY (CONT'D)
Crass. It means scummy. Greedy. Am
I the only one who actually does
the vocab drills?
CHASTITY, the girl in the Soft Shoulder T-shirt, turns to
face Needy angrily.
CHASTITY
Soft Shoulder are American heroes.
NEEDY
No, they're not. I was there,
Chastity. They didn't actually
help anyone escape the fire. I
don't even know how that rumor got
started.
CHASTITY
Rumor?! RUMOR? It's true! It's on
their Wikipedia page!
NEEDY
Oh, that's crap...
MR. WROBLEWSKI
GIRLS--
NEEDY
They've milked our pain-- our loss-
- to get a stupid record deal! No
one would even know who they were
if they hadn't been playing here
that night. They used us.
(CONTINUED)
57.
CONTINUED: (3)
CHASTITY
(growling, almost
POSSESSED)
You take that back, Needy
Lesnicki! We need them now more
then ever!
MR. WROBLEWSKI
That's enough.
The BELL rings. Students get up and gather their books
for the next period.
INT. SCHOOL HALLWAY - SAME
Needy and Jennifer slowly head toward their respective
lockers.
NEEDY
I'm already sick of that song.
JENNIFER
Yeah. It's poorly produced. Could
the bass be any lower in the mix?
NEEDY
No offense, but you look kind of
drained. Is everything all right?
JENNIFER
I'm fine. It's just, like, wearing
off or something.
NEEDY
What's wearing off?
(ALARMED)
Are you on pot?
JENNIFER
No, dick ridge! Just forget I said
anything.
COLIN GRAY, the punk/goth boy we met earlier, approaches
Jennifer nervously as she exits the classroom.
Needy drops behind them, eavesdropping.
COLIN
(to Needy)
Hi.
(to Jennifer, more
NERVOUSLY)
Hi, Jennifer.
(CONTINUED)
58.
CONTINUED:
JENNIFER
Oh, hey Colin. Listen, can I copy
your bio lab again? I never got
around to dissecting that kitten
fetus.
COLIN
Sure. Actually, I sort of wanted
to ask you something.
JENNIFER
Oh. You want to know if I'll go
out with you.
COLIN
No! Well-- yeah.
(BEAT)
How did you know?
JENNIFER
Just go ahead with the pitch.
Colin fidgets awkwardly.
COLIN
Well, we've been having a lot of
fun in class, you and I, and I
just thought maybe we could go to
a movie or something. There's a
midnight showing of Rocky Horror
at the Bijou next weekend...
JENNIFER
I don't like boxing movies.
COLIN
It's not...fuck it. Never mind.
He turns to walk down the hallway, dejected. Jennifer
watches him leave.
JENNIFER
Wait!
Colin turns around.
JENNIFER (CONT'D)
Why don't you just come by my
place tonight? I just got
Aquamarine on DVD. It's about this
girl who's like, half-sushi. I
guess she has sex through her
blowhole or something.
(CONTINUED)
59.
CONTINUED: (2)
COLIN
Oh. Great! Okay.
JENNIFER
I'll text you my address.
Colin walks away, grinning triumphantly.
NEEDY
That was random.
JENNIFER
I'm used to guys asking me out.
NEEDY
Colin's a really nice guy.
JENNIFER
He's into maggot-rock. He wears
nail polish.
Chip appears behind Needy and drapes his arm over her
shoulder. Needy jumps, startled.
CHIP
Hi.
JENNIFER
(FLIRTATIOUS)
Hi Chip.
Needy puts her arm around Chip protectively.
JENNIFER (CONT'D)
I gotta go parlez French. Slam you
later.
Jennifer walks away.
CHIP
(to Needy)
Talking to your good pal Colin
Gray again?
NEEDY
No. He was just asking Jennifer
out on a date.
Chip looks relieved.
CHIP
Can I come over tonight?
(CONTINUED)
60.
CONTINUED: (3)
NEEDY
Sure. I'd like that.
CHIP
I went to Super Target and bought
more condoms.
NEEDY
Thanks.
CHIP
Not that that has anything to do
with my coming over.
NEEDY
I didn't assume that.
CHIP
Well, I'll see you tonight.
Needy waves as Chip walks away.
EXT. CAMERFORD STREET - NIGHT
Colin Gray drives down the street in a big old boat of a
classic car. He's blasting punk music on an iPod that's
been rigged to the ancient AM radio.
Colin holds up his CELL PHONE to re-read the directions
Jennifer texted him.
The street is extremely dark and silent, occupied only by
a new townhouse development. The identical units still
appear to be under construction. There aren't even any
streetlights. The plastic sheeting over the windows flaps
eerily in the breeze.
Colin's brow furrows in confusion-- it doesn't even look
like anyone lives here yet. He checks the phone display
again.
CLOSE ON PHONE:
The TEXT MESSAGE reads:
"trn lft on camerford and your there. first house on rt.
1004 camerford. C-ya! xoxo jen"
Sure enough, the house number is 1004. Colin throws the
car into park and walks up to the porch. He looks up and
notices a glow coming from an upstairs window,
(CONTINUED)
61.
CONTINUED:
Colin presses the doorbell. Nothing happens-- the house
isn't wired for electricity yet.
INT. CHIP'S BEDROOM - SAME
Needy and CHIP are kissing on Chip's water bed.
Chip fumbles for one of those "fragrance plug-ins" and
PLUGS it into the wall. Needy looks over.
CHIP
For ambiance. It's Jammin'
Jasmine.
NEEDY
Mmm.
CHIP
My mom has Holiday Scents too, if
you're interested.
NEEDY
No, this is nice.
INT. 1004 CAMERFORD - SAME
Colin enters the house tentatively. It's dark, vacant,
and very creepy. There's a very faint glow and soft music
coming from upstairs.
COLIN
Yo?
He stumbles over a stray 2 x 4. There are piles of
sawdust and building materials everywhere-- the house is
definitely still under construction. Colin looks
confused.
A MOUSE skitters over his sneakers.
COLIN (CONT'D)
Jennifer? Anyone there?
The music upstairs grows slightly louder in response.
Colin squares his shoulders and heads slowly up the
creaking stairs.
62.
INT. CHIP'S BEDROOM - SAME
Needy has eased off her top to reveal an endearingly
plain white bra, complete with center bow. CHIP, also
shirtless, cops a feel.
He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a fluorescent
orange CONDOM. Needy looks at the wrapper.
NEEDY
(READING)
"Sensual Swirl?"
CHIP
It's supposed to make it feel good
for the girl.
NEEDY
Oh. Cool.
INT. 1004 CAMERFORD - CONTINUOUS
Colin follows the music into an empty bedroom. The dark
room is filled with blazing candles melting and pooling
into bizarre shapes. A single BLANKET is spread out on
the floor. Colin shivers.
Behind him, in the doorway, Jennifer appears, her smiling
face hellishly aglow.
JENNIFER
You made it.
COLIN
What's going on? This isn't really
your house, is it?
JENNIFER
No baby. This is our house, just
for you and me. We can play Mommy
and Daddy.
Colin is totally dumbstruck.
COLIN
Do you even know my last name?
JENNIFER
Silly. I've been sending you
signals all year. Couldn't you
tell? You give me such a wettie.
(CONTINUED)
63.
CONTINUED:
She starts KISSING Colin on the neck. We can see
confusion-- and fear-- in his eyes.
INT. CHIP'S BEDROOM - SAME
Chip fumbles below his waist, obviously struggling with
the condom. Needy leans forward for a closer look.
NEEDY
Oh. It's got little bumps on it. I
can hardly wait.
INT. 1004 CAMERFORD - SAME
Jennifer grips Colin's face in her hands and forcibly
kisses him on the mouth. Colin succumbs, but stiffly.
We hear a SCRATCHING noise. Colin pulls away
instinctively and sees MICE and ROACHES emerging from the
walls, skittering over surfaces.
COLIN
Jennifer...
Jennifer looks over her shoulder and giggles.
JENNIFER
You scared? I thought boys like
you were into vermin.
She unbuttons his jeans. They fall noisily to the floor--
they're the baggy Hot Topic kind with chains and buckles
galore.
JENNIFER (CONT'D)
Nice hardware, Ace.
Colin into Jennifer's eyes. There's something horrible
about her face...like she's become almost corpselike.
COLIN
(FAINTLY)
No way...
JENNIFER
Oh, don't you dare pass out! I
need you to be conscious.
COLIN
I gotta go...
(CONTINUED)
64.
CONTINUED:
JENNIFER
I need you frightened.
Colin tries to jerk away, but Jennifer easily disengages
his arm from its socket. A sickeningly moist SNAP. Colin
cries out in pain.
JENNIFER (CONT'D)
I need you hopeless.
She slams him to the ground and mounts him. Her jaw
unhinges, opening her mouth to a horrifying, inhuman
degree. Her teeth are razor-sharp and grotesquely
crowded, like they belong to some horribly deformed dog.
She descends on him, feeding ravenously.
We see their shadows against the wall: Jennifer lunging
hungrily, blood spraying up from Colin's jugular. We can
hear him screaming and gargling on his own blood.
INT. CHIP'S BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS
CHIP is doggedly pumping away on top of Needy, his eyes
closed in concentration. Needy's vacant eyes are suddenly
brimming with tears.
NEEDY
(SOFTLY)
Hopeless..hopeless...
CHIP opens his eyes.
CHIP
What? Am I hurting you?
Needy starts weeping.
CHIP (CONT'D)
Am I too big?
Tears roll down Needy's cheeks. She begins moaning, then
SCREAMING at that top of her lungs.
She hallucinates liquid seeping through the walls, blood
and lymph oozing in at the corners and windows. Then the
infamous spiny black bile...
Pixelated nightmares emerge from the darkness. Skulls,
jesters, demons, death. It's the worst acid trip
imaginable.
Needy rubs her eyes frantically and continues to scream.
(CONTINUED)
65.
CONTINUED:
CHIP immediately rolls off Needy, concerned. He grabs her
and tries to shake some sense into her.
CHIP (CONT'D)
Needy! What's wrong?
Needy continues to shriek hysterically, her voice growing
ragged.
INT. 1004 CAMERFORD - SAME
We can still hear Colin making inhuman sounds of pain. We
can only see the carnage in shadow, but it's clearly
unspeakable.
INT. CHIP'S BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS
Needy clutches her throat, hyperventilating. She stands
up and struggles to get dressed. Her breath rasps. Chip
is freaking out.
CHIP
Is it something I did?
NEEDY
(GAGGING)
It's her.
CHIP
Do you need more foreplay?
INT. 1004 CAMERFORD - SAME
Colin's thrashing limbs finally go limp. Jennifer is
hunched over his remains like a jackal scooping blood
into her mouth with cupped hands.
We see his eyes, flecked with blood, pupils dilated. A
white MOUSE crawls over his face.
INT. CHIP'S HOUSE - SAME
Needy races toward the door with Chip in pursuit.
CHIP
Needy!
(CONTINUED)
66.
CONTINUED:
NEEDY
I have to go. I'm sorry. I just...
feel like something...something
terrible...
CHIP
You feel-- What does that even
mean? I'm worried about you.
NEEDY
I'm so sorry, Chip. I'm so sorry.
Everything is just wrong.
She bolts out the room, leaving Chip naked and alone. He
pulls his knees up to his chest, vulnerable.
EXT. CHIP'S STREET - SAME
Needy runs toward her mom's CAR, a beat-up Kia parked on
the curb.
She climbs into the car and starts the ignition,
trembling and crying.
She pulls out onto the street and guns it. She swings a
hard left. The streets are all almost identical, lined by
working-class homes.
She turns on the radio. The song is, of course, "Through
the Trees" by Soft Shoulder. She pounds the dashboard,
hysterical.
NEEDY
Fudge! Fudge! Maple fudge!
Needy seizes the wheel drives recklessly down a dark,
tree-lined street. Then, she sees something bright emerge
from the shadows. Her eyes widen...
It's JENNIFER, creeping toward the curb like an animal.
She's pale in the moonlight. The entire lower half of her
face is covered in blood, like a ghoulish beard of gore.
She flashes a huge, deranged, toothy SMILE at Needy.
Needy screams and SWERVES. The car fishtails out of
control and slides into a ditch.
Needy slams her foot onto the accelerator, trying to get
out of the trench. She glances desperately out the side
window. Jennifer is gone.
Panting, Needy tries to accelerate again.
(CONTINUED)
67.
CONTINUED:
Suddenly, Jennifer appears from out of nowhere and SLAMS
her body against the windshield, her long limbs splayed
like an insect's. The windshield SHATTERS. Jennifer grins
at Needy through the cracking glass.
Needy screams again, puts the pedal to the floor, and
manages to rear up out of the ditch. Jennifer's body
tumbles off the car as Needy goes roaring down the
street.
RADIO DJ
That was, of course, Soft
Shoulder. They're going to be
playing a benefit concert in
Devil's Kettle next month. Talk
about giving back to the
community! Generous guys, I tell
ya...
EXT. NEEDY'S HOUSE - MINUTES LATER
Needy throws the car into park and races up the front
walk. She unlocks the door, shaking and fumbling. She
bursts into the darkened house.
INT. NEEDY'S HOUSE - CONTINUOUS
NEEDY
Mommy! Mommy? Please be home!
No reply. Needy braces herself against the kitchen
counter and bawls. She falls to her knees and curls up on
the floor, exhausted.
Her eyes drift shut.
NEEDY V.O.
I've always been able to feel what
she feels. Just not like this.
EXT. SUNNY SUBURBAN YARD - FLASHBACK - DAY
Little Needy and Little Jennifer are playing Barbies in a
sandbox. Needy holds a brand new, immaculate Barbie doll.
LITTLE JENNIFER
I'll be Perfect Prom Barbie and
you be her.
She tosses Needy a naked brunette doll with its hair
chopped off and an arm missing.
(CONTINUED)
68.
CONTINUED:
LITTLE NEEDY
Why do I have to be Ugly Ashley?
LITTLE JENNIFER
You can be Ugly Ashley or Ken.
Choose.
She puts her hand down in the sand emphatically and
suddenly HOWLS in pain.
LITTLE NEEDY
What's wrong, Jennifer?
Jennifer lifts her hand. There's a TACK stuck in her palm
and it's bleeding.
LITTLE JENNIFER
OWWWWWW!
(trying to swear like
a grown-up)
Damn! Ass!
Needy grabs Jennifer's hand, pulls out the tack and wipes
away the blood. It's still bleeding. Panicking, she leans
forward and instinctively puts her mouth to the wound.
Jennifer watches quietly. Needy pulls away.
LITTLE NEEDY
Better. We should get a Band-Aid
though.
LITTLE JENNIFER
We're sisters now, you know.
Needy nods.
LITTLE JENNIFER (CONT'D)
Don't tell my mom about this.
She'll make me get a shot.
NEEDY
I never tell on you.
INT. KITCHEN - (BACK TO REALITY)
Needy WAKES UP in a cold sweat, gasping. She's still on
the kitchen floor. She peels herself up off the floor,
disoriented.
69.
INT. NEEDY'S HOUSE (BEDROOM) - CONTINUOUS
Needy trudges into her dark bedroom. She strips off her
clothes and stumbles into bed.
JENNIFER'S VOICE
What's up, Monistat?
Needy flicks on her bedside lamp, petrified. Jennifer is
curled up in bed beside her, reclining casually. She's
freshly showered and wearing one of Needy's dorky T-
shirts.
Needy screams at the top of her lungs and leaps out of
bed, pulling the covers with her.
JENNIFER
God, enough screaming already.
You're such a cliche.
NEEDY
Get out!
JENNIFER
But we always share your bed when
we have slumber parties.
She winks conspiratorially at Needy.
NEEDY
What the fuck is happening?
JENNIFER
Whoa. I have never heard you drop
the F-bomb before. What's buggin'?
NEEDY
I saw you! I saw you! The
car...the...I...
JENNIFER
(MIMICKING)
Buh-buh-buh. Slow down, tardy
slip. You sound like a sped.
NEEDY
I'm calling the police.
JENNIFER
Go ahead, narc me out. I've got
the cops in my back pocket. I'm
fucking a cadet, remember?
(CONTINUED)
70.
CONTINUED:
NEEDY
What do you want?
JENNIFER
I want to explain some things to
you. You've already seen too much
and besides-- best friends don't
keep secrets. Right?
Needy nods, terrified.
JENNIFER (CONT'D)
Remember the night of the fire?
NEEDY
Yeah, it rings a bell.
JENNIFER
Well, I got pretty messed up. I
almost died. You know those guys
in Soft Shoulder? Totally evil.
They're basically agents of Satan
with awesome haircuts. I figured
that out as soon as I got into
their molester van.
INT. SOFT SHOULDER'S VAN (FLASHBACK) - NIGHT
Jennifer is crouched in the back of the van. None of the
band members are speaking. Nikolai Wolf drives down a
gravel road, away from the fire site and deep into the
woods.
JENNIFER
Guys? Where are we going?
NIKOLAI
Shut your mouth, object.
DIRK
(NERVOUSLY)
Nikolai...
Jennifer looks around the van, wide-eyed. There's glow-in-
the-dark Satanic imagery painted all over the walls:
goats heads, pentagrams, and strange coded writing. She
sees a few books sliding around on the floor: "Spells and
Incantations," "Summoning the Beast," and a copy of the
Black Mass.
Jennifer springs to her feet and tries to escape out the
side door. MICK, the drummer, grabs her ankles, taking
her down.
(CONTINUED)
71.
CONTINUED:
JENNIFER
Are you guys rapists?!
NIKOLAI
You wish.
Jennifer struggles again, but Mick holds her down.
MICK
(to band members)
Hey guys? Do we even know if she's
a virgin?
A GLINT OF HOPE in Jennifer's eyes. Maybe if she lies she
can save herself.
JENNIFER
Yes...yes! Of course I'm a virgin!
I've never done sex ever. I don't
even know how. So maybe you should
find some other girl who does.
Know how.
NIKOLAI
Told you, Dirk. You owe me a beer.
DIRK
(PREOCCUPIED)
Sure, man.
EXT. FOREST CLEARING (FLASHBACK) - NIGHT
The van rumbles down an uneven forest path, deep into the
woods. They arrive at the real Devil's Kettle-- roaring,
ominous waterfalls. There's a crude stone altar
illuminated by moonlight.
INT. NEEDY'S BEDROOM (PRESENT DAY) - NIGHT
Needy is still cowering on her bedroom floor, captivated
by the tale in progress. Jennifer is reclining in the bed
with a relaxed, supernatural glow.
NEEDY
What did they do to you?
JENNIFER
Just let me finish. So they drove
all the way out to the falls. I
tried to figure out an escape, but
it was so dark out there...
72.
EXT. THE FALLS (FLASHBACK) - NIGHT
The door of the van slides open. Nikolai pulls Jennifer
out of the van and hustles her into the clearing. He
looks up into the sky.
NIKOLAI
We got a waxing moon. Perfection.
MICK
You're the man, Wolf.
The four band members surround Jennifer, looking
statuesque in their sexy rock n' roll ensembles.
Without warning, Nikolai hauls off and KICKS Jennifer.
She yelps and falls onto her back on the dirt.
Dirk looks apprehensive.
DIRK
I don't know if we should go
through with this.
NIKOLAI
(ANGRILY)
Do you want to be rich and famous
like the guy from Maroon 5? Or do
you want to be a huge suicidal
loser?
DIRK
(SADLY)
Maroon 5.
NIKOLAI
Then grow a pair and fetch me the
ritual! God.
Dirk obediently heads over to the van. He pushes the
intimidating-looking magical books aside and retrieves a
single folded piece of computer paper.
MICK
That's it?
NIKOLAI
What? I found it on Google.
He unfolds the piece of paper and clears his throat.
(CONTINUED)
73.
CONTINUED:
The guys have dragged Jennifer onto the makeshift altar
and are holding her down. She struggles and screams, but
Dirk slaps her again.
NIKOLAI (CONT'D)
We come here tonight to sacrifice
the body of...
He tries to remember Jennifer's name and fails.
NIKOLAI (CONT'D)
...this chick from Devil's Kettle.
JENNIFER
(WHISPERING)
My name is Jennifer.
NIKOLAI
That's fascinating.
Dirk and Mick exchange nervous glances.
JENNIFER
Please let me go. I'll do
anything. Anything you want.
Nikolai examines her with an appraising eye.
NIKOLAI
I only hump nines and tens. You're
a seven at best, even with the
chicken cutlets.
He reaches into Jennifer's bra and casually pulls out a
GEL BREAST ENHANCER, tossing it aside.
Jennifer rears up and SPITS in his artfully rumpled hair.
Nikolai smooths his `do, enraged.
NIKOLAI (CONT'D)
I'm gonna carve you like a
pumpkin, bitch. Don't you know
that me and my boys are in league
with the Beast himself?
He wiggles his menacingly pointy fingers in her face.
NIKOLAI (CONT'D)
We've spent months making
offerings to the "man downstairs,"
and whaddya know? Satan delivered!
We went from college radio to
being courted by the majors in two
months.
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
74.
CONTINUED: (2)
NIKOLAI (CONT'D)
But that's not enough, Jenny. We
want designer drugs. We want
groupies that have their own
groupies. We want speedballs and
stadium tours and Skittles sorted
by color. In short, we want more.
And to get more, we have to
butcher you. And bleed you.
JENNIFER
(DESPERATE)
Maybe you could just hire a
publicist. Make some T-shirts or
something. Hey, I could be on your
street team!
NIKOLAI
Sorry, darling.
JENNIFER
Please...
NIKOLAI
(LOUDLY)
Start chanting, boys.
The group begins chanting jibberish in unison. Jennifer
struggles, watching as their eyes go hollow and black.
NIKOLAI (CONT'D)
With deepest malice, we deliver
this virgin unto thee.
He unsheathes a huge, gleaming knife and raises it Psycho-
style, admiring his reflection in the blade.
DIRK
Dude, that is a hot murder weapon!
NIKOLAI
It's a bowie knife.
DIRK
Bowie. Nice.
Snickering, Nikolai begins to sing "Starman" by David
Bowie. The group joins in merrily.
NIKOLAI
"There's a starman waiting in the
sky..."
BAND
"He'd really like to meet us, but
he thinks he'd blow our minds..."
(CONTINUED)
75.
CONTINUED: (3)
As the group sings, Nikolai brings the knife down with a
grin. We hear Jennifer SCREAMING, sounds of violence and
clothes ripping as Nikolai relentlessly beats her and
stabs her, his face contorting demonically. The band
continues to sing, their voices carrying over the trees.
Nikolai walks over to where the "devil side" of the falls
rushes into a black hole. He drops the murder weapon
into the churning water, smiling.
INT. NEEDY'S BEDROOM (PRESENT DAY) - CONTINUOUS
Needy's expression is both incredulous and horrified.
Jennifer is totally matter-of-fact. She picks at her
nails with a wooden cuticle stick from Needy's night
stand.
JENNIFER
Being tortured would make most
girls black out or something. But
I'm so hard core, I was with them
the whole time. I could feel them
gutting me Under my ribs, up into
my belly, then right through my
heart.
NEEDY
They...killed you.
JENNIFER
I'm here, aren't I?
She shakes her head, annoyed with Needy.
JENNIFER (CONT'D)
I mean, yeah. They went Benihana
on my ass. It should have killed
me. But for some reason, it
didn't.
NEEDY
(SOTTO)
Maybe it did.
JENNIFER
Whatever. Anyway, I don't really
remember what happened after that.
I just-- woke up a few hours later
and found my way back, somehow.
76.
EXT. NEEDY'S STREET (FLASHBACK) - NIGHT
We see Jennifer staggering down the street, battered,
mutilated and bloody. She spits a few TEETH onto the
curb, clutching her chest. We see her wander toward
Needy's house...
INT. NEEDY'S BEDROOM (PRESENT DAY) - CONTINUOUS
NEEDY
I remember.
JENNIFER
I couldn't bring myself to hurt
you. I mean, I'm a really good
friend. But I felt so hungry. I
had to do something.
EXT. SECLUDED STREET (FLASHBACK) - NIGHT
Jennifer is wandering down a rural road in a daze. She
hears a faint COUGH. Jennifer stops and sees a hunched
FIGURE walking down the opposite side of the street. It's
AHMET FROM INDIA, the foreign student. He's covered in
soot and looks traumatized.
Jennifer takes a step. Ahmet takes a step. Jennifer
stops. Ahmet stops.
Their eyes meet. Jennifer crosses the street. Ahmet
stares at her, frightened. Jennifer addresses him in a
quiet, gravelly voice.
JENNIFER
Ahmet. You made it out.
Ahmet coughs.
JENNIFER (CONT'D)
Are you lost?
Ahmet NODS.
JENNIFER (CONT'D)
Does your host family know you're
alive?
Ahmet shakes his head.
JENNIFER (CONT'D)
Does anyone know you're alive?
(CONTINUED)
77.
CONTINUED:
Ahmet shakes his head again.
JENNIFER (CONT'D)
Come with me. We'll sort this out.
She takes Ahmet's hand. As her BLOODY NAILS dig into his
wrist, his eyes widen.
INT. NEEDY'S BEDROOM (PRESENT DAY) - NIGHT
JENNIFER
Ever since then, I just somehow
knew what I needed to do to be
strong. And when I'm full--like I
am right now--I'm like, immortal!
I can do stuff like this.
Jennifer jams the CUTICLE STICK into her own forearm and
drags it through her flesh. Needy screams and covers her
mouth.
JENNIFER (CONT'D)
No biggie. Watch.
She pulls out the stick. The wound seals over instantly.
Needy gasps and touches Jennifer's unmarked arm.
JENNIFER (CONT'D)
That's some X-Men shit, right?
NEEDY
What do you mean, "when you're
full"?
JENNIFER
You know. Full. Like full of tasty
morsels.
Needy shakes her head, not comprehending.
JENNIFER (CONT'D)
Forget it. You'd probably tell on
me anyway. Not that anyone would
believe you. You always think the
world is coming to an end.
NEEDY
What about my mom's Kia? Why did
you attack me out there? Why were
you covered in blood? You didn't
even look human.
Jennifer rolls her eyes.
(CONTINUED)
78.
CONTINUED:
JENNIFER
You should talk to someone about
these disturbing thoughts you're
having. We're all concerned.
Especially Chip. I think he's
having second thoughts about you.
NEEDY
(FORCEFUL)
Leave!
JENNIFER
My, aren't we a C-U-Next-Tuesday?
NEEDY
GET OUT!
JENNIFER
Come on. Let me stay the night.
We can play "boyfriend/girlfriend"
like we used to.
She smiles seductively.
Needy crawls further away from her, shivering.
Jennifer rolls her eyes and gets out of bed. She walks
over to the second-story window and cranks it open.
NEEDY
What are you doing?
JENNIFER
You said to leave. So I'm outtie-
5000.
She climbs onto the windowsill. Needy watches, confused.
JENNIFER (CONT'D)
See you at school.
She LEAPS gracefully out the window.
Needy watches in stunned silence for a few moments. Then
she creeps over to the window and looks out. Nothing
there but the wind. Jennifer's gone.
EXT. OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL BLOOD CEMETERY - DAY
We're in a small Catholic cemetery. A small, neat gravel
path runs through the stately old monuments into a small
valley where a funeral is taking place.
(CONTINUED)
79.
CONTINUED:
Faint moaning and sobbing can be heard. Then, a
procession of 6 or 7 GOTH/EMO KIDS appears on the crest
of the hill. They move forward into the cemetery,
flamboyantly dressed in black capes, chains, cloaks, neon
hairpieces, fishnets, mesh, 18-hole combat boots, etc.
These are Colin Gray's friends.
One girl scatters blood-red rose petals dramatically on
the path as she stumbles along, weeping.
At the bottom of the hill, Colin Gray's very conservative-
looking family stands next to the fresh grave, surrounded
by sympathetic mourners. NEEDY stands near the back,
looking shell-shocked. There are also a few press
photographers snapping photos, and of course, a Catholic
priest.
PRIEST
We gather here today to celebrate
the life of Colin Gray, who was
plucked from the prime of...
The priest and family are momentarily distracted by the
motley crew of Goths descending on the funeral. The
priest clears his throat disapprovingly.
PRIEST (CONT'D)
What is this disturbance?
MR. GRAY
These are Colin's friends.
A GOTH BOY runs up to the grave and drops to his belly.
GOTH BOY
Colin! Take me with you! I belong
down there! In the DAAAARKNESS!
GOTH GIRL
No, Kevin. Those are just his
fleshly remains. He's among the
dark angels of the realm now. Fly,
Colin. Fly into the firmament.
She lights a bundle of SAGE and waves it in the air.
Colin's father gags, appalled.
GOTH BOY
Is it cool if we camp here for a
few days? We want to commune with
his corpse. He was our spooky
homeboy.
(CONTINUED)
80.
CONTINUED: (2)
PRIEST
Children, this is a private
service for family only.
GOTH GIRL
(to Colin's mother)
Oh, right. I need to ask you
something, Mrs. Gray. It's really
important for me to have closure.
PRIEST
Young lady, have some respect for
this family...
MRS. GRAY
(waving him off)
No. It's fine.
GOTH GIRL
Is it true that Colin had a date
with Jennifer Check the night he
was killed?
She says "Jennifer Check" as if it were the most
disgusting name imaginable. Needy covers her face.
GOTH GIRL (CONT'D)
Because Jennifer Check is a social
disease. She's not like us. She
thinks she's so special just
because she's popular and and is
what "society" considers
"attractive." But she's not
sincere. She's about as emo as a
breast implant! And she listens to
Jessica Simpson and shops at
Hollister. And I just know Colin
would never go out with someone
like that, and I just need
confirmation. From you. So did he?
MR. GRAY
Did he...?
GOTH GIRL
Have a date with Jennifer Check.
Colin's parents stare at the ground.
GOTH GIRL (CONT'D)
Oh God. Oh God. I knew it! That
BITCH! I will erase her! I'll put
a freaky Druid spell on her!
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
81.
CONTINUED: (3)
GOTH GIRL (CONT'D)
I'll spell her preppy ass right
into the ground!
The parents flinch.
GOTH BOY
Um, Chloe? Maybe you should be mad
at the person who murdered Colin.
All Jennifer Check did was invite
him over to watch Aquamarine.
GOTH GIRL
That's WORSE!
She throws herself to the ground, crying and pounding the
dirt like a toddler.
Colin Gray's mother buries her head in her hands and
begins weeping. Mr. Gray attempts to comfort her.
GOTH BOY
Colin wouldn't have liked this.
MRS. GRAY
(losing it)
Oh, you think so, Powder? Yeah,
you're right! I'm pretty sure my
son wouldn't have liked being
eaten by a fucking CANNIBAL and
buried before his eighteenth
birthday! Wow, you must have known
him so well!
MR. GRAY
Jill...
The goth boy looks terrified. But Mrs. Gray's not done
ranting yet.
MRS. GRAY
By the time they found Colin in
that godforsaken house, he looked
like lasagna with teeth. I'd know--
I had to identify the remains. My
boy's not in the realm of the
undead. He's not flying around in
the firmament with magical wings
of flame. He's in an overpriced
rosewood box that's headed six
feet downtown.
She kicks the coffin to illustrate.
(CONTINUED)
82.
CONTINUED: (4)
MRS. GRAY (CONT'D)
So you can take your pain and
shove it up your asses, kids.
I got the monopoly on pain!
The kids stare at her in awe. Needy watches as Mrs. Gray
collapses into Mr. Gray's arms.
EXT. KETTLE HIGH CAMPUS - DAY
Two girls are hanging an homemade banner on the fence
surrounding the football field. It says "TURNABOUT DANCE
OCTOBER 5 -- TICKETS ON SALE."
Needy walks briskly toward school, huddled in her parka.
She looks totally fucked up, like she hasn't slept in
days. There are hollows beneath her eyes.
NEEDY V.O.
They did a big memorial assembly
for Colin at school, and we had to
watch another presentation about
curfews and the buddy system and
how to deal with grief. But nobody
seemed to care anymore. Sorrow was
last week's emotion.
We see Jennifer a few yards away, talking and laughing
with some other flag team members.
NEEDY V.O. (CONT'D)
Jennifer and I hadn't spoken since
our encounter in my room.
Actually, I hadn't really spoken
to anyone. I was busy with
research. Paranormal research.
Needy gazes off into the distance with bloodshot eyes. As
she stares at Jennifer, she see has a series of brief,
gruesome HALLUCINATIONS:
Jennifer as a grinning death mask. Jennifer as a corpse,
the lower half of her face rotted away. Jennifer as a
harlequin monster. Needy hears the rush of her own blood,
the barely audible buzzing of flies...
Chip jogs up next to her, jolting her out of her reverie.
CHIP
Hey. Did you buy Turnabout tickets
yet? I don't get paid until next
week.
(CONTINUED)
83.
CONTINUED:
NEEDY
I gotta show you something.
CHIP
What is it?
NEEDY
Not here. Behind the school.
CHIP
What is it?
NEEDY
Evidence.
CHIP
(WEARILY)
Is this about Jennifer?
NEEDY
Yes, but I promise you this is the
last thing I need to show y--
CHIP
(INTERRUPTING)
Needy, I care about you. A lot. As
a person, not just a girl I made
love to for four minutes the other
night. And I'm scared of what's
happening to you. You're acting
really fucked up.
NEEDY
Please just let me show you.
Her gaze is so intense and crazed that Chip has no option
but to submit. He nods reluctantly.
EXT. KETTLE HIGH CAMPUS - CONTINUOUS
Needy and Chip walk to an alley behind the school.
Melting snow drips off the eaves.
Needy pulls out a large black binder and opens it. It's
full of copies from the library and Internet printouts.
The spine reads "JENNIFER RESEARCH"
NEEDY
Look at this.
She thrusts a piece of paper into CHIP's hands.
(CONTINUED)
84.
CONTINUED:
CHIP
(CONFUSED)
Demon...demonic...
NEEDY
Demonic transference. It's
something that happens when you
try to sacrifice a virgin to Satan
without using an actual virgin!
CHIP stares at her.
NEEDY (CONT'D)
I think that's what happened to
Jennifer. Those guys from that
band were trying to sacrifice her
in the woods. But what they didn't
realize is that she hasn't been a
virgin since junior high!
Jennifer's a total cum-dumpster!
It all makes sense now! Read
this...
She grabs the piece of paper from him.
NEEDY (CONT'D)
(READING)
"If the human sacrifice is impure,
the result may still be attained,
but a demon will forever reside
the soul of the victim. She must
forever feed on flesh to sustain
the demon." See?
CHIP looks more dubious than ever.
CHIP
Uh-huh.
NEEDY
She's eating boys! They make her
strong. Really strong. And when
she's hungry, she gets weak and
cranky and her hair is all full of
split ends. And look at this...
She holds up one of the printouts.
NEEDY (CONT'D)
It says that before the demon
feeds, it vomits a gruesome
substance on its prey. Like I saw!
(CONTINUED)
85.
CONTINUED: (2)
CHIP
You--you really think Jennifer
killed Jonas and Colin?
NEEDY
And possibly Ahmet from India.
Needy is silent for a moment. She realizes CHIP will
never believe her and that she'll lose him forever if she
continues babbling.
CHIP
Really? You think she ate those
guys?
NEEDY
No. No! Of course not!
CHIP
Is that what you think?
NEEDY
No...Listen, I'll make an
appointment with Mr. Feely. I'm
real sorry about this sudden onset
of teenage paranoia.
(ROBOTIC)
My hormones and emotions are
aswirl, and my moods are
erratic...
CHIP isn't totally convinced, but his face softens.
CHIP
It's all right, Needy.
NEEDY
This has been a crummy school
year, Chip.
CHIP
No shit.
Needy turns and pitches the black binder into a Dumpster.
NEEDY
Listen, I'm done with all that
devil stuff. Do you know what
you're wearing to Turnabout?
CHIP
I was thinking a suit with black
shoes and a boutonniere, right
here.
(CONTINUED)
86.
CONTINUED: (3)
He taps his chest. Needy laughs.
NEEDY V.O.
I was so in love with him. I
didn't want to mess it up with my
infectious crazy. Only I wasn't
actually crazy. Everyone else was
crazy. But when you're the only
sane one, you might as well be
crazy. It's subjective, you know?
CHIP
What color dress are you gonna
wear? I need to order your wrist
corsage.
NEEDY
I don't know yet.
CHIP
How about magenta? You're
definitely a winter. My mom says
winters should wear regal jewel
tones like magenta. Or possibly
teal.
NEEDY
Oh yeah, your mom's an Avon lady.
CHIP
Well, they call them "sales reps"
now.
NEEDY
Right. Well, I'll try to find
something magenta.
CHIP
That'll look dope.
INT. DEVIL'S KETTLE HIGH GYMNASIUM (TO ESTABLISH) -
EVENING
A group of student council kids are putting the finishing
touches on the dance decorations. The theme is "Through
the Trees" and there are papier mache trees everywhere.
INT. NEEDY'S BEDROOM - EVENING
Needy stands in front of a full-length mirror, wearing a
big `80s-style magenta prom dress. It sags on her flat
chest and looks ridiculous.
(CONTINUED)
87.
CONTINUED:
Greedo the ferret circles her ankles.
Toni, Needy's mom, appears behind her with a curling
iron.
TONI
You look beautiful.
NEEDY
I look pork stupid.
TONI
No, you've got that tiny waist,
like a fashion model. I always
thought you looked like Cindy
Crawford.
She gently takes off Needy's glasses.
NEEDY
Who's Cindy Crawford?
TONI
One of the great beauties of our
time. She's even got a mole like
you, except hers is on her face.
She takes a section of Needy's hair and wraps it around
the curling iron. Smoke rises.
NEEDY
Ow! You're too close to my neck.
TONI
Well, if Chip gives you a hickey,
you can just tell everyone I
burned you.
NEEDY
Gross, Mom. Chip isn't that
ostentatious.
TONI
Now that's a word you don't hear
every day. Hold still.
NEEDY
What are you doing to my hair?
TONI
Hooker helmet.
(CONTINUED)
88.
CONTINUED: (2)
NEEDY
(GROANING)
Aw, jeez Mom!
TONI
If you can't have big what-nots,
you might as well have big hair!
Needy stares at herself in the mirror. Despite Toni's
best efforts, Needy looks like the walking dead.
INT. CHIP'S HOUSE - EVENING
Chip is standing in underwear and black dress socks,
taking his suit out of the closet. Suddenly, there's a
loud KNOCK on the door.
CHIP
I'm in underpants, Mom!
We hear the voice of CHIP'S MOM through the door.
CHIP'S MOM
I need to give you something.
CHIP
Hang on.
Chip puts on a robe and opens the door.
Chip's mom is holding a SMALL PINK AEROSOL CAN.
CHIP (CONT'D)
Ladies' pepper spray?
CHIP'S MOM
I've been thinking about it for a
while, and I think you need to be
carrying this. There's obviously a
sicko out there who likes boys.
Boys your age. And I don't want
you going out there unarmed.
CHIP
I can take care of myself. I've
been using the Bowflex.
In the background, we can see the BOWFLEX with clothes
hanging off it.
CHIP'S MOM
Did you hear what Colin Gray
looked like when they found him?
(CONTINUED)
89.
CONTINUED:
CHIP
Lasagna with teeth?
CHIP'S MOM
You heard. So unless you want to
wind up looking like another
exotic Eye-talian dish, take
Mommy's rape spray.
Chip reluctantly accepts the spray.
CHIP'S MOM (CONT'D)
Are you picking Needy up at her
house?
CHIP
Meeting her at the dance. I'm
gonna walk. It's so warm outside.
It's like 40.
CHIP'S MOM
I want pictures with your sister
before you go.
CHIP
Yes, ma'am.
INT. NEEDY'S HOUSE (LIVING ROOM) - EVENING
Needy is fully dressed and garishly made up. Toni holds a
digital camera at arm's length and takes a shot of the
two of them together.
The mother/daughter photo looks ghastly. Toni's eyes are
closed and Needy pouts miserably.
INT. CHIP'S HOUSE (LIVING ROOM) - EVENING
Chip's mother snaps a series of stiffly posed photos of
Chip and his little sister, Camille.
We can see the PEPPER SPRAY tucked into the interior of
Chip's jacket.
CHIP'S MOM
One more. Back to back. Big
smiles. Camille, we don't touch
ourselves down there. That's our
lady garden.
90.
INT. KETTLE HIGH GYMNASIUM (TO ESTABLISH) - NIGHT
The gym is decorated to look like an enchanted forest. A
large banner reads "Through the Trees- Turnabout Dance"
There are streamers and balloons everywhere in sickly
shades of green and purple.
A DJ plays badly-mixed pop music.
Couples drift into the gym. The GOTH KIDS who were at
Colin Gray's grave travel in a pack, sulking.
The goth girl who loved Colin wanders through the
decorations and pops every balloon she passes with a pin.
As she pops them, she narrates dramatically.
GOTH GIRL
(popping balloon)
This is my heart.
GOTH GIRL (CONT'D)
(popping balloon)
My soul.
GOTH GIRL (CONT'D)
(popping balloon)
Everything I once believed in.
Another GOTH GIRL, looking exasperated, grabs a balloon,
shoves it under her babydoll dress and pops it.
GOTH GIRL #2
(MOCKINGLY)
Your abortion.
She rapidly shoves another one under her dress and pops
it again, smirking.
GOTH GIRL #2 (CONT'D)
Your other abortion.
GOTH GIRL
I hate your guts, Madison.
The girls glare at each other.
Needy walks in, looking small and apprehensive in her bad
`80s dress. She looks around for Chip, but he's not there
yet. A few mean kids point at her dress and snicker.
Needy ladles some juice into a paper cup and leans
against the wall, waiting anxiously for her Prince
Charming.
91.
EXT. MC CULLUM PARK - CONTINUOUS
Chip is cutting through the park on his way to the dance.
He whistles to himself.
Across the park, he sees a STRAY DOG trotting toward him.
The dog pants aggressively. CHIP tries to smile, but
looks uncomfortable.
A few SQUIRRELS emerge from the trees, gazing curiously
at him.
INT. DEVIL'S KETTLE HIGH GYMNASIUM - CONTINUOUS
Couples are beginning to grind against each other on the
dance floor. Needy watches them longingly. She checks her
Mickey Mouse watch.
EXT. MC CULLUM PARK - CONTINUOUS
Chip picks up the pace, jogging down the path. In the
distance behind him we can barely make out Jennifer's
form. She looks more spectral then we've ever seen her.
Chip speeds up instinctively.
Suddenly, Jennifer's about ten paces closer.
Then she's closer again, as if she can fold space and
time. She's ethereal, flickering.
CHIP turns to look over his shoulder.
INT. DEVIL'S KETTLE HIGH GYMNASIUM - CONTINUOUS
The music fades out and there's a squeal of feedback from
the sound system. Mr. Wroblewski walks onto the stage in
a bad suit. He awkwardly picks up the mic with his one
good hand and pats it with his robotic one.
MR. WROBLEWSKI
Can I have everyone's attention
please?
The students turn to look at him, annoyed by the
distraction.
(CONTINUED)
92.
CONTINUED:
MR. WROBLEWSKI (CONT'D)
Welcome to the Turnabout Dance. I
hope you've all had an opportunity
to consume the Pecan Sandies and
Cran-Grape that were so generously
donated by the Parents Club.
Murmuring and applause.
MR. WROBLEWSKI (CONT'D)
But the real treat is yet to come.
It's happening right about now,
this treat of which I speak. We
have some very special guests
tonight. They were kind enough to
take a break from their sold-out
national tour and play our dance
for free.
Needy gags on her juice.
EXT. MC CULLUM PARK - CONTINUOUS
Chip continues to hurry briskly along through the park.
JENNIFER
CHIP!
CHIP makes an incoherent noise and jumps as Jennifer
appears, improbably, right in front of him. She's wearing
a gorgeous white formal gown and looks perfect.
JENNIFER (CONT'D)
Didn't you hear me calling your
name?
CHIP
You weren't calling my name.
JENNIFER
Yes, I was.
CHIP
I couldn't hear it.
JENNIFER
I think you were maybe spacing
out. You were like this: Derrrrr.
She mimics a blank, drooling expression.
CHIP
I was?
(CONTINUED)
93.
CONTINUED:
JENNIFER
Yes, exactly like that. Listen, I
need to talk to you about you-know-
who. Our little Needy.
CHIP
I know.
JENNIFER
Are you worried? `Cause I'm super-
stressed about her. God knows how
I even sleep at night.
CHIP
She hasn't been the same for
weeks.
JENNIFER
I think I know what's wrong with
her. In fact, I know I know what's
wrong with her.
CHIP
Then tell me.
JENNIFER
I feel bad telling you this.
(SIGHING)
Okay, you know Needy's been a
total Lithium candidate since the
night Colin Gray died. But that's
not just because he was brutally
murdered and stuff. It's
because....I don't wanna say this.
CHIP
Say it!
JENNIFER
Needy and Colin were intimate. By
that I mean he was poking her
donut on a semi-regular basis.
CHIP looks astonished and hurt.
JENNIFER (CONT'D)
I know this must be hard for you
to hear.
CHIP
Needy's not like that.
(CONTINUED)
94.
CONTINUED: (2)
JENNIFER
That's what she wants you to
believe. But trust me, her and
Colin were doing stuff you haven't
even heard of. Total varsity
moves.
CHIP
But you were with Colin the night
he was killed.
JENNIFER
Well, apparently he had a thing
for me-- no surprise there. And I
figured Needy was busy jumping
your jock that night, so I agreed
to a little pity date. Colin
brought me to that empty house so
we could have some privacy. But he
wanted to go too far, so I left
after a few minutes. Next thing I
knew, they'd found...
She sniffles, wiping her eye.
JENNIFER (CONT'D)
...what was left of him.
CHIP
(to himself)
Eye-talian.
JENNIFER
Huh?
CHIP
Never mind.
JENNIFER
I'm sorry you had to hear this
from me. I'm just so worried about
Needy. She's losing her shit.
Colin was her everything.
CHIP looks miserable.
JENNIFER (CONT'D)
I wouldn't be surprised if she
winds up in the nuthouse.
CHIP
I just can't believe this.
(CONTINUED)
95.
CONTINUED: (3)
JENNIFER
Well, you've been talking to her
more than I have. How bad is it?
CHIP
It's bad, man. It's bad.
JENNIFER
I can only imagine the paranoid
theories she's come up with.
CHIP
Oh, you have no idea.
JENNIFER
I just can't believe she would do
this to you. I care so much about
you, Chip.
CHIP glances up at her. She's earnest, beautiful.
JENNIFER (CONT'D)
More than I've ever had the guts
to admit.
INT. HIGH SCHOOL GYM - CONTINUOUS
Mr. Wroblewski pauses dramatically for effect.
MR. WROBLEWSKI
Boys and girls, please
welcome...Soft Shoulder!
The heavy stage curtains part to reveal SOFT SHOULDER in
all their glory. Success has treated them well-- they're
glowing and wearing designer rock n' roll couture. They
look like the young Rolling Stones.
Needy drops her cup. Juice splatters onto the ground.
NIKOLAI
Good evening, babies. Are you
ready for some bad vibrations?
The students rush the stage, shrieking. Nikolai raises
his fist and the band launches into a heavy, uptempo
version of "Through the Trees."
Needy looks as though she's had a revelation. A look of
pure horror crosses her face.
NEEDY
Chip!
(CONTINUED)
96.
CONTINUED:
She rushes toward the gym exit, tripping in her high
heels.
EXT. MC CULLUM PARK - CONTINUOUS
CHIP is hypnotized in the glow of the streetlights.
Jennifer leans forward and kisses him on the neck
JENNIFER
Needy didn't deserve a boy like
you.
EXT. STREET - CONTINUOUS
Needy is running toward the park in her gown. She takes
off her shoes and tosses them aside, her arms and legs
pumping furiously.
NEEDY V.O.
One thing people don't know about
me is that I'm fast. I just never
went out for track because I look
bad in shorts. Also, Jennifer told
me track was for lezzies. But I
am. Fast, I mean. Even in that
fucking afterbirth of a dress, I
could really tear up the asphalt.
She picks up the pace, cheeks puffing.
NEEDY V.O. (CONT'D)
I had to. I was running for his
life.
INT. MC CULLUM PARK - CONTINUOUS
Jennifer is kissing Chip. She pulls him down onto the
damp, muddy grass.
JENNIFER
Ooh, you're so salty!
CHIP
Yeah, you too.
JENNIFER
Say it like you mean it.
CHIP
You're so salty. I need water. It
burns. The salty burns my mouth.
(CONTINUED)
97.
CONTINUED:
JENNIFER
Say I'm better than Needy.
CHIP
What? Why?
JENNIFER
We really shouldn't be doing this.
She pulls away from him, feigning a guilty conscience.
CHIP
(QUICKLY)
You're better than Needy.
Jennifer smiles, satisfied.
JENNIFER
Natch.
She resumes kissing him enthusiastically.
CHIP
This feels weird. Can we go
somewhere else?
JENNIFER
I have just the place.
She stands up and starts to lead Chip toward an
abandoned, fenced-off COMMUNITY POOL. It's drained and
spooky and looks dangerous.
CHIP
Murphy Pool? I don't think we can
go in there. I knew some skater
guys who went in there. They got
in big trouble and now they have
to pick up garbage for 100 hours.
Jennifer giggles and pulls him along.
JENNIFER
You're in big trouble anyway. Come
on.
She begins to climb the chain link fence.
EXT. CHIP'S HOUSE - CONTINUOUS
Needy jogs toward CHIP's house. Exhausted and sweaty, she
presses the doorbell. She falls to her knees on the front
stoop, panting and wheezing.
(CONTINUED)
98.
CONTINUED:
Camille answers the door.
NEEDY
(STRAINED)
Well, hi there Camille! Is Chipper
home?
Camille has no reply. She eyes Needy suspiciously and
licks a Popsicle.
CHIP's mother appears and shoves Camille aside.
CHIP'S MOM
Needy? Is something wrong?
NEEDY
Where's Chip?
CHIP'S MOM
(CONFUSED)
He left for the dance at least
twenty minutes ago. He certainly
should have been there by now.
NEEDY
He walked? Mrs. Dove, you mean to
only tell me that in these
dangerous, godless times-- you let
your only son walk alone at night?
CHIP'S MOM
Well, it's only five blocks. My
God, your hair is...
NEEDY
Which way did he go?
CHIP'S MOM
He usually cuts across the park.
She turns to scold Camille.
CHIP'S MOM (CONT'D)
Camille, let's sit like a lady! No
one wants to see your kiki.
She turns back to address Needy.
CHIP'S MOM (CONT'D)
Why don't you try...
But Needy's gone.
(CONTINUED)
99.
CONTINUED: (2)
CHIP'S MOM (CONT'D)
Anita?
EXT. MURPHY POOL - SAME
Murphy Pool is even eerier from the inside. The fenced-in
deck area is littered with garbage, abandoned pool
furniture and graffiti. Someone has spray painted the
word "HOPELESS" on a wall.
CHIP shivers and looks around nervously.
Jennifer nonchalantly unzips her dress and shimmies out
of it, revealing her bra and panties.
CHIP
Aren't you cold?
JENNIFER
Never, Trevor. I'm hot like magma.
She prances over to the abandoned pool and begins to
climb down the ladder on the side. The pool is full of
filthy, freezing water.
CHIP
What are you doing?
JENNIFER
Swimming.
CHIP
Ha ha.
JENNIFER
Come on in, Chip. Show me your
breast stroke.
CHIP
The water looks disgusting.
JENNIFER
It's not so bad.
CHIP
Are you kidding? It's totally
bubonic in there. I think I see a
dead possum with a Doritos bag in
its pouch. And that looks like a
used syringe over there...
He slaps away a FLY.
(CONTINUED)
100.
CONTINUED:
JENNIFER
I'm sorry. I was just trying to
make you laugh. I think now, more
than ever, we need laughter. We've
both lost a close friend.
CHIP nods sadly.
CHIP
I know.
JENNIFER
I feel so empty.
CHIP
Me too.
JENNIFER
Please come here and kiss me
again. Make all this madness go
away.
Chip tiptoes forward tentatively and sinks to his knees.
He leans in and kisses Jennifer, who's still clinging to
the ladder.
The sound of buzzing flies grows louder.
Suddenly, Jennifer opens her eyes. She hooks her arm
around Chip's neck and lunges backward. They tumble off
the ladder, into the pool. Chip SCREAMS.
INT. MC CULLUM PARK - CONTINUOUS
Needy runs into the park and scans the dark horizon. Her
bare feet are bloody from running and her face is shiny
with sweat.
NEEDY
(YELLING)
Chip!
A terrified SCREAM in the distance.
Needy whips around, hikes up her skirt and starts running
toward Murphy Pool.
She reaches the fence and starts climbing it. She slips
and cuts her hand on a broken link.
CHIP screams again on the other side of the fence.
(CONTINUED)
101.
CONTINUED:
NEEDY (CONT'D)
I'm coming!
She flings herself over the top of the fence, her body
slamming against the concrete pool deck. Her ARM snaps.
It's a compound fracture, the bone thrusting through the
flesh of her arm as she screams.
INT. MURPHY POOL - CONTINUOUS
Needy staggers toward the pool, which is surrounded by an
extraterrestrial glow. Chip's moaning is almost
unbearable. Needy stares into the abyss and claps her
hands over her mouth.
Jennifer is waist deep in the DIRTY WATER, flinging Chip
against the wall like a rag doll. He's still conscious,
but his skin on his chest has been RIPPED OFF to expose
his ribs. Jennifer is CHEWING happily.
Chip looks at Needy, his face a mask of agony.
CHIP
(MOUTHING)
Needy!
NEEDY
Holy crap!
Jennifer begins gnawing on Chip's neck, so engaged in the
task that she doesn't notice Needy.
Needy climbs up on the diving board and crosses herself.
NEEDY (CONT'D)
Saint Jude, patron saint of
hopeless causes: Please give me
the power to crush this bitch.
Jennifer looks up with demonic, bloodshot eyes just as
Needy leaps off the diving board.
Needy lands on Jennifer's shoulders, taking her out. She
wraps her legs around Jennifer's neck and drags her under
the water.
Jennifer emerges. Needy grabs her by the hair and girly-
slaps her furiously across the face. Then she spots the
PEPPER SPRAY lying by the side of the pool. She grabs it
and sprays it in Jennifer's eyes. Jennifer shrieks and
vomits NASTY, SPINY GORE all over Needy and Chip.
(CONTINUED)
102.
CONTINUED:
JENNIFER
Fuck this J.V. shit!
Jennifer ROCKETS straight up into the air like a goddess,
hovering ten feet above the pool. Her eyes burn. Her skin
is corpselike. She's drenched from head to toe in the
prickly ooze.
CHIP
(CROAKING)
She can fly?
NEEDY
She's just hovering, CHIP. It's
not that impressive.
Jennifer speaks in a metallic, demonic-sounding voice.
JENNIFER
God, do you have to undermine
everything I do? You're such a
player-hater.
Needy glares at Jennifer, surprisingly fearless.
NEEDY
You're a jerk.
JENNIFER
Nice insult, Lizzie McGuire. Got
any more harsh digs?
NEEDY
You know what? You were never a
good friend. Ever. Even when we
were little. You used to steal my
toys and pour lemonade on my bed
and make me be Ugly Ashley when we
played Barbies!
JENNIFER
And now I'm eating your boyfriend!
See? At least I'm consistent.
NEEDY
Why do you need him? Huh?
She begins to weep.
NEEDY (CONT'D)
(SOBBING)
Why do you need the one guy who's
ever liked me? You can have
anyone, Jennifer!
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
103.
CONTINUED: (2)
NEEDY (CONT'D)
The cutest guy in school. The
mailman. A teacher. You could
probably even have a huge star
like Chad Michael Murray. So why
Chip? Why him? Is it just to piss
me off? Or is it because you're
insecure?
Jennifer floats in midair toward the pool deck and drifts
down, landing on her feet. Needy crawls out of the pool
and faces her down.
JENNIFER
I am not insecure. God, what a
joke! How could I be insecure? I
was the Snowflake Queen!
NEEDY
Yeah, two years ago. When you were
socially relevant.
JENNIFER
I AM STILL SOCIALLY RELEVANT!
NEEDY
You were skinny then, too!
A look of ABJECT HORROR on Jennifer's face. She reels
back against the chain link fence, her eyes blazing.
JENNIFER
I'm gonna eat your soul and shit
it out, Lesnicki.
Her voice is now an unearthly growl. In the background,
Chip is slowly, painfully pulling a POOL SKIMMER with an
eight-foot handle off the pool deck.
NEEDY
(TREMBLING)
I thought you only murdered boys.
JENNIFER
I go both ways.
She HURTLES herself toward Needy, roaring, her eyes white-
hot, her jaws agape. She's monstrous.
Chip suddenly stumbles in front of Needy and holds the
HANDLE of the POOL SKIMMER in front of them like a spear.
As Jennifer flies forward at demonic speed, she IMPALES
HER ENTIRE TORSO on the handle.
Needy screams. There's a beat of deafening silence.
(CONTINUED)
104.
CONTINUED: (3)
Chip collapses on the pool deck.
Jennifer rises uncertainly to her feet, "shishkebabbed"
on the giant skimmer. With effort, she pulls the handle
out of her body in several stages.
JENNIFER (CONT'D)
Ow-Ow-Ow.
Needy watches, and realizes Jennifer is injured. Blood
drips onto the pool deck.
NEEDY
(SURPRISED)
We hurt you...
Blood trickles out of Jennifer's wound. She tries to plug
the hole with her hand.
JENNIFER
Got a tampon?
Needy shakes her head mutely.
JENNIFER (CONT'D)
Thought I'd ask. You seemed like
you might be pluggin'.
She begins to climb the fence, wincing in pain, then
glances over her shoulder at Needy and Chip.
NEEDY
Where are you going?
JENNIFER
Fuck this noise. I'm out. You
losers are more trouble then
you're worth.
She continues climbing.
NEEDY
(EMOTIONAL)
Why give up now? He's almost dead!
Get your bulimic ass back here and
kill us both!
JENNIFER
Nah. I mean, you say I've been a
bad friend all these years. I
might as well throw you a bone.
(CONTINUED)
105.
CONTINUED: (4)
She smirks and jumps over the fence, stumbling off into
the distance. Needy watches her, her eyes narrowing with
hate.
Once Jennifer has disappeared, Needy turns her attention
to Chip, who is barely alive. She stares in horror at his
torn arm and exposed ribs, then falls to her knees over
his body.
NEEDY
Oh, Chip!
CHIP
Needy. You saved me.
NEEDY
I'm gonna call for help.
She reaches into Chip's pocket and pulls out his beat-up
cell phone. She wipes off the prickly ooze with her hand.
CHIP
Oh no, I'm out of minutes!
NEEDY
I think 911 is always a free call.
CHIP
Oh yeah. You're right.
Needy dials to no avail. The phone is hopelessly clogged
with ooze. She knocks it against the deck.
NEEDY
It's not working. It's full of
Jennifer-goo.
Chip begins gagging and coughing. He rolls onto his back,
his eyelids fluttering.
CHIP
(FAINTLY)
Hey, I'm going somewhere...
NEEDY
No! You're not going anywhere!
CHIP
I'm toast, Needy. I'm definitely
gonna die. I think I already died
before you were here, but I woke
up when I heard your voice.
(CONTINUED)
106.
CONTINUED: (5)
NEEDY
I love you.
CHIP
Yeah me too. And you look hot in
that dress.
NEEDY
You're clearly delirious.
CHIP
No. When you're dying, you can see
everything a lot clearer. You can
see what's true and what's not.
The things that are true have this
glowing halo of light around them,
like a picture of the Baby Jesus,
or Barbara Walters when they use
the special lens. And I know for
sure that you're totally hot.
Needy begins to sob hoarsely.
CHIP (CONT'D)
You'd better get out of here. The
police are going to come and I
don't want them to, you know, make
a mistake.
NEEDY
I'm never leaving.
CHIP
But I have to go.
NEEDY
No!
Chip's eyes close. His face relaxes. He's gone.
Needy wails at the top of her lungs. She rests her head
against his mutilated chest, oblivious to the blood and
bone.
INT. DEVIL'S KETTLE HIGH GYMNASIUM - NIGHT
The dance is in full swing and students are slow-dancing.
Girls rest their heads against boys' chests, only under
far less macabre circumstances than Needy and CHIP's
deathbed tableau.
Soft Shoulder are still playing onstage, their guitars
chiming melodically.
(CONTINUED)
107.
CONTINUED:
The bass player, Dirk, turns toward Nikolai Wolf.
DIRK
This sucks old-man balls.
NIKOLAI
Shut up. It's good PR.
He accidentally speaks into the mic, attracting unwanted
stares from the kids.
NIKOLAI (CONT'D)
(to audience)
I said, it's so good to be here!
The students cheer approvingly, their faces bright and
hopeful.
Nikolai bares his teeth in a frighteningly fake smile.
EXT. C0RVALLIS HIGH CAMPUS- CONTINUOUS
Illuminated by lamp light, Needy limps toward the gym
entrance. She's completely covered in demon-goo. Her face
is bloody, her hair is full of blood and guts, and her
BROKEN ARM looks gruesome.
In the background, yet another oblivious COUPLE are
making out.
Needy stops to stare at them, her gaze calm but obviously
insane. They break apart and stare back at her.
GIRL
What are you looking at, Clumpy?
NEEDY
(QUIETLY)
Just watching your old man try to
suck the ugly off your face.
GUY
What did you say?
Needy bends over, casually holds one nostril closed, and
does a "farmer blow." A bloody clot flies out of her
nose.
The guy takes a good look at Needy and blinks, startled.
GUY (CONT'D)
Are you supposed to be Goth or
something?
(CONTINUED)
108.
CONTINUED:
NEEDY
Did you know the original Goths
were a Germanic tribe that settled
in Rome? They didn't wear black.
They wore regular linen tunics. I
don't know why nobody else knows
that.
The couple have already resumed making out.
Needy rolls her eyes, turns away, and continues limping
into the gym.
INT. GYM - CONTINUOUS
Needy enters the gym and slams the door shut behind her.
People ignore her as she slowly walks toward the stage.
They're too busy slow dancing and laughing in their
respective cliques.
She looks up at the stage, where Soft Shoulder are
playing an insufferably long coda.
Nikolai noodles through a guitar solo, then looks up and
sees Needy looking directly at him, her eyes full of
hate.
Nikolai gulps nervously and elbows Dirk.
Needy points to her eyes with two fingers, then points at
Nikolai, as if to say, Gotcha. She looks completely
possessed.
NIKOLAI
(to Dirk)
We gotta get out of here.
DIRK
Why?
NIKOLAI
I think this girl's flipping out.
DIRK
What could she do to us?
NIKOLAI
Look at her.
Dirk takes one look at Needy's face and takes off his
guitar. Nikolai motions for the rest of the band to leave
the stage. The music stops abruptly. The kids in the gym
murmur and complain, confused.
(CONTINUED)
109.
CONTINUED:
Needy tries to follow them. She limps blindly toward the
stage and climbs up. Everyone watches, gasping in horror.
By now the band is disappearing out the side door of the
gym.
NEEDY
(into the mic)
You didn't play your hit yet.
But they're gone.
Needy looks out at her classmates. They stare back. She
PASSES OUT COLD.
INT. CHIP'S STREET - MORNING (TO ESTABLISH)
NEEDY V.O.
They found Chip the following
morning. The police couldn't find
an explanation for the "substance"
in the pool, so they chose not to
mention it to the press. In fact,
they treated the whole incident
like a bad dream.
INT. CHIP'S HOUSE (LIVING ROOM) - MORNING
We see the POLICE (including newly minted officer ROMAN
DUDA) informing Chip's mother that his body has been
found. She collapses onto the floor, curling up into the
fetal position.
NEEDY
Trouble was, some of us would
never wake up.
INT. NEEDY'S BEDROOM - DAY
Needy is lying in bed, shaking, her arm in a cast. Her
mother tries to rouse her.
NEEDY V.O.
I never went back to school after
that. Didn't talk much either. My
mom bought some books so she could
teach me at home like crazy
Christians with 14 kids do. But I
wasn't a very cooperative student.
Needy pulls the covers over her head.
(CONTINUED)
110.
CONTINUED:
Toni shrugs, resigned, and tosses the book on the floor.
EXT. JENNIFER'S HOUSE - NIGHT
Needy is crouched outside Jennifer's window, hiding in
the shrubbery. She looks almost feral, with wide eyes and
a hungry expression.
Through the window, we see Jennifer sitting at a vanity
and combing her hair, oblivious to the intruder in her
yard.
NEEDY V.O.
What nobody realized was that I
was doing a different kind of
homework. I was watching her every
night. Waiting.
We see Jennifer putting the comb down and examining her
hair with a appraising eye.
NEEDY V.O. (CONT'D)
Waiting for her to get weak and
dull. Waiting for her to burn
through the life-force she'd
stolen from Chip.
Needy creeps away from the window.
NEEDY V.O. (CONT'D)
It took weeks, but I finally made
my move. Remember?
EXT. JENNIFER'S HOUSE - NIGHT
We're seeing a FLASHBACK of the night Needy slaughtered
Jennifer.
Needy plunging through the window. Jennifer thrashing.
The blood. The struggle. The levitation. The arrival of
the police.
NEEDY V.O.
Even in her last moments of life,
she somehow managed to be cooler
than me.
We see, for a moment, Jennifer's sly, challenging smile
as Needy raises the boxcutter to slash her. That
signature look of mastery and control.
(CONTINUED)
111.
CONTINUED:
NEEDY
She left an insanely hot corpse.
We see Jennifer's mother holding her again, screaming,
though all we hear is SILENCE and STATIC. Sure enough,
Jennifer's bleeding body seems to be artfully, sensually
draped in her mother's arms. She almost seems to be
SMIRKING at us.
INT. "THE HOLE" - NIGHT
We're back in solitary confinement, where Needy has been
narrating the whole sordid tale. She hasn't moved a
muscle since beginning her story. Only a single shaft of
moonlight illuminates the room.
An orderly shoves DINNER through a slot in the door. It's
a pile of mystery meat. Needy wrinkes her nose.
NEEDY V.O.
I don't even know who Needy
Lesnicki is anymore. I'm a
different person now. A person who
uses curse words and kicks
orderlies and and sees things that
aren't there. A very bad, very
damaged person.
Needy reaches up and distractedly pulls back the neckline
of her shirt...
NEEDY V.O. (CONT'D)
But sometimes, change can be good.
For instance, most occult scholars
don't know this, but if you're
bitten by a demon--and you live--
you just might absorb some of the
demon's abilities.
In the moonlight, we see Needy still has a infected-
looking BITEMARK near her shoulder. She scratches it,
wincing.
NEEDY V.O. (CONT'D)
You just might get lucky for once
in your miserable life.
PULL BACK to reveal that Needy, still cross-legged is
HOVERING five feet off the floor. Effortlessly.
With visible concentration, she slowly flies up toward a
narrow WINDOW positioned up near the ceiling. To anyone
with normal abilities, it would be impossible to access.
(CONTINUED)
112.
CONTINUED:
Needy reaches the window, gazes at it for a moment, then
SMASHES it with surprising strength.
EXT. LEECH LAKE HOSPITAL - FIVE MINUTES LATER
Needy strolls across the grounds in her bunny slippers.
She heads confidently toward the SECURITY FENCE and
passes through it after casually mangling the bars. Only
a Needy-shaped hole remains.
EXT. COUNTY ROAD 9 - TEN MINUTES LATER
Needy is striding purposefully down a dark country road.
The hospital recedes in the background.
A few RACCOONS gather by the side of the road, watching
Needy as she walks past.
A PICKUP TRUCK whizzes by with its windows rolled down.
"Through the Trees" blasts from the radio.
Needy begins to sing, a lopsided grin on her face.
NEEDY
(SINGING)
"Through the trees, I will find
you. Heal the ruins left inside
you..."
EXT. MURPHY POOL - NIGHT
Devil's Kettle citizens are gathered around Murphy Pool,
crying. It's a CANDLELIGHT MEMORIAL for Chip. Their faces
are weary and sorrowful. Photos of Chip have been
arranged around the edge of the fence. We see a picture
of CHIP AND NEEDY on the end.
Someone has brought a CD player, and the mourners sing
along, their voices soaring.
VIGIL ATTENDEES
(SINGING)
"...And the stars will remind you,
we'll meet again..."
EXT. COUNTY ROAD 9 - CONTINUOUS
Needy holds her thumb aloft as she walks down the remote
country highway.
(CONTINUED)
113.
CONTINUED:
NEEDY
(SINGING)
"...We'll meet again."
A small creek emptying into a stream runs parallel to the
road. Needy seems something glinting at the mouth of the
creek and stoops to pick it up. It's Nikolai's BOWIE
KNIFE, the one he threw into Devil's Kettle, never to be
seen again.
Needy picks it up and tucks it into her waistband.
A STATION WAGON comes rattling up the road. Needy sticks
her thumb out again.
The wagon pulls over to the side of the road. The driver,
a grizzled older man, rolls down the window. He eyes
Needy lasciviously.
OLD MAN
Where you looking to go, young
lady?
NEEDY
East, toward Madison.
OLD MAN
East, huh? Guess I'm headed that
way. But I'm gonna need you to pay
me in ass, gas or grass. Got that?
No free rides in this wagon.
NEEDY
I don't have any money or drugs,
so you'll have to settle for ass.
OLD MAN
Fair enough. Hop in my chariot.
Needy gratefully hurries into the driver's seat.
OLD MAN (CONT'D)
So why you headed East?
NEEDY
I'm following this rock band.
OLD MAN
Huh. Must be a hell of a group.
NEEDY
Tonight's gonna be their last
show.
(CONTINUED)
114.
CONTINUED: (2)
Needy smiles blithely and pops the clear Lifesaver into
her mouth.
The station wagon pulls off. As it sputters off into the
distance, we see a road sign that reads, ironically, SOFT
SHOULDER.
We hear the song on the radio end, segueing into the DJ's
bumper.
RADIO DJ
What a song. Thought we'd play
that one in honor of Soft
Shoulder. They're playing in
Madison tonight. Should be a night
to remember...
The DJ's voice fades out as the car vanishes into the
horizon.
THE END
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