HORRORWOOD Screenplay by Jared Battaglia

EXT. SANTA MIRA, CALIFORNIA - ESTABLISHING GOD SHOT sweep across this sleepy seaside resort community, known as the shooting locale used for some of cinema’s most iconic horror movies. EXT. SANTA MIRA - AERIAL VIEW Gothic cemetery. Historic lighthouse. Tree-lined streets and white picket fences crying out for John Carpenter. EXT. SANTA MIRA - MAIN STREET - LATE DAY Locals have cashed in on their “Terror Town, USA” moniker. But any air of creepiness is only for the cameras. U.S. News & World Report named it one of the safest places to live in the country. That is until recently... EXT. SANTA MIRA BAY - MAGIC HOUR A spellbinding sunset off the coast. The last rays of light glitter like diamonds across the calm sea. As we drift towards a CRUISER BOAT anchored near shore. Music from a portable pill-shaped speaker on deck sets the mood. Splash! TWO BODIES leap into the misty water and disappear below. An UNDERWATER POV SHOT captures their silhouettes gliding above. Another presence whose eyes we’re seeing this through. The camera rises up towards them. But before we can get any closer, the swimmers flutter kick to the boat’s ladder and break the surface, climbing out of the water. EXT. CRUISER BOAT - MOMENTS LATER Two aesthetically gifted high school sweethearts get back on the boat dripping wet. PEYTON FAIRCHILD, 17, the town’s two-time Miss Coral Queen beauty pageant winner, squeals with delight - PEYTON Can’t believe you talked me into that!

2. She’s whip smart, level-headed, and kind (as long as she gets what she wants). Everything her longtime boyfriend CRAIG GRIMSBY, 17, loves about her. CRAIG Only live once, right? Craig gives her a charming smile, a promising baseball star born with a ten-minute head start. PEYTON Unless you’re in that Levi Danforth movie where they bring the cheerleader back from the dead. CRAIG You know I don’t watch his movies. PEYTON Neither do I. This kid I babysat for made me see it. His house was featured in the movie years before his parents bought the place. They grab towels and dry off. Craig stares out at the picturesque town in the distance nestled beside the harbor. CRAIG Our families have been in this town since its founding. We’re a part of a legacy that stretches back way before that creepy horror director came here to shoot all his weirdo monster movies. A divisive topic around here that Craig is none too keen on. Peyton gazes at him in the dim moonlight, wind blowing through her hair amidst the gently swaying waves. PEYTON It’s almost like fate brought us together. CRAIG I’ve thought a lot about that lately. It’s why I wanted to ask -- Craig gets down on one knee. He pops open a pendant box. Reveals a birthstone necklace inside. PEYTON Craig... 2.

3. Peyton covers her mouth, touched. Craig stares up at her, like she’s the only girl in the world. CRAIG Peyton Fairchild, I’ve loved you since Pre-K, will you go to Formal with me? Peyton smiles brightly. PEYTON Yes! Craig rises back up to his feet, drapes the necklace on her. An electric kiss. He takes her hand in his. CRAIG Best promposal ever? PEYTON Fully. Just feels right. With you, it always feels right. Peyton studies the necklace, admiring the birthstone. PEYTON (CONT’D) And this necklace feels right too. She smiles, flashes her eyebrows. CRAIG Family heirloom. Like you, it’ll never go out of style. Now let’s pop open the bubbles and celebrate. He turns to open a chilled bottle of champagne from a stainless steel bucket on a table. Peyton SCREAMS. Blood splashes Craig’s face. WTF! He flips back around. An eerie silence. Peyton has vanished. Only a smear of blood on the deck remains. Craig jolts, arms outstretched in shock -- CRAIG (CONT’D) No! PUKES over the side of the boat. Close on Craig’s horror- struck face. SEES something in the water off-camera. Then, releases an unearthly wail... 3.

4. The fog begins to recede. The sea is still. Tilt up to a FULL MOON. His terrified screams growing faint. SLAM TO: TITLE CARD: HORRORWOOD EXT. WILDERNESS BOARDING SCHOOL - OBSTACLE COURSE - DAY JULIE LAWSON, 17, fierce-eyed with a magnetic intensity, caps off her school year on a grueling obstacle course. QUICK SHOTS: She scales a wall. Climbs a rope. Carries a bucket filled with rocks. Crawls under barbed wire. Julie hurries across the finish line and takes first-place. STUDENTS cheer for her. Everyone team piles her in victory. After the race, Julie is surprised to see her mother MOLLY LAWSON, 40s, free-spirited and offbeat — pretty but hard done by life — standing in the wings with a SCHOOL OFFICIAL. The look on her face says it all. She comes bearing bad news. JULIE (PRE-LAP) It doesn’t make sense. EXT. CANYON COUNTRY - LATE DAY An old VW Rabbit chugs past a SANTA MIRA city limits sign. INT. VW RABBIT - (TRAVELING) Molly drives. Julie is in the passenger seat — depressed, dark circles under her eyes. MOLLY We’re all in shock, Julie. JULIE I want to kill Craig. MOLLY The police haven’t arrested him. They don’t know for sure he did it. JULIE She was my best friend. I couldn’t protect her because you sent me away. 4.

5. Julie darkens. Molly keeps her hands steady on the wheel. MOLLY You punched my fiancé in the face. Sending you to wilderness boarding school was the only way to keep him from pressing charges. JULIE Doug was drunk and screaming at Tessa like a maniac. MOLLY Well, he’s gone now. We broke up for good this time. JULIE Smart move. How is she? MOLLY Tessa’s been good. Trying really hard in school. But misses you. Rugged canyons soon give way to a charming historic town. EXT. MAIN STREET - SANTA MIRA Molly stops at a red light in front of a refurbished 1920s single-screen theater playing all-day Midnight Horror Movies. The main drag is alive with people. There’s a zombie-themed burger joint, vampire wine bar, Edgar Allen Poe-inspired brewery, and spooky coffee shops. INT. VW RABBIT - CONTINUOUS Molly navigates through a sudden bike swarm. All the cyclists are dressed in costumes that evoke horror movie vibes. JULIE This place is a lot more active than usual. Julie takes it all in. Molly nods. MOLLY We’ve been getting a lot more tourists at work. They all want to film themselves at the diner since it’s been in so many different horror movies. I’m not complaining though, it’s good for business. 5.

6. JULIE And thanks to Craig, we now have real horror in Santa Mira. MOLLY Tessa and I are here for you. No matter what. She reaches over and takes her daughter’s hand. MOLLY (CONT’D) Let’s start a new chapter, okay? JULIE Fine. Then, Molly turns off Main Street, driving up a winding road. JULIE (CONT’D) But this isn’t the way home. Julie stares out the window. Molly tenses. MOLLY (blurts out) I lost the house! She nearly comes undone. Julie looks at her mom, shocked. JULIE What? MOLLY Doug had me invest in a meme coin. It tanked. I lost everything. I fell behind on my mortgage and the bank foreclosed on me. (then) I’m so sorry. I’ve never been the smart and sensible type like you. That’s why I need you back home. Julie absorbs the blow. JULIE Are we like, homeless now? MOLLY No, I made an arrangement. Julie raises an eyebrow. JULIE What kind of arrangement? 6.

7. MOLLY Just have an open mind... EXT. DANFORTH MANOR - ESTABLISHING Molly turns onto a quiet street. She pulls into a long uphill driveway outside a stately yet peculiar Queen Anne Revival- style Victorian mansion with a gabled rooftop. She parks. Zoom in on a broken old time-y sign that reads “The Danforth Manor of All Horrors.” Julie arches an eyebrow. JULIE Danforth Manor? MOLLY Levi Danforth died a few months ago. He was older, had some illness. But his son Ethan’s your age. He started coming into the diner. And we got to know each other. A nonplussed Julie gets out with her bag, eyeballs the sprawling yet dilapidated pad. The kind of place where curses and monsters could lurk. JULIE So, you’re renting some rooms for us here? MOLLY We have our own place, it’s the carriage house in the back. She gestures to a misshapen converted CARRIAGE HOUSE tucked beneath spindly trees that looks like it’s from a twisted Grimms’ fairy tale. JULIE Looks homey, I guess. MOLLY He’s not charging us rent. Julie looks at her mom funny. JULIE How does that work? 7.

8. MOLLY I agreed to be his legal guardian, until he turns eighteen. So, Ethan doesn’t have to leave his house. JULIE That’s crazy. MOLLY He didn’t have anyone else besides his dad. What was I supposed to do? Ethan made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. Julie’s easy going and upbeat younger sister TESSA LAWSON, 15, comes out from the Carriage House to meet them. TESSA Hey Jules, good to see you. Despite the shitty circumstances. Tessa goes over and gives her a hug. She’s got a sunny disposition. Julie holds her close. JULIE Still can’t wrap my head around it. She wipes a tear away. MOLLY None of us can. TESSA But glad you’re back home. JULIE I can’t believe you guys are living at Danforth Manor of All Horrors. Julie regards the visually striking property, heavily influenced by Hammer Horror and German Expressionism. TESSA The Carriage House is super cute inside. JULIE (lowers her voice) Doesn’t change the fact that Ethan Danforth has a reputation for being a bit off. TESSA Slightly off-kilter maybe. 8.

9. MOLLY He’s the son of a famous horror movie director, what did you expect, Julie? JULIE This just feels wrong. TESSA I was skeptical too. People always start rumors about home schooled kids. But then I got to know him. MOLLY He’s like a breath of fresh air. Come on, we’ll show you the place. Molly and Tessa lead her back to -- INT. CARRIAGE HOUSE - CONTINUOUS Molly and Tessa throw open the barn doors. A mix-and-match of clever horror decor and modern amenities. TESSA Pretty cool, right? Julie puts her bag down, takes a look around. JULIE Not bad. She clocks oddball curiosities in jars of formaldehyde, skull throw pillows on a Elvira-style red couch, a draped lamp shade, dragon wall sconce, owl bookends on a shelf, etc. MOLLY You can take the loft. All your stuff is up there. Molly motions up to a cozy loft space above with a double bed under exposed beams. JULIE Have you told Ethan I’m back? MOLLY Not yet. Why don’t you introduce them, Tessa? TESSA Sure. 9.

10. EXT. DANFORTH MANOR - NIGHT Julie follows Tessa towards the front wing of the Main House. They head up a set of creaky steps. Tessa rings the bell. Triggers an SFX scream. Julie isn’t amused. But Tessa is. The sisters wait a beat. No answer. JULIE Maybe, he’s not home? TESSA He’s always home. Tessa tries the door. Squeaks open. INT. DANFORTH MANOR - FOYER Julie and Tessa step inside, glance around. A spider web Tiffany stained-glass window hangs above a grand staircase. Tessa closes the door behind them. TESSA (calls out) Ethan? Dead silence. Julie follows Tessa down a hallway lined with dark and twisted Baroque horror paintings on blood-red walls. TESSA (CONT’D) He’s usually in the study working on one of his shorts. They pass an open window. Black curtains billow in the wind. INT. DANFORTH MANOR - GOTHIC STUDY The door opens. Julie and Tessa walk in, glance around at their nightmarish surroundings. Feels like they’ve just stepped into a living, breathing phantasmagoria. TESSA Ethan? You in here? There’s a whimsical Medieval desk with a high-back red velvet chair. Tufted leather Victorian sofa. Gory props and meticulously sculpted maquettes of horrific monsters from Levi Danforth films perch on the shelves, alongside stacks of tattered old school EC horror comics. 10.

11. The book cases are packed with centuries-old occult tomes, first-edition science fiction, horror, and fantasy novels, next to a diverse collection of eye-popping oddities. JULIE Let’s just go. The DOOR SLAMS shut behind them. They flip around. JULIE (CONT’D) What the hell. Julie tries the door. It locked. TESSA That’s strange. JULIE Is this Ethan’s idea of a joke? TESSA No, the place is just really old. Probably the wind. JULIE He better not come out and start chasing us with a revving chainsaw raised over his head. TESSA He won’t. Ethan’s not like that. Tessa cracks a smile. She goes over and tries the door again. But it doesn’t budge. Julie gets an idea. JULIE Maybe, one of these bookcases isn’t what it seems? That’s how this is supposed to work, right? She pushes her hands against one of the shelves with a bust of H.P. Lovecraft on it. Nothing. Losing patience, Julie tries her luck again. Still, no dice. TESSA Lemme try Ethan’s cell. Tessa pulls out her phone, leans against a bookshelf. Suddenly moves. Julie and Tessa exchange a look. JULIE Like I said... 11.

12. TESSA C’mon, help me with this. Julie joins her, pushing their bodies against the bookcase door, which slowly turns and leads into: INT. SECRET CORRIDOR - CONTINUOUS Julie follows Tessa down a dark labyrinthine hidden passageway, ducking through a gauntlet of cobwebs. JULIE This where he hides the bodies? TESSA The house has all these secret passageways. They were used to keep the help out of sight back in the day. Julie scoffs. JULIE Typical classism bullshit. Can you just try Ethan on your phone? Tessa dials, growing frustrated. TESSA It’s going straight to voicemail. They turn a corner. Light creeps from under a doorway ahead. A LOUD CRASH is heard. Followed by a cry of agony. JULIE (goes cold) What was that? TESSA (alarmed) Sounded like a chandelier fell. JULIE On someone. Tessa rushes ahead, fearing the worst. INT. DANFORTH MANOR - DINING ROOM The door flies open. Julie and Tessa SCREAM, stunned to see a bloody mess. CRASH-ZOOM on a fallen ornate chandelier, next to an overturned ladder. They hear a whimper. 12.

13. TESSA Ethan! Underneath is ETHAN DANFORTH, 16, preternaturally handsome with unkept hair, in a dapper vintage suit. He writhes in pain, desperately holding onto a rope of bloody intestines spilling out from his stomach. ETHAN (gasping for breath) Bulb blew out. Got up on the ladder to fix it, next thing I know... He tilts his head, regards his horrific injury. Julie stands in stunned horror. Tessa tries to stay calm. TESSA Ethan, you’re in shock. We’re gonna get help. ETHAN (weakly) I don’t know if I’ll make it. Ethan coughs up blood. Tessa kneels next to him. TESSA Don’t say that! Julie, call 911! She looks back pleadingly at Julie. Tears fill her eyes. Julie pulls out her phone. About to dial - ETHAN (sotto) Or don’t cause calling 911 for a non-emergency is frowned upon. On Julie, realizing. He reaches into his pocket, pulls out a remote. The chandelier rises up off him, back to the ceiling. JULIE Gotta be kidding me. Ethan pops up, hits another button on the remote. The loud chandelier crash SFX re-plays from an overhead speaker. He removes his disturbingly realistic DIY “intestines” shirt. ETHAN (to Julie) I’m Ethan by the way. I don’t think we’ve ever officially met. Tessa tries to contain laughter. 13.

14. TESSA Should’ve seen your face. It was worth the price of admission alone. JULIE Sorry, I’ve developed an aversion towards all things macabre after my best friend since childhood’s torso just washed up on the beach. Julie starts to walk out, livid. Tessa stops her, realizing the poor timing of the prank. TESSA Forgive us, Ethan’s just been designing escape rooms to add to the Danforth Manor experience for when it opens back up to the public. ETHAN Know it’s a little “elevated” but I’m really into immersive horror. Had these fake guts left over from a twenty-four hour short film challenge, I couldn’t resist. JULIE Glad you could get a second use out of them. ETHAN I’m sorry about your friend. JULIE So am I. Julie leaves the house, frustrated. INT. CARRIAGE HOUSE - CONTINUOUS Julie enters. Tessa closes the door behind them. Molly pops up from reading a magazine on the couch. MOLLY How’d it go? TESSA Not great. Ethan pulled a prank. MOLLY Yeah, he does that. 14.

15. Julie folds her arms. JULIE People say Ethan’s unstable. This isn’t a good idea. TESSA They don’t know anything about him. The Ethan we’ve gotten to know is intelligent, fun, and someone we trust. JULIE I hope you’re right. MOLLY Just give it a shot. PULL BACK to reveal an UNKNOWN POV watching the Carriage House from across the street. EXT. SANTA MIRA PIER - NIGHT A YOUNG MAN exits out the back of a darkened diner at the end of a lonely pier. He unlocks a BMX bike chained to a stand, hops on it, and starts pedaling down the pier. The pier lights ahead start blinking out. One by one like a countdown. A chill crawls down his spine. Vexed, he pedals the bike faster. And then, without warning, his body jerks upward. He’s yanked off the deck and disappears into the darkness. The bike tumbles with a clatter. The wheels spin wildly. EXT. CANYON RANCH - NIGHT Nestled in the rugged canyons, surrounded by twisted oak trees. A grizzled RANCHER feeds pellets to a gentle ALPACA behind a wooden fence. RANCHER There ya go. Nice girl. He takes a pull of whiskey from a tin flask. The alpaca’s ears perk up. A rustling sound is heard in the swaying trees ahead, stealing his attention away. 15.

16. RANCHER (CONT’D) (fired up) Not this time. The Rancher picks up a rusty shotgun resting against a post, stalks towards the woodlands beyond the property. EXT. CANYON FOREST - CONTINUOUS Gun at the ready. The Rancher’s head swivels, scanning the remote area. Eerily quiet. His heart beats fast. Finger massaging the trigger. The Rancher takes a step forward. Snap! A foothold trap clamps on his ankle. BANG! Fires a shot. Drops his shotgun. RANCHER Damn it! Blood trickles down his socks. Jagged bone protrudes from his snapped ankle. He leans over, howling in excruciating pain, while prying his foot free. Tosses the trap aside. Then, staggers over to retrieve his shotgun in the grass. But it’s vanished. He looks around, puzzled. Cocks his head. Suddenly, an UNSEEN MALEVOLENT FORCE sends him hurtling backwards. His throat is instantly impaled by a sharp piece of wood jutting out from a broken tree branch. Face frozen in silent terror. A stream of blood soaks the ground. EXT. CANYON FOREST - DAYBREAK SNEAKERS POUND across deep woods -- a JOGGER twists and turns her body through a maze of gnarled trees at a brisk pace. Determination on her face, doing everything she can to outrun an UNSEEN PURSUER. Sweat drips down her forehead. The Jogger rockets up a hilly incline with everything she’s got. JOGGER Can you at least try to keep up?! She grins, tosses a look back behind at her winded BOYFRIEND, doing his best not to keel over and die. BOYFRIEND (out of breath) I think we’re making good time. 16.

17. Amped up on endorphins, the Jogger checks the sleek wearable on her wrist. JOGGER My speed-tracker disagrees. Come on, I’m not losing the couples’ mud run this year. BOYFRIEND And I’m not letting you get attacked by a crazed killer on the loose. So let’s slow it down maybe? The Jogger rolls her eyes. JOGGER Please, I’d kick his ass. Like I just kicked yours. Groin strike! She throws a fake out punch to his crotch. He flinches, loses his footing and tumbles backwards, down a craggy slope. JOGGER (CONT’D) Baby?! He lands at the foot of the Rancher’s property. Releases a pained moan. She hurries down after him, goes to his side. JOGGER (CONT’D) Oh god, are you all right? He catches his breath. Smirks. BOYFRIEND Never a dull moment with you. They share a smile. The Jogger turns her head, something catches her eye ahead. She squints. JOGGER What’s that? As an image comes into focus: CRASH ZOOM ON the Rancher! His lifeless body hung like a sacrificial offering against a decaying tree. Puss-filled open soars on his legs. Maggots dripping from his mouth. The Jogger realizes what that is and SCREAMS her head off. EXT. CANYON FOREST - MORNING A FORENSICS TEAM gathers evidence at the grisly scene. 17.

18. SHERIFF DUKES, 40s, a by-the-book straight shooter, carefully maneuvers through the area. DEPUTY GARCIA (O.S.) You think it was an accident? DEPUTY GARCIA, 30s, joins his side and takes notes. She’s a rising star in the department. SHERIFF DUKES Maybe, maybe not. Either way, another dead body in Santa Mira is the last thing we need right now. He puts his hands on his hips, shakes his head. Stumped. INT. CARRIAGE HOUSE - LOFT An alarm clock goes off. Julie wakes up in bed. Notices a cardboard box Molly set aside for her by the bed labeled Julie’s Stuff. She opens it up. Inside is a random assortment of mementos, keepsakes, and a yearbook. Julie scans over pictures of her and Peyton. She then finds a turquoise dragonfly locket necklace inscribed with the message: “I love you to the moon & back” - Dad. Julie holds it tight, filled with emotion. INT. CARRIAGE HOUSE - BATHROOM Julie reaches for a towel, pulls open a Psycho splattered shower curtain and steps onto a bloody foot print bath mat. Her eyes flick to a copy of a glossy Santa Mira Magazine tucked in a silver rack. On the cover is CARRIE CALIGARI, 17, an ethereal beauty with high cheekbones, styled in a baby blue nightgown like Mia Farrow in Rosemary’s Baby, under the headline: “Unraveling the Mystique of Shiver.” INT. CARRIAGE HOUSE - KITCHEN Molly makes coffee, pulls a cutting knife from a voodoo doll knife block (triggers a cackling sound) and starts slicing up a juicy melon. She glances over her shoulder as Julie comes down the modular staircase. MOLLY Have some coffee and melon. 18.

19. Julie comes in, freshly-showered and dressed in funeral attire, flipping through Santa Mira Magazine. JULIE (confused) We have our own magazine now? Tessa heads over, steals a glance at the cover. TESSA It’s a bi-monthly. They cancelled The Santa Mira Herald. Julie regards the headline, as she pours herself coffee. JULIE What’s Shiver? TESSA This new modern lifestyle brand working out of the old warehouses by the wharf. MOLLY Definitely wasn’t on my Bingo card. TESSA All their high-end products are inspired by the aesthetic of horror films. Clothes, cursed accessories, and blood bath shower gel. MOLLY It’s not just a brand. They want you to live horror. They call it “bringing the nightmare home.” TESSA All part of the “experience.” Julie’s eyebrow raises, intrigued. JULIE Sounds about right for Santa Mira. TESSA Got a cult following already. Julie digests the revelation. JULIE And who’s Carrie? 19.

20. TESSA Shiver’s founder. She moved here with her parents and twin brother. They brought this whole new energy to Santa Mira. Julie studies the magazine cover, unsure how she feels. Molly grabs her keys from a tray. MOLLY Let’s go. We’re gonna be late. INT. VW RABBIT - (TRAVELING) Molly drives through town. Julie rides shotgun. Tessa is in the back. They see a GROUP OF TOURISTS in FOUNDERS PARK posing next to a bronze statue of Winged Thing, a goblin- faced monstrosity with an impressive wingspan from Levi Danforth’s cult horror classic Swoop. TESSA No one’s shot a horror movie on location here since Ethan’s dad retired and Beyond Pictures closed up shop, but Shiver’s got people talking about Santa Mira again. MOLLY And now with what happened to Peyton... JULIE Nothing like a real grisly murder to boost sales for our Terror Town, USA tourist trap branding. MOLLY Tell me about it, “the horror has now become real in Santa Mira” is the headline on all the news sites. TESSA None of it makes sense. Peyton and Craig were like the perfect couple. JULIE I should’ve seen the signs. Molly maneuvers through a roundabout. TWO ACTIVISTS in ghoul face paint pop up, holding homemade protest signs. 20.

21. GHOUL FACE 1 Don’t let the interlopers co-opt Santa Mira out of existence! GHOUL FACE 2 They’re stealing our culture! Julie gapes. JULIE What’s all that about? TESSA Not everyone’s a fan of Shiver around here. EXT. PIONEER CEMETERY - DAY An unapologetically Gothic cemetery. Mourners gather beneath a towering obelisk by a headstone. A MINISTER speaks. MINISTER Peyton Fairchild meant so much to so many. Julie, Tessa, and Molly stand among them, wiping tears away. MINSTER A promising young woman taken much too soon. She will be forever remembered for her compassionate nature and bright light... Julie detects a gaze on her. From the corner of her eye, she sees her reformed bad-boy ex, SHANE WEBSTER, 17. With his edgy good looks, neatly combed hair, and sharp, dark suit, he exudes an air of effortless cool. He gives Julie a slight nod. They watch Peyton’s casket lower into the ground. Then, her father NORIS FAIRCHILD, 40s, a physically imposing man, glares across the way as a haunted- looking Craig appears by a tree alone. NORIS (roars) Get him out of here! Craig heads over. Julie looks to Shane, unspoken code. CRAIG Please, I didn’t kill her. I would never hurt Peyton. 21.

22. Julie and Shane see a gaggle of REPORTERS mobilizing on the other side of the cemetery. The pair block Craig’s path before he can get any closer and usher him away. JULIE Not here, Craig. CRAIG You need to leave town. It’s not safe anymore. JULIE What happened on the boat, Craig? CRAIG No one’s gonna believe me. SHANE Let’s go take a walk, man. You shouldn’t be here. He starts guiding Craig away. Julie watches them go. Shane looks back at Julie regretful, still carries a torch for her. EXT. CANYON RANCH - DAY The CSI Team wraps up. Sheriff Dukes and Deputy Garcia make their way over to a RUSTIC BARN. DEPUTY GARCIA A neighbor said the Rancher had put in a few calls to Animal Control. Lost some livestock recently. Deputy Garcia checks her notes. SHERIFF DUKES I don’t think a mountain lion or coyotes did this... INT. RUSTIC BARN - DAY Sunlight creeps in. Sheriff Dukes enters, stares up at the darkened rafters. Deputy Garcia slides the door open behind him, illuminating the ruptured floor at their feet. SHERIFF DUKES Hell is this? They move inside, alarmed to see several dirt mounds surrounding a freshly dug trench a few feet wide in the middle of the barn. 22.

23. The Sheriff and Deputy peer below at a deep hole leading to what appears to be a shallow pool of strange goo. INT. VW RABBIT - (TRAVELING) Molly steers through the center of town. MOLLY That was unexpected. Julie rides in the passenger seat, her interaction with Shane and Craig still weighing on her mind. JULIE Tell me about it, I couldn’t believe Craig showed up. Tessa contemplates. TESSA You think there’s a chance he didn’t do it? JULIE Then, who did? MOLLY It’s always the boyfriend, Tessa. TESSA Maybe not this time. Didn’t seem like he killed her. He was scared. MOLLY Either way, I want you girls to be extra careful around town. JULIE We will. CUT TO: Guerilla-style TRACKING POV closes in on TWO YOUNG WOMEN, blood-soaked in vintage clothing, racing towards the edge of an ominous cornfield. One is armed with a rusty pitchfork. GIRL 1 Ginny, this isn’t him. He loves you. Always will. No matter what. GINNY clutches the pitchfork, determinedly. 23.

24. GINNY The seeds are out there and he’ll spread em’, if we don’t stop him -- A squash vine hurtles through the air like a grappling hook, skewers through Ginny’s chest. Instantly dispatches her. Girl 1 screams in horror. MUTANT SQUASH appears on screen in blood drip letters. Reveal, the Mondo-style movie clip is playing off an iPad. EXT. DANFORTH MANOR - FRONT WING - MATCH CUT Ethan puts together a light kit for a documentary interview setup on the front porch with his best pal and frequent collaborator PHAM, 16, a videographer with an unfiltered personality. Goes by her last name. PHAM Fans love to nerd out on Mutant Squash. Although, it’s intensely divided audiences for years. ETHAN Still, not my favorite. But impressive for the shoestring budget. PHAM Either way, there’s lots of renewed interest around his films. Movies before horror was made palatable and watered-down for the masses. ETHAN It does feel like he’s having a posthumous renaissance. She can tell he’s distracted. PHAM You okay? ETHAN Maybe our theories are starting to add up. I mean what if this place really is wicked as my dad’s writings suggest? PHAM You know I’ve felt dark energies here since I was a kid. 24.

25. ETHAN What are we supposed to do? Sit back and watch it all unfold like one of his horror movies until whatever it is comes for us? He unfolds a director’s chair embroidered with Levi Danforth. EXT. MAIN STREET - DAY A group of horror movie aficionados follow a goth-styled TOUR GUIDE down the sidewalk. He points out the sights: TOUR GUIDE That’s the pizza parlor where a small band of terrified citizens had to hole up in for most of Beyond Pictures’s drive-in theater hit The Ooze. Up ahead you’ll get to see Santa Mira’s Plaza Square which was the setting for the fictional town of Raven Crest’s July Fourth celebration that turns to chaos as the Ooze appears. Oohs/Aahs from the group. The Tour Guide leads them forward. TOUR GUIDE (CONT’D) Our tour will conclude with a visit to the bell tower from Deadly Idol where the possessed Father Agans uttered his famous line -- Waits for it... TOUR GROUP (all together) Hail Satan, you delicious sinners! TOUR GUIDE Before leaping to his death. Now don’t forget to geotag your photos with @DreadTours. Julie walks with Molly and Tessa. JULIE I’ve never seen this many tourists. TESSA There’s definitely been an uptick. We’re an essential destination now in all the travel magazines. 25.

26. Molly hands Julie her keys. MOLLY Take the car. You can pick us up after our shift. JULIE Okay, sounds good. EXT. FOUNDER’S COVE - DAY Shane bobs alone in the fog-wreathed water on a surfboard by a deserted beach. The swells are small and weak. FLASHBACK: He’s gathered with Julie, Peyton and Craig. They sit on the edge of an abandoned wooden boat by a bonfire. Music plays on a pill-shaped speaker. PEYTON I can’t wait ‘til high school is over. We can finally be free! Peyton gleefully throws her hands up. SHANE Nothing’s ever going to be the same again after we graduate, you guys realize that, right? He looks over at his friends, torn about the future. But Craig is not worried in the least -- CRAIG We can still do this every weekend. When you’re from a place like Santa Mira, there’s no reason to leave. PEYTON Not gonna lie. I like being a big fish in a small pond. CRAIG Hell yeah. PEYTON Except Julie has always wanted to abandon us and never look back. Peyton slings her arm over Julie, makes a pout face. JULIE Now I have no choice. 26.

27. PEYTON I hate that she’s sending you away. JULIE Won’t be forever... CUT: BACK TO PRESENT DAY: Shane snaps out of it. He stares back at the empty shoreline. Leftover crime scene tape ripples in the wind by a rocky alcove where Peyton’s body washed up. Then, he spots a FIGURE IN SHADOWS, appears out of focus, standing there. Watching him. An uneasy feeling. A wave hits seemingly out of nowhere. Whacks him. He fumbles then catches it, rides the wave in. Shane glances back over to where he saw the Stranger but they’ve now disappeared. A jarring moment. Odd. Then, he sees Julie coming down the wooden stairs built into the cliff face. Shane picks up his surf board, heads over to her as she approaches. SHANE Julie, good to see you again. JULIE I thought I might find you here. SHANE You know me pretty well. They share a smile. Julie takes in their surroundings. JULIE It’s so surreal. I can’t believe she’s gone. SHANE I know. I’m still having trouble processing it. JULIE At the cemetery, Craig seemed so sincere that he didn’t do it. I mean, maybe he’s just a total sociopath but it was convincing. 27.

28. SHANE We should be open to the possibility there’s more to what happened that night than what we’ve been told. Julie considers the statement. JULIE You think he’s innocent? SHANE We’ve known him for years, Julie. Craig’s not a killer. Julie gazes out at the water. JULIE I’ll probably be coming back to school in the fall. Maybe, we could catch up this summer? SHANE Yeah, I’d be into that. They hug. Reverse to reveal, an UNKNOWN POV observing. EXT. DANFORTH MANOR - FRONT PORCH REC: Ethan is in the director’s chair. Pham is behind the camera on a tripod. ETHAN If you loved all that behind the scenes footage from the making of Mutant Squash, subscribe for new videos every week. ‘Cause we got a lot more coming your way, this season on Fan Scare. Julie pulls the car into the driveway and steps out. Ethan’s interest piques. JULIE Hey guys, what are you up to? Ethan jumps up from his chair, eager to share. ETHAN We’re about to launch a new documentary series for horror fans. 28.

29. JULIE (trying to be civil) And no one does horror better than Santa Mira, right? ETHAN Yeah. I recently found a trove of footage from my Dad. Julie regards Pham. JULIE Not sure we’ve met, I’m Julie. PHAM We were in the same class. Probably don’t remember me. JULIE Sorry. PHAM Did you ever watch From the Depths They Came? JULIE Maybe, at some point. I don’t remember. Horror’s not my jam. ETHAN Even though your own father was plucked from obscurity right here in Santa Mira and went on to star in Headstone? JULIE His one and only horror film. Or film for that matter. Before he got up and left us. ETHAN I see how horror movies could be a sore subject for you. Julie won’t deny it. PHAM Check this scene out featured in From the Depths They Came. Pham picks up her tablet and plays a clip. The scene from said movie shows a YOUNG MAN on a sandy beach carrying his unconscious GIRLFRIEND towards the crashing ocean waves. 29.

30. ETHAN The golden boy of the town sacrifices his girlfriend to the sea at the behest of the Mer. JULIE The Mer? ETHAN At first glance you think they’re typical B-movie evil mermaids but it’s more subversive than that. PHAM They shoot retractable seaweed. They’re like their own thing. JULIE (skeptical) You think Craig sacrificed Peyton to the Mer? ETHAN We didn’t say that. PHAM We’ve been drawing some comparisons between recent occurrences around town and key scenes in Levi Danforth movies. JULIE Guess everyone needs a hobby. ETHAN Peyton’s death convinced us we may be on to something. JULIE Or you spend way too much time in the fantasy world of your dad’s films. PHAM You’ve seen the Danforth movie- obsessed freaks who hang around town, maybe it’s a copycat. JULIE Craig and Peyton were the only ones on that boat. 30.

31. ETHAN That’s what we’ve been told. But what if they weren’t? JULIE I don’t know. I’m not the police. PHAM But you want to know what really happened to your friend, right? JULIE I can’t do this right now. Julie heads off to the back house. INT. CARRIAGE HOUSE - SOON AFTER Julie enters. Closes the door behind her. Turns serious. She gets out her laptop. Opens it on the table. Types Shiver into a search engine. A minimalistic website pops up. Welcome message reads: Experience the unknown. She scans the high-end, horror-infused product listings over - - matte black sunglasses, candles, tableware, apparel, fragrances, beach towels, totes, bedding, and collectibles. Then, Julie opens another window. Keystrokes: Murder. Santa Mira. Crime. Hits the News -- Obituary and memorial pages on Peyton. Suggestions direct her to Ethan Danforth. She scrolls through the results: Pictures of Ethan as a kid at horror movie premieres. Mentions in tributes to his Dad. At the bottom of the page is a NEWS ARTICLE: Horror Movie King’s son taken into custody following domestic incident. Police were called to the scene. Off Julie, her worst fears coming true. INT. PIERVIEW DINER - LATE DAY The town’s OG greasy spoon known for classic hamburgers and malt shakes. (and yes, before you ask, it’s been featured in several horror movies). “Good food, good times” is scrawled on all the menus. MOLLY Can someone please get the lady at Table 2 more gravy for her chicken- fried steak?! 31.

32. Molly hurries for the kitchen. MOLLY (CONT’D) She’s threatening to Yelp us. Molly passes a group of fresh-faced TOURISTS packed in a booth at a window overlooking the bay. One plays a horror movie scene on his phone. YOUNG TOURIST Excuse me, ma’m, is this the same booth that the old guy was sitting in during From the Depths They Came when the seaweed tentacle crashed through the window? Molly stops. MOLLY (cheery) The one and only. She keeps moving. Julie enters. Tessa greets her. TESSA I’ll put in an order for your usual? Julie slides into an empty booth. JULIE Yeah, that’d be great. Thanks. Crash! Plates shatter on the floor. The Lawson women turn their attention to the kitchen. COOK (O.S.) Watch it kid! INT. PIERVIEW DINER - KITCHEN - CONTINUOUS THE COOK in a sweat-stained white t-shirt and a red snapback cap on, lashes out at a seemingly milquetoast bus boy named TUCKER, 17, who just knocked over a heavy tub of dishes. We recognize him as the young man on his bike. TUCKER Maybe, you should watch it... Tucker stares back at him. The Cook notices blood seeping from his fist. He holds the jagged edge of a broken plate. 32.

33. COOK (alarmed) Take it easy, Tucker. Tucker kicks the dishpan across the room, shoulder checks the Cook and SLAMS through the swinging doors. MOLLY Everything all right? He snarls. TUCKER Don’t worry about it. Tucker blows past her, but stares chillingly into Julie’s eyes on his way out. His gaze unnerves her. Fed up, the Cook shoots a hard look at Molly. COOK Either that punk goes or I do. MOLLY I’ll talk to him. The whole diner is in shock. Julie and Molly exchange a look. JULIE That was batshit. Suddenly, everyone gets a notification on their phones. YOUNG TOURIST Shiver’s doing a pop-up event later on the beach by Lifeguard Tower 13. Tessa heads over to Julie with a honey & brie grilled cheese. TESSA Do you want to go? Carrie comes in here with her brother Willard. JULIE (smiles slightly) Sure, why not? TESSA I think you’ll like them. They’re really... unique. JULIE I bet. Julie’s smile fades — a hidden agenda at play. 33.

34. EXT. PARKING LOT ABOVE FOUNDER'S COVE - LATE DAY Shane slides his surf board into a faded orange VW Camper Westfalia. The ghoul-faced activists from earlier head over to him. Most of their face paint is off. SIMONE (sly smile) Hey Shane, looking good out there. SIMONE SIMON, 16, tight braids and a glint of mischief in her eyes. Along with FREDDY SAWYER, 17, a stoner with a killer smile. Two local rabble rousers known for trouble. FREDDY Gonna hang out with us again now that your rich friends are either dead or going to jail? SHANE (keeps his cool) I’m not in the mood, Freddy. SIMONE We don’t hold a grudge that you ditched us after middle school. SHANE I didn’t ditch you. Running from the cops every weekend just got old. Shane gets in his van. Starts the engine. Drives off. SIMONE So sensitive. She cracks a laugh. Then scowls, noticing the SHIVER pop-up unfolding down at the beach by Lifeguard Tower 13. FREDDY Look at them commodifying our town’s horror movie heritage. SIMONE Screw Shiver! She stands over the overlook’s guardrail and throws up two middle fingers. FREDDY We need to run them out of town. 34.

35. SIMONE Let’s do it. My parents named me after Simone Simon, the actress from Cat People. Our horror fan roots run deep in Santa Mira. FREDDY (flashes his eyebrows) I got an idea... EXT. BEACHFRONT POP-UP - LATE DAY Julie and Tessa head towards a crowd gathered at an open-air sun-faded shipping container emblazoned with Bansky-style stencil that reads: RATED H FOR HORRIFIC. They look ahead at all the fresh cut black dahlia flowers, spookily arranged crudités, chocolate mousse eyeballs, bleeding heart martinis, and sinisterly garnished dry ice cocktails on chic tables. A DJ provides the beats. THE CALIGARI FAMILY hold court at center, among the guests and SCARY SAND SCULPTURES (creepy castles, skeletons, and monstrous faces emerging from the beach). TESSA (starstruck) That’s them... Julie follows her gaze towards CARRIE CALIGARI, 17, live and in the flesh. She confidently meets and greets through the crowd. Her debonair twin brother WILLARD, 17, by her side. CARRIE (on the sly) The turn out couldn’t be better. Willard gives her a clandestine look. WILLARD What’d you expect? This town is begging to be remade. Their entrepreneurial-spirited father BRAM CALIGARI, 40s, handsome, perfectly coiffed, and brimming with charm. BRAM Remember your manners, Willard. Willard shrugs. 35.

36. WILLARD Just pointing out the obvious. Santa Mira needed fresh blood. An enigmatic glimmer in his eye. Their elegant stepmother SAMARA, late-30s, slides up next to her husband. A bit of a cipher herself. SAMARA And we brought it to them. She gives him a knowing smile. BRAM We have big plans for this town. Now, why don’t you kids make some friends tonight? CARRIE (confident) Oh, we will. Carrie zeroes in on Julie and Tessa. WILLARD The waitress? You can’t be serious. She ignores him, heads over to them. Willard reluctantly follows her. CARRIE (all smiles) Tessa. I’m so glad you came. TESSA Wouldn’t miss it. This is my older sister Julie. Julie, this is Carrie and Willard. WILLARD Pleasure. They ad-lib hellos. Julie regards the spooky soiree. JULIE Shiver show’s up, and suddenly this place isn’t dead anymore. CARRIE (smiling) We’re excited to be leaning into the horror mystique of Santa Mira. Feels like a natural fit for us. 36.

37. WILLARD It’s become a horror travel destination for a lot of people. JULIE And, you work for your parents? CARRIE Shiver’s my pet project. I came up with the idea. Willard helped. My dad believed in it. Got us funding and helps runs the day-to-day with our stepmom Samara. JULIE (low-key) Wow. CARRIE But don’t get me wrong, I’m just a normal seventeen-year-old trying to get through high school. TESSA It’s impressive. JULIE Yeah. Carrie smiles warmly. CARRIE Thanks. WILLARD The world’s changing. Startup founders get younger and younger. TESSA I read about a nine-year-old who launched a game-based app that turns household chores into fun challenges. WILLARD Sounds awful. CARRIE We moved around a lot growing up. We can’t wait to put down roots here and stay awhile. WILLARD Santa Mira has potential. 37.

38. CARRIE Big fish, little pond. Right? Carrie winks at Julie. JULIE (unsettled) Right. BRAM (O.S.) Can I have everyone’s attention? The guests gather around Bram as he makes a speech. BRAM (CONT’D) We are incredibly fortunate to open Shiver’s headquarters in a town with such a undeniable history of scares on screen. SAMARA But horror isn’t just a genre anymore, it’s a culture. And we’re ready to be at the forefront of that. BRAM This is going to be a new horror boom in Santa Mira like nothing you’ve ever seen before. They don’t call the place HORRORWOOD for nothing, right? Applause. Suddenly, Julie gets a bad feeling. As if someone’s watching her. She momentarily tunes out the speech. Instinctively, turns her head and sees Tucker staring at her from under the pier. An almost paralyzing stare. It unsettles her. Julie looks away. Then, when she glances back under the pier — Tucker is gone. Julie snaps out of it. Tessa has already made her way over to a series of DIY STATIONS under a banner ONLY IF YOU DARE... TESSA Hey Julie, check it out. This is so cool. Julie’s eyes dance across the different setups: POTION MAKING with small glasses, colored liquids, glitter, and spooky labels (Mermaid Venom, Zombie Elixir). 38.

39. Build Your Own Mini-Coffin. Creepy Candle Making. Bloody Tie- Dye. Wax Hand Dipping (Monster Edition). Horror-Themed Terrariums. Scary Sand Bottles. Horror Henna. Julie can’t stomach it, given recent events. She turns to Tessa, feeling a bit overwhelmed by the eerie event. JULIE I don’t want to kill the vibe, but I think I’m gonna go. TESSA (disappointed) Okay. I’ll come with you. JULIE No stay. Have fun. I’ll get the car back to Mom. She can pick you up. TESSA Are you sure? JULIE Yeah, I’m just not in the mood. TESSA I get it. But you know I can’t resist this stuff. JULIE Go for it. Julie watches Tessa disappear into the crowd. Then, she eyes some flowers in a vase on a cocktail table nearby. INT. DANFORTH MANOR - SOUTH TURRET WITCH’S CAP Ethan heads upstairs, shuts the door behind him. Steps into a circular room with a peaked roof. Packed with Frank R. Paul prints, memorabilia from B horror movies, and cult classics. He slides over a movable wall panel to uncover a detective- style bulletin board with a series of photograph print-outs connected by red string and push pins. Includes, dossiers on The Caligari Family. SLOWLY PULL BACK TO REVEAL: an open closet door housing a collection of makeshift melee weaponry; spiked baseball bat, crossbow, an axe, etc. An arsenal guaranteed to raise alarms. 39.

40. EXT. PIONEER CEMETERY - SOON AFTER Darkness begins to fall. Julie pulls up in her car. EXT. PIONEER CEMETERY - NIGHT Julie heads down a row of tombstones, moves past a ramshackle house on the premises. A makeshift bouquet of black dahlia flowers she swiped from the pop-up mixer in her hand. INT. CEMETERY CARETAKER’S COTTAGE - MATCH CUT A maimed HAND riddled with boil-like sores, pulls back a window curtain. Julie firmly in our voyeur’s sights. EXT. PIONEER CEMETERY - CONTINUOUS Julie arrives at the grave site marked PEYTON FAIRCHILD. Our UNKNOWN POV stalks towards her. She takes a deep breath. JULIE (softly) I’ll never have a friend like you again, Peyton. I’m so sorry. You didn’t deserve it. I promise, I’ll do everything I can to get you the justice you deserve. She gently lays the flowers down. Chokes back tears. All of a sudden, Julie gets a feeling — like she’s being watched. A MAN’S VOICE (O.S.) We close at sunset. Julie flips around, caught off guard. ANGLE ON, the graveyard’s world-worn CARETAKER, horribly scarred with sallow-colored skin, and stringy hair. JULIE (sigh of relief) You scared me. He immediately assumes she’s referring to the disfigurement on the side of his face. Self-consciously touches it. THE CARETAKER I had an accident in the crematorium years ago. 40.

41. JULIE No, I didn’t mean it like that. I was just startled. THE CARETAKER We’ve had problems with grave diggers. Saw a young man come in here shortly after you. Heard thieves like to work in teams. JULIE I’m not a grave digger. The gates were open. I came by myself. He notices Peyton’s headstone. THE CARETAKER You knew Peyton Fairchild? JULIE Yes. She was my best friend. THE CARETAKER Sorry for your loss. Shing! The Caretaker is CLOBBERED from behind. He drops unconscious to the ground. Julie GASPS. Tucker appears, armed with a shovel. TUCKER This creep bothering you? He stares expressionlessly at her. Fearsome. As if he’s been... modified. She backs away. JULIE Tucker, why did you do that?! An otherworldly glimmer in his eyes -- TUCKER To feel your fear... Freaked out, Julie takes flight with everything she’s got, racing down a crooked pathway. Tucker swiftly gains on her, running with an unnatural speed. The Caretaker regains consciousness, sees what’s happening. THE CARETAKER No more dead girls. Not on my watch. 41.

42. The Caretaker pursues them. Julie screams, head turning in every direction. She rips through a maze of hanging moss, foliage, and vines. Julie dashes towards a STONE MAUSOLEUM on a moonlit hill. JULIE (terrified) Help me! Somebody! Julie trips over a root protruding from the ground. She breaks the fall with her hands and pounces back to her feet. Fearful, she shoots a glance over her shoulder. No sign of Tucker. The Caretaker hustles towards her. THE CARETAKER Don’t worry, I won’t let him hurt you — Gurgle. His mouth drips blood. A shovel blade drives through his neck. Blood sprays everywhere! With wide-eyed disbelief, Julie releases a horrified scream. The Caretaker holds his neck, drops to his knees. Tucker moves out from behind an angel statue. His movements slightly jerky, like a puppet on strings. TUCKER (an unblinking stare) That was fun. Tucker pats the Caretaker on the head. JULIE What the hell is wrong with you?! She sprints away. Tucker cocks his head with predatory awareness, and follows after her. Julie dodges through a gauntlet of towering STONE OBELISKS shrouded by darkness. Then, takes cover behind one. She ducks down, scoops up a jagged rock, leaps out of hiding, and bashes his skull. CRACK! He staggers back, drops the shovel. Energized, Julie decisively picks it up. Faces off with Tucker. JULIE (CONT’D) Come any closer and I’ll take your head off. 42.

43. Hell-bent, Tucker springs into the air and charges. He’s on top of her in no time. Hisses. Slams Julie on her back and grabs her neck, strangling her unrelentingly. Julie turns bright red. Gasps for air. She lurches up and head butts him. Tucker’s head snaps back. Julie ROARS. Then, she elbows him in the face. Tucker’s body flops to the side. Julie stands up. Her mind quickly flips into escape mode. EXT. PIONEER CEMETERY - SECONDS LATER Julie hops the fence and races from the graveyard. Rattled to the core. Hyper-vigilant. She gets into her car, starts it up and fishtails out of there. Meanwhile, Tucker gets back onto his feet and SEES the Caretaker resurrected, staring at him in the darkness across the way. His stillness is unnerving. EXT. BEACHFRONT POP-UP - NIGHT The party is still going strong. Tessa is having the time of her life. Until, Simone and Freddy rush upon the scene in scary masks and spray terrified guests with squirt guns. SIMONE Shiver’s a poser brand! FREDDY Stop appropriating Santa Mira’s horror movie history, kooks! Guest scatter, scream, and take cover. A frazzled ASSISTANT hurries over to Bram. ASSISTANT (wide-eyed) What should we do Mr. Caligari? Carrie watches them unflinching. Bram is unshakable. BRAM We’ll take care of it. 43.

44. EXT./INT. SANTA MIRA POLICE STATION - NIGHT Julie hurries up the steps into the police station. Deputy Garcia comes out from behind the sergeant’s counter. DEPUTY GARCIA (concerned) Ma’m, are you all right? Julie shakes her head. JULIE No. I was attacked in the cemetery. INT. SANTA MIRA POLICE STATION - SHERIFF’S OFFICE Sheriff Dukes sits behind his desk, listening to Julie. JULIE Tucker killed the Caretaker. Then, he tried to kill me. He rises up from his desk. Deputy Garcia stands in the doorway. They share a look of alarm. SHERIFF DUKES We’ll head over to the cemetery and have an officer follow you back home. Julie nods, shaken. JULIE Thank you. EXT. DANFORTH MANOR - FRONT WING - NIGHT Julie parks. As Ethan exits the house, taking out trash. She gets out of the car. He glances over at her. ETHAN Everything okay? JULIE No, not at all. ETHAN Want to talk about it? JULIE You wouldn’t believe me if I told you... 44.

45. But the look in his eyes says otherwise. ETHAN Maybe, I would. INT. DANFORTH MANOR - SOUTH TURRET WITCH’S CAP Julie reluctantly follows Ethan upstairs into his hideaway. ETHAN I think we could both agree something’s not quite right lately in Santa Mira. She collects herself. JULIE I was attacked at the cemetery. What I saw was unreal. This guy, the way he was acting, it was — ETHAN Like something you might see in a horror movie? JULIE Uh, huh... ETHAN I’ve had this nagging feeling for a while now — something about this town just feels off. Julie goes quiet. Pauses. She catches a glimpse of his melee weaponry collection behind a closet door opened a crack. JULIE Ethan, what’s in there? He follows her gaze. ETHAN A safety measure. Julie takes a closer look. JULIE If people saw this, they’d think you were planning a massacre. ETHAN That’s not my style. But I have my reasons for being overly cautious. 45.

46. He slides open a wall panel, unveils his detective cork board with the Caligari family pictures on it. Julie reacts. JULIE You compiled dossiers on the Caligari family? ETHAN I’m beginning to suspect they don’t have the best intentions for Santa Mira. JULIE Why do you say that? ETHAN The town prides itself on its horror movie heritage. Look at their names... He points at the pictures. ETHAN (CONT’D) Caligari, ring a bell? JULIE Not really. ETHAN True cinephiles would recognize this Easter egg as a homage to The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, a groundbreaking silent film from 1921, considered by many to be the first true horror film. He grabs a remote, clicks on a slide show presentation. A poster from the movie pops up. ETHAN (CONT’D) First name Carrie. Clearly taken from the Stephen King classic. Click. A movie still from the original Brian De Palma film pops up on a projection against the wall. JULIE It’s called a coincidence. ETHAN Or an amalgam? Although ironic since Carrie was an outcast. This one’s anything but. 46.

47. Julie mulls it over. JULIE Keep going. ETHAN What about her brother Willard? JULIE No idea what Willard’s in reference to. I don’t have an encyclopedic knowledge of horror movies like you do. ETHAN Come on, growing up here you must be familiar with the movie Willard. Our community theater troupe often reenacts it for their Horror in the Park summer repertoire. Click. A poster appears from the seminal 1971 film Willard about a social outcast who trains rats to kill for him. JULIE Must have missed it. Ethan clicks on an image from a Dracula book cover. ETHAN Their father Bram. Taken from Bram Stoker, author of Dracula. The stepmom is named Samara, just like the ghost girl with the long silky black hair in the American remake of The Ring, the progenitor of modern J-Horror. He flips to a production still from that film. JULIE What are you suggesting? ETHAN This family is fake. They’re not who they say they are. I think Santa Mira’s in danger and they’re behind it. Off Julie, unsure but intrigued. 47.

48. EXT./INT. PIONEER CEMETERY - CREMATORIUM Smoke rises from the chimney. A trail of goo leads us inside. Blood streaks smeared all over the floor. PAN OVER to a glyph-like spiral symbol etched in blood across the wall. SIRENS WAIL in the distance, growing closer. EXT. PIONEER CEMETERY - NIGHT Police cruisers speed down the hill through the open gates. INT. PIONEER CEMETERY - CARETAKER’S COTTAGE A door opens. Sheriff Dukes and Deputy Garcia come in. They tip their hats at THE CARETAKER, alive and fully intact. SHERIFF DUKES We got a report from a young woman saying that you and she were attacked. THE CARETAKER I’m fine. Just some local prankster trespassing, looking for a laugh at my expense. He subconsciously touches his facial scars. THE CARETAKER (CONT’D) I often frighten people. His explanation is good enough for the police. SHERIFF DUKES Sorry about all this, a lot of folks around town are on edge, given the recent tragedy. THE CARETAKER Understandable. EXT. CARETAKER’S COTTAGE - SOON AFTER The Caretaker sees the police off. Waves goodbye. But when they turn their backs. Moonlight eerily reflects in his pupil- less eyes. ETHAN (PRE-LAP) What about your Dad? 48.

49. INT. DANFORTH MANOR - SOUTH TURRET WITCH’S CAP Julie gets defensive. Ethan regards a newspaper article. The headline reads: “What Happened to Frank Lawson?” ETHAN Tessa told me you’ve always believed there’s no way he would’ve up and left you guys. JULIE Now you’re saying Shiver coming to town, and Peyton’s death has to do with my dad leaving? ETHAN What if he was taken? On Julie, a nerve struck. She drinks in all the horror iconography around them. Julie swallows. JULIE Where would he have been taken? Ethan props up what looks like a STORYBOARD depicting an otherworldly void between worlds filled with INKY BODIES. ETHAN Some people believe there’s a dark zone between dimensions. In certain places the veil dividing our realities are weaker. I think something evil was drawn to Santa Mira and slipped through. JULIE Because of horror movies shot here? Ethan goes over to the window, looks out at the townscape. ETHAN I think so. EXT. FOUNDER'S COVE - NIGHT Simone and Freddy plop down in the sand, laughing under the stars on the desolate beach. SIMONE Best prank ever. FREDDY They were so freaked out. 49.

50. SIMONE Serves them right. FREDDY We’re so gonna get arrested. SIMONE All for the cause. Without warning, they feel a force beneath the sand. FREDDY What was that? SIMONE (creeped out) Hell if I know. The sand shifts, as if it’s alive. Suddenly, they’re yanked beneath the surface, disappearing without a trace. * INT. THE CRYPT - NIGHT Molly enters a run down dive with dark lighting and sawdust- covered floors. She spots the Sheriff on a stool at the bar. Molly signals the BARTENDER, dressed like a mortician, who everyone calls “Nosferatu” (and he’s fine with it). MOLLY Nos, can I get a Tingler, please? BARTENDER Sure thing. He starts making her drink. Molly sits next to Sheriff Dukes. SHERIFF DUKES Thanks for meeting me. MOLLY You know I’d do anything to help my daughter, Brian. SHERIFF DUKES I think she had some kind of episode at the cemetery tonight. The Bartender puts Molly’s drink down. She sips it. MOLLY She’s never gotten over Frank leaving. 50.

51. SHERIFF DUKES We all miss him. He was my best friend. MOLLY But now with Peyton’s death, I’m afraid I could lose her forever. SHERIFF DUKES What about Ethan Danforth? MOLLY (guarded) What about him? SHERIFF DUKES Do you really think he’s someone you want hanging around your girls? MOLLY He’s just a kid. SHERIFF DUKES But that director. He was supposedly involved with some strange stuff. MOLLY Ethan isn’t his father. The Sheriff nods. SHERIFF DUKES Okay. You know I’m just always looking out for you guys. Molly smiles at him. MOLLY I know. EXT. SHIVER HQ - SANTA MIRA WHARF - NIGHT A flock of BLACK CROWS descend on the rooftop. Through the glass windows we can see an open-floor plan, minimalistic office in a converted WW2-era warehouse by the water. INT. SHIVER HQ - CONTINUOUS The Assistant heels towards the entrance doors, feeling unnerved. 51.

52. EXT. SHIVER HQ - LONELY PARKING LOT The Assistant gets into her car. She’s about to start it up, when a ROUGHLY GLOVED HAND reaches from the back. Covers her mouth. Muffled SHRIEKS. She’s dragged over her seat. ETHAN (PRE-LAP) This all goes back to Jaws. INT. DANFORTH MANOR - SOUTH TURRET WITCH’S CAP - AS BEFORE Julie studies the storyboard images with Ethan. ETHAN Spielberg insisted on shooting scenes in the ocean off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard. The story goes that a real-life shark appeared during filming curious to check out the mechanical one in the water. JULIE So, dark forces, see directors like your dad shooting all these scary scenes around town and start getting curious? ETHAN Yeah, like we’ve been throwing bloody fish guts in the water, attracting them here. As if we were ringing the dinner bell this whole time by making blood-splattered horror flicks. She digests his theory. JULIE And now they want the horror to become real? ETHAN It’s starting to seem like that. JULIE What about Shiver? ETHAN That part I haven’t figured out yet. 52.

53. INT. CARRIAGE HOUSE - JULIE’S LOFT - NEXT DAY Julie sits cross-legged on the neatly made bed, surrounded by a spread of photos and documents from Ethan’s research. Molly and Tessa come upstairs. MOLLY Julie, we’re headed to the diner. Call me if you need anything? Julie covertly covers up the research materials. JULIE Ethan and I are gonna hang out. TESSA (nonplussed) You and Ethan really? JULIE We got to talking. He’s not that bad. TESSA See, I told you. Molly smiles. MOLLY That’s great. INT. PIERVIEW DINER - DAY Molly busily waits on tables. Shane is at the counter. Tessa puts down a breakfast burrito in front of him. TESSA Here ya go Shane, one breakfast burrito. Hot sauce on the side, just how you like it. Shane smiles. SHANE Thanks, Tessa. He digs in. The rush of customers has started to die down. A soft jingle. Bells over the diner doors chime. We don’t see their full faces quite yet but catch sight of FOUR FIGURES IN SILHOUETTE entering the diner. Their presence commanding attention from the patrons. 53.

54. Tessa gazes ahead at them, standing behind the counter. It’s as if she’s almost entranced by the foursome. SLO-MO ENSEMBLE SHOT: Carrie, Willard, Simone, and Freddy coolly make their way together towards her. Carefree smiles on their faces. Simone and Freddy are stylishly dressed, radiating confidence, and an aspirational allure. In stark contrast to the trouble-making stoner-types we knew. Simone’s braids are undone, her hair flowing in voluminous curls. Freddy’s messy flop-top is now slicked back. CARRIE Hey Tessa. Willard, Simone, and Freddy each repeat “Hey Tessa”. TESSA Hey guys. Lemme know what I can get ya. They sit down on the stools, leaving one empty between them and Shane. Tessa places down menus, not sure what to make of Simone and Freddy’s new incarnation. CARRIE Thanks, I’m starving. Shane stares up from his food, SEES them from out of the corner of his eye. SHANE (surprised) Freddy? Simone? Freddy nods coolly. SIMONE (disinterest) Oh, hey. They open up their menus. Shane shares an uncertain look with Tessa. Carrie studies the menu, throws Simone a warm smile. CARRIE I’m glad we’re all hanging out now. SIMONE (unnerving, perfect smile) Me too. New bestie alert. Carrie gives her hand a friendly squeeze. 54.

55. CARRIE I love a good glow-up too. WILLARD (quietly, regards Simone) And you always wanted a Black Best Friend. Carrie smiles wistful. Remembers back: INT. LIVING ROOM - (QUICK, SEPIA-TINTED FLASHBACK) Young Carrie watches Cher and Dionne in Clueless with rapt attention on an old TV set. The song Supermodel plays: “Cause I'm young and I'm here, and so beautiful.” INT. ABANDONED BUNKER - UNDISCLOSED LOCATION The Assistant slowly regains consciousness, after being heavily-sedated. She finds herself strapped to a rusty medical table. She turns her head from side to side, clocks her surroundings in absolute terror. Arms and legs locked tight in hospital- style leather restraint straps. ASSISTANT Lemme outta here! Her body writhes, realizing resistance is futile. SLAM CUT: EXT. SANTA MIRA - HISTORIC DISTRICT - DAY Julie walks with Ethan through town. ETHAN Pham’s gonna help us. She can give us access to the movie archives. She volunteers with the Santa Mira Film Society. JULIE You sure we can trust her? ETHAN If there’s anyone who understands the weirdness simmering beneath this town’s shiny surface, it’s Pham. 55.

56. They head inside an old brick building. INT. SANTA MIRA FILM SOCIETY - DAY Pham strides down the hallway with Julie and Ethan. The walls are lined with framed posters of Levi Danforth cult classic horror films shot in Santa Mira. ETHAN And here we have the whole gamut of this town’s horror movie history. PHAM I’ve been doing my best to keep the Society alive since the Santa Mira Horror Film Festival shut down. Ethan points to a movie poster. ETHAN Slipbone. One of my favorites. PHAM So creepy when the girl compresses her bones like that. ETHAN Those special effects were groundbreaking for the time. JULIE That’s your Dad, isn’t it? Julie notices LEVI DANFORTH on a framed poster under the title: Anatomy of Fear with Levi Danforth. ETHAN Yep, he hosted a horror anthology show. A lot of the most iconic creatures and monsters from Beyond Pictures movies made cameos in it. JULIE What’s Beyond Pictures again? Tessa had mentioned it. ETHAN It started out as a Poverty Row studio known for genre films. Then became synonymous with screen horror over the years. 56.

57. PHAM They cranked out so many horror movies through the decades. Until the studio had to file for bankruptcy and went under. ETHAN Pham, so I want to show Julie that scene from the theatrical print version of Deadly Idol stored here. Pham knows exactly the one. PHAM Since they unceremoniously cut it from the DVD and digital download release? ETHAN Right. JULIE Deadly Idol? I’ve never heard of that one. PHAM It’s essential viewing from the Levi Danforth oeuvre. Had the biggest budget the Wizard of Gore was ever given. A total OG horror cinema classic. ETHAN But skip Deadly Idol 2. PHAM It was a staggering disappointment. Just another conveyer belt horror movie. ETHAN Wasn’t my dad’s fault. He didn’t return for the sequel. JULIE Growing up with horror movies shot on the streets of my hometown made me want to avoid watching them. Felt odd seeing people getting killed on screen at the same post office my mom went to. PHAM It was The Ooze that got em’. 57.

58. Pham steps over to a poster from a Blob-like camp classic depicting a gooey liquid attacking the local post office. INT. SANTA MIRA FILM SOCIETY - SCREENING ROOM - DAY Lights down. Pham shows a reel from the projection booth. Julie and Ethan watch the screen on vintage velvet seats. EXT. CANYON ROAD - (SCENE FROM DEADLY IDOL) PROFESSOR HOPKINS, 40s, frazzled and nervous, speeds down a winding road. A tribal idol rattles in the passenger seat. PROFESSOR HOPKINS (muttering to himself) None of us are safe. It’ll get to everyone eventually... Suddenly, FATHER AGANS appears in the middle of the roadway. Fearless, watching the car barrel towards him. FATHER AGANS There’s no turning back now! The Driver twists the wheel in a panic, makes a hair-raising turn around the bend. His car loses control, careens off the cliff then slams head on through a wooden guard rail. The car SMASHES into a fireball on its way down the edge. PHAM (O.S.) Those dazzling camera pyrotechnics were so ahead of their time. Father Agans cackles gleefully. The deadly idol tumbles out of the car unscathed. INT. SCREENING ROOM - BACK TO SCENE Lights go up. Pham joins Julie and Ethan in the seats. JULIE I watched. Now can you tell me why? ETHAN The assistant director working on the set of Deadly Idol crashed his car only days after filming that scene in a very similar fashion. 58.

59. PHAM (struck) I didn’t know that. ETHAN My dad kept a journal for every film he directed. He wrote how after the crash, the Assistant Director started acting abnormally on set... CUT TO: Quick Pops: The A.D. reams out a Stand-In, throws a plate of food at a Caterer, and makes a Wardrobe Assistant cry, etc. EXT. MAIN STREET - DAY Ethan, Julie, and Pham leave the Film Society, head out onto the sidewalk through the main drag. ETHAN They said it was an accident. PHAM And it probably was. ETHAN Suspend your disbelief for a second. Think about it, the Assistant Director gets into a crash that mirrors a key scene from Deadly Idol, an unapologetically occult-themed movie, doesn’t it seem a bit too coincidental? PHAM Seems like you’re reaching. JULIE I thought so too but I’m starting to think he might be onto something. PHAM Really? You want to join our Horror Squad and expose this town’s secrets? JULIE I’m open to it. Pham smiles satisfied. 59.

60. PHAM Nice. JULIE With my dad’s disappearance and Peyton’s death, it’s more convincing. And I’ve got my sister to worry about too. ETHAN I’m telling you, if we look into this, together we can prove there’s a connection. JULIE And maybe Shiver’s a part of it. Julie spots Carrie across the street, moving down the sidewalk, with Willard, Simone, and Freddy in lockstep. Ethan and Pham follow her gaze. PHAM It’s like they’re Biters. JULIE Biters? PHAM You know, a style-biter. Someone who copies off another, then denies it. They’re biting our town’s whole horror style. Carrie locks eyes with Julie. Holds her gaze. An inscrutable stare, as if she’s analyzing her. INT. ABANDONED BUNKER - CONTINUOUS The Assistant tries everything in her power to free herself from the restraints. She thrusts her body to the side. Finally, the strap on her right arm comes loose. The Assistant spots a security camera above. Knows she’s got to work quick because there’s eyes on her. INT. CONTROL ROOM - REVERSE ANGLE An UNKNOWN POV watches the Assistant fight for her life on a monitor displaying an infrared live camera feed. She finally unhooks the other restraint and slips out of the harness. 60.

61. INT. ABANDONED BUNKER - CONTINUOUS Feeling enlivened but still scared as hell, the Assistant drags herself up off the grime-streaked floor. She rushes to the door. Tries the knob. No dice. Then slams her body hard against it. Back and forth like a ping-pong ball. Again and again! Then the lock comes loose. Freedom. INT. ABANDONED TUNNEL SYSTEM - CONTINUOUS The door SMASHES open. Frightened, the Assistant pushes through it, and hurtles down the dilapidated corridors with everything she’s got. She races around a corner through a dark passageway into a network of tunnels. A door at the end is slightly ajar. INT. DANFORTH MANOR - ATTIC - SIMULTANEOUS Meanwhile, upstairs Ethan has his detective-style cork board out for Julie and Pham. He regards a series of production photos from various films shot in and around Santa Mira. ETHAN Deadly Idol, Phantom Trawler, Keep Away, Headstone, Spirit Day, Cannibal Homecoming, and Dark Orchard. These are just a handful of horror flicks filmed in Santa Mira. Some have been considered masterpieces in the genre, others not so much. But what do they all have in common? PHAM (obvious) They’re horror movies? ETHAN That have all had their productions plagued by weird occurrences and strange events surrounding key creatives involved, even after the movies were completed. Julie’s eyebrow raises, skeptical but intrigued. JULIE You think these films are cursed? 61.

62. ETHAN This goes beyond curses. I tracked down more unnatural deaths and accidents associated with the cast and crew members of horror movies that used Santa Mira as a shooting location. (then) Look at this -- Ethan regards a stack of research materials. Among them, an old newspaper clipping with the headline: Man Leaps to His Death in Canyon Gorge. PHAM People jumping to their deaths isn’t that unusual. ETHAN He was a special-effects assistant from the original Spirit Day. It’s a movie about a spirit that possesses people into harming themselves. JULIE Consider the odds. ETHAN What if these movies set off some otherworldly reverberations that drew the attention of beings very similar to what we’ve seen in horror movies? Pham chews on that. PHAM Sounds like a good idea for a movie. JULIE I have to admit, it is. ETHAN Some of these theories did come from an unproduced screenplay my dad wrote. Ethan picks up a leather bound copy of The Waking Divide from the shelf behind them. He hands it to Pham. She carefully thumbs through the pages. 62.

63. PHAM The Waking Divide. I like it. ETHAN These things... these “biters”, whatever you want to call them, they could’ve been magnetized to the town over the years. PHAM I see franchise potential in this. Maybe even a whole HorrorVerse with interconnected films and cross- media horror stories. JULIE Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. ETHAN It’s not just an idea for a film, Pham. I actually believe these things are trying to make their own real-life version of a horror movie right here in Santa Mira. Pham studies the film images tacked up on Ethan’s cork board. PHAM So what kind of horror movie are we talking about? A creature feature? EXT. CANYON FOREST - (INTERCUT) The Assistant slips through overgrown foliage hanging over a tunnel in the mist-wreathed woods. She hurries forward, screaming her head off as darkness falls. Branches snapping in her face. PHAM (O.S.) Stalk-and-kill slasher? REVERSE TO REVEAL, she’s being stalked by an UNSEEN MENACE. THE ASSISTANT Help me! Somebody help me! We get a brief glimpse of a TALL FIGURE with sallow skin and a strange lump on his veiny neck. That suddenly pulsates. 63.

64. INT. DANFORTH MANOR - ATTIC - AS BEFORE Pham faces them, genuinely curious now. PHAM Or body horror? ETHAN I haven’t gotten that far yet in fleshing everything out. JULIE Maybe, it’s all of the above? Pham checks her phone. PHAM I have to get going. I’m hosting a Night of the Lepus screening in a couple hours. ETHAN (rolls his eyes) Bunnies will never be scary, no matter how big they get through chemical mutations. Julie comes clean. JULIE Pham, I was skeptical at first too but then this guy attacked me at the cemetery. It was like he was possessed by something. PHAM (resolute) Then let’s get to the bottom of this. Together. EXT. CANYON FOREST - NIGHT STALK SHOT: The Assistant, bloody and bruised, moves at a frenetic pace through the fog-ridden forest. She senses a dark shadow nearby. Knows she’s being watched. The feeling terrifies her. The Assistant stops to catch her breath. Eyes scanning a clearing in the woods. 64.

65. THE ASSISTANT (lump in her throat) Someone there? Hidden amongst the trees a short distance away stands The Cemetery Caretaker closing in on his prey. Nattily dressed. His sunken eyes solid black. EXT. CANYON FOREST - NIGHT Fully realizing that she’s being hunted, the Assistant flees in terror down a long trail towards: INT. LONELY CABIN - CONTINUOUS The Assistant flies up the front steps of a (mostly) boarded up cabin. BANGS on the door. THE ASSISTANT Please, please, please... Her eyes land on a potted plant beside the mat. A thought crosses her mind. She lifts the pot and sure enough, a key lies hidden underneath. INT. ABANDONED CABIN - CONTINUOUS The Assistant bolts the door shut behind her, eyes dance around the room looking for anything she can use as a weapon. Clocks a fireplace poker, knife block on the kitchen counter, and a Hello Kitty backpack hanging on a hook in the hallway. EXT. ABANDONED CABIN - SECONDS LATER The Caretaker steps onto the porch. REVEAL, an axe in his hand. He lifts it high above his head, then smashes it down, hacking the door knob off. INT. ABANDONED CABIN - CONTINUOUS The door opens. The Caretaker makes his way inside. He stops in the middle of the room. His head cocks from side-to-side. A glass vase is thrown from across the room. Shatters against his skull. He drops the axe on the floor. 65.

66. The Caretaker SPINS AROUND. The Assistant comes charging at him full force, screaming like a wild banshee with a fireplace poker in her hands. She drives it straight into his chest and slams him up against the wall. THE ASSISTANT Wanna lock me up in a room, you sicko?! That’s what you get! The Caretaker drops to his knees, snaps out of whatever’s infected him. His eyes go back to normal. A pained look -- THE CARETAKER I don’t know what they did to me. The Assistant reaches behind her and pulls out a kitchen knife from her Hello Kitty backpack. THE ASSISTANT I’m not waiting to find out. In a split second, she slashes his throat. He clutches his neck, blood pouring through his fingers. A MAN’S VOICE (PRE-LAP) The industry can be cutthroat. INT. DANFORTH MANOR - ATTIC Julie and Ethan review Levi Danforth’s director journals. INT. BEYOND PICTURES - MOVIE STUDIO LOT - (FLASHBACK) LEVI DANFORTH, 20s, boy genius horror director, meets with a STUDIO EXEC in a plush office. Dark hair, well-meaning eyes. STUDIO EXEC But at the rate you’re going Levi, you’re poised to become the next Prince of Hollywood. Critics and audiences love Deadly Idol. This is a horror event film in league with Rosemary’s Baby, The Exorcist, and The Omen. We’ve already lined up a sequel that of course we’d love for you to direct. Levi sits up in his chair, shifts nervously. 66.

67. LEVI I appreciate that, I really do. But I have a new script in mind. The Studio Exec studies him curiously. STUDIO EXEC Then I’d like to read it. INT. DANFORTH MANOR - ATTIC Ethan goes over and takes a glance at a framed Entertainment Weekly issue with an older Levi on the cover under a “The Fright Master” headline. ETHAN I always thought my dad just moved here because he fell in love with the place. But I’m beginning to think maybe he discovered something here and that’s why he ended up staying after the movie shoots. JULIE Like what? ETHAN Not sure yet. But people have been known to do terrible things to ensure their success in Hollywood. My dad could’ve been one of them... EXT. DARK ALLEY - FLASHBACK - SAME NIGHT Levi exits Beyond Pictures. A cigarette lights in the shadows ahead. A MAN IN A DARK SUIT with a fedora on steps into view. He stands against the wall, takes a puff of his cigarette. MAN IN A SUIT Levi Danforth? Levi gazes over at him. LEVI Yes? MAN IN A SUIT I’m a fan of your work. LEVI (apprehensive) Thank you. 67.

68. Levi heads to his car. Before he goes -- MAN IN A SUIT I’d like to present you with a proposal of sorts. INT. DANFORTH MANOR - ATTIC - AS BEFORE Ethan opens an old tin trunk, pulls out a ritual book with a strange occult-like symbol on its time-worn cover. JULIE What’s this? He hands it to Julie. ETHAN A book given to members of a secret society. They called it The Sect. She carefully turns the old pages, containing more intricate drawings, symbols, and cryptic writings. JULIE You think he was involved? ETHAN Why else would he have this? For years the movies have been linked to occult activity. It’s been ingrained in Tinseltown from the very beginning. Do you know what the name Hollywood comes from? JULIE Assuming a type of tree? ETHAN Yes, but it was holly wood that was said to be used back in the day by druids to craft their magic wands. JULIE (dubious) If you believe in magic. ETHAN I don’t. But I believe this town has some seriously dark secrets. And it was chosen as a place to shoot horror movies for a reason. He looks at Julie, like all bets are off. 68.

69. EXT. ROADSIDE - NIGHT The Assistant makes her way up a rugged hillside leading to a canyon hugging road. She steps out into the road, waving her arms frantically. But her screams are muted by the sound of a TRUCK appearing from around a bend. THE ASSISTANT STOP! The Truck Driver slams on his breaks. Rolls down the window. TRUCK DRIVER What is it? What’s wrong? She runs up to the passenger door. THE ASSISTANT This guy. He was trying to kill me. TRUCK DRIVER Get in. An AXE plunges through the windshield, lands right between the Truck Driver’s eyes. Killing him instantly. THE CARETAKER You shouldn’t have done that. The Assistant screams then covers her mouth, tears streaming down her cheeks in horror. The Caretaker heads towards her, blood spills down his chest as a gooey form pushes out from the wound across his throat. INT. SANTA MIRA FILM SOCIETY - SCREENING ROOM Pham heads inside, surprised to realize the event is packed already. The EVENT COORDINATOR hurries over to her. PROGRAMMING COORDINATOR Oh, Pham. We had a slight change of plans. The screening’s been cancelled for a last minute Q&A with the Caligari Family to talk Shiver. PHAM Really? Off Pham, thrown for a loop. 69.

70. EXT. SANTA MIRA FILM SOCIETY - NIGHT A line forms outside. Molly stands with Tessa. TESSA Thanks for coming, Mom. Julie doesn’t seem up for anything horror- related lately. MOLLY Give her some time. She’s going through a lot right now. Peyton was her best friend. TESSA Of course. The Event Coordinator steps outside, clipboard in hand. EVENT COORDINATOR Okay everyone, we’re almost ready to start. She gestures for the line to move forward and starts letting people in. The crowd buzzes with excitement. INT. SANTA MIRA FILM SOCIETY - MAIN STAGE Molly and Tessa find their seats. On stage, under the movie screen, Simone and Freddy interview the Caligari family, each equipped with a microphone. SIMONE So, here we are with Santa Mira’s new First Family of Horror. Pham watches intently from the back of the auditorium. CARRIE That’s quite an introduction, Simone. BRAM We’ve got some big shoes to fill with Santa Mira being the once home of horror royalty, like director Levi Danforth. They share a smile. WILLARD We’re up for the challenge. 70.

71. Titters from the crowd. SAMARA And we have big news to share tonight. Molly glances at Tessa in their seats. MOLLY Samara is so poised and glamorous. Tessa nods, smiling — taken by the family. FREDDY But first, I’m sure our audience would love to get to know a little bit more about you. Pham’s mouth opens slightly, in disbelief over Simone and Freddy’s cheerful personality change. SIMONE Why horror? She folds her hands. Bram considers the question. BRAM Horror allows us to cope with our everyday fears. The family nods along. WILLARD It lets us confront them from a safe distance. CARRIE But sometimes a movie’s not enough, right? She looks out at the audience. CARRIE (CONT’D) You want something more immersive, more tangible. Freddy leans in conspiratorial. FREDDY Dare we say experiential horror? SAMARA (smiling) You nailed it. 71.

72. BRAM That’s why we’ve decided to put together Fright Con, a special multi-sensory event for horror fans and the community. CARRIE It’s gonna unfold right here in Horrorwood. The audience claps with excitement. SAMARA It’ll be great for local businesses and help the community thrive. BRAM We’ve also reached an asset purchase agreement with an investment group to acquire the defunct Beyond Pictures, which will give us complete access to Levi Danforth’s oeuvre. Pham is stunned. CARRIE It’s gonna be really fun guys. BRAM We’re ready to breathe new life into these iconic creatures and cult-favorite monsters who have been dormant for years. CARRIE Tickets go on sale at midnight. An Emergo-style mechanical flying Winged Thing drops down on wires from the ceiling and flies over the audience. EXT. DANFORTH MANOR - NIGHT Julie heads down the steps. She sees Shane pull up in his VW Camper Westfalia and hop out. JULIE Hey Shane. SHANE Got a sec? I wanted to talk. 72.

73. JULIE Of course. What’s up? They sit down on the porch. SHANE These friends I had in middle school. They came out really strong against Shiver. JULIE (thinks) Simone? And Freddy? SHANE Right. They’re acting really strange. They’re hanging with those twins Carrie and Willard. They dress different. Everything’s different with them. JULIE Do you think they did something to them? SHANE I don’t know. JULIE I was attacked last night in the cemetery when I went to visit Peyton’s grave. SHANE What? JULIE The police think I made it up. Tucker, the bus boy at the diner, he went after me. But it was like he had been, altered. SHANE I’m not sure what’s going on, but feels like this is all connected, like this town is becoming a place for real horror. JULIE I feel it too. 73.

(MORE) 74. SHANE Santa Mira was never about horror movies for me. It was about the people here. Julie smiles softly. JULIE Always felt like California’s best kept secret. SHANE So, how do we protect it now? ‘Cause it feels like that family doesn’t have our town’s best intentions in mind. JULIE Ethan and his friend Pham have been working on some theories. We could use your help. SHANE Okay. EXT. CANYON FOREST - DAYBREAK Police cars line the mountainous road. A CORONER VAN sits idle. Crime scene tape corners off several square feet. K-9 Unit dogs sniff around a bloody mess. The Assistant lies lifeless under a tree. Her body is bagged up. Sheriff Dukes and Deputy Garcia step away. SHERIFF DUKES Another dead girl. DEPUTY GARCIA Craig Grismby, again? SHERIFF DUKES It’s looking likely. DEPUTY GARCIA Who would’ve thought a kid like that could be capable of this? SHERIFF DUKES This town may be known for its horror movies, but if there’s one thing my job has taught me, it’s that real monsters exist in our everyday reality. (MORE) 74.

SHERIFF DUKES (CONT’D) 75. (then) And sometimes they look just like the boy next door. Unbeknownst to them, a centipede-sized, slimy goo-like creature crawls into the body bag right before it’s lifted off the ground. EXT. SANTA MIRA POLICE STATION - LATER Craig is escorted from a police car in handcuffs and lead into the station. EXT. OUTSKIRTS OF SANTA MIRA - DAY Little Saigon section of town (just one block). Julie steps out of Shane’s van. He gets out with her. SHANE They arrested Craig. His family turned their backs on him. JULIE We could prove he’s innocent. SHANE You believe him now? Julie nods. JULIE Yeah, I do. ETHAN We’re running out of time. I’ve got a bad feeling about this Fright Con event. The side door slides open, Ethan and Pham join her side. SHANE So, who are we meeting here? PHAM A friend of the family. Rich people from all along the coast pay big money to meet with her. But she’s willing to advise pro bono. He looks to Julie. SHERIFF DUKES (CONT’D) 75.

76. SHANE This is outside my scope. JULIE Just give it a chance. INT. MS. TRAN’S PSYCHIC PALM READER - DAY VICKY TRAN, 30s, a striking woman in a pantsuit who works as a spiritual medium, sits before them at a round table. VICKY I’ve felt the energy of this town for a long time. She sits at a table surrounded by our trio. There’s tea. PHAM We believe horror movie productions going on location to Santa Mira could have somehow been hexed. ETHAN I never used the word “hexed.” VICKY It’s possible bad energy imprints were left behind or that the barriers had been weakened. JULIE What barriers? Vicky directs her attention at Julie. VICKY Some believe there’s a dark dimension beyond our own. Over the years, there’s been evidence that Santa Mira had become a place where the veils between our worlds are at their thinnest... SHANE Is that the reason the horror movie productions came here? VICKY Could be. ETHAN They knew. They had to have. 76.

77. PHAM What if The Sect was behind Beyond Pictures the whole time? The genre label could’ve been a front for trying to make contact with this other dimension. JULIE After everything that’s happened, it doesn’t seem outside the realm of possibility now. INT. MORGUE - LATER The Assistant’s corpse lies motionless in a cold locker. Toe- tagged and purple faced. A fatty cyst on her neck suddenly moves. Her eyes open, now pitch black pools. INT. VW WESTFALIA CAMPER VAN - (TRAVELING) Shane drives down a scenic roadway. Julie rides shotgun with Ethan and Pham in the back. SHANE If The Sect made horror movies to have contact with this dark dimension, how does that explain what happened to Freddy and Simone? PHAM Someone might be controlling them. Mirrors the plot of Stolen Flesh. JULIE Would’ve been nice if they had done that to Peyton, instead of what happened to her. SHANE I thought someone was watching me at Founder’s Cove. That’s where they were headed when I saw them, before the change. JULIE And that’s near where Peyton’s body had washed up. ETHAN Maybe we should check it out. 77.

78. SHANE That’s a good idea. INT. JAIL CELL - NIGHT Craig sits alone on the cold floor, emotionally spent. Sheriff Dukes walks up to the barred door. SHERIFF DUKES Anything else you want to tell me? CRAIG I’m innocent. SHERIFF DUKES You’ll be assigned a lawyer just like everyone else gets. CRAIG There’s something going on in this town. And if you don’t stop it, more people are going to die. SHERIFF DUKES Get some sleep, Craig. INT. POLICE STATION - CELLBLOCK HALLWAY Sheriff Dukes steps away. As he leaves, we see the reanimated Assistant hanging upside down in the ceiling rafters. Her expression is blank. After he’s out of view, she stealthily drops from above and lands on her feet. Her gaze lingering on Craig’s cell. INT. JAIL CELL - SOON AFTER Craig slips onto the thin mattress covering a concrete bench. He covers himself with a moth-eaten blanket. INT. CELLBLOCK HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS The Assistant’s fingers and limbs slowly elongate. She starts to loosen her body and manipulate her skeletal structure. Arms dangle unnaturally. Neck twists too far. Shoulder pops audibly. Then, she unhinges her shoulders, elbows, and hips. Her bones dislocate and compress, allowing her to slip through the bars. 78.

79. INT. JAIL CELL - LATER The Assistant’s body reassembles, snapping her bones back into place. Her shoulder realigns and shifts as she maneuvers towards Craig. She springs forward, perching on top of his body. Her limbs coil around his neck like a snake. Craig’s eyes snap wide. He opens his mouth to scream. But she squeezes his neck tight, silencing him. EXT. FOUNDER'S COVE - NIGHT Julie, Ethan, Pham, and Shane head down the beach. PHAM There’s this unsettling energy here. JULIE I feel it too. SHANE What about the secret caves? Ethan looks at him curiously. ETHAN What secret caves? SHANE (surprised) You guys don’t know about them? PHAM No, we don’t go to the beach much. SHANE Smugglers used to store their goods in them to avoid getting caught. They’re by the tide pools. He points ahead, and leads them on. EXT. POLICE STATION - ROOFTOP - NIGHT The Assistant coughs up goo. Her body twists and jumbles, morphing into a new form — almost tripling in size! Large, bat-like wings sprout from the new creature’s back, tearing through its skin as they horrifically extend upward. 79.

80. INT. SECRET CAVE - CONTINUOUS The newly formed “Horror Squad” step into the mouth of a maze- like cave system that stretches for miles underneath town. PHAM (intrigued) Shane, I have to admit, you do come in handy. He glances over at Ethan. SHANE Thanks, I guess. Any of this seem familiar from one of your dad’s horror movies? Ethan looks around, perplexed. ETHAN Can’t say it does. JULIE (gazing down) What is this stuff? Beneath their feet is a stream of goo. ETHAN I don’t know. JULIE But has to be connected somehow. The fluid seems to be alive; like a living organism. Then, a low rumble is heard. PHAM Looks like — ETHAN Some kind of portal... The ground begins to softly rumble and shift. A swarm of moths erupt from the shadows. JULIE I think we should go. Now. They high-tail it out of there. A wall in the cave breaks open. 80.

81. EXT. COASTAL ROAD - NIGHT - (AERIAL VIEW) TRACKING: Shane drives his camper van down the fog-choked road. We steadily SWOOP down towards it. INT. VW WESTFALIA CAMPER VAN - (TRAVELING) Shane steers ahead, cutting through the misty night air. SHANE I’ve never seen the caves like that before. ETHAN Something had been in there. PHAM Or came from that portal. ETHAN We don’t know for sure it was an actual portal. WHAM! Something big lands on top of the camper van. The roof caves in. Windshield shatters, sending sharps flying. Everyone ducks. Lots of yelling. Shane loses control of the wheel. The van swerves into the oncoming lane, then CRASHES into a guardrail. SHANE Everyone good? The squad, looks up horrified. They nod, shook but keeping it together. Then, Julie slowly turns her head. Her jaw drops. The others follow her sight lines: EXT. COASTAL ROAD - SIMULTANEOUS In the middle of the empty road, the winged carnivorous monster is revealed in the moonlight. A flesh-eating monstrosity with a goblin-like face, and ever- beating wings on its back that emit a painful sound. The rest of the van’s windows blow out. The squad takes cover. Then, Winged Thing flies up in the air and takes off. SHANE (O.S.) No way... 81.

82. INT. VW WESTFALIA CAMPER VAN - CONTINUOUS Shane blinks. Julie glances back at Ethan and Pham. They can’t believe their eyes. JULIE (panicked) What was that?! PHAM (in disbelief) It looked like... Winged Thing. JULIE Winged Thing? ETHAN A flying supernatural abomination from my dad’s film Swoop. SHANE This is crazy. This is insane. That was a real flesh-and-blood monster. How is it possible? PHAM That dark dimension. Maybe, it’s a fan of Levi Danforth horror movies? JULIE No one’s gonna believe this. But now it’s up to us to stop it. And I’m going to find who or what murdered my best friend. Then, kill it. Julie steels herself. EXT. FOUNDER’S COVE - NIGHT The otherworldy creature swoops down to the beach below, disappearing into the now-glowing secret caves. INT. DANFORTH MANOR - ATTIC Julie, Ethan, Pham, and Shane gather together. They go over plans laid out on the detective cork board. JULIE My mom can’t know about this. Neither can Tessa. 82.

83. ETHAN I’m not sure how yet, but I know somehow the Caligari family is behind this. JULIE And I don’t trust Carrie at all. PHAM Shiver has to be a front, just like Beyond Pictures was. SHANE Well, what are we going to do to protect ourselves? My dad has a gun, but it’s always locked up. JULIE Ethan has us covered. Shane arches a brow. Ethan goes over and opens up the closet door, showing them his arsenal of melee weaponry. SHANE (nodding slowly) That should work. INT. CARRIAGE HOUSE - SOON AFTER Tessa peeks out the window. She sees Julie, Pham, and Shane exit from the Main House, starts to get suspicious. INT. CARRIAGE HOUSE - SOON AFTER Julie comes inside. Tessa is sitting on the couch, waiting for her. JULIE Hey. TESSA Can you tell me what’s going on? Why are you and Ethan hanging out together? And even Pham and Shane. It doesn’t make sense. Julie levels with her. JULIE We’ve realized we have some common interests, I guess. 83.

84. TESSA Like what? JULIE Tessa, I don’t think you should be hanging out around Carrie and the whole Shiver crew. I think there’s something seriously wrong with them. Tessa frowns. TESSA There’s nothing wrong with them. And you can’t tell me who I can and can’t be friends with, Julie. JULIE I know it’s hard to understand right now. I have reason to believe they’re not who you think they are. Can you just trust me on this? TESSA No. I can’t. I’m sorry if you don’t vibe with them. I know it’s hard with Peyton gone. You and your friends were the center of everything in this town. JULIE That’s not what this is about. Molly steps out of her bedroom, holding her phone. MOLLY I just got off a call with the Sheriff. There’s no easy way to say this... Craig’s dead. The news hits Julie hard. EXT. FOUNDER'S COVE - NEXT DAY Julie sits on a weathered piece of driftwood with Shane. They gaze out at the shimmering water. JULIE I’m sorry about Craig. SHANE Guess he couldn’t handle people thinking he was a murderer anymore. 84.

85. JULIE Last year, I thought being sent away was the worst thing that happened to me since my dad left. Now that I’m back, it turned out to be the least of my worries. SHANE It feels like our town is under attack. JULIE (face serious) We have to stop them before it’s too late. EXT. DANFORTH MANOR - DAY Carrie, Willard, Simone, and Freddy approach the house. Carrie marvels at the property. CARRIE So aesthetic. Their attention turns to the Carriage House in the back. CARRIE (CONT’D) (calls out) Tessa, you home? INT. DANFORTH MANOR - ATTIC Ethan pulls a curtain back just a little, spots them below. EXT. DANFORTH MANOR - CARRIAGE HOUSE Tessa comes outside. Her eyes light up. EXT. DANFORTH MANOR - GARDEN - SOON AFTER Tessa sits with Carrie on a bench under the weathered, weed- choked pergola. CARRIE You like Freddy? She coyly regards Freddy across the way taking a selfie with Willard and Simone by an overgrown garden maze. 85.

86. TESSA I mean, yeah, he’s cute. CARRIE I think he’s got a crush on you. TESSA Really? You do? Freddy turns towards them, holds Tessa’s gaze. He smiles coolly at her, flashes his eyebrows. CARRIE Of course he does. Now listen, I want to invite you to be our special guest at Fright Con. TESSA Carrie, I’d love that. Thanks. CARRIE I don’t think your sister likes me though. Carrie’s gaze shifts to the ground, seemingly hurt. TESSA No, Julie’s just a tough nut to crack sometimes. She takes a bit to warm up. CARRIE (looking back up at Tessa) Change is hard for some people. I’d just be sad if she tried to stop us from being friends. TESSA No Carrie, I wouldn’t let her. INT. DANFORTH MANOR - KITCHEN Molly comes in with an armful of groceries. She sets them down on the counter. MOLLY Ethan, I picked up groceries for you on my way home. She starts unpacking the bags — fresh vegetables, a loaf of bread, eggs, and a tin of coffee. Ethan steps into the room. 86.

87. ETHAN Thanks, Molly. MOLLY And it means a lot that you’re being a good friend to Julie with everything she’s been going through. ETHAN I know what it’s like... He spots Carrie and Tessa outside through the window. Carrie instinctively feels his gaze on her. She cocks her head and stares straight ahead at him. Ethan turns around. ETHAN (CONT’D) Maybe we’ll all check out Fright Con together. MOLLY Yeah, why not? It’s all anyone’s been talking about in this town lately. ETHAN I know, right? INT. DANFORTH MANOR - ATTIC REVOLVING SHOT — Julie, Ethan, Pham, and Shane sit at a table going over plans to infiltrate Fright Con. Melee weaponry spread out on the table. ETHAN I feel like they’re planning something big. JULIE We need to be prepared for anything. ETHAN What about Winged Thing? It’s gotta still be out there, and who knows what else. PHAM If what we saw in those secret caves was really a portal, then we have to figure out a way to close it so nothing else gets in. 87.

88. SHANE Blow it up? JULIE It’s worth a shot. ETHAN Julie and I will attend Fright Con with Tessa and Molly. PHAM Shane and I can patrol town for any sign of Winged Thing. ETHAN We’ll need to be in constant communication with each other. CUT TO: MONTAGE 1) Detail shots: The Horror Squad each clip a long range walkie-talkie to their belts. 2) Ethan gives Pham a tactical tomahawk, Shane a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire, and Julie a crowbar. He readies a crossbow for himself. 3) They practice using their weapons — shooting, striking, and clobbering stuffed “creature suit” targets from monster movies on a zip line in Danforth Manor’s overgrown garden. 4) The group load the melee weapons up in backpacks, along with flashlights, first aid kits, water bottles, and maps. 5) Group shot — the Horror Squad exit the front steps of Danforth Manor, looking determined and ready. Right as a pink van emblazoned on the side with the lettering: Ms. Tran’s Psychic Palm Reader. She pops her head out from the driver’s seat, tilts her dark sunglasses at them, ready to get started. END MONTAGE EXT. FOUNDER’S COVE - TWILIGHT The Caligari family walk down the desolate beach together. BRAM This is our moment. 88.

89. SAMARA We’re ready. Their eyes trained ahead at DEVIL’S MAW — the mouth of the secret caves. Lightning strikes the sky. EXT. MAIN STREET - NIGHT Horror-enthusiasts descend on Santa Mira for Fright Con. Beware The Night! is projected across the city hall building in glowing lettering. EXT. SANTA MIRA PLAZA SQUARE - NIGHT Simone stands on a stage with Freddy as MC’s for the event. SIMONE The night we’ve all been waiting for is finally here. CUT TO Julie, Ethan, Molly, and Tessa move towards the festivities together. They make their way through different “scare zones”, and take in all the sights: Haunted escape room pop-up. Spooky food trucks. Live horror podcast. Interactive haunted art installations. Horror fashion show. TEENS participate in a scavenger hunt. JULIE (surreptitiously) Keep your eyes peeled for anything off. EXT. FOUNDER’S COVE - OVERLOOK - PARKING LOT Vicky pulls open the van’s trunk. Pham and Shane stand behind her. She moves aside a box of candles to reveal a wooden crate underneath. VICKY If what you saw in those caves is true, then we close it. Or the veils between worlds could be torn forever. She lifts the lid and uncovers sticks of dynamite with red- tipped fuses. BRAM (PRE-LAP) You must be Molly — Tessa’s mom. 89.

90. EXT. SANTA MIRA PLAZA SQUARE - CONTINUOUS As Julie and Ethan take in the spectacle, Molly finds herself surrounded by Bram and Samara. MOLLY Yes. It’s so great to meet you. Freddy slips next to Tessa. FREDDY Enjoying the night? TESSA (plays it cool) Shiver definitely outdid themselves. FREDDY Do you want to take a walk? I’d love to get to know you better, Tessa. He stares dreamily into her eyes. TESSA I’d like that too. Julie notices Tessa take off with Freddy through the crowd. She loses track of them. Gets an uneasy feeling. JULIE (looks to Ethan) I think this is a trap. ETHAN Let’s go. They move off down a side-alley together. Meanwhile, Bram and Samara guide Molly towards the entrance of a puzzle room. BRAM Have you ever tried a puzzle room? MOLLY Not yet, but I like to experience new things, which are sometimes hard to come by in Santa Mira. SAMARA You’ll love it. 90.

91. EXT. DARK ALLEY - SECONDS LATER Julie and Ethan move quickly down the back alley, searching for any sign of Tessa. TWO SHADOWED FIGURES appear at the other end. EXT. BELL TOWER - NIGHT Freddy strolls through with Tessa in the quiet, moonlit grass. In the distance, on the other side of a massive backdrop, the Fright Con festivities continue. FREDDY You ever been to the top? The view up there is amazing. He peers upward at the darkened Bell Tower, bats circling under the dark clouds. TESSA I can’t say I have. Full confession, I’m not good with heights. FREDDY That’s fine. We don’t have to go up there. But I do want to say that I really like you, Tessa. Tessa blushes. TESSA I really like you too, Freddy. INT. FOUNDER’S COVE - SECRET CAVES Pham, Shane, and Vicky duck inside, lugging a duffel bag filled with dynamite. Vicky’s attention draws on the glinting light deep within the recesses of the darkened caves. VICKY (stares in awe) It’s real. That thing is no joke. She closes her eyes, recites an incantation. 91.

92. EXT. DARK ALLEY - CONTINUOUS Carrie and Willard step under a street lamp to reveal themselves. Julie and Ethan tense. CARRIE Julie. You’re not trying to sabotage this event, are you? JULIE No. Of course not. She tries to fake a smile. Carrie darkens. CARRIE Why do I not believe you? WILLARD We saw you loading up that van with all your little weapons. CARRIE But they won’t do you much good, I can assure you of that. Julie’s blood runs cold. JULIE We know you don’t have this town’s best interests in mind. CARRIE Is that so? You think you have my number? You don’t. ETHAN We don’t want any trouble, Carrie. CARRIE It’s too late for that. Julie and Ethan glance back behind them — SIMONE is now standing at the opposite end of the alley. Her eyes aglow. INTERCUT WITH: EXT. BELL TOWER - AS BEFORE Freddy smiles at Tessa. She gets lost in his eyes for a moment. 92.

93. FREDDY For the longest time, it’s like I didn’t have my head on straight. Then, Shiver moved to town and everything started to fall into place with me. TESSA I can see that. EXT. DARK ALLEY - NIGHT Willard closes his eyes. A smile creeps across his face. WILLARD And now the screaming starts... EXT. BELL TOWER - CONTINUOUS Tessa gets momentarily distracted. Her gaze lifts above as a LARGE SHADOW blocks out the moonlight. Tessa’s eyes widen in terror as WING THING emerges from the darkness. The monstrous creature swoops down, swiftly rips Freddy’s head clean off with its sharp claws. Blood splashes Tessa’s face. She SCREAMS in horror. EXT. FRIGHT CON - NIGHT No one can hear her screams amidst the revelry. INT. ESCAPE ZONE - NIGHT Molly scans her eyes around. The door shuts behind her. But Bram and Samara are no longer there. The room goes dark. INT. SECRET CAVES - SIMULTANEOUS BOOM! Pham, Shane, and Vicky set off explosives. The cave walls begin to collapse. They make their escape, hoping to cut off access to the portal. INT. BELL TOWER - SECONDS LATER With nowhere else to turn, Tessa rushes inside. She slams the door shut. Tessa hurries up a spiral staircase, ascending to the top. 93.

94. EXT. SANTA MIRA PLAZA SQUARE - NIGHT Bram leaves Fright Con, eyes the shuttered Cinemabilia Shop across the street. He strides towards it. Bram grimaces. His face contorts in pain as he struggles to maintain his current form. Eyes wild. EXT. DARK ALLEY - CONTINUOUS Carrie and Willard move towards Julie and Ethan. CARRIE You think I didn’t notice all your sneaking around. You think you’re so clever. (then) But can you match my freak? She smiles sinisterly at them. Julie quickly backs up against a door. Tries the knob. It’s open. INT. CINEMABILIA SHOP - NIGHT Julie pulls Ethan inside a store, slams the door shut, and locks it tightly behind them. The walls and aisles are packed with toys, props, costumes, and collectibles from Levi Danforth horror movies. They hear a door open, then shut on the other side of the shop. Bram staggers in and promptly drops to his knees. Julie and Ethan look up at the wall above. SHADOW TRANSFORMATION: Bram’s body twists and morphs, undergoing a grotesque metamorphosis into a MONSTROUS FORM. The new creature rises to its feet. A humanoid form with elongated limbs, draped in flowing shadows. Its face shifts and swirls, like a living void with glowing eyes. Then, the terrifying form vaults on top of a shelf. He cocks his head, as if smelling for prey. JULIE (hushed) What is it? ETHAN (astonishment) The Night Monster from Dreadscape. Born from our collective fears. 94.

95. INT. ESCAPE ZONE - CONTINUOUS Molly bangs on the doors, trying to get out. INT. CINEMABILIA SHOP - CONTINUOUS The Night Monster leaps onto another shelf drawing closer to Julie and Ethan in hiding. JULIE Run... They take off running down the aisle towards the entrance. The Night Monster sneers at them. Its fingers sprout tendrils of darkness. The ghastly creature begins moving menacingly towards them, knocking over merchandise in its wake. INT./EXT. TOP OF THE BELL TOWER - NIGHT Tessa reaches the highest platform. Breathes heavily. Heart racing. Her lip trembles in fear as moonlight trickles in from the belfry opening. She takes a step forward, staring out ahead at the entire town congregated at Fright Con. EXT. CINEMABILIA SHOP - SECONDS LATER Julie and Ethan burst out of the doors. Julie sees Winged Thing taking off into the night sky with a petrified Tessa dangling in its clawed grip. JULIE Tessa! CRASH — The Night Monster smashes through the display window. Then pounces onto the roof, disappearing into the darkness. EXT. DARK SKY - CONTINUOUS Fearful, Tessa’s eyes roll back in her head. She faints in Winged Thing’s clutches. 95.

96. EXT. SANTA MIRA PLAZA SQUARE - CONTINUOUS Molly finally breaks out of the puzzle room. Julie and Ethan see her. They rush over to her. JULIE Mom, I need your car! Please! MOLLY (worried) Where’s Tessa? JULIE We have to go now. MOLLY Are you having some kind of episode, honey? Ethan shakes his head. ETHAN Molly, please. We don’t have time to explain. Molly reluctantly hands over her keys. MOLLY Just be careful. JULIE We will. EXT. COASTAL ROAD - SOON AFTER Julie steadily drives the VW Rabbit down a winding road. INT. VW RABBIT - (TRAVELING) Julie grips the wheel. Ethan is in the passenger seat, puts his walkie-talkie to his lips. ETHAN Pham, are you there? EXT. FOUNDER’S COVE - SOON AFTER Pham exits Devil’s Maw with Shane and Vicky as the secret caves collapse in, barricading the entrance shut. 96.

97. PHAM (speaks into her radio) We did it. ETHAN (O.S.) Winged Thing. It’s got Tessa. PHAM What? SHANE You guys... Shane stares up at the sky, shocked to see Winged Thing soaring overhead with an unconscious Tessa. They watch as the flying creature swoops over the water, heading towards the darkened diner at the end of the pier. PHAM We spotted Winged Thing. It’s flying towards the diner. INT. VW RABBIT - (TRAVELING) Julie presses down on the gas pedal, unyielding. INT. POLICE STATION - NIGHT Deputy Garcia handles the phone, fielding a barrage of calls. DEPUTY GARCIA Deputy Garcia, how can I assist you? One moment please. I need to put you on hold. (switches to another line) Sorry for the wait, now what was it you saw outside your window? Her expression turns perplexed listening to a frantic caller. INT. POLICE CAR - (TRAVELING) Sheriff Dukes drives on patrol, his eyes scanning the road. A call crackles over the radio. DEPUTY GARCIA (O.S.) Sheriff, this is dispatch, do you hear me? Sheriff Dukes reaches over to his radio, presses the button. 97.

98. SHERIFF DUKES Loud and clear, Garcia. What’s the situation. DEPUTY GARCIA (O.S.) We’re getting a lot of weird calls of strange sightings... EXT. SANTA MIRA PLAZA SQUARE - NIGHT Fright Con winds down. Molly walks along the sidewalk. Sheriff Dukes pulls up to the curb in his squad car. SHERIFF DUKES Molly, are you alright? MOLLY Not really. SHERIFF DUKES Julie? MOLLY She and Ethan took off with my car. Couldn’t tell me where she was going. And I have no idea where Tessa is. SHERIFF DUKES Come on, I’ll give you a ride. EXT. FOUNDER’S COVE - CONTINUOUS Vicky turns to face Pham and Shane before they get going for the pier. VICKY I can’t come with you. I have a husband and little girl at home who need me. Pham nods. PHAM We understand. We got this. Thanks for everything. Vicky nods. She watches them go, picking up a duffel bag full of their melee weaponry from off the sand. 98.

(MORE) 99. EXT. UNDER THE PIER - SIMULTANEOUS Samara lifts her silky dress up over her head and steps into the moonlit water. She begins to transform into a towering and monstrous amphibious mer creature. Horrific in appearance with slimy, scaly skin, webbed appendages, large bulging eyes, and a propeller blade scarred face (but no fishtail). The Mer sinks beneath the surface and disappears underwater. INT. PIERVIEW DINER - NIGHT Winged Thing smashes through the window. Tessa tumbles from its grip and lands on the checkerboard tiled floor. EXT. PIER - NIGHT Pham and Shane rush down the pier towards the diner. Julie hurries after them with Ethan. INT. PIERVIEW DINER - SOON AFTER The Horror Squad breaks through the door. They step into the empty diner, armed to the teeth. Tessa is barely conscious, tied up to a stool at the counter. JULIE Tessa... Julie rushes over to her. TESSA I’m okay. JULIE Where is it? TESSA (frightened) I don’t know... Carrie and Willard step out of hiding. CARRIE It’ll come back when I tell it to. (matter-of-fact) (MORE) 99.

CARRIE (CONT’D) 100. I control it. But I’m glad you’re all here now. Julie death-glares her. Ethan, Pham, and Shane join the sisters’ sides. WILLARD Your fear. The horror in your eyes. Your terrified screams. The more you give us, the stronger we grow. His eyes glisten otherworldly. CARRIE We’d love to see you all die. But Ethan Danforth? That would be the most poetic death for us. ETHAN (baffled) Me? CARRIE You see, this town has an unsavory history. And your dad was the worst of them all... Carrie remembers back. EXT. FOUNDER’S COVE - YEARS AGO Levi is on the set of a stylish Gothic horror film. Carrie and Willard stand off to the side as bit players. They talk to us in the scene: CARRIE It was so thrilling to be on set. WILLARD There were literally buckets of blood everywhere. CARRIE Willard and I came from some crappy town far away from here. Our real parents couldn’t care less about us, so we ran away from home. Samara is there as a makeup artist. Bram nearby as a stand-in at his mark. All had different names before. CARRIE (CONT’D) 100.

101. WILLARD We were supposed to play these creepy twins with powers. CARRIE But weren’t aware that Levi Danforth’s ambitions had moved beyond just moviemaking... INT. DANFORTH MANOR - ATTIC A crackling thunderstorm rages outside. Levi reads through ancient documents from a cobweb-covered chest. CARRIE (V.O.) He and The Sect had made contact with a dark dimension. INT. SECRET CAVES - NIGHT Levi places a portable film projector on the cave floor connected to a generator, unspooling a 35 mm print of a horror movie into a blinking light. A jagged rip in the air hangs before Levi and a group of CLOAKED FIGURES, shimmering with an iridescent glow — shows glimpses of a barren landscape covered by dripping goo. CARRIE (V.O.) The entities on the other side seemed to be drawn to the frightening. Levi falls in a cataleptic trance - he’s seeing eerie visions as the landscape starts to form into a surrealist nightmare. LEVI (fascinated) It’s as if the Moving Picture World can be brought to life in this strange dimension. The gooey substance shifts and morphs, creating monsters and creatures ripped from the Levi Danforth oeuvre. CARRIE (V.O.) He helped birth The Horror World. INT. PIERVIEW DINER - AS BEFORE Carrie stands with Willard, reflective. 101.

102. CARRIE A place where The Famous Monsters of Filmland became real. WILLARD (enlivened) The most frightening creatures ever filmed. The most fearsome monsters ever created. CARRIE It became an addiction for him... INT. SECRET CAVES - CONTINUOUS Levi is fixated on making contact with The Horror World, getting more glimpses of the haunting dimension with each film unspooled. EXT. FOUNDER’S COVE - NIGHT Cast and crew get ready for the shoot. But a flash of light consumes them. When it blinks out, four people are unaccounted for. EXT. THE HORROR WORLD - ESTABLISHING The individuals who we have come to know as Carrie, Willard, Bram, and Samara are transported to these nightmarish lands. CARRIE (V.O.) We were frightened at first. But soon we became one with The Horror World and harnessed its powers... Carrie reaches out her hand as a strain of goo hovers in front of her, making contact with her finger tips. A jolt rushes through her body. WILLARD (V.O.) (admiringly) Carrie was the bravest of us all. Her eyes glow, filling with a spectacular light. CARRIE (V.O.) We protected each other. And became a family... 102.

103. INT. PIERVIEW DINER - CONTINUOUS Carrie gazes out through the broken window at the twinkling lights of Santa Mira. CARRIE Most of The Sect has gone underground. They’re afraid of us. And they should be. But we thought it would be fitting that these bloodthirsty creatures from The Horror World make their debut in the town that started it all... A chilling moment. WILLARD (proud) We gave ourselves new identities. CARRIE (smiling fondly) Little nods to iconic horror movies. ETHAN Yeah, I figured that part out pretty much at the get-go. Willard sneers at him. WILLARD (bitterly) But not one’s directed by your dad. Sirens echo in the distance. CARRIE Our plan was to transform this mundane town into a real-life nightmare. WILLARD But your little squad had to go and play heroes. CARRIE It won’t stop us. You could say, we’re just getting started... Julie grips a crowbar at her side as she and her friends absorb the Caligari family’s true origins. 103.

104. JULIE Leave Ethan alone. Leave this town and no one else has to get hurt. PHAM We closed the portal. There’s not gonna be any more monsters. JULIE You can start over. SHANE Preferably some place else. Carrie narrows her eyes at Julie. CARRIE I can’t. Once it’s inside you, it doesn’t leave. And besides, I have to kill you, like I killed your friend and Ethan’s dad. Ethan absorbs the blow. Julie darkens. JULIE (blood boiling) You killed Peyton? CARRIE Well, it was more like a hit. I have what you could call a psychic connection with the monsters from The Horror World. (then) And they do my bidding... WILLARD (amused) They’re like her pets. CARRIE Peyton Fairchild was Miss Coral Queen. She was the big fish in the little pond here. WILLARD The spotlight needed to be on Carrie. It’s her turn now. Carrie snaps her eyes at Julie, who’s staring back at her looking murderous. Suddenly, it’s as if Julie makes her nervous. 104.

105. CARRIE It’s not my fault society pits women against each other, Julie! A vein pulsates in Carrie’s forehead. EXT. UNDER THE PIER - NIGHT The top of The Mer’s fish-like head breaks the surface. Its retractable seaweed-like tentacles erupt from the water. INT. PIERVIEW DINER - CONTINUOUS The tentacles shoot through the windows, latching onto the sides of the diner like grappling hooks. It’s as if The Mer is trying to pull the whole diner off the pier and into the sea. Checkerboard tiles break apart across the floor. Julie, Tessa, Ethan, Pham, and Shane take cover behind the counter. Carrie and Willard’s eyes roll back in their heads (so only the whites show). The Night Monster crashes through the entrance. Winged Thing swoops through a broken window, lands on its feet and stretches out its impressive wingspan. EXT. UNDER THE PIER - CONTINUOUS The Mer uses all of its strength to pull down on the edge of the pier — breaking apart the diner in two. INT. POLICE CAR - (TRAVELING) - MAIN STREET Sheriff Dukes drives. Molly sits in the passenger seat. SHERIFF DUKES My niece has been acting a bit off lately. MOLLY Really? How so? He regards Simone ahead on a stage, firing up a crowd. SHERIFF DUKES Simone was never a joiner. Now she’s Miss Popular. 105.

106. THE KILLERS come out on stage and perform RUN FOR COVER, which continues under: EXT. PIERVIEW DINER - CONTINUOUS Winds swirl around them as The Horror Squad hangs onto the counter for dear life. Pieces of the diner start dropping into the now-tumultuous sea. The Night Monster and Winged Thing have them in their sights, goo dripping from their mouths. Jagged teeth exposed. CUT TO: BEHIND THE COUNTER Tessa looks to Julie as the diner rips apart around them. TESSA What do we do? Julie thinks quickly. She stares over at Ethan, Pham, and Shane huddled by her side. The rough sea churns below. JULIE (unshakable) Do it for Peyton. Do it for Craig. Do it for Santa Mira. Shane rises up from behind the counter with his crossbow, aims, and shoots an arrow at Winged Thing — lands right between its eyes. Pham yells, tosses the tomahawk towards it — the weapon spins in the air — striking Winged Thing in the heart. Ethan leaps out from over the counter with the baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire — bashes Winged Thing’s skull. Goo shoots out its mouth, it falls dead to the floor. Winged Thing’s body tumbles out of the tilting diner and drops into the sea below. Splash! The Night Monster is up next behind it, not phased at all by our Horror Squad — who quickly regroup. Suddenly, Julie goes into wilderness survival mode — sliding across the water-slicked floor with the crowbar in her hands. She smashes The Night Monster in its knee caps Tonya Harding- style, lurches up with the crowbar, and stabs it in the chin. The creature roars, overcome with rage. 106.

107. ETHAN (unsettled) Okay, you made it angry... Tessa looks back behind them as the kitchen splits off from the diner and falls off the pier into the sea. Her eyes widen as she sees The Mer pulling on its seaweed- like tentacles wrapped around the structure, determined to drag the rest of the diner down with it. TESSA What is that?! ETHAN (dumbfounded) The Mer. Julie raises the crowbar up over her head and swings at The Night Monster once again, left-then-right — With a desperate strike, she drives the claw end of the crowbar into the creature’s eye. Goo splatters her face. Ethan, Pham, and Shane rush The Night Monster with their weapons in hand — fighting off swirling shadows springing out from its muscular body. Shane lands an arrow in its other eye, blinding it. Ethan uses his bat to strike it in the crotch, then pulls it up, slicing the barbed wire across the beast’s exposed chest — causing more goo to spill out all over the place. Carrie and Willard snap out of their trance, angered by what’s happening. CARRIE (enraged) No! Pham springs up and hits The Night Monster in the throat with her tomahawk axe, then rips the weapon out - its neck opens up as goo pours down its chest like a liquid bib. The ceiling collapses on Willard. His body tumbles off the pier and disappears into the darkened sea. Carrie stalks down the aisle between booths, closing in on Julie and the others regrouping at the counter. More of the diner ruptures, stools and booths go flying into the sea. Seaweed shoots up and wraps around Carrie’s waist — pulling her into the water. 107.

108. Julie sees Tessa lose her footing and start sliding towards the abyss. She grabs her sister’s arm. TESSA I’m slipping! Julie tightens her grip. JULIE Hang on, I’ve got you! THE MER breaks the surface once again, its terrifying form using all its power to pull the rest of the diner apart. Shane takes his crossbow and aims it at the monster below. The arrow releases — striking The Mer between its eyes. PHAM (satisfied) Nice. ETHAN Come on! Ethan motions to Pham and Shane to help him. They grab hold of Julie, pulling her and Tessa back up to safety, before the floor beneath crumbles into the water. The Horror Squad takes off running as the remains of the diner fly over their head and spill out into the sea. INT. POLICE CAR - NEIGHBORHOOD STREET - (TRAVELING) Sheriff Dukes drives Molly home. MOLLY (reflective) I just worry about my girls. SHERIFF DUKES Sometimes you have to learn to trust that they’ll make the right decisions. Molly smiles softly. MOLLY I hope you’re right. I just wish Frank was still here. SHERIFF DUKES So do I. 108.

109. He pulls up to the end of the long drive leading up to Danforth Manor. EXT. PIER - CONTINUOUS The Horror Squad runs with everything they’ve got towards the end of the pier and collapse on the sand. EXT. UNDER THE PIER - CONTINUOUS The Mer soon evaporates into a gooey mess and vanishes beneath the dark water’s surface. EXT. FOUNDER'S COVE - SECONDS LATER Julie breathes a sigh of relief as Tessa and their friends recover on the beach. EXT. SANTA MIRA PLAZA SQUARE - SAME TIME The band finishes their set. Simone snaps out of it, appearing confused. She’s no longer under Carrie’s power. EXT. DANFORTH MANOR - DAYBREAK Julie, Tessa, Ethan, Pham, and Shane head up the driveway. Caked in blood and traces of goo on their clothes. Molly sees them from the window of The Carriage House and hurries outside. Her hand covers her mouth, shocked at their bedraggled appearance. MOLLY I was worried sick. Is everything okay? Julie looks to Tessa and their friends. JULIE I think so, at least for now... They share a knowing smile. The camera glides upward over town as the sun begins to rise up from the canyons, shimmering across the bay. 109.

110. EXT. UNDERWATER - OFF THE COAST OF FOUNDER’S COVE Debris from the diner drifts to the seafloor, setting around Carrie’s motionless body. After a moment, her eyes pop open. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. THE HORROR WORLD - WIDE SHOT Thunder rumbles in dark clouds above. Lightning crackles in the sky. We close in on a HOODED FIGURE ahead, standing at the edge of a steep cliff face, overlooking a nightmarescape born from horror movies. SLAM TO BLACK. END 110.