Halloween Horror Marathon 2017
Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2017 10:26 pm
Halloween Horror Marathon '12
Halloween Horror Marathon '13
Halloween Horror Marathon '14
Halloween Horror Marathon '15
Halloween Horror Marathon '16
INT., VIDEO STORE
[The bell over the door dings as two young people, Johnny and Barbara, enter, both holding video tapes. It is a typical video store, with a returns counter right near the entrance and long, narrow aisles receding towards the back. There are posters on the wall, advertising the home release of recent big-screen movies, and cardboard displays advertising more movies. The shelves are fully stocked with NEW RELEASES and older movies separated into distinct GENRES. Johnny takes the tapes held by Barbara -- his sister -- places them on the returns counter, and dings the bell next to the cash register.]
JOHNNY: [calling out] Hello? Anyone back there?
BARBARA: Maybe the store is closed, Johnny.
JOHNNY: [glances back over shoulder] No, there's still twenty-five minutes until it closes. [calls out again, louder] Hello? We would like to return some movies!
BARBARA: Maybe they're out back, doing inventory or something. We could always come back...
JOHNNY: [cross] No, I don't want to get charged for another night's rental just because everyone decided to leave the counter unmanned. I mean, goodness, anyone could just walk in here, grab some money from the register and bolt, and no one would be the wiser! Who runs a business this way? [calls out even louder] WE WOULD LIKE TO RETURN SOME MOVIES, PLEASE!
BARBARA: [scolding] Johnny! Be polite!
JOHNNY: Forget this! [drops video tapes in an untidy heap on the returns counter] When someone comes back, they can deal with that. Meanwhile, let's see if there's anything else good to rent before we leave.
[Johnny leads the way towards the HORROR SECTION. Barbara follows behind, throwing a guilty glance behind her at the returns counter. Johnny begins perusing the available tapes, giving each cover and back information blurb a cursory glace before moving onto the next. Barbara follows a few paces behind, looking decidedly nervous.]
JOHNNY: [irritated] Look at all this crap! [places copy of NIGHT OF THE LVING DEAD back on the shelf] Either I've seen all of these, or I wouldn't want to! I can't remember the last time they had something decent to rent.
BARBARA: [nervous] Please, Johnny, I don't feel comfortable being back here with no one else.
JOHNNY: [turns to Barbara] Eh? I know the owner well. I used to work here, you know. [picks up copy of THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASACRE and starts reading the back of the box.]
BARBARA: I know that, I just think it's unwise to be in a store when there's no one who works there present.
[Johnny turns his attention back to the shelves, working his way down the row alphabetically. Barbara glances out the window into the parking lot, and notes with a twinge of alarm how the shadows have begin creeping out onto the pavement. She glances at her watch, and sees that it is now past closing time.]
BARBARA: It's past 7:00 PM, Johnny.
JOHNNY: [annoyed] Oh, please and kindly put a sock in it, I'm almost done.
BARBARA: [voice now sharper than she intended] PLEASE, Johnny!
[JOHNNY looks up, surprised. A knowing smirk begins to form across his face]
JOHNNY: Do you remember one time when we were small, we were out here, renting a movie? It was from right over there, I jumped out at you from behind the endcap display, and Grandpa got all excited, and he shook his fist at me and said, [thick accent] "Boy, you'll be damned to Hell!" (Laughs.) Remember that? Right over there. Boy, you used to really be scared here.
BARBARA: [agitated] Johnny!
JOHNNY: [surprised] You're still afraid!
BARBARA: Stop it, now! I mean it!
JOHNNY: [with a theatrical, "spooky" cadence] They're coming to *get* you, Barbara!
BARBARA: [annoyed] You're ignorant!
JOHNNY: ["spooky" cadence continues] Yes, they're *coming* for you!
[at the head of the aisle, an Employee appears. From a distance, we see him weaving slowly from side to side, actually knocking a few videotapes off the shelves at his sides]
JOHNNY: [grabs Barbara by the arm, and continues in "spooky" cadence] Look! Here comes one of them now! I'm getting out of here!
[Johnny turns and runs back down the aisle, leaving an embarrassed Barbara to deal with the Employee, who continues to advance down the aisle towards her. He continues to weave from one side of the aisle to the other, almost appearing to be inebriated, but in her state of distress and embarrassment, Barbara fails to notice. She walks down the aisle to greet the Employee halfway.]
BARBARA: Please forgive my brother, he--
[The Employee lunges out at Barbara, his fingers twisted into claws. Her head snaps up in shock and her eyes widen in fright as she finally looks into the Employee's eyes and sees nothing but an atavistic, blank HUNGER in them. She shrieks in surprise as the Employee grabs her by the upper arms and begins shaking her violently from side to side, their bodies collides with the shelves, and more video tapes go crashing to the floor, some of the plastic cases popping open and spilling the tapes inside across the carpet.]
BARBARA: JOHNNY! OH, GOD, *JOHNNY*!!!
[Johnny runs back around the far corner of the aisle and sees Barbara being accosted by the Employee. He swiftly runs down and attempts to pry his hands from his terrified sister's arms as they sway back and forth. More video tapes hit the floor]
BARBARA: JOHNNY, OH NO...!!!
[Johnny manages to free his sister from the Employee's grip, and the two men struggle violently, Barbara slumps to the floor in a daze, witnessing the events through a haze of disbelieving SHOCK. Johnny loses his glasses in the struggle, and suddenly falls to one knee. The Employee grabs his hair, and SMASHES his head into the side of a splintered plastic case. Johnny suddenly goes limp. Barbara reacts in terror as the Employee looks up at her, a vacant expression of mindless hunger in his eyes. He reaches out for her with his hands as she scuttles away. Barbara shrieks, manages to get to her feet, and bolts towards the entrance. She can hear the Employee behind her, giving lumbering pursuit, his feet knocking aside scattered video tapes.]
EXT. VIDEO STORE PARKING LOT
[Barbara yanks the front door open and runs screaming into the parking lot towards the automobile she and Johnny arrived in. She opens the door, leaps into the front seat, and slams it mere seconds before the Employee smashes his face into the glass. Barbara shrieks again and slams her hand down on the door locking mechanism as the Employee batters his hands clumsily on the glass. She reaches out towards the steering wheel.]
CLOSEUP ON DASHBOARD
[Barbara's hand reaches for the key, but we see that they are not in the ignition.]
INT. CAR
[Barbara emits a groan of frustration, then a yelp of surprise as the Employee suddenly starting hitting the car window with one of the empty plastic video containers. After three or four solid strikes, the safety glass SHATTERS, allowing the Employee to reach in towards Barbara, who cowers against the far door, whimpering.]
BARBARA: No, get AWAY...!!!
[Suddenly, there's a loud WHAP against the glass window Barbara is pressed against, and she throws a terrified glance over her shoulder...only to discover Johnny standing there, bloodied and disheveled and with a sick grin on his face.]
JOHNNY: [laughing] Oh man, we got you good, Barbara...!
[with the arrival of Johnny, the Employee suddenly ceases his attempts to enter the car, stands up, and begins to laugh as well. The two men stand there, laughing heartily, as a suddenly furious Barbara unlocks the door, exits the car, and shoves Johnny back violently. Johnny stumbles back several paces, falls to the pavement, and sits there in the growing twilight gloom, still laughing. The employee goes over to him and holds out a hand to help him up, also emitting peals of laughter.]
BARBARA: [seething] That WASN'T FUNNY, Johnny!
JOHNNY: [still chuckling] C'mon, sis, it's all in good fun! We even rigged up the window with sugar glass, so it couldn't possibly cut you.
BARBARA: God, I hate Halloween...
[Barbara walks over to the now-standing Johnny, yanks the keys from his coat pocket, gets back in the car's driver's side seat, starts the engine, and peels out of the parking lot, leaving behind a scattering of sugar glass fragments, a cloud of stinking exhaust, and two long stripes of burned rubber. Johnny and the Employee, still laughing, walk back into the store]
VIDEO STORE INT.
JOHNNY: That was awesome, thanks a lot!
EMPLOYEE: Don't mention it. It's Halloween, and everybody's entitled to a good scare, right?
JOHNNY: You said it.
EMPLOYEE: Hey, you mind if I use this bit in that screenplay I've been kicking around?
JOHNNY: Be my guest. [looks at watch] Jeez, it *is* getting late. I need to get home before Barbara changes the locks on me.
EMPLOYEE: [laughs] Perhaps you should. Don't worry, I'll take care of your returns.
JOHNNY: Thanks. See you tomorrow?
EMPLOYEE: Sure.
[Johnny leaves. The Employee locks the door behind him and turns to begin the arduous task or neatening the scattered tapes and shelves before his boss finds out. As he turns around, we cut to a closeup of a nametag reading "GEORGE"]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This year's Halloween Horror Marathon is dedicated to the memories of the legendary filmmakers George A. Romero and Tobe Hooper. Thanks for all the frights, gents.
Halloween Horror Marathon '13
Halloween Horror Marathon '14
Halloween Horror Marathon '15
Halloween Horror Marathon '16
INT., VIDEO STORE
[The bell over the door dings as two young people, Johnny and Barbara, enter, both holding video tapes. It is a typical video store, with a returns counter right near the entrance and long, narrow aisles receding towards the back. There are posters on the wall, advertising the home release of recent big-screen movies, and cardboard displays advertising more movies. The shelves are fully stocked with NEW RELEASES and older movies separated into distinct GENRES. Johnny takes the tapes held by Barbara -- his sister -- places them on the returns counter, and dings the bell next to the cash register.]
JOHNNY: [calling out] Hello? Anyone back there?
BARBARA: Maybe the store is closed, Johnny.
JOHNNY: [glances back over shoulder] No, there's still twenty-five minutes until it closes. [calls out again, louder] Hello? We would like to return some movies!
BARBARA: Maybe they're out back, doing inventory or something. We could always come back...
JOHNNY: [cross] No, I don't want to get charged for another night's rental just because everyone decided to leave the counter unmanned. I mean, goodness, anyone could just walk in here, grab some money from the register and bolt, and no one would be the wiser! Who runs a business this way? [calls out even louder] WE WOULD LIKE TO RETURN SOME MOVIES, PLEASE!
BARBARA: [scolding] Johnny! Be polite!
JOHNNY: Forget this! [drops video tapes in an untidy heap on the returns counter] When someone comes back, they can deal with that. Meanwhile, let's see if there's anything else good to rent before we leave.
[Johnny leads the way towards the HORROR SECTION. Barbara follows behind, throwing a guilty glance behind her at the returns counter. Johnny begins perusing the available tapes, giving each cover and back information blurb a cursory glace before moving onto the next. Barbara follows a few paces behind, looking decidedly nervous.]
JOHNNY: [irritated] Look at all this crap! [places copy of NIGHT OF THE LVING DEAD back on the shelf] Either I've seen all of these, or I wouldn't want to! I can't remember the last time they had something decent to rent.
BARBARA: [nervous] Please, Johnny, I don't feel comfortable being back here with no one else.
JOHNNY: [turns to Barbara] Eh? I know the owner well. I used to work here, you know. [picks up copy of THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASACRE and starts reading the back of the box.]
BARBARA: I know that, I just think it's unwise to be in a store when there's no one who works there present.
[Johnny turns his attention back to the shelves, working his way down the row alphabetically. Barbara glances out the window into the parking lot, and notes with a twinge of alarm how the shadows have begin creeping out onto the pavement. She glances at her watch, and sees that it is now past closing time.]
BARBARA: It's past 7:00 PM, Johnny.
JOHNNY: [annoyed] Oh, please and kindly put a sock in it, I'm almost done.
BARBARA: [voice now sharper than she intended] PLEASE, Johnny!
[JOHNNY looks up, surprised. A knowing smirk begins to form across his face]
JOHNNY: Do you remember one time when we were small, we were out here, renting a movie? It was from right over there, I jumped out at you from behind the endcap display, and Grandpa got all excited, and he shook his fist at me and said, [thick accent] "Boy, you'll be damned to Hell!" (Laughs.) Remember that? Right over there. Boy, you used to really be scared here.
BARBARA: [agitated] Johnny!
JOHNNY: [surprised] You're still afraid!
BARBARA: Stop it, now! I mean it!
JOHNNY: [with a theatrical, "spooky" cadence] They're coming to *get* you, Barbara!
BARBARA: [annoyed] You're ignorant!
JOHNNY: ["spooky" cadence continues] Yes, they're *coming* for you!
[at the head of the aisle, an Employee appears. From a distance, we see him weaving slowly from side to side, actually knocking a few videotapes off the shelves at his sides]
JOHNNY: [grabs Barbara by the arm, and continues in "spooky" cadence] Look! Here comes one of them now! I'm getting out of here!
[Johnny turns and runs back down the aisle, leaving an embarrassed Barbara to deal with the Employee, who continues to advance down the aisle towards her. He continues to weave from one side of the aisle to the other, almost appearing to be inebriated, but in her state of distress and embarrassment, Barbara fails to notice. She walks down the aisle to greet the Employee halfway.]
BARBARA: Please forgive my brother, he--
[The Employee lunges out at Barbara, his fingers twisted into claws. Her head snaps up in shock and her eyes widen in fright as she finally looks into the Employee's eyes and sees nothing but an atavistic, blank HUNGER in them. She shrieks in surprise as the Employee grabs her by the upper arms and begins shaking her violently from side to side, their bodies collides with the shelves, and more video tapes go crashing to the floor, some of the plastic cases popping open and spilling the tapes inside across the carpet.]
BARBARA: JOHNNY! OH, GOD, *JOHNNY*!!!
[Johnny runs back around the far corner of the aisle and sees Barbara being accosted by the Employee. He swiftly runs down and attempts to pry his hands from his terrified sister's arms as they sway back and forth. More video tapes hit the floor]
BARBARA: JOHNNY, OH NO...!!!
[Johnny manages to free his sister from the Employee's grip, and the two men struggle violently, Barbara slumps to the floor in a daze, witnessing the events through a haze of disbelieving SHOCK. Johnny loses his glasses in the struggle, and suddenly falls to one knee. The Employee grabs his hair, and SMASHES his head into the side of a splintered plastic case. Johnny suddenly goes limp. Barbara reacts in terror as the Employee looks up at her, a vacant expression of mindless hunger in his eyes. He reaches out for her with his hands as she scuttles away. Barbara shrieks, manages to get to her feet, and bolts towards the entrance. She can hear the Employee behind her, giving lumbering pursuit, his feet knocking aside scattered video tapes.]
EXT. VIDEO STORE PARKING LOT
[Barbara yanks the front door open and runs screaming into the parking lot towards the automobile she and Johnny arrived in. She opens the door, leaps into the front seat, and slams it mere seconds before the Employee smashes his face into the glass. Barbara shrieks again and slams her hand down on the door locking mechanism as the Employee batters his hands clumsily on the glass. She reaches out towards the steering wheel.]
CLOSEUP ON DASHBOARD
[Barbara's hand reaches for the key, but we see that they are not in the ignition.]
INT. CAR
[Barbara emits a groan of frustration, then a yelp of surprise as the Employee suddenly starting hitting the car window with one of the empty plastic video containers. After three or four solid strikes, the safety glass SHATTERS, allowing the Employee to reach in towards Barbara, who cowers against the far door, whimpering.]
BARBARA: No, get AWAY...!!!
[Suddenly, there's a loud WHAP against the glass window Barbara is pressed against, and she throws a terrified glance over her shoulder...only to discover Johnny standing there, bloodied and disheveled and with a sick grin on his face.]
JOHNNY: [laughing] Oh man, we got you good, Barbara...!
[with the arrival of Johnny, the Employee suddenly ceases his attempts to enter the car, stands up, and begins to laugh as well. The two men stand there, laughing heartily, as a suddenly furious Barbara unlocks the door, exits the car, and shoves Johnny back violently. Johnny stumbles back several paces, falls to the pavement, and sits there in the growing twilight gloom, still laughing. The employee goes over to him and holds out a hand to help him up, also emitting peals of laughter.]
BARBARA: [seething] That WASN'T FUNNY, Johnny!
JOHNNY: [still chuckling] C'mon, sis, it's all in good fun! We even rigged up the window with sugar glass, so it couldn't possibly cut you.
BARBARA: God, I hate Halloween...
[Barbara walks over to the now-standing Johnny, yanks the keys from his coat pocket, gets back in the car's driver's side seat, starts the engine, and peels out of the parking lot, leaving behind a scattering of sugar glass fragments, a cloud of stinking exhaust, and two long stripes of burned rubber. Johnny and the Employee, still laughing, walk back into the store]
VIDEO STORE INT.
JOHNNY: That was awesome, thanks a lot!
EMPLOYEE: Don't mention it. It's Halloween, and everybody's entitled to a good scare, right?
JOHNNY: You said it.
EMPLOYEE: Hey, you mind if I use this bit in that screenplay I've been kicking around?
JOHNNY: Be my guest. [looks at watch] Jeez, it *is* getting late. I need to get home before Barbara changes the locks on me.
EMPLOYEE: [laughs] Perhaps you should. Don't worry, I'll take care of your returns.
JOHNNY: Thanks. See you tomorrow?
EMPLOYEE: Sure.
[Johnny leaves. The Employee locks the door behind him and turns to begin the arduous task or neatening the scattered tapes and shelves before his boss finds out. As he turns around, we cut to a closeup of a nametag reading "GEORGE"]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This year's Halloween Horror Marathon is dedicated to the memories of the legendary filmmakers George A. Romero and Tobe Hooper. Thanks for all the frights, gents.