The Script

by Arthur Saxon
arthursaxon@zombieworld.com

 

Kim Stanlow was an astute film producer. So far she had worked with three directors, the latest (and her most favourite) being the talented young Sidney Walsh, an Englishman with four movies under his belt. Kim had produced the last two of these and, while they had been only moderately successful at the box office, they had more than recouped their low budgets and the critics had been gratifyingly supportive.

Now, however, it was time to move into the big leagues. Or at least, semi-big. Kim's influence had grown in Hollywood recently, and she felt she could secure funding for a budget of forty million dollars or so. She would work with Sid again, and they were going to make a horror movie.

"Not just any horror movie, though," enthused Sid when he pitched it to her. "You just have to see the script I've got here! It's dynamite."

"Really?" Kim's tone was initially sceptical. "We've had 'Scream', 'The Sixth Sense' and 'The Blair Witch Project' all too recently, darling - what makes you think you can tempt the audiences with the promise of originality?"

"Read the script," said Sid firmly. "You'll see. It's by Rob Mace - he's the next big thing, trust me."

So Kim read the script. And was duly impressed.

"That's a great story!" she said when she next saw Sid. "Lots of potential."

Sid knew that word and disliked it. "What's wrong with it?" he asked.

Kim chuckled. "Ah, I love that you're so smart," she said. "Okay, here's the deal. Nobody's going to be interested in a middle-aged fat guy battling demons in the desert. Just isn't going to happen, darling. We do have a responsibility to the investors, you know."

Sid ground his teeth in annoyance. "Your alternative?"

"Turn the middle-aged guy into a young, beautiful woman," said Kim, "and move the action from the desert to somewhere more interesting … claustrophobic, perhaps, like a big old house or an apartment building."

"A big old house?" echoed Sid in disbelief. "Haven't we just had two really really poor remakes on that tired old theme?"

Kim shrugged. "It was just a suggestion. We can review that. But the script will shine through the setting anyway - it didn't need to be set in a desert after all."

Sid nodded grudgingly. "Well, I'll go back to Rob, but I don't think he'll be too happy."

"No darling. Let's buy the script first. Then we'll tell him we've got a team of writers just ready and waiting to edit it. He'll come around."

"Hmm, just how do you sleep at night Kim?" asked Sid with a frown.

"Pills darling, and lots of them," replied Kim with a tight-lipped smile.

Sid sighed, then said, "So do you have someone in mind for the part?"

"I do. Caren Douglas."

Sid's eyes widened. "You think you can get her?" he asked in surprise. "And more to the point, do you think she's appropriate? She's not exactly in the Ellen Ripley or Sarah Connor mould."

"What decade are you living in?" inquired Kim with a chuckle. "These days action heroines are slim and busty - think Dark Angel and Buffy."

"Yes but this is a serious film!"

"I know, darling, I know," said Kim soothingly. "And Caren's a serious actress."

"Well, there's another thing," said Sid. "She does nothing but down-to-Earth dramas. What makes you think she'll be interested in an action horror, however cerebral?"

Here Kim grinned like a Cheshire cat. "I've heard on the grapevine," she said, "that she's longing to do something different. Not only that, but the last time I spoke to her she said she'd like to work with you some time. Apparently she's a big fan of 'Silent Hours'."

"She liked Silent Hours?" asked Sid, intrigued. "Well, I can kind of see why. It's my most talky picture, and she does seem to like to exercise her voice. Which is why I can't really see her in a movie that doesn't have much dialogue."

"Just leave that to me, darling," said Kim.

Later that day, Kim called Caren Douglas's agent, and by nightfall a message had come back: Caren was definitely interested. A meeting was arranged, to which Kim invited both Sid Walsh and Rob Mace.

Caren arrived for the meeting dressed in a light jacket and a white knee-length skirt. Sid, who had never met her, thought she looked almost as attractive in person as she did on-screen, which was something that could not be said of most actresses.

"Caren, meet Sid Walsh … and Rob Mace, the scriptwriter."

"Hi, hi, glad to meet you both," said Caren. "Love your work, Mr Walsh…"

"Sid, please," said Sid with a smile.

"And you Rob … sounds like you've come up with a great script! Congratulations on that."

"Er, thanks," said Rob, looking rather bashful. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Have a seat, Caren," said Kim, "and we'll get started."

Caren sat down and took off her jacket. Underneath she was wearing a thin white blouse, through which her lacy bra was clearly visible. Rob's cheeks burned as he tried not to stare.

Kim glanced at him in mild annoyance, then she smiled broadly at Caren. "Now Caren, I realise this would represent something of a departure for you…"

"Just a second," said Sid. "Caren, I'm not sure what Kim's told you about the project so far, but you do know it's a horror flick, yes?" Caren nodded. "Yes, Kim told me it was an inventive and original horror film, and I'm cool with that. As soon as I finish 'And Justice For Few' I'll be available, since the Aronofsky project fell through… But Rob, perhaps you could describe it for me in your own words…?"

"Sure," said Rob, before Kim could get a word in edgeways. He noted her warning glance at him, but was not sure exactly what Kim was warning him against. "It's about a … young woman …" (he still rankled a little at this, but had been mollified at the thought of Caren Douglas starring in a film made from his script) "… who accidentally opens a portal to Hell while hitch-hiking through the desert after her car breaks down…"

"We're still working on that concept," interrupted Kim smoothly. "I'd prefer to move the action to a more urban setting…"

Rob glared at her. "Well, we'll discuss that," he said. "Anyway, the demons essentially cut her off from reality and she finds herself unable to get back to civilisation…"

"If she were trapped in her apartment, for instance," interjected Kim, "we could do all kinds of trick stuff like having her jump out of a window only to find herself landing back on her bed, or something…"

"I'm assuming I'm not the only person in the film," said Caren slowly, with a furrowed brow.

"Oh no … we'll have a nice comforting beginning," said Kim, "you know … you go to work, shop for groceries and so on … and then return to your house, which is when the adventure starts…"

"That's not in the script!" exclaimed Rob. "The whole point of this project is to make a film with one single actor!"

"That just won't work," said Kim, shaking her head. "You've got to set a scene, lay the groundwork … put the audience's feet firmly on the ground before kicking their legs out from under them. You've got to start with something nice and familiar…"

"We can do that without having other people in the film," said Sid, who had been quite excited by the novel thought of having only one actor to direct. "And think of the cost savings - no supporting cast, no extras, no casting director, no facilities other than Ms Douglas's trailer…"

"Call me Caren," said Caren.

"Yes yes, I appreciate all that," said Kim with a dismissive wave of her hand. "But come on people - let's face it, the audience are not going to come and see a movie with only one actor."

"They are if our distributor markets it right," said Sid. "Believe me, there's a market for novelty and this could be the gimmick that draws the crowds."

Kim wavered. She had taken for granted that she would overrule Sid and Rob on this issue, but maybe Sid had a point… "We'll think about that later," she said. "The purpose of this meeting is to get Caren on board if we can."

"Well I think that's a fairly central issue," said Caren. "It's quite a responsibility to carry a film entirely on your own. Tom Hanks kind of managed it in 'Cast Away', but even he had co-stars."

"But are you willing to give it a shot?" asked Sid.

Kim winced. Asking direct questions like this was a big faux-pas in negotiations. She prepared to launch in with qualifiers.

"I'm not sure," said Caren. "I guess so, if the script is as good as you say."

"It's excellent," said Kim immediately. "Dark, very intelligent, thought-provoking … dare I mention the 'O' word?"

Sid and Rob's eyebrows shot up, and Caren laughed. "Well I'll have to see it to believe it," she said, "but I'm definitely interested. I presume this is going to be a CGI-intensive picture?"

Kim nodded. "That's where much of the budget will go."

"Hey, wait a minute," said Rob. "I know there'll have to be a bit of CGI, but I don't think the script calls for more than about ten minutes' worth, cumulatively."

"Well I was meaning to talk to you about that," said Kim. "I was hoping you could put in a few more dream sequences … and make them a bit longer. Really bump up the fantastic elements. We could create some really cool demon characters…"

"Woah, hey, hold it!" Rob was by now distinctly alarmed. "Are you trying to turn this into 'The Cell'??"

"Ooh, I quite liked 'The Cell'," said Caren.

"Absolutely not," Kim assured Rob. "Your script doesn't permit any comparisons with that movie. No, I'm envisioning something completely new … different … unique. We're going to blur the lines between fantasy and reality…"

"Fair enough," said Rob, "but what's wrong with the way the script handles it? What's wrong with subtlety, for God's sake?"

"Rob, your script deserves to be made into an unforgettable cinematic experience," said Kim. "Come on, work with us here. What you've written is fantastic on paper, but we need it to work on screen."

"I really wish I'd read the script," said Caren. "Then at least I could contribute and we could brainstorm here a little."

"We can brainstorm anyway," said Kim. "The fact that you haven't read the script means that you might come up with a perspective we haven't thought of."

Rob threw up his hands in despair and sank back into his chair, sulking.

"Is there going to be any nudity?" asked Caren.

"No," said Sid.

"Possibly," said Kim, firing a warning glance at Sid. "How would you feel about that?"

"I think I'd be okay with that," said Caren, much to Sid's surprise.

"You've never done nudity before though … have you?" he asked her.

"Yeah, a couple of times in my earlier movies - just brief topless scenes," she replied. "But for six years now I've been fully-clothed most of the time … couple of underwear scenes, that's all. I think it'd be kind of cool if I chose a horror movie in which to go all the way … so to speak…"

"You're talking full-frontal nudity?" asked Rob in surprise.

"Jeez!" exclaimed Sid. "We've got an intelligent script here, folks … let's not cheapen it by turning it into teen T&A titillation."

"I don't know," said Rob slowly, turning over in his mind the concept of Caren naked in the film. "I think it could work - maybe I could write a nude scene or two into the script…"

"But we're descending to the level of…" began Sid in disgust.

Kim cut him off. "No Sid," she said. "You're thinking of standard, silly, teen slasher films featuring struggling, exploited, wannabe actresses in gratuitous shower scenes or bed scenes. What we have the opportunity of doing here is getting a big name actress, who is in control of her career, to bare her body for the sake of … well, art!"

Sid shrugged. "I had a vision of doing a smart, adult drama here…"

"And that's what it will be!" insisted Kim. "I'm sure you have the talent to film nudity artfully. Think of the sex scene in 'Don't Look Now', or the nude scenes in 'Walkabout', or in 'Breaking the Waves'."

"But that was all justified!" countered Sid. "The inclusion of nudity in this film is going to be gratuitous, if for no other reason than that it's not in there at the moment and you're talking about adding some just for the sake of it!"

"But my hero was originally a rather unappealing man," Rob pointed out. "Having Caren in the starring role immediately makes a difference to the tone of the film, and I'll have to rewrite parts of the script anyway. I think I can justify the nudity very well." He turned to Caren. "Just so I know what parameters I'm working to," he said, "how much are you prepared to do?"

Caren paused, then replied, "As much as the script demands. Personally I think that we should aim to be making a statement with this film. If we going to do it at all we shouldn't make the nude scene just one fleeting instance. If we do, it becomes just like hundreds of other dramas - the scene becomes 'the obligatory nude scene' and therefore gratuitous. This film, I feel, ought to be different. The nudity should be key to the plot, and there should be a lot of it."

Even Kim was quite taken aback by this. "I must say," she said, "I didn't expect this at all, but it's very brave of you. Rob, what do you think?"

Rob smiled. "I'll work on it," he said.

Kim now turned to Sid. "Sid," she said, "I know you're not comfortable with this, but I really think we can make a unique film here. Come on … I'd really like to think you're on board."

Sid sighed. "Very well," he said. "If we must do it at all, we might as well make an issue of it. Just how do you plan to justify all this nudity, Rob?"

"Oh." Rob, put on the spot, searched for inspiration. Then he found it. "Okay okay, I've got it. Here's the pitch all over again. We start with Caren arriving home from work and taking a bath. The action starts inside the house and stays there for the whole film, you see…"

Kim grimaced, but then shrugged and said, "All right, I'll buy it for the moment. Go on."

"We follow Caren as she puts on a t-shirt and panties and goes to bed. She falls asleep. Then she wakes up … naked. This tells the audience that something has happened to her, that somebody has stripped her in her sleep, and indeed this is what she herself thinks … except that she's actually dreaming, but neither she nor the audience realises this until later."

"I like that," said Caren, nodding approvingly. "It'll certainly be an eye-catching start - one that will hold the viewer's attention from the outset."

"I agree," said Kim. "But let's not overdo the nudity … that tack has sunk films like 'Showgirls'…"

"It wasn't the nudity in 'Showgirls' that sunk it," argued Rob. "It was the fact that it was a crap film. Look at Verhoeven's other nudie flick, 'Basic Instinct' … not the greatest film in the world, but it did just fine at the box office despite its nudity."

"However," said Sid, "I do think Kim's right for another reason - if we see too much of Caren early on, then the viewers will get desensitised and later nude scenes just won't be particularly interesting for them."

"Unless we liven them up somehow," added Rob.

Caren turned to him with a questioning look. "Liven them up how?" she asked.

Rob blushed. "Well," he said, "I suppose I'd be giving in to the CGI angle here…"

"Go on," said Kim.

"Okay … how about a sex scene?"

"I thought you didn't want any other actors involved," said Sid with a frown. He was beginning to get annoyed with Rob's U-turns.

"I don't … and that's the beauty of it. Caren's character thinks she's having sex with a man, but in fact it's a monstrous demon…"

"Nice…" conceded Kim.

"Been done though," said Sid stubbornly.

"But perhaps we can do it differently," said Kim. "Caren, how graphic are you willing for the sex scene to be?"

Caren frowned, puzzled. "What did you have in mind?"

"I was just wondering if now would be the time to push the envelope. You know that several mainstream European films have shown full penetration recently…"

"Woah!" exclaimed Sid, holding up his hands. "Let's not go there!"

"Why not? 'Intimacy' won a prestigious prize at the Berlin Film Festival in 2000," said Kim. "And we've had 'Baise-Moi', and 'Romance' … and now I hear there's a British film coming out that's got similar content… We'd use a body double of course, Caren, so you needn't worry on that score…"

"I don't want a body double," said Caren firmly. "I've always hated the concept of body doubles. As for the penetrative sex … well hell, if we're going to make history I want to be a part of it! Count me in."

"Hold on a second," said Sid. "If we're not going to have any other actors in the movie, just who would do the penetrating?"

"Can we get some animatronics in the movie?" asked Rob.

Kim nodded. "Sure," she said. "I don't see why not."

"In that case, can we get an animatronic demon tentacle or something? You know, made of latex or something of the sort…"

"Oh yes, I can just picture it," said Caren, nodding. "Dripping with slime…"

Kim wrinkled her nose in disgust. "You'd be happy being penetrated by something like that?" she asked.

Caren shrugged. "I don't see why not," she replied. I presume that Alien-style goo stuff isn't harmful?"

"I'm not sure," said Kim, "but I'll check."

"Man alive." Sid was shaking his head in disbelief. "You're asking me to invent a new genre here: horror porn!"

"Don't be daft, it's not porn," said Kim dismissively. "It's the future of cinema. We'll be ahead of our time."

"About this penetration scene," said Caren. "How are you going to show that I think I'm making love to a man?"

"Hmm," said Sid thoughtfully. "I suppose we'd really have to film it twice, once with a man and once with our animatronic tentacle…"

"But … then Caren wouldn't be the only person in the movie," objected Rob. "I'm really keen on that idea. Can't you do that with CGI?"

Kim shook her head. "Not effectively, unless we want to spend half of our budget on the CGI for one scene…"

"Kim's right," said Sid. "No, we'll have to get a proper actor to do it."

"Are you all right with that, Caren?" Kim asked. "Having actual sex with an actor?"

Caren nodded. "I suppose so. My husband might take a bit of convincing, but he's pretty broad-minded…"

"Maybe we could get your husband to play the part," suggested Kim. "It's only a bit part - he wouldn't need to do much acting…"

"Who is your husband?" Sid wanted to know.

"Godfrey Blake," said Caren. "He's a cinematographer."

"I know of him," said Sid, nodding. "Worked on 'Independence Day 2', didn't he?"

"That's him," Caren confirmed.

"Would he have sex with you for a film?" asked Sid.

"I'm sure he would," agreed Caren.

"Excellent," said Kim, pleased. "But I have to ask … if this demon is screwing Caren's character … what's her name again?"

"Diana," said Rob.

"Right … if this demon is screwing Diana, then what are his reasons? Is he trying to impregnate her…?"

"Oh, well yes I suppose so," said Rob.

"And does he succeed, or does she come to her senses in time and escape?"

"Well I figured she would wake up in time, realise what's happening, scream, and throw him off…"

"Hmm," said Kim. "Would it not be better to have her impregnated with a demon child…? We could build up to a pretty cool birth sequence … would be pretty memorable I think…"

"But this whole story takes place over the course of one night, doesn't it?" inquired Sid.

"That's right," said Rob. "But, I don't know, maybe demon babies grow really fast. What do you think, Caren?"

"I like the sound of this birth sequence," she said. "What will that involve?"

"Plenty of CGI," said Kim. "If we're making it graphic."

"I definitely think it should be graphic," said Caren. "Close-ups of my pussy, then?"

There was a stunned silence which lasted a few seconds. Then Sid said, "Erm, yes."

"And masses of CGI to make the emergence of the demon baby as realistic as possible," added Kim.

"I have to ask," said Sid to Caren. "This is going way beyond what any mainstream actress has ever done before. Why do you want to do it? Aren't you afraid you might lose respect in the industry?"

"Oh nonsense Sid," said Kim with a snort, secretly terrified that Caren might realise this could happen.

Caren shrugged. "I read an article by Tom Pascal recently," she said, "in which I was praised for turning down scripts which required nude scenes. It commended me for having a strong moral code, said I was setting a good example for young actresses, and finally said the world had had enough of actresses stripping off in the movies. It said a whole lot more, too, about how I was unafraid to appear non-sexy, and stuff like that."

"Well Jeez, that's Tom Pascal you know," said Sid. "Everyone knows he's a complete twat."

"I know that," said Caren. "But I think he's right about that being the general public's perception of me. And you know what? I don't want to be perceived that way! The reason I turned down those scripts was because they sucked, not because I didn't want to do the nudity. Well, this is my chance to do something completely different, to show I can be sexy with the best of them."

"Yeah," said Sid weakly, "but there's sexy and then there's this…"

"If you can get this film made," said Caren, "and there's no guarantee the studio is going to let you make it if they get wind of all this erotic content, then I'll be happy to be a part of something new and bold."

"Good for you, Caren," said Kim brusquely. "Now Rob, your script has a scene in which Diana gets tortured in hell. It's rather brief … do you think you could extend it? Make it a little more intense perhaps?"

"I'm sure I can," said Rob. "But my original version - the one I wrote for a middle-aged man - was kind of Hellraiser-ish … I can't see that working with Caren…"

"Right," agreed Kim. "Nobody's going to want to see Caren's flesh ripped off."

"Maybe she gets … I don't know … abused by the demons or something?" suggested Caren.

"How would you make that different from the demon rape scene though?" asked Sid.

Rob was shuffling through his script. "There's a bit in here that I think I left out of the version I gave you, Kim," he said. "A brief mention of another victim in Hell being sucked dry by giant demon leeches. I cut it out because it would involve another actor … but perhaps we could make Diana the subject of that torture…?"

Caren shrugged. "Sounds okay," she said. "Would I be naked for that also?"

"If that's okay…?" said Kim.

Caren nodded. "Maybe I could enter Hell fully clothed, and have my clothing ripped off…?"

"I like it!" said Rob enthusiastically. "You could be dumped naked into a pit from which you can't escape, and the leeches could ooze out of holes in the wall to slowly fill the pit. Then they'd climb up your legs and crawl all over you…"

"Maybe one could find its way into my cunt?" suggested Caren.

"Even better!" said Rob.

"Is this leech scene going to be the only nasty thing that happens to Diana in Hell, though?" asked Kim. "I envisioned several different tortures, but maybe I was being unrealistic…"

"Doesn't have to be the only thing," said Rob. "I guess if we extend the Hell sequence we could have something else happen to her."

"Like what?" asked Caren.

"Something involving her being strapped down, maybe?" suggested Sid.

"Maybe a demon could vomit all over her," said Rob. "And you'd have close-ups of the vomit cascading over her naked body … and maybe there are maggots wriggling in the vomit too."

"Ugh, yuck!" said Kim. "That's totally sick!" She paused for a moment. "Let's do it! But maybe we'll save that scene for the DVD…"

"It does sound rather over-the-top," said Sid dubiously. "Caren, what do you think?"

"I'm okay with that," said Caren. "Obviously it won't be real vomit…"

"Nah, we can mock something up," said Sid. "But we could save a lot of money on CGI if we used real maggots…"

Caren shivered. "Um, I'll have to think about that," she said.

"Great!" said Kim. "All right Rob, how soon do you think you could have a revised script ready?"

"Uh, a week should do it," said Rob.

"Okay - we'll send you a copy, Caren, as soon as it's finished, and we'll reconvene in ten days time - that's the Wednesday after next. If you like the script, Caren, you can sign the contract then."

Caren shook her head. "I don't want to give myself time to change my mind," she said, "and I've already decided I want to be a part of this. I'm prepared to sign now, if you've got a contract ready."

"I haven't, I'm afraid," said Kim. "I wasn't expecting you to agree without seeing the script."


Please email any feedback to arthursaxon@zombieworld.com

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