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(ACT ONE)
1. INT. HAUNTED HOUSE - DAY
Pitch black. As the wind HOWLS & a distant wolf bays at an unseen moon, a pretty blonde 8-year-old girl in a blue gingham dress with a bow in her hair steps INTO FRAME. She pauses to look worriedly around & then moves o.s. (off screen) A beat, then a tall figure dressed in black GLIDES INTO FRAME. Sunk into his dark hood where a face should be are two glowing red "eyes". Nothing else. BREATHING menacingly the figure pauses, then moves off after the girl.
The girl moves on, eyes wide. She looks back over her shoulder. Glowing skeleton hands claw unnoticed at her ankles. Suddenly, as the BREATHING grows LOUDER & LOUDER, the capped & hooded figure, "eyes" blazing, looms out of the darkness & raises its arms to engulf the tiny girl. As she opens her mouth to scream, we go to:
2. INT. TOY STORE - DAY
where a haunted house has been set up in a corner of the store. The scream we expect never comes. In its place is the delighted LAUGHTER of the "Alice in Wonderland" as she exits the haunted house in the arms of the dark figure. As she pulls its hood back we can SEE it is just a harmless young man in costume. His glowing red "eyes" are two lights attached to a headband he wears around his forehead. He sets the girl down & she scampers off to join a crowd of children at:
3. INT. TOY STORE - STAGE AREA - DAY
where a grand opening Halloween costume contest is in progress. Store owner SAMANTHA (SAM) JONES, a very pretty woman in her late 20's, parades exotically-costumed kids past our judges, Alex & Simon. Alex, not thrilled about being here, reminisces about past missions each costume seems to provoke (e.g., the Egyptian princess reminds him of retrieving the king's jewels). But there's one Alex can't get a fix on. A scruffy kid, who obviously couldn't afford a better costume, has what appear to be trash can lids tied on front & back of his small body & a rope for a tail. Simon has it. He's a yo-yo! Simon jumps up & announces the winner for most imaginative & original costume.
The winner receives the newest "Wizard of Elm Street" toy, the "Lite Rite". Simon thanks all the children for coming & tells them to follow Samantha & the "nice man who's dressed like a government agent" to the "Wizard" section of the store. He wants everyone to have a "Glow-Band" (the glowing "eye" device the dark figure wore). Wearing a "Wizard Glow-Band" is a good way to make sure you're seen in the dark while trick-or-treating. As the winner stays with Simon, the kids follow Alex & Samantha to:
4. INT. TOY STORE - "WIZARD" SECTION - DAY
where rows of shelves hold boxes bearing the "Wizard of Elm Street" logo. Thanks largely to Simon, the store is so successful Sam's expanding the whole basement to be a separate new section. Construction will start next week. Alex calls her Samantha. She prefers Sam. He mentions owning a toy store is an odd occupation. "Not for someone who grew up without any toys," she says. She also loves Halloween. Alex never cared for it. There's no feeling of ill will here. Just two people who seem to differ on everything. Meanwhile:
5. INT. TOY STORE - STAGE AREA - DAY
the young "yo-yo" still can't believe he won. Everyone else had such fancy, expensive costumes. Simon tells the boy his costume had something that none of the others had. Imagination. That one ingredient made it very special & unique. Simon then demonstrates the "Lite Rite" for the boy.
The "Lite Rite" is a small box with a joy-stick in the center. To one side is a color wheel & to the other an on/off button & an erase button. As Simon pushes the "on" button, a tiny, barely visible beam of light shoots out from a small lens on the front of the box. A bright spot of light seems to hang in mid-air at the end of a beam. As the child moves the joy-stick, the dot moves through the air, leaving a line of light. This is very similar to an Etch-A-Sketch, but it happens in the air with light. A turn of the color wheel changes the color of the light. In no time at all Simon has the child writing his name through the air. As they play they are interrupted by MUSIC. They look to:
6. INT. TOY STORE - "WIZARD" SECTION - DAY
A display of electric keyboards is nearby. Keys move on one as it plays a loud, lively rendition of "Jail House Rock". In the aisle nearby a ballerina doll about two-feet tall spins on a shelf, seemingly dancing to the music. As all the children & Simon watch, delighted by the show, Simon glances at Samantha. She appears anything but delighted. She seems, instead, terrified. Concerned, Simon goes to her. As they watch, the MUSIC STOPS as suddenly as it began. The doll, poised on one toe, stops spinning just as suddenly & falls, face-first, to the floor.
Simon believes Samantha was responsible for this "show" & says it was wonderful. Why does she appear troubled? She says she had nothing to do with it. She explains this isn't the first time something like this has happened. When she's alone in the store at night she feels like she's being watched, items fall from shelves for no reason, she hears noises. Alex thinks it must be her imagination...or vandals. It is, after all, Halloween. He knows from his work as an agent that this particular holiday brings out the evil in a lot of people.
Simon isn't so sure people have anything to do with this. "Are you suggesting ghosts?" asks Alex, convinced halloween has gotten to Simon. Simon explains that he doesn't believe in ghosts as such, but does believe there are forces in nature that we don't yet understand. Since Sam is so visibly shaken he intends to spend the night with her in the store & see if they can't, together, take a step toward understanding what is happening.
Alex resists this notion. He & Simon have a government fundraiser they promised to attend. But when he sees how determined Simon is, & especially how vulnerable Sam seems, he tells Simon he'll cancel their plans & spend the night with them. It is, after all, his job to protect Simon, even if it's from himself.
7. INT. SIMON'S HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY
The kitchen is filled with homemade Halloween candy. As Simon enters, Tillie is packing some into tins. She asks Simon why he tortures himself. He knows Halloween is the most difficult time of the year for him when it comes to candy temptation. Simon agrees, so to avoid temptation she should give him some more candy. Tillie shakes her head. Not only won't she give him any, she intends to hide the candy until Halloween night. Simon is chagrinned. As Tillie turns her back, he surreptitiously slips a tiny magnetized homing device under a candy tin. Simon then tells Tillie the temptation is too great & he's got to leave until she can get the candy hidden.
8. INT. TOY STORE - NIGHT
Simon asks Alex & Sam to sit down at a table where he has just placed a large glass globe about the size of a basketball. The transparent ball is filled with a special gas & gives the impression that it has somehow captured lighting. Simon explains to a skeptical Alex that energy never dies; it cannot be created or destroyed. There is a life energy out there & all they need is to find a way to tap into it. He feels this "energy ball" may be the conduit they need.
As the three touch the "energy ball" with six hands, Alex & Sam's hands touch one another's & a spark within jumps between them. They look into each other's eyes & move closer together. Simon watches in fascination as the attraction between Alex & Sam builds. Alex reaches into his back pocket, takes out a comb & begins combing his hair back in a D.A. (ducks ass (yes, really)) They lean close to one another & kiss. As the kiss grows more passionate, INTERCUT flashes of:
9. INT. '55 CHEVY - NIGHT
The images are in BLACK & WHITE. They are possibly shot through a fish-eye lens. The whites glare harshly as though the film has been over-exposed. Among the flashes we SEE are: (1) A rearview mirror reflecting forehead as a D.A. hairstyle is combed back. (2) A pair of tiny ballet slippers hang from the mirror. (3) the car radio is clicked on & "Jail House Rock" plays. (4) A young couple necks in the front seat. Past them, through the front windshield, is an old gas station, circa 1955. If you were to look closely, you might see a figure inside the gas station looking out at them.
10. INT. TOY STORE - NIGHT
As Simon continues to observe Alex & Sam he is unaware that an ominous stack of game boxes teeters from a top shelf high above his head. Just as it seems the stack is about ready to go over the edge, a LOUD, SLOW, RHYTHMIC BANGING begins to reverberate throughout the store, snapping Alex & Sam out of their "trance". Alex dives across the table & pushes Simon out of the way, heroically saving his life, as the game boxes come crashing down right where Simon was just sitting!
Alex sees a "flash" of someone fleeing past the row of toys & jumps up to give chase. Sam asks Simon what happened. Simon asks her to tell him. She tells Simon that she suddenly felt a desire for Alex unlike anything she's ever felt for a man.
11. ALEX
as he runs down one aisle, around a corner & then down another aisle. No one. he hears a door slam, comes around another corner & tries the door. Locked. As he turns around & begins to head back to Sam & Simon, he almost trips over a model car -- a '55 Chevy. he reaches down to pick up the model & looks at it with curious fascination. It means something to him but he's not sure why.
FADE OUT
END OF ACT ONE
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ACT TWO
1. INT. SIMON'S HOUSE - NIGHT
Later that night. Simon & Alex return home with the model car. Alex tells Simon that somehow it's a clue. He wants to run fingerprints on it. Simon is going to turn in for the night. As Alex heads for the workshop, Simon pulls a gizmo out of his bag. It's a small box with a flashing light & a telescoping wand. As Simon follows the directional signal through the house, it finally leads him to the laundry room. He opens the washing machine. Eureka! Candy! He lifts out a tin & sees the homing device that he placed on it earlier. As he opens the tin & prepares to gorge, he is startled by a flash of light & the booming voice of Tillie, "No you don't." Foiled again. Off to bed. Simon's got a lot of work to do in the morning.
2. INT. SIMON'S BASEMENT WORKSHOP - DAY
Next morning. Alex had no luck lifting prints from the model car. It was bizarre. The print-powder wouldn't even stick to the surface. As Simon decides to run a few tests of his own on it, Tillie enters. Alex talks about the previous night. He asks Simon if he believes in love at first sight. Simon tells Alex that what he believes is not nearly as important as what he feels. Tillie has her own opinions on the subject. Simon places the model car in a galvanizing bath to see if he can learn anymore about the forces at work in the toy store. Tillie says let's forget all this forces of nature mumbo-jumbo. "Let's call 'em what they are. Ghosts. Spooks. Spirits." She tells of a time when she was working on a freighter sailing off the coast of Iceland. The fog was thick as molasses. If it hadn't been for the navigational help of a mysterious sea captain, a man believed drowned in these same waters years before, the entire ship & crew would have been lost. To wrap up her tall tale Tillie says that when the fog lifted, the mysterious captain disappeared & was never seen again.
At that moment a buzzer sounds, letting Simon know it's time to check his galvanizing bath. He is surprised by what he finds when he removes the model. Visible on the trunk of the car are six numbers -- a license plate number!
3. INT. TOY STORE - DAY
Simon & Alex arrive. The store is closed. While simon stays behind, Alex & Sam go to check out the license plate number.
4. EXT. TOY STORE - DAY
There's an unspoken uncomfortableness between Alex & Sam. He tells her that she doesn't have to come if the situation is awkward for her. In a tender, vulnerable moment, Sam confides in Alex that she is very frightened & wants to get out of the toy store. The other reason is that for some reason she feels very safe with Alex. Alex puts his arms around Sam offering comfort & security. They kiss. For some reason the kiss is just not the same. The feeling is gone. They get in Alex's car & drive away.
5. INT. TOY STORE - DAY
Simon prowls the store examining the sites of previous activity as he hears the LOUD BANGING sound again. As Simon follows it in an effort to find the source, it stops. Then he hears a CRASHING sound a couple aisles over. He runs for it & sees several box games have been knocked to the floor.
The monopoly game has opened up & the playing board sits on the ground, open. As Simon examines it more closely, he sees that a "house" sits on the "Vermont Avenue" space & there is a "car" playing piece in the same square. What could it mean?!
6. INT. BUD DIXON'S HOME - DAY
(Note: An ESTABLISHING SHOT should show that Bud lives on Vermont Avenue.) At the DMB they discovered the license was for an actual '55 Chevy last registered to a fellow named Eddie Taylor. But Sam recognized the name of the previous owner, Bud Dixon, the owner of the land the toy store is on. Coincidence? Alex thinks not. Bud, in his early fifties, seems like a nice enough guy. He is curious as to why Alex is grilling him on his whereabouts of the night before, but tells him he was just sitting home watching TV. When asked about the '55 Chevy he explains he sold it to a pal of his, Eddie Taylor. The worked together at a gas station that Bud owned. The station used to sit where the toy store is currently located. He hasn't seen Eddie or that car in thirty years. Eddie & his girlfriend, Laura, stopped by the station for gas one night. Eddie told him they were running off to elope. That was the last he saw of them.
As they leave, Sam turns to Bud & asks if anything strange ever happened around his station. Things moving by themselves? Noises? Tremors maybe? Bud smiles. he tells Sam she should get some rest. She's obviously been working too hard on all the construction at the store.
7. INT. TOY STORE - DAY
As Simon explores the aisles for more activity, he sees one of his "Lite-Rites" frantically at work. It is writing the word "Beware" through the air. As we HOLD ON that message & Simon's reaction we:
FADE OUT
END OF ACT TWO
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ACT THREE
1. INT. SIMON'S HOUSE - NIGHT
Halloween Night. Alex rushes in, excited. He has much to share with Simon, but Simon is not to be found. Tillie tells Alex she hasn't seen Simon since he came back from the toy store.
Doorbell RINGS. Tillie answers & greets a chorus of trick-or-treaters (many wear the Wizard's "Glow-Band"). She drops he homemade Halloween candy into everyone's bag until she gets to the last youngster who's dressed as Merlin, complete with wizard's black star-studded smock, black cap & facial mask with beard & big nose. Tillie tells this youngster she has something very special for him. She goes away & returns with an apple.
The youngster looks disdainfully into his bag at the apple & then pulls off his mask. It's Simon! He wonders what gave him away. Tillie points out his Day-Glo socks & sneakers which are not quite covered by his wizard's smock. Drat!
2 INT. TOY STORE - NIGHT
Dark. Sam is securing things for the night & ready to leave when she hears a NOISE. As she moves down an aisle we see she is being stalked by a dark capped & hooded figure -- a figure with two glowing red "eyes". As Sam turns to see the figure, it grabs her & drags her out of frame!
3. INT. SIMON'S HOUSE - NIGHT
Alex is frustrated. Simon seems to already know a lot of what Alex is telling him. Here he's been running around all day, using good old-fashioned shoe leather, & Simon sits with the same information. Before Simon can reveal his source, the phone RINGS. It's Sam. And she's in trouble!
4. INT. TOY STORE - NIGHT
Still dark as Simon & Alex enter. They hear MOANING coming from behind the counter. They rush to find Sam on the floor. She regains consciousness. They phone is nearby, off the hook. Still fuzzy, she says she must have called, but she really can't remember.
5. INT. TOY STORE BASEMENT - NIGHT
Working by flashlight, a man pries up the floorboards.
6. INT. TOY STORE - NIGHT
As Sam describes the figure that attacked her, the LOUD, SLOW, RYTHMIC BANGING heard before, begins again reverberating throughout the store, unnerving all.
7. INT. TOY STORE BASEMENT - NIGHT
Where the BANGING sound is deafening & seems to be coming from under the floorboards where the man is digging. Terrified by the increasing decibels of sound, the man works even more furiously.
8. INT. TOY STORE - NIGHT
Simon, Alex & Sam prowl cautiously through the store in search of the BANGING. Suddenly Alex is hit with inspiration! If this property used to be a gas station, then there would be fuel storage tanks under the ground where they now stand.
9. INT. TOY STORE BASEMENT - NIGHT
The light clicks on. Our trio descends the staircase & notices the ripped-up floorboards. Sam says construction isn't due to start for a few more days. This BANGING seems to be coming from the hole. Alex scrapes away dirt until he hits the old fuel tank. He turns & opens the submarine-like hatch on the tank. The BANGING STOPS & a gust of wind seems to escape from the tank. Alex says matter-of-factly, "We have to go in." Alex again takes a comb from his pocket to grease back his non-existent D.A. He takes Sam by the hand & with Simon they being to climb down the ladder into --
10. INT. FUEL STORAGE TANK - NIGHT
as Simon follows them down, his trusty bag in hand. Simon reaches into his bag & pulls out an electric lantern to have a better look at his surroundings. As he shines the light on Alex & Sam,they seem frightened. Sam screams & flails her arms as Alex protects & fights off an unseen attacker. Throughout this we cut in flashes of --
11. INT. '55 CHEVY - NIGHT
Black & White. Fish-eye lens. Our young couple. A figure yanks open the car door, a switchblade in his hand! As he raises the blade & "Jail House Rock" plays, we return to --
12. INT. FUEL STORAGE TANK - NIGHT
As the fight goes out of Alex & Sam, she collapses tearfully into Alex's arms. As he tries to comfort her, a shadow falls over the hole above & the hatch slams SHUT! They hear the latch spin tight, effectively sealing them into this tank! Simon says there must be another way out. He shines his light around & it focuses on the skeletal remains of two bodies long since forgotten. The light also picks up on a rusted switch-blade. as Alex sees the skeletons he says, "I wouldn't be so sure about that." Sam sees the skeletons & screams & as it looks as if our heroes are dead ducks, we --
FADE OUT
END OF ACT THREE
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ACT FOUR
1. INT. FUEL STORAGE TANK - NIGHT
As Alex comforts Sam, Simon climbs the ladder to examine the sealed latch. Sam is on the verge of panic. It felt like she wasn't in the fuel tank but was far away. Not in distance...but time...and she was dying. Alex felt the same. A confusion of love, fear, memories that weren't his. Simon descends the ladder. Sam's memory was of eloping with Eddie...or Alex, they blend. As she & Alex reveal more Simon puts together a scenario of two people with a deep love for one another who were murdered by someone who hid their bodies & the murder weapon in the fuel tank. Alex is sure that it was Bud Dixon. That makes perfect sense to Simon. But would have a key to the toy shop & could come & go as he pleased. It was Bud who pushed the toys over during the seance. He was afraid the construction Sam had planned would reveal the evidence of his crime. He had to remove the skeletons & murder weapon before they were discovered.
But how could Alex & Sam feel these things? Simon believes energy can be neither destroyed or created. When Laura & Eddie were killed their energy stayed behind & somehow linked up with Sam & Alex's so their story could be told. Unfortunately, that's not enough to convict Bud. They need proof. They need a confession. They need to get out of this insufferable tank.
Simon digs through his bag & comes up with a toy top with a magnetic tip. Climbing the ladder to the hatch he hangs the top upside-down by its tip from the hatch. As he starts the top spinning the tip acts as a drill bit & drills through the latch & trips the lock, springing them free! Now, time for a confession.
2. EXT. BUD DIXON'S HOUSE - NIGHT
A vintage '55 Chevy, headlights on, pulls up in front of the house. There is no driver in the car. As it glides to a stop we hear the DING-DONG sound of a car pulling into the pumps in a filling station. Bud looks out his window as the Chevy honks, then comes out of the house & slowly approaches the car. He doesn't look well.
3. INT. '55 CHEVY - NIGHT
The door swings open & the dome light comes on, revealing to Bud the switchblade, bearing his initials, on the driver's seat. As he slowly, nervously climbs in to retrieve the knife, the Chevy SQUEALS away from the curb & the doors SLAM & lock shut. Panicked, Bud looks around & sees the pedals & shift operate themselves. A pair of tiny ballet slippers hang from the rearview mirror.
4. INT. '55 CHEVY TRUNK - NIGHT
where Simon works an elaborate remote-controlled dashboard (not unlike the gizmo used in the pilot) complete with video screen so he can see the road. He pushes a cassette into a tape machine, causing --
5. INT. '55 CHEVY - NIGHT
The radio dial suddenly lights up & "Jail House Rock" begins to play. Bud looks as though he could faint as the car continues to move through the night streets.
6. INT. TOY STORE - REAR STORAGE ROOM - NIGHT
The Chevy drives into the storeroom & the door closes behind it. The car door opens & Bud shakily gets out. He tries to pull at the door to get out, but it's locked. He runs into the store. As he does, Simon quickly crawls out of the trunk.
7. INT. TOY STORE - NIGHT
It's dark save for a solitary spotlight. The light is focused on a toy replica of a gas station. As Bud is drawn toward the gas station he can see that his name appears above the station. As he continues to move toward the station he almost trips over a model '55 Chevy that pulls up to the station. "Jail House Rock" begins to PLAY on the keyboards as a porcelain ballerina begins to dance.
As Bud takes in the sights, a mist floods the floor, creating an eerie, other-wordly effect. Wind whistles through the store. The gust knocks the ballerina over, shattering her head as it hits the floor.
Bud panics. He demands to know who's there! He sees spirits floating through the air! Bud says they should leave him alone, has hasn't done anything! The spirits seem to take exception to this & their reaction is quite severe.
Games fly! Jars of marbles shatter! Bud dashes for the door.
8. INT. TOY STORE - OBSERVATION ROOM - NIGHT
The overhead room normally used to keep an eye out fro shoplifters has been set up as Simon's "master control". He looks down at Bud through the two-way mirror.
9. INT. TOY STORE - NIGHT
Bud wrenches the front door open & is blinded by the headlights of the '55 Chevy. They point straight at him. Stepping in front of the lights, seen only in silhouette, are Laura & Eddie. They move menacingly toward him, backlit in the headlights.
Bud shouts, "Laura! Eddie! No! It can't be you! You're dead! I killed you!!"
9-A INT. OBSERVATION ROOM - NIGHT
Simon turns off the tape recorder.
10. EXT. TOY STORE - NIGHT (LATER)
Several police cars sit outside the store, lights flashing, as Bud is taken away.
11. INT. TOY STORE - NIGHT
Simon, Alex & Sam walk through the quiet store. Simon senses that Laura & Eddie are finally at peace. For Alex & Sam it is a poignant moment. They felt within them a love that survived death. Simon says that all love survives forever. But for Alex & Sam the question is was the love they felt really theirs. Although they know it wasn't, they felt it. But it wasn't real...but they felt it...
FADE OUT
END OF ACT FOUR
12. TAG - To be written.
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Page Property of Michael Berk, Douglas Schwartz, Kerry Lenhart & John J. Sakmar
Story Outline from The Michael Berk Collection
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