DREAM FLASHES – NIGHTMARE SPRINGWOOD
Horrifying apparitions and images ZOOM by us. Gloomy
buildings under a pitch black sky. MUTANTS and twisted
MONSTERS. Shadowy streets and dark alleyways. And FIVE
RAZOR-BLADE FINGERS suddenly ripping right through the sky
and down upon us as a VOICE rings out.
VOICE
Hey, you!
INT. WAREHOUSE – DAY – ON JACOB
Jacob’s eyes are closed as a SUPERVISOR looms above him.
SUPERVISOR
No slacking off. Back to work.
The boy’s eyes snap open and he jumps to his feet like a
babbling crazy man.
JACOB
What! Jesus fucking…Oh, shit!
SUPERVISOR
Whoa! Get a grip, boy.
The supervisor backs off from Jacob as he slowly gets used to
reality again.
JACOB
Huh? What’s going on?
SUPERVISOR
Nothing. That’s the problem. Now that
you’ve gotten your beauty rest, let’s see
if you can change it, okay?
Jacob calms down and nods. He walks away, snatching a
nervous glance at the perfectly normal brick wall.
EXT. FOSTER HOME – NIGHT
We watch as various lit windows go dark and the residents of
the house go to bed.
INT. WESLEY & JACOB’S BEDROOM – NIGHT
Wesley is getting in bed. Jacob is sitting in a chair
staring out the window. Wes switches off the lights and
turns to Jacob.
WESLEY
Aren’t you going to bed?
JACOB
I’m not tired.
WESLEY
Bullshit. If you looked any more tired,
you’d be dead.
Jacob cracks a weary smile in the darkness.
JACOB
That’s right.
WESLEY
You gotta sleep, man.
JACOB
Why? Who says? You know, people don’t
even really know why we sleep. They
haven’t found any physical reason for it.
WESLEY
But they do know that you go nuts if you
don’t.
JACOB
Sharks don’t sleep. They can’t pump
water through their gills on their own.
They have to always keep moving. If they
stop, they can’t breath. If they go to
sleep, they die.
WESLEY
You’re not a shark.
JACOB
I know. I’m just a kid. Don’t worry
about me, Wes. Go to sleep.
Wesley shakes his head and gets under the covers. Jacob
continues to stare out the window, desperately trying to keep
his eyes open.
JACOB’S POV – THROUGH WINDOW
the trees sway quietly in the breeze outside. There is a
pause. Then we are suddenly PULLED THROUGH THE WINDOW,
SMASHING glass, careening back into:
DREAM FLASH – NIGHTMARE SPRINGWOOD
We SAIL through the gloomy air, over the creepy buildings.
And suddenly DIP DOWN, right for the street, and end up
CRUISING three inches off the asphalt, really ripping down
the road until we grind to a SUDDEN HALT. Right in front of:
FREDDY’S FEET. Our shot TILTS UP. Freddy looms above us and
grins.
FREDDY
You can’t stay awake forever, boy!
He LAUGHS, his mouth gaping wide, and then splitting open
impossibly wider. Something starts pouring out of his mouth,
right at us.
Hundreds of GIANT BUGS spew down upon us, covering us
completely as everything goes to BLACK and we:
INT. WESLEY & JACOB’S BEDROOM – NIGHT
ON JACOB
his eyes are open, his mouth is hanging in a SILENT SCREAM.
It looks like his head is about to explode. He lifts his
hand up to his face. He’s holding an eight-inch long MONSTER
BUG.
Jacob SCREAMS out loud this time, tosses the mutant insect
away. It lands on a windowsill and escapes out the opening.
Jacob jumps to his feet, sending his chair tumbling backwards
with a CRASH. He shakes and moans, a little drool dripping
down his chin.
Wesley sits up with a start and stares at Jacob.
WESLEY
I told you you’d go nuts!
Jacob catches his breath, gives Wes a dead serious look.
JACOB
Get everybody else. I have to tell them
something.
WESLEY
In the middle of the night?
JACOB
I MEAN it!
Wesley is shocked by Jacob’s manic state and jumps out of
bed.
INT. FOSTER HOME – TV ROOM – NIGHT
Five kids are gathered around the room in various stages of
sleepy grumpiness and annoyed disbelief. Jacob paces back
and forth.
SCOTT
I don’t get it. Is this guy alive or
dead?
JACOB
He’s neither. He haunts your dreams and
if he kills you, you die for real.
Wesley, the most gullible of the group, looks pretty scared.
WESLEY
I haven’t dreamed of him. I have
nightmares like you wouldn’t believe, but
never of this guy.
SCOTT
That’s because this all rates an eleven
on the bullshit meter! I don’t know why
we have to listen to this crap. You’re
scaring the hell out of Wes here.
GINA
Keep your voice down.
SCOTT
It doesn’t matter. The Ross’s sleep like
rocks, which is what we all should be
doing.
JACOB
I know this sounds crazy, but I swear
it’s true. I went to bed one night and
woke up in the middle of the road.
Freddy Krueger killed my mother, blasted
my whole town into his nightmare, and,
worst of all, I think he wants to use me
to kill more kids and bring more towns
into his world.
KAREN
How?
JACOB
I’m not sure. I think I’m some kind of
carrier. He’s somehow inside me and as
soon as I fall deep enough into sleep
he’ll be let loose. You guys were great
to take me in. I just don’t want to
thank you by getting you all killed.
Scott gets up and goes to a desk. He pulls out a map and
shows it to Jacob.
SCOTT
Okay. Show me Springwood.
Jacob looks at the map and points.
SCOTT (cont’d)
There’s nothing there.
JACOB
That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you.
SCOTT
There’s NEVER been a town there.
JACOB
That’s how YOU see it. I was part of the
nightmare, so I’m the only one who
notices the difference.
Scott stares at Jacob. He actually grows sympathetic.
SCOTT
Look, Jacob. You don’t have to convince
us that nightmares are real. Everybody
in this room has been through one. And
some of us are still living it. But the
thing is, we know it’s just in our heads
now. It can be just as bad as the real
thing was, but it’s still only a memory.
It can’t hurt us physically, unless we do
the hurting ourselves.
GINA
And we don’t want to see you get hurt.
WESLEY
We know it gets crazy. And we’ll help
out the best we can.
SCOTT
But this is just too hard to believe.
Jacob plops down on the couch, defeated. He hangs his head
while the kids start to get up. Wesley gives him a pat on
the back as he, Scott, and Gina leave. But Karen is still
here.
She sits next to a window with a faraway look in her eyes.
Jacob looks up at her.
JACOB
You don’t believe me, either, do you?
KAREN
I don’t know.
JACOB
Why are you still here?
KAREN
I’m not sure. I guess, I guess I see a
lot of me in you.
JACOB
Feels good to see someone more fucked up
than yourself, huh?
Karen smiles and sits down next to him.
KAREN
Yeah. That must be it.
JACOB
But you haven’t told me why you’re here
at this place.
KAREN
I can’t talk about it right now. Maybe
later. Do you want me to stay with you?
JACOB
Yeah, that’d be great. Don’t let me
sleep, okay?
KAREN
I’ll do my best.
She reaches for the remote control and flicks on the TV,
moving a little closer to Jacob when she sits back into the
couch. The two of them watch the screen with glassy eyes.
KAREN (cont’d)
Thank God for cable TV.
JACOB
Yeah. Thank God.
They continue to watch in silence as Karen takes hold of
Jacob’s hand.
INT. FOSTER HOME – THE TV ROOM – MORNING
We are ON KAREN as she sleeps curled up on the couch. Jacob
is in the background putting on his shoes. He has a brown
paper bag with him.
Jacob gets up, grabs his bag, and steps over to Karen. He
gently pulls a lock of hair away from her face. Then he
heads for the front door.
EXT. FOSTER HOME – FRONT PORCH – DAY
Jacob walks out the door and closes it behind him. He
crosses to the porch steps and stops. He has to hold onto a
porch column just to keep standing.
Karen appears behind him. Jacob jumps a bit.
KAREN
Where are you going?
JACOB
I’m leaving.
KAREN
Why?
JACOB
He can’t hurt you if I’m gone. Maybe
I’ll go to the desert or something. I’ll
lie down in the middle of nowhere and
finally get some sleep. Krueger can feed
of the dreams of snakes and vultures.
KAREN
Fine. You’re just going to take off
then…
Karen has an angry expression on his face. Jacob gives her a
pained look.
JACOB
Don’t do this to me. I’m just trying to
protect you and the others.
KAREN
Right. You blow into town and then blow
right out. Terrific.
JACOB
I don’t understand why you’re so mad at
me.
KAREN
You just don’t get it, do you?
JACOB
Get what?
Karen, though still very angry, looks like she’s about to
cry. Jacob, confused, sits down on the porch steps.
JACOB (cont’d)
Maybe I’m crazy.
KAREN
Running away doesn’t help.
He sighs and smiles a bit.
JACOB
And you’re going to convince me, huh?
KAREN
Maybe.
This time Karen smiles. Jacob looks at her and sighs. Then
he yawns.
KAREN (cont’d)
I’m going to make some coffee. You
promise not to move?
JACOB
Yeah. Sure.
Karen jumps and heads back into the house. Jacob stares at
the grass in front of him, his eyes heavy.
JACOB’S POV – THE LAWN
A bush sits there doing nothing. Until it suddenly comes TO
LIFE. Its leaves start to shrivel, the lawn turns brown, the
sky turns dark. Everything changes and turns into
DREAM FLASH – NIGHTMARE SPRINGWOOD
We’re in a different front yard in a different town, in a
different dimension.
The mutant bush starts to change, sprout legs, grow arms,
become human.
ALICE
Her body takes shape as she reaches out a pleading arm to us.
ALICE
Jacob! Help me!
She’s fully formed now. And Freddy bursts out from the
ground behind her. He grabs Alice, reaches his knife arm
around
ALICE (cont’d)
No-o-o-o-o!
Her words are cut off as Krueger jams his blades in her gut
and we re-live her death once more. But it’s even worse this
time.
Blood POURS from Alice like a burst fire hydrant, spraying
and showering the entire nightmare lawn like a human
sprinkler. Freddy LAUGHS.
FREDDY
Say it, don’t spray it, huh, Jacob? Come
and join the fun!
JACOB (O.S.)
NOOOOOOO!
Jacob’s voice rips through the scene as everything starts to
BLUR RED.
EXT. FOSTER HOME – FRONT LAWN – DAY
Jacob is lying in the grass, violently shaking. Karen drops
down next to him.
KAREN
Jacob!
JACOB
Nooooo!
His body jerks around as if caught in the throes of an
epileptic seizure. He SHRIEKS, ignoring Karen completely,
and continues to shriek and scream and yell and shake. Like
he’s never going to stop.
EXT. MR. HOPKINS’ FRONT DOOR – DAY
We’re directly across the street from the Foster Home as
Jacob’s cries echo through the neighborhood. Mr. Hopkins
opens the front door. He sees what’s going on, scowls, and
yells into his house.
MR. HOPKINS
I told you! It’s an overdose! Jesus
Christ, I saw this coming. Call 9-1-1!
He watches the commotion growing across the street, and never
once moves to help.
EXT. FOSTER HOME – MOMENTS LATER
Jacob is being strapped into a stretcher, babbling
incoherently. The residents of the Foster Home stand off to
the side while neighbors gawk from the street. Karen is next
to the AMBULANCE GUYS looking frantic.
JACOB
No! Don’t let them take me!
KAREN
Jacob, it’ll be alright.
AMBULANCE GUY #1
Calm down, kid. We’ll take care of you.
Jacob grabs the Ambulance Guy.
JACOB
You don’t understand! Let me go!
The ambulance guy straps Jacob’s arm down. Mr. Ross grabs
Karen and pulls her away as they start loading the crazed
teenager into the ambulance. Scott shakes his head. Wesley
looks terrified. Gina keeps her distance from any human.
Karen can’t take it and runs into the house. Mr. Ross
frowns.
DAVID
This is just what we need.
The ambulance drives away as the gathered crowd stares at the
kids angrily.
INT. AMBULANCE – DAY
Jacob yells and struggles as an Ambulance Guy prepares a
syringe for injection.
JACOB
Don’t fucking put me under! You’ll set
him free!
The ambulance guy holds Jacob down and slams the needle home.
Jacob screams and his eyes start to glass over.
JACOB (cont’d)
He’ll kill them all…
Jacob’s head starts to go limp. A VOICE rings out in the
van, a voice only Jacob hears:
FREDDY (O.S.)
Every town as an Elm Street!
LAUGHTER echoes as Jacob turns his head towards a window.
EXT. A STREET CORNER – DAY
The ambulance zooms by. All is quiet for a second until
CRASH! A twisted rusty sign post erupts out of the sidewalk
and settles at an ugly angle.
It’s an ELM ST. sign.
INT. AMBULANCE – DAY
We PULL BACK from a wide awake Jacob, who is now suddenly
alone in the van. Outside the window there is only darkness.
Jacob twists and struggles on the stretcher as
CLANG! the ambulance doors crash open revealing BLACKNESS and
KA-BOOM! the stretcher is shot out of the van like a
cannonball.
INT. WAREHOUSE – DAY
The stretcher with Jacob BLASTS through a wall and starts to
race across the floor of the building that Jacob had been
sweeping up the day before.
It careens along, actually taking a few turns, like it has a
mind of its own, heading for a shallow pit in the middle of
the warehouse.
The stretcher hits the pit, drops a bit, swings up violently,
and stops in a vertical position like a rake that has been
stepped on AND A BLACK HUMAN SHAPE shoots out of Jacob’s body
from intertial force, staying upright as it slides across the
floor, spins, stops, then changes into:
FREDDY KRUEGER
Freddy has his hands on his hips and a grin on his face.
FREDDY
Thanks for the lift, kid!
He saunters up to Jacob who is still strapped to the vertical
stretcher. Krueger waves his knives and wiggles his tongue.
JACOB
What do you want from me?
FREDDY
I already got it! The rest I’m going to
get from your new little friends.
JACOB
Leave them alone!
FREDDY
It’s my duty to clean up the
neighborhood!
JACOB
What have you done with my town?
FREDDY
Aw, poor baby’s homesick, isn’t he?
Don’t worry. We’ll all be one happy
family soon. Wanna be the first recruit?
Freddy raises his blades and SWINGS. The straps around Jacob
drop away as his body falls to the floor. He scrambles to
his feet and starts to RUN.
Freddy laughs
WITH JACOB – RUNNING
as he heads for a door. Before he gets there, the door
swings open and Freddy leans casually in his way.
FREDDY (cont’d)
What’s the matter? Don’t want to be part
of my expansion project?
Jacob turns right around and races back across the warehouse.
AT THE DUMPSTER
Jacob races around to the other side and there’s Krueger
again.
FREDDY (cont’d)
Today, Rosedale. Tomorrow, the world!
JACOB
Over my dead body!
FREDDY
As you wish.
Freddy cranks up his knives and looms over Jacob. And three
FLASHES OF LIGHT blast out behind the boy. Jacob rolls away
as Freddy holds up an arm to block the blinding glare. The
light fades. The DREAM POLICE have arrived.
We’ll call the small one SOUND COP. He stands there
motionless as a loud and horrible GROWING noise emanates from
his clenched teeth. This guy’s bark is worse than his bite.
The female in black is BLADE COP. From nowhere she produces
two nasty-looking knives, one in each hand. She spins the
blades in the air like an expert Samurai.
The large one we’ll call POWER COP. He reaches out for the
dumpster, and with one hand sends it tumbling away with a
CRASH. Freddy frowns.
FREDDY (cont’d)
Uh oh. Too many parking tickets.
The Dream Police fan out around Krueger, surrounding him.
Power Cop leaps at Freddy, grabs him and TOSSES him in the
air. Freddy tumbles, rolls and bounces right back up on his
feet. Right next to BLADE.
She swings her knives. Freddy dodges. Swings hi own blades
at her. She ducks. Freddy spins again. Right towards:
SOUND COP. The short man in black opens his mouth and a
sound like a foghorn at a rock concert BLARES OUT. The force
of it hitting Freddy like a fist.
Freddy bounces back. And once again he nimbly pops up. He
glares at the Dream Police.
FREDDY (cont’d)
Don’t interfere!
BLADE COP
We have to.
SOUND COP
It’s our job.
FREDDY
Get a new one.
And Freddy starts to SPIN. Slowly at first, then faster and
faster, until his image starts to BLUR.
The Police circle the whirling image, holding back to see
what will happen next. Krueger stops spinning. And his
clothes are different. His red and green stripes have been
replaced by black and white ones. There is a number printed
across his chest. He’s dressed like a CONVICT. Freddy
grins.
FREDDY (cont’d)
Time to blow this joint.
BOOM! A hole is suddenly blown in the high ceiling above
Krueger. The building is suddenly filled with the beams of
moving SPOTLIGHTS and the sound of blasting SIRENS.
A rope falls down through the hole. Freddy grabs it and
WHOOSH! he’s yanked up.
FREDDY (cont’d)
You’ll never get me, coppers!
and away he’s gone. After a few seconds the spotlights fade
away and the sirens die. The Dream Police look up seemingly
unsure of their next action. Then Power Cop kicks a pile of
lumber, sending wood flying dozens of yards away.
POWER COP
Goddamnit!
Sound Cop shakes his head. Blade looks frustrated. Jacob
steps up behind them.
JACOB
Alright…just who the hell are you guys?
The black-clad trio turn around in unison and look at Jacob.
There is a pause. Then:
BLADE COP
We’re the Dream Police.
Jacob almost laughs.
JACOB
The what?
POWER COP
The Dream Police. Didn’t you hear her,
man?
Power Cop turns to Sound Cop and flips up his visor revealing
his face. He’s a sixteen-year old black boy. Heavyset
features, sweat dripping down his cheeks. He’s KINCAID from
NIGHTMARE 3. And he’s pissed.
POWER COP (cont’d)
We try and save this guy’s ass and then
he goes off and cops an attitude.
Sound Cop flips up his helmet. He’s JOEY, the former mute
boy.
SOUND COP
I think you’re the wrong guy to talk
about attitudes.
BLADE COP
Guys, guys. This is getting us nowhere.
She takes her helmet completely off, long dark hair tumbling
over her shoulders. It’s TARYN, the ex-junkie. These three,
they’re the Dream Warriors. Or at least they used to be.
JACOB
Hello? May I butt in here and ask some
more stupid questions?
The three of them stop bickering and turn to Jacob. Blade
walks up to Jacob. Her two partners assume position behind
her.
BLADE COP
We don’t know much more than you do.
What we do know is that we’ve been
recruited…
JACOB
By who?
SOUND COP
We don’t know.
JACOB
Why?
BLADE COP
I think that’s obvious.
POWER COP
The shit’s about to hit the fan.
SOUND COP
Krueger’s discovered new powers.
BLADE COP
He’s ripped a hole between dreams and
reality.
POWER COP
Our own powers have been amplified.
SOUND COP
We only hope it will be enough.
BLADE COP
But we’re going to need your help.
JACOB
Me? What can I do? Just who are you
guys…really?
Blade puts her helmet back on. Her face turns grim.
BLADE COP
We were like you. We fought Freddy
Krueger many years ago. Our souls were
released from his grip. No we’re back to
try again.
All three of them drop their visors down at the same time.
JACOB
I still don’t understand what…
Jacob’s voice starts to GARBLE. He keeps trying to talk but
the words come out twisted and clipped. He raises a hand to
his throat. The hand is transparent. Jacob looks at his
body as it slowly starts to disappear and now he’s completely
mute.
SOUND COP
Freddy Krueger can’t hurt us anymore.
POWER COP
Because we’re already dead.
Jacob vanishes completely.
INT. HOSPITAL ROOM – NIGHT
Jacob opens his eyes. He’s in bed, dressed in a white smock.
A DOCTOR stands next to him with a clipboard in hand.
JACOB
What’s going on?
DOCTOR
Just relax, everything’s fine.
JACOB
That’s what you say…
DOCTOR
You’re lucky you’re here instead of
juvenile hall. You put up quite a fight.
But you’re clean. No traces of drugs or
alcohol in your blood.
JACOB
I could’ve told you that.
Jacob starts getting out of bed.
DOCTOR
Hold on there.
JACOB
You said I was fine. I have to get back.
My friends are in trouble.
DOCTOR
I said you weren’t on drugs, but I never
said you were fine. You’re suffering
from extreme fatigue and stress that
manifested itself into one hell of an
anxiety attack. At least that’s what we
hope it is. You had a major seizure,
Jacob.
JACOB
You don’t understand. This whole town is
in danger.
DOCTOR
We’re keeping you here for observation.
You’re not going anywhere tonight.
JACOB
You can’t do that. You don’t have the
right!
DOCTOR
Yes we do. Your temporary guardian, Mr.
Ross, signed all the papers. If you’re
okay in the morning we might let you go
home. Until then, you’re bed bound.
JACOB
But…
DOCTOR
We took off the restraints. Do you want
us to put them back on?
Jacob drops back in bed. The doctor goes to the door and
turns out the lights.
DAVID
Sleep.
He closes the door behind him…
JACOB
Shit…
and we hear it LOCK
CUT TO:
A CRAZED LUNATIC
suddenly SCREAMING into the lens with desperation. Dark
circles under bloodshot eyes, hair matted with sweat. A guy
not having a good day. WE PULL BACK TO REVEAL:
The man is tightly bound in a regulation straight-jacket in a
tiny, claustrophobic holding cell. We can now tell that the
image is in BLACK AND WHITE. We continue PULLING BACK
INT. FOSTER HOME – TV ROOM – NIGHT
Gina sits on the couch with a stark white blanket on her lap,
watching a b&w 1940’s potboiler with something less than
enthusiasm. Wesley appears in the doorway, checking out the
source of the screaming. He looks at Gina, who tosses the
blanket aside and rises, frowning. The lunatic on television
continues his blood-curdling SHRIEKS.
GINA
Nice movie, huh? And I came in here to
mellow out.
She smiles at Wes as she exits.
GINA (cont’d)
It’s all yours.
Wesley murmurs a goodnight, then looks back at the screen:
ON THE TV
Some orderlies enter the lunatic’s cell and attempt to sedate
him as he thrashes violently, SCREAMING bloody murder. It is
gritty and awful but somehow riveting.
WESLEY
moves to the couch, clearly mesmerized by the scene. He
curls up, absently pulling the white blanket around him as he
watches:
ON THE TV
The orderlies in the movie manage to get the needle into
their patient, who MOANS and SOBS pathetically.
ORDERLY ON TV
Relax, will ya, buddy? Everything’s gonna
be just swell.
The second orderly leans on a wall and pulls out a pack of
cigarettes from the pocket of his scrubs. (He bears a
suspicious resemblance to ROBERT ENGLUND.)
WESLEY
vaguely tenses at this and absently pulls the blanket more
tightly around him to compensate, like a cocoon.
ON THE TV
The second orderly smiles.
SECOND ORDERLY
Yeah, mac. You’ve just had a hard day,
that’s all.
The orderly produces a pack of matches. He goes to the
lunatic on the cot, and LIGHTS the match off the guy’s
forehead. As the match FLARES, the lunatic SCREAMS.
CLOSE ON WESLEY
he shuts his eyes tensely as the SOUND is magnified, becoming
a sudden ROAR that fills the room.
Wesley blinks his eyes open, looks around from his blanket
cocoon. Whatever that last sound was, it did NOT come from
the TV.
Beads of sweat line his upper lip as he nervously glances
about the room. It remains quiet, serene. Deciding it was
his imagination reacting to the scene on TV, Wesley nestles
back on the couch, laying down now as the CAMERA MOVES TO
REVEAL
The carpet at the edge of the room is bunched up as though
the walls of the room itself have budged a few inches inward.
BACK ON THE TV the second orderly lights his cigarette as he
hands the pack to the first. They both look down at the
madman as they savor their cigarettes.
ORDERLY ON TV
You heard the man, Wesley. Just relax.
Have a smoke with us.
Wesley’s brow furrows, reacting to the coincidence. Then he
stiffens as the two orderlies in the movie begin to hold the
lit cigarettes over the lunatic’s face
SECOND ORDERLY
Yeah, Wesley. Have a smoke.
OUR Wesley has seen about enough of this movie. He starts to
get up
WESLEY
Fuck this.
but finds that he can’t move. The white blanket around him
restraining him tightly like the straight-jacket on TV. He
squirms and struggles.
WESLEY (cont’d)
Hey.
He struggles harder now, but to no avail. He’s wrapped
tight, like a cigarette.
ON THE TV the two orderlies torment the straight-jacketed
lunatic, poking his face with their lit cigarettes. As the
lunatic SCREAMS, the screams become magnified, again becoming
that loud, deafening ROAR we heard before. Wesley squirms in
his blanket/ straight-jacket, he jerks his head around,
SEEING with each of the man’s SCREAMS, the walls of the room
SHUDDER INWARD and
Wesley’s EYES WIDEN with horror as he realizes not only is he
TRAPPED like a sardine in his stark white blanket, but the
walls of the room are starting to CLOSE IN on him. He SPINS
back to the TV set, where:
The first orderly is now looking AT US. Wesley REACTS as he
notices something familiar about the man’s face.
FIRST ORDERLY
Relax, Wesley.
WESLEY
Dad?
The second orderly BOLTS into view. He has become Freddy
Krueger.
FREDDY
Yeah, Wesley. Everything’s gonna be
great! Just have a smoke on us!
As they hold their smokes out TOWARD US, their arms PROTRUDE
FROM THE TV SET with their lit cigarettes.
Wesley SCREAMS and jerks his head away from TV and he HITS
the floor with an ugly THUMP. The wind knocked out of him.
He rolls. The couch is GONE.
As he squirms and struggles to escape his white cocoon, the
frightened boy looks around and sees that everything in the
room – furniture, carpet, TV, even the door – are all gone,
leaving just the white walls SLOWLY CLOSING IN ON HIM.
Then we see that on the floor all around Wesley are long,
cylindrical white objects. Clearly, they resemble GIANT
CIGARETTES, and Wesley – wrapped neck-to-toe in his white
blanket cocoon – looks just like one of them.
He continues to squirm and SCREAM as the walls CLOSE IN from
all sides — closer — CLOSER — pushing the long white
things toward him, around him, bunching them together until
they are in a tight cluster, as the room CRUNCHES IN TIGHTLY,
blocking whatever light source there is, until all Wesley can
do is SCREAM one last time, and
The screen goes BLACK.
After a few beats, we hear a huge, deafening RIPPING SOUND,
and a new LIGHT SOURCE appears as Wesley looks up, eyes wide
with unspeakable horror as the giant, scarred face of FREDDY
looms over him, grinning, and we:
INT. FOSTER HOME – TV ROOM
The room is back to normal, but not the occupant. Freddy
Krueger now stands here alone. He has just peeled the
wrapper off a pack of cigarettes of which Wesley has become
one.
FREDDY
Didn’t Daddy ever tell you what the
Surgeon General says…?
Krueger reaches in and pulls the tiny Wesley out of the pack.
As before, Wesley is immobile, helpless. Freddy holds him
between two fingers.
FREDDY (cont’d)
Smoking’s bad for your health!
Freddy looks around, as if searching for something, then
beams as he reaches into the air and…
FREDDY (cont’d)
Ah! A match made in heaven!
He produces a puny version of WESLEY’S FATHER In one hand.
His body is straight and rigid, like a match stick.
Freddy places his thumb on the stiff man’s head, and flicks
his thumbnail, causing the man’s skull to BURST INTO FLAME,
an evil grin spanning Wesley’s Father’s face.
He brings the Father-Match to what would be Wesley’s tiny
feet, and lights the end.
VERY CLOSE ON FREDDY’S HAND
Wesley SCREAMS as Freddy tosses the FATHER-MATCH and brings
the teenager’s little head up to his fire-scarred lips.
The boy is enveloped by the massive cracked opening as Freddy
takes a huge drag off of Wesley’s head. Where his feet should
be, the tip of the Wesley-Cig GLOWS RED, causing Wesley to
SCREAM with supernatural pain. Smoke billows from Freddy’s
nose and mouth. He savors it.
FREDDY (cont’d)
Ahhhh! Now we’re smokin’!
He CACKLES horribly as he continues to suck on the Wesley-
Cig. With each puff, Wesley’s white-wrapped body becomes
slat-black ash.
FREDDY (cont’d)
What’s your sign, Wesley? It wouldn’t be
Cancer, would it?
In between his demonic CACKLES, Freddy DRAGS on the Wesley-
Cig, each puff turning more of Wesley into ash until all but
his head is black and charred. Freddy holds the Wesley-Cig
out, poised to tap the ashes loose.
FREDDY (cont’d)
Now say the secret word and you know what
you’ll win…
WESLEY
Go to hell!
Freddy grins.
FREDDY
Right…
And he taps the Wesley-cig with his finger. The ashes
immediately fall, sifting in the air as Wesley’s head –
charred and black at the neck where it’s been separated –
falls loose. Wesley SCREAMS.
WESLEY
Noooooooo!
and his severed head falls and falls and falls.
INT. FOSTER HOME – TV ROOM – THE NEXT DAY
WE START on WESLEY’S BODY. Eyes closed, head normal and
everything from the neck down charred mass of burnt torso,
shriveled limbs, all wrapped in the scorched blanket. ZIP.
A body bag hides this ghastly image from us as we PULL BACK.
A FIRE MARSHALL and a COP are talking at the doorway in the
background. The CORONER is here, a world weary seen-it-all
older guy, with his nervous ASSISTANT who’s never seen
anything like this. They whisper their conversation as they
lift the body bag onto a stretcher.
ASSISTANT
I don’t get it. The couch is barely
scorched. And how can he burn from just
the neck down?
CORONER
It happens.
ASSISTANT
It happens? That’s your explanation?
CORONER
I’ve seen worse.
We FOLLOW them as they push the stretcher towards the
doorway.
ASSISTANT
What? What worse?
CORONER
Never mind.
Our shot STOPS at the doorway with the fire Marshall and cop
while the wigged-out assistant’s voice trails off outside.
ASSISTANT
No. I wanna know. Really. What could
be worse than…
FIRE MARSHALL
You know what the gossip rags are going
to say? Spontaneous human combustion.
COP
What’s that?
FIRE MARSHALL
That’s where bodies are supposed to go up
in smoke for no reason. It’s all psychic
bullshit. What really happened is called
the candle effect. A tiny fire gets
started, usually from a cigarette. It
slowly smolders through the blanket and
clothes until the skin starts to actually
bake. The body fat begins to melt and
liquefy, fueling the fire like a slow
burning candle. It takes hours, but it’s
real.
The cop makes some notes. Behind them we see Scott, Karen
and Gina. The girls have been crying, and even tough-guy
Scott looks pretty screwed up by all this. The cop nods.
COP
He fell asleep while smoking. What a
waste.
The kids shoot unbelieving looks at each other as the two men
walk off.
SCOTT
That’s impossible.
