Summary
A group of friends read about a science society that gives a million dollars to anyone who shows something that cannot be explained by its members. They decide to create a mythical creature out of clay, as once was done by four Jewish cabbalists (who die during the creation process under mystical circumstances) in 1870. This is shown in the introduction of the movie.
After conducting research (where the leader of the group begins to experience hallucinations and bizarre dreams) they form an expedition to the woods with the purpose of creating the creature. Their intention is to document the creation process and its outcome on videotape as proof. During the creation process one of the team members dies under strange circumstances. The whole incident is recorded on video. No one knows what happened. The camera is broken, but the tape is intact. The clay creature disappears. The rest of the team runs for their lives. They reach an old factory and take refuge inside. The team leader wakes up and finds the tape missing. He begins to accuse his teammates of wanting to cheat him out of his share of fortune. One by one, the team members die under mysterious conditions. They are found with the look of inexplicable horror on their face. The leader is a main suspect. As the team members continue to die, it is down to two characters: the group leader and his girlfriend. The girlfriend is afraid, because she thinks he is the one who killed everyone. He believes she has the tape. While in the stage of confrontation, the girlfriend sees something behind his back. He turns around, (his eyes registering simultaneously horror and surprise – related to the ending of the movie) and looses consciousness. When he comes to his senses, he sees his own dead body on the ground. Bewildered, he looks at his reflection in the pool of water and sees the reflection of the clay creature they created stare back at him– at this point the twist of the movie is revealed (I will explain it in greater detail if you are interested in the project). To his dismay, he realizes that the creature killed all of his team and took his soul (reasons why the leader’s soul is used is explained in detail thru the movie).
The girlfriend is in the mental hospital (wearing a straight jacket) and is trying to tell the story of what happen to her (and her friends) to the psychiatrist. He does not believe her and is diagnosing her as mentally ill. The tape is on the desk. He takes the tape and throws it in the drawer filled with similar tapes.
The End
THE GOLEM
BEGINNING:
Time: Night, Forest near Prague 1870
We see four Jewish cabbalists trying to create Golem. They die in the process (we do not see what happens to them but we hear their inhumane screams in the night forest)
MAIN:
Time: Present
Number of friends (approximately 5-7) read about science society that gives 1 million dollars to anyone who shows something that the scientists belonging to the society cannot explain in the lab (as their attempt to show that there is no basis for magic and that kind of stuff). One of the friends has a kabalistic book “Zohar” and/or Sefer Yetzirah that teaches how to create living creatures out of clay (Golem). But what is more importantly they purchase DIARY OF RABBY WHO ACTUALLY CREATED GOLEM. They don’t buy the diary same day. It takes him time to consider risks of being “melted” However after find cockroach in his cereal bag and sitting in his crappy apartment he becomes enraged and goes to book dealer and buys the book. After more research (during which main characters are haunted by strange dreams and hallucinations) they decide that they are going to the forest and will create Golem, documenting the whole process on film, step by step. During the creation process, one of them dies by accident and Golem disappears (the park ranger appeared, wanting to check what they were doing in the forest at night.) The camera is broken beyond repair and all they have is the tape. They are running from Golem. While in their car, they ran into a deer and destroyed their car. Now they run on foot. They lose the only cell phone. Main character damages his leg and that slows them down. They reach old factory on the edge of the forest. Inside the factory the main character (who has the tape) falls asleep while others scout the factory for the First Aid kit or a working phone. When he wakes up, the tape is missing. He becomes paranoid that one of them stole the tape for him or herself. In the argument he starts fighting with one of his friends and kills him in the accident. Meanwhile, other members of the group begin to disappear and everyone start to think that the main character is killing them. They all hide in the factory from the main character. Only main character and his girlfriend are alive. His paranoia catches up with him. He starts asking her about the tape. She denies that she has the tape. Insane with anger he starts beating and choking her. Suddenly, he sees the fear in her eyes, understanding that she sees something horrible behind him. He lets her go and turns around. He begins go cry from what he sees (audience does not see it) and crawls away (since he cannot run) slowly. The shadow of what he sees covers him and he looses consciousness.
When he wakes up, first he does not see anything but then he sees his dead body on the ground and realizes that Golem (being without soul) sucked his soul out and now the main character is forever trapped in the Golem’s clay body.
END: In the end of the movie, we first see face of the main character’s girlfriend telling to someone what happened to their group. When the camera backs away we see that she is wearing stray jacket (like in metal institution) and she is talking to a doctor who is writing something even without looking and her. On his table we see the tape (with traces of mud on it. The table itself is sterile clean as if to show that no one cares about the tape). He calls the nurse without lifting his head and she or he takes (rolls in wheelchair) the girlfriend away. The doctor without stopping writing something in his journal opens the bottom drawer swipes the tape of the table into the drawer (the drawer is filled with the tapes, children toys and so on) and closes the drawer.
(At the last shot the camera view is from the drawer and when doctor closes the drawer we get complete darkness)
THE END
Sequences
1) Past-Forest, Men try to raise creature, Fail?
2) Present- Book Store: Book Dealer + John + Girlfriend, not sure to buy?
3) Apartment Crappy: tired of his poverty John. John almost eats cereal with cockroach and calls the Book Dealer. (Can show him as taxi driver or limo driver with rude clients, What other dynamic but horrible jobs,? fast food?)
4) John’s Apartment (or picnic, or maybe try another more dynamic place)
a) Development of the meeting scene questions
b) How many friends? Is anyone initially present at John’s presentation? Or should we introduce someone later. Maybe girl Anna is jealous off? As Lowes says “Don’t show your apartment at once. Reveal it bit by bit. Otherwise people will lose interest.
c) Who is easy going? Gene has bad feeling about it.
d) How John persuades them?
5) John shows the tape explains money plan and shows the book. Some friends believe and some note. Will take persuading on his part.
Starts learning the book
Before nightmares start need to wake up small piece of mud. Then the big piece will call for him.
6) 1st nightmare. He sits there and studies the book. Scans (to translate) and reads translation. Hears noise from another room. Goes there. See bleeding body. Wakes up.
7) 2nd nightmare. Studies the book. Goes to bathroom, running water dream. Wakes up in bathroom or on the floor of bathroom. (Maybe others think that this is his drinking problems.
8) Reads the Book, finds something very important and shocking. Calls dealer and goes to see him.
9) Talks to dealer. Dealer explains and shows first page. Does it become violent?
Reached Decision
10) Driving to the Place. (I don’t we need to show gather, packing and going?)
11) Forest: preparations, sitting by the fire and talking.
12) Ritual
13) When clay begins to glow (just like in the Past) Trooper comes with his sirens blazing. (By the way why it is not woman?)
14) They run to calm him or her down so he/she see the ritual ground. (everyone but Camera Girl)
15) Trooper seems to be persuaded and gets in the car and drives away.
16) At the same time: while they talk to trooper we see that at the ritual something gets up and Camera Girl sees it.
17)
EXT. DZUBINKI FOREST NEAR PRAGUE – NIGHT (1879)
There was something omnious about that night even moon looked like a cyclope surveing its territory. In a dense fog you could barely see four figures moving along the narrow path that was leading towards the river. The three figures behind were burdened by heavy bundles and following inevedently tall man who was leading the way. Suddenly the tall man motioned the others to stop; the river was close they could hear the quite SOUNDS of the flowing water. The tall man motioned to continue on. As they approached the spot that they have selected earlier for the ritual, the fog dissipated as is the whale was lifted from their eyes or by magic. As practiced before they started gathering clay from the river bank in ritual baskets and carrying it to the site of ritual where the tall man made a clearing the side of full grown man on the ground. When they have collected enough clay, they carefully removed straw rugs from their bundles and placed them in the middle of the clearing in the shape that strangely reminiscent of a human body. They proceed to cover the rugs with the clay from the baskets. The tall man who stood watching intently approached to what looked like a head. With the nail of his index finger he drew three Hebrew letters AMET (in Hebrew truth) on the forehead. Meanwhile his assistants cleansed and closed themselves for the upcoming ritual. The tall man got up and signaled that he was ready to begin. The assistants placed themselves at their designated places. The tall man took his place and the ritual began.
Slowly as the time passed one the ASSISTANTS noticed something. Pointing to the faint glow that was slowly spreading threw the clay.
ASSISTANT
(whispering with fear and amazement)
Rabbi, Look!
The fog, as by someone’s command, magically covered them with opaque darkness, swallowing every sound of the nightlife. The night forest stood in suffocating silence. All of a sudden a piercing SCREAM filed with horror and despair filled the stillness of night breaking the silence.
Transition between past (forest) and present (city). Last scence (forest) scream, then title of the movie, then we see casting names on black background interrupted by 1st view of running and heavy breading man(if the waking sequence was done in black and white, then this view is also in black and white. (back and forth, back and forth). The camera runs through forest and then into the city at the same speed mode, like the chase. While it begins to gain color due to the fact that it happens at night, we can get away with making it appear black and white. The camera “runs” through the empty city streets.
From the street level camera dives into a basement entrance (dark) and then in some kind of antique store, filled with books shelves. The camera flyes between rows of bookcases of old books. The camera finished the run with a fast, heavy closing old book on the book’s cover we see some lettering in Hebrew or Aramaic. We see old hand and voice
INT. OLD BOOKSTORE – NIGHT (PRESENT)
The night city often reminds of a big forest with yellow eyes of monsters looking at you from behind the threes and each light has a story to tell. It was not different that night and if we were to follow one light it would lead us into a small shop of antique books and between shelves of old books covered with dust and to a little corner of backroom. Where an old BOOK DEALER was whispering something to a young couple. When he leaned backwards to take look at their amazed faces, he said with slight European accent.
BOOK DEALER
Yes, it is true, every word. It is all in this book and it can be yours …
(Book Dealer then squinted cleverly and added)
… that is if you can afford it
A young people were looking at one another for a minute and then at the book. A small old book with a black with lettering in Hebrew. You could tell that they were weight what they just heard against the money. A young man looked at the book dealer and asked.
JOHN
I have heard of other books that claim to know how to make IT. What makes this one so special?
The Book Dealer obviously getting irritated and annoyed by ignorant questions but eager to close the sale he answered non the less.
BOOK DEALER
(irritated)
It is not just a book that you can buy in any store, what do I look to you like Barnes and Noble? This is the only copy of the Rabbi’s Diary. The one he left on his table before leaving to the forest.
(MORE)
BOOK DEALER (cont’d)
Some Kabbala teachers say that his instructions making the creature were different from the ones you will find in other books.
JOHN
(sarcastically)
So different that it got him killed?
BOOK DEALER
No, off course he was never killed. It is true that he disappeared after that night and was never seen again. But mostly likely was afraid that elders will not approve of his experiments and decided to leave his town. In old times it was different, you change town and you are “never seen again”
Book Dealer pauses for a second and then looks above his glasses at the young man
BOOK DEALER
So are you going to take it?
JOHN
Look, you are asking for a lot of money. I have to sleep than one over.
BOOK DEALER
I have to warn you. Someone might buy before you!
JOHN
(as if seeing through the Book Dealer’s smoke and mirrors)
I don’t think anyone is crazy enough. Let me think a couple of day.
(John pauses for a second as if trying to remember something)
By the way I always wanted to ask you where is the first page of the book?
Book Dealer quickly replies with what seems as pre-rehearsed answer
BOOK DEALER
This is the way I got. Now if you do not mind I have business to take care off. Call me if you want it.
INT. JOHN’S APPARTMENT – DAY
John was sitting on his century old couch in his apartment and looking at the wall. (need to describe how terrible his apartment looks)
Trying to figure out what he should do next. On one hand he had the plan of how he is going to become rich and breakout of his routine of dead-end jobs, abusive bosses and credit card debts. However on the other hand the plan required him to max-out all of his credit cards and borrow from everyone he knows. Yes the book was expensive, actually too expensive for him but without the book he will never be able to make his plan reality. He slowly reached of an open box of cereal standing by his couch as he was about to eat some, he saw a huge cockroach crawling in the box.
JOHN
(screams)
I fucking hate my life!
He throws box of cereal against the wall. A second later he reaches for a phone, dials a number. As soon as male voice on the other line said hello.
JOHN
(in breaking voice but trying to be firm)
This is John, I will take your book.
INT. JOHN’S APPARTMENT – EVENING
John is sitting on the same couch but now he is not alone he is with his friends. His girlfriend ANNA looks at him and she is the only one besides John who knows what will take place tonight. VIVIAN and HARRY are sitting together holding hands and Harry whispers something to her and Vivian giggles. SMITH sits next to ELAINE and although she is friendly to him we see right away that they are not close physically however good friends but Smith is really trying to become more than just friends.. BOB is sitting on couch and looks at Smith and Elaine with careful jealousy. He obviously likes Elaine. John gets up from the couch with bottle of beer in his hand and begins by reaching for VHS remote and turns on his TV and VHS.
A tape begins to play, on the screen something that looks like a taping of the News or some other TV program. On the screen female NEWSCASTER reads.
NEWSCASTER
(monotonically)
Now this one should be definitely filed under Strange News File: An undisclosed philanthropist offers
$1,000,000 to any individual or organization that provides undeniable proof of paranormal phenomena. He can be contacted at number you see on your screen
Johns turns off TV and looks at his friends for a second and then says.
JOHN
So what do you think?
HARRY
(not really carrying) About what?
JOHN
Do you thinks it is a good idea to make money?
SMITH
(sarcastically)
Have you see any “paranormal phenomena” lately?
John looks at him for a second and then goes to another room. Everyone is every quite. Only John’s girlfriend Anna who knows what is about to happen patiently waits for his return. John comes back with something wrapped in plastic which he unwraps very carefully and we see that this is the book from the bookstore.
SMITH
(curiously) What is that?
JOHN
(looking at everyone mystifyingly)
This is our way to that million dollars.
ELAINE
What do you mean? What is it?
JOHN
Anna, why don’t you bring us some beer.
INT. JOHN’S APPARTMENT – NIGHT
John is sitting in darkness only with one lamp and is scanning pages of the book and then reads translation on the page. From time to time he refers to another big books that look like some kind of dictionaries or references. Suddenly he hears slight NOISE something from another part of his apartment. He is very scarred and walks towards the room where noise comes from. He sees shimmering light that comes out from under the door of his bedroom. When he opens the door he sees a naked bold woman sitting with her back towards him. Her arms raised at her sides and from the wrists comes out blood and goes unto ceiling as if she is bleeding upsidedown. John’s mouth opens as if he is going to scream but nothing comes out because he is paralyzed by fear and trembling of his body. He looks at the whole scene with absolute horror. Finally he manages to scream and Wakes up.
He fell asleep on his desk. We can see dripplets of sweat on his forehead. He nervously with shaking hands gets out pack of cigarettes and begins to smoke. Greedily sucking in cigarette smoke as if it was life saving water. He obviously cannot calm down so he gets a bottle of alcohol and begins to drink. So slowly drinks himself to sleep.
Johns Dreams
1) In his dreams he sees himself as a Rabbi directing students in the creation of Golem. When time comes he will see the same picture frame only with modern people standing there (or maybe in his dreams he directs his friends)He sees his hands in the frame.
2) Continually sees nightmares of a dark hands reaching for him. (comic relief: Stands in subway (we audience) see black hand reaching for his shoulder from behind. When touches, he turns around with a punch (why would he want to punch, did he see scary reflection in the a glass?) and knocks out homeless guy. Apologizes, gives him some money. Homeless guy checks the bill out and mutters to himself, “It ain’t worth it”
INT. JOHN’S APPARTMENT – NIGHT
John sits in front of his computer and works on translation and suddenly stops after reading newly translated text. He looks shocked. He reads out loud to himself.
JOHN
Hallucinations persist, the dreams are becoming more and more intense. I have noted on page one on how to stop them.
John grabs a phone and dials. Someone answers.
JOHN
This is John. Can I come by the shop. (he listens to complains on the other side) Yes, I know it is 2 o’clock in the morning. But this is an emergency.
INT. OLD BOOKSTORE – NIGHT
Book Dealer opens door of his house and sees John on doorsteps, nervously smoking and looking around with a little bit of mad look. Book Dealer is a little bit shocked by John’s appearance (not shaved, looks very tired and stressed). But he cares more about the fact that he was woken up late at night than John’s grooming habits.
BOOK DEALER
(irritated) What do you want?
JOHN
Look. I need to know about the missing first page. Where is it?
BOOK DEALER
(not carrying much and annoyed)
I told you there is no first page. This is the way diary was when I acquired it.
John sees that he is getting no where. He deeply inhales a cigarette smoke and in one quick motion throws away cigarette and pushed the Book Dealer inside the appartment.
JOHN
You don’t know what I’ve seen! I am on the fucking edge here. If I am not going to see first page I swear to God I will fucking break every bone in your fucking body.
BOOK DEALER
(scarred)
I told you there is no…
John interrupts him with a punch to stomach. Then another and another. Blood Dealer begins to whimper like an old animal.
Punches become stronger and more careless. But there is no sense of pleasure or satisfaction on John’s face. He just wants to beat the answer out of the dealer. He punches Book Dealer into face and he flies across the room and hits book shelf. He falls on the floor and books fall on him. He begins to cry.
BOOK DEALER
(crying)
Please stop. I will show it to you.
Johns follows Book Dealer to a basement where Book Dealer opens an old safe and gets a very old yellow piece of paper and hands it to John. John looks at the page.
JOHN
I will need to translate it.
BOOK DEALER
(powerless)
There is no need to translate it. I will tell you what it says. (he pauses for a moment) Once you began process the Golem will drive you crazy unless you wake him up. One you start you cannot stop.
John losing all energy slides down the wall and begins to cry, pressing the page with both of his hands to his chest as if hugging it. While he continues to cry, Book Dealer sees it as opportunity to get out and starts slowly moving towards the stairs. John is crying and seems not to notice him. Book Dealer get to the wooden steps leading out of basement and as his foot touches first step it makes NOISE. John quickly lifts his head, as if awaken sees the Book Dealer. He looks at the Book Dealer with eyes filled with madness and anger.
He quickly moves towards the Book Dealer.
JOHN
(mercilessly punching the Book Dealer in the face)
Where are you going? We are yet to finish negotiations.
John starts beating up the Book Dealer and throwing him around the basement. Completely trashing the place with the Book Dealer’s body.
JOHN
(while beating the Book Dealer)
Here is your fucking commission … (another punch)
… customer fucking satisfaction is guaranteed.
The Book Dealer’s face and body becomes a bloody pulp. He stops “responding” to the beating and his body is lifeless while being thrown around. During one of the throws Book Dealers body knocks down oil lamp and his body catches on fire and as woken up by terrible pain he starts to SCREAM and run around the basement setting on fire all of the books and newspapers stored on the shelves. In horror John is pressed with his back to the wall. Engulfed by fire Book Dealer runs around BASEMENT in what seems to be chaotic pattern and at some point BOOK DEALER runs towards John. Johns raised his hands as to protect himself. Book Dealer grabs John’s forearms with his burning hands and out of fire emerges FACE which gets an inch from John’s face.
FACE
You must wake him up!!!
John screams and wakes up. He gets up from the table and go to see the Book Dealer. When he gets to his house there are FIRE TRUCKS finishing putting out fire. The fire is out. John sees paramedics carrying body on stretches under white blanket. We see that it is a severely burned corpse with extended hands as clenching unto something. John approaches CHIEF who is commanding firemen.
JOHN
Excuse me Sir. What happened here?
CHIEF
(as if talking to himself while directing firemen)
Old fart, he had to use damn oil lamps. As if electricity is not enough.
Johns is shocked because he realized that last night wasn’t a dream. He touches his wrist and squirms in pain, he lifts his sleeve and sees black burns as if from fingers.
CHIEF
(as if finally acknowledging John’s existence)
Why? Did you know him, son?
JOHN
(walking away)
Not really. I know he had a bookstore
Chief looks suspiciously at John while he rides away on bicycle.
John has another nightmare which he suppose to find out what will happen if he does wakes up Golem. However his dream is interrupted by flashing, strobe-like lights. He slowly opens his eyes and the blinking is cause by sun hitting between the trees. John is in the moving car. As we wakes up he overhears his friends talking about some philosophical mambo-jumbo.
They come to the location (it is already evening) they set it up and start to sit around fire, drink a little bit to shake the fear off and talk bullshit.
EXT. RITUAL GROUND – NIGHT
The clay begins to glow and they are all standing completely shocked. Lights and sounds from police-like SIREN takes their attention away.
VIVIAN
Shit! Cops.
JOHN
Relax. There are no cops here. It is probably park ranger and all he cares about is that we don’t cause any troubles.
(thinking for a second)
We all need to go and show him that we nice bunch of kids camping out, that we are not on drugs and are not going to sacrifice any animals.
(looks over the group)
Vivian stay here. You are not best representation.
Fuck you.
VIVIAN
JOHN
This is exactly what I am talking about.
They are going to the Ranger. They approach ranger’s car. The RANGER steps out but we cannot see much because we are blinded by Ranger’s flashlight. As Ranger approaches …
JOHN
Is there a problem officer.
Ranger continues waling towards the group, we can finally make out that this a woman.
RANGER
It is nice of you to take initiative, son. But I will be the one asking questions here
(she begins to illuminate every face in the group one after another)
Boys and Girls what the Hell are you doing here at night? That is if you don’t mind me asking?
JOHN
Well, officer…
RANGER
Son, is everyone except you here is mute?
CUT TO:
RITUAL GROUND
Vivian is looking through the camera viewfinder. We see her face being more and more illuminated by the glow. Slowly she takes her eye away from the viewfinder and opens both eyes widely, her eyes are filled with horror and yet have some kind of mystical surprise. She smiles in disbelief but we can tell that she is genuinely horrified. She starts backing away from the camera, half bent over, just the way she was standing when operating camera. She starts lifting her head as if something tall approaches her. The glow decreases and becomes really dark.
Zoom on her sandals, she is walking backwards. The camera tilts over on tripod and falls to her feet.
We HEAR her whining (puppy or child like) and we see slowly the urine begin to drip down her feat. (she is wearing a summer dress) Suddenly, sandals are lifted in the air as if something strong picked up Vivian. We see her legs being slammed against the tree and urine running down her feet.
CUT TO:
TROOPER AND GUYS
Trooper apparently satisfied with his investigation, prepares to wrap things up.
TROOPER
OK, Boys and Girl, I will be back here in the morning. I have your licence plate down. So the camping grounds be better alright when I come back.
Boys and Girls quietly node but feel more relaxed now that they took care of the Trooper. However, John seems to be very nervous as if he cannot wait to get back to the ritual ground.
Park trooper begins to walk towards his car. Group begins to walk towards ritual ground. Trooper gets into the car and begins to drive away with his lights still blinking. It slowly rains.
CUT TO:
INT. TROOPERS CAR
It rains so the Trooper turns on windshield wipers and starts whistling some kind of a tune. Suddenly a piece of mud/clay hits his windshield.
TROOPER
(mutters)
No kind deed shall go unpunished. Let me teach you a lesson fucker.
Trooper gets out of the car and shines his flashlight towards group that is already almost in the forest. They turn around.
TROOPER
Is that one of you fuckers in the bushes? I swear to God. I will shove my flashlight up the ass of anyone I find in those bushes.
While group watches in complete surprise and silence, Trooper begins to walk towards bushes with his flashlight aimed at the bushes. When Trooper already in the bushes we HEAR his surprised voice/scream, struggle and then flashlight goes out. Silence. Darkness. The only light is the blinking of red siren of his car. John realizes that something is happening. They run toward Ritual Ground and find Vivian with her head stuck between branches with fork-like branches holding her by the neck and her summer dress drenched with blood and urine. Camera lies on the ground, all broken and covered in mud and does not seem operational when John tries it. John gets the tape out.
Smith is hugging Vivian’s body, crying and muttering, he presses Vivian’s head to his chest while trying to clean off the mud and clay, unsussesftul, only getting her summer dress even dirtier. Johns is strugling with broken camera and tries to open broken tape ?door? He finally menages to open it and puts the tape into inside pocket of his coat. The rest of the group is standing in shock.
JOHN
(screaming and pulling Smith away from Vivan’s body)
We cannot stay here. We need to go. Everyone, run towards the van.
(to Smith)
We will come back for her later.
SMITH
When later?!? In the morning?
JOHN
How the fuck am I suppose to know. I all I can say is that we cannot stay here.
They are drugging Smith to the Van. Everyone gets in the van. Everyone is in shock. Everyone is complete panic. Smith is crying. They get into the Van and start driving.
ILANA
Where do we go now?
JOHN
We need to push trooper’s car off the road.
HARRY
(pale)
I can do it.
ILANA
(obviously carying)
No. No one is going to go to that car, we will find another way out.
John starts up the car. They start driving. Everyone in the car is silent. John beggins to feel more sure of himself and steps on gas. Smith is crying so are the other girls.
Since the trooper’s car blocks their way………………………………………………….
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Car is driving through the forest. Suddenly something big hits their windshield John loses control of the car and they are going into a ditch. As they hit a tree, a big black mass rolls of the windshield on the hood and then rolls of the car completely.
INT. INSIDE THE CAR.
John’s POV: He looks around the car and sees that everyone is messed up but OK. Some passengers have bleeding noses but everyone is alive. John is breathing heavily and we can tell that he is in pain. He looks down and sees that piece of wood went through the door of the car and into his left thigh.
JOHN
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
He pushes the door open and as the door opens the piece of wood comes out of his leg and he screams in pain.
At some point he shines flashlight at the black mass lying on the windshield and the first ray hits messed up face trooper. Everyone screams like crazy.
He gets out of the cars and falls down. He finally manages to get up and slowly limps on one foot to see the front of the car. He sees a Park Trooper lying in front of the car. He is obviously shocked. He helps others out of the car.
Dialogue – Explains to them that whatever it was strong enough to carry Park Trooper while chasing them and then threw his body onto their car. Should be feared. They start running on foot.
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INT. FACTORY SMALL ROOM – NIGHT
They put John down to rest he has a tape on his chest with his hands crossed in his chest. He falls asleep and has a nightmare (Dark forest, feels female heavy breathing behind him, Is is the same female from the “Bathroom Scene” in his first nightmares?)He screams and wakes up.
INT. FACTORY SMALL ROOM – MOMENTS LATER
He wakes up. His hand is still on his chest, but there is no tape. He becomes paranoid, takes a piece of wood and ties to his leg as a makeshift leg brace. He screams in pain but is determined to get up. By the time he is finished adjusting the brace, Smith comes back.
JOHN
(John is sweating and is feverish. He obviously cannot control himself.)
Smith, where is my tape?
SMITH
(Obviously saddened by the loss of Vivian, ignores the seriousness of the missing tape)
Why are you asking me?
JOHN
(feels that Smith is brushing him off)
Because I went to sleep with the tape and woke up without a tape.
SMITH
(take is personally and is getting angry)
I never wanted to do your fucking experiment and now Vivian is dead.
Smith starts pushing John. An argument becomes a fight. Since John cannot stand on his leg, they fall on the ground and start rolling on the concrete floor and garbage, knocking down old factory furniture. At some point, John is on top of Smith, feeling he has gained control of the situation. At that moment he sees blood coming out of Smith’s mouth. He also sees a blood stain spreading on his chest.
WE SEE there is actually a(metal rod, piece of glass, etc.) piercing him from behind. John is kneeling down next to Smith’s bleeding body, hugs him, pressing his lifeless against his chest (we can see they were really close). He is weeping and his hands and chest are covered in Smith’s blood. Harry and Bob come back and see Smith’s dead body, and John kneeling next to him, covered in blood. They think John killed Smith. John gets up, crying and starts walking/limping (Frankenstein moment) towards them, his hands and chest bloodied.
BOB
(getting really-really scared, saying/stuttering to Harry)
Harry, I think we should leave right now.
HARRY
(ignorantly, Ivan-like) Fuck it man, I can take him.
BOB
Harry, dude, I think we should really leave that one to the police.
They start slowly backing away from John, turn around and run. John is too broken up to go after them.
INT. SOMEWHERE IN THE FACTORY – LATER
Harry and Bob are running towards the exit. They are not sure where they are. They remind more of a pair of trapped rabbits then human beings. They are running down a narrow hallway, their footsteps are bouncing as echo of the concrete wall. There is a hole in the floor. Bob jumps over the hole first. Seconds later, Harry jumps over, but he is too heavy. He does not quite make it. He teeters on the edge for a second, making it seem like he made it, that the edge of the hole collapses inward and he falls down, barely able to grab on to the edge.
HARRY
(barely able to speak, breathing heavily)
Help me man, I am falling, give me your hand. Common man, help, I don’t want to die, not like that.
Bob is standing, motionless, looking down at Harry hanging on to his life. Bob realizes this is his only chance to take Harry out of the equation (Bob – Harry – Ilana).
As if in trance, he starts walking towards Harry. He kneels next to Harry, looking into Harry’s hopeful face. Bob stretches his hand toward Harry as if to pull him out, tears streaming down his pale face. Looking into Harry’s eyes, he begins to loosen Harry’s grip. Harry begins to wine like a trapped small animal, loosing his macho personality. Harry falls down without a scream. Bob gets up, slowly turns away and starts walking down the hallway. Suddenly he sees something which surprises and scares him at the same time.
He begins to back away with an expression of fear and confusion. He falls into the same hole.
INT. INSIDE THE HOLE – MOMENTS LATER
We see Harry laying with his eyes open, “looking” up. Bob in on top of Harry, his head resting on Harry’s chest. They look serene and peaceful.
INT. SOMEWHERE IN THE FACTORY – LATER
Ilana dies from the drowning (like the dream John had).
Ilana walks around the top floors of the factory, trips and falls down a shaft with the barrel of water at the end. She is deep down in the barrel, splashing in the water. She feels around the sides of the barrel to find some way to climb up, but the edges are smooth and slimy, making it impossible. She screams for help. She glimpses a shadow above. She screams again and someone closes a lid. She swallows more and more water and begins to drown. As she stops straggling and goes down to the bottom, unconscious, we see her body gliding through the green water (very Rammstein like moment).
INT. SOMEWHERE IN THE FACTORY – LATER
John finds Anna and asks her about the tape. She goes into “you don’t think I’m special” monologue. At this point audience realizes she may have the tape, but no decisive clue is given. She becomes hysterical and scream in a high- pitched voice. John angers and starts choking her. She is lying on the ground, and he is sitting on top of her. Anna starts pointing with one hand to something behind John and tries to tell him something, but can’t because John’s hands are cutting off her air supply. John himself sees a mirror image of someone other then himself reflecting in Anna’s eyes. Mystified, John lets Anna go and turns his head around (without getting up). Using the moment, Anna starts crawling away, gagging and coughing into the shadows and toward an exit. Anna gets away. John sees IT.
His facial expression is frozen in a mask of complete shock and disbelief. While crawling away on the muddy floor he talks to himself and to IT (why can’t I have the small things I wanted – the point is to make audience feel bad for a looser). He crawls facing the floor. His POV: screen goes to black, as if gets knocked out.
INT. SOMEWHERE IN THE FACTORY – LATER
John POV: when John wakes up, everything is blurry at first, but he slowly comes about and starts looking around. He sees a body, face-down, laying on the floor. The body seems to be wearing clothing similar to John’s. He crawls up to the body and turns it face up. Its it a John look-alike, dead, with symbols AMET on his forehead. He realizes he is now in the body of golem. Wide-shot: naked (and covered with dry clay/dirt-like crust) John/golem is squatting in a pigeon- like position. He mumbles something, but lost his ability to speak (golem cannot speak, being not a complete human being). John looks up as if to God, it feels as if he is going to scream “why God, why!”, instead he produces same scream/sound we heard in the beginning of the movie (now audience realizes what happened to religious Jews.
Extra?
I/E. FACTORY OR BANK OF A LAKE – MOMENTS LATER
John/Creature is screams, cries, tries to clear off the clay but it is “stuck” to his body (in general very Mutter like moment)
INT. DOCTOR’S OFFICE – LATER
We see Anna’s face (white background, cannot really make out where she is). She looks very tired and just a little bit insane. She is talking and it seems she is talking to herself. She sways her body back and forth, as if in prayer.
ANNA
No one will believe us. No one will believe us. But The Tape. The Tape. I am sure it is all on the tape.
She keeps quite for a a second as if trying to remember something or zooms out. The she continues …
ANNA
…the Tape … It is very important
Camera slowly moves back and we see that she is sitting, strapped into a wheelchair, wearing stray jacket like on in a mental institution.
Camera movers to the left-back corner of the room and we see Ann sitting by the wall. Doctor on camera’s right, writing something, without looking at Anna.
She continues to mumble something and he continues to write. Camera gives one close-up of doctor’s pen writing on paper. Some doctors gibberish that we cannot make out. We see medications and high dosages. Camera makes one from doctor’s right side and we see that on the side of the table lies the tape, in the zip-lock bag (with a sticker saying “EXHIBIT A” and a date), covered in clay. The tape in on completely sterile table as if to show that on one cares.
DOCTOR
(without lifting his head, loudly)
Nurse!
A nurse comes and wheels mumbling Anna out of the room. The doctor continues to write. After a short period of writing, he puts his pen down, with his left hand he picks up a piece of paper he was writing on and reads it to silently. Without looking, he opens a bottom drawer of his desk with his right hand. We see the drawer is filled with all kind of artifacts (toys, tapes, and other items). View from inside of the drawer: without looking, doctor opens the drawer and with his right hand swipes the tape into it, then closes the drawer.
Pitch black and HEAVY MUSIC.
Location Ideas
NB.
Forrest means place far away from everything: forest, dunes, swamps, kamushy, mines or open mines, mountains.
Transportation – car, van, trailer, bus, truck.
Final isolated place – factory, mill, old pension home, old folk’s home, old carnival
Dreams
1) Bleeding Girl
2) Pulls into water- goes inside forest sees bodybuilders holding child, dropping child into dirty water. Child becomes like them: covered in mud and scary.
3) Human out of was melting away. He stands covered in wax and then his was model begins to melt while his friends stand around covered in mud.
4) Maybe main character will see dreams of blinding light (nuclear explostion nightmares – another instance when people got too close to being God like?)
5) Should character have nightmares of dropping something into the water and reaching for it. For example – night goes to bathroom. Water dark and muddy begins to run in bathroom, drops something (toothbrush) , reaches for it into water feels like someone grabbed him all around him changes t the forest (dark) or whater and then his pale face looks at him (or better yet something or someone pulls him into the water for a second he is blinded by dark water and his pale face jumps on him in water. FUUUUCCCCKKK – he wakes up and reaches for cigarette (all sweating)
6) What about a dream where there is a forest (dark) he walks through bushes and sees (small forest fire). Body builders covered in mud all dark holding a body of while pale boy (standing in dark water) and then they drop boy into water. Water bubbles and then he his already black and muddy body raises from water.
7) Good nightmare is he drives falls asleep, wakes up, avoids collision with another car but his car swivels into forest he comes out and has forest nightmare)
Book Dealer
Trooper (doesn’t have to be woman, break molds)
Creature
1) John – main character
2) Anna – girlfriend of main
3) Vivian –camera girl, pees on herself and dies on the tree.
4) Smith – boyfriend of camera girl and best friend of John. Gets killed in fight with John at the “factory”. Begins to hate John because he is the one Smith believes who is guilty that Vivian is dead.
Bob and Harry both seem to like Ilana, they are trying to outdo one another in front of her.
5) Bob – ugly, when gets nervous stutters, not a handicap but rather Hugh Grant-like stuttering
6) Harry – hunk
7) Ilana- girl
1) John and Ann – really want to do it.
a) Ann – You are always big fucking planner and what am I good for? Bring you a beer and washing your fucking sucks?
i) Age 28-32
ii) Female
iii) Occupation – waitress/security
iv) Education – BS
v) IQ – much smarter than lets on, very submissive, but fire is brewing on the inside (feels that she is leaving in John’s shadow)
b) John
i) Age 28-32
ii) Male
iii) Occupation – taxi/limousine driver
iv) Education – BS in Computer Science (but cannot find job, with all this outsourcing)
v) IQ – smart enough (philosophy has a theory and answer to everything
vi) Conflict – doesn’t know purpose
2) Smith and Vivian
a) Smith has a very bad feeling about it ( “It is not exactly fear, it just sometimes you reaching into dark muddy water and never know what your hand is going to touch.”)
i) Age 25-32
ii) Male
iii) Occupation – taxi/limo driver (this is how he met John)
iv) Education – some college, very down to earth
v) IQ – smart in real world maybe too realistic, if not pessimistic
b) Vivian doesn’t really believes in this “crap” but “Hey!” if we get to drink at night with forest fire, “Why not?” “Are we going to have some orgies?”
i) Age 25-32
ii) Female
iii) Occupation – anything, often unemployed, doesn’t take it seriously enough.
iv) Education – not enough, wants to party
v) IQ – a bit of airhead on drugs, kind of hippy (wants to have fun all the time)
NB: Since John made Smith to change his mind and Vivian is camera girl that dies first he feels that John is in a way responsible for her death. That is probably why when first crisis opportunity arises the fight erupts (accidentally Smith dies during the fight. Even though it is not John’s fault everyone still think of him as killer.
3) Ilana – Harry – Bob Triangle
a) Ilana
b) Harry (think Ivan from Brooklyn)
i) Age 25-35 (older and wiser on how to woe women)
ii) Male (too much of hormones
iii) Occupation – Personal Trainer
iv) Education – High School, Personal Trainer courses and some college (“You have to fuck the college chicks, there is nothing like an educated pussy!!!”)
v) IQ – what IQ stands for? He is not really stupid but sees sign of intellect or emotions as a weakness. Also his harmones, machismo and desire to impress Ilana takes over his brains (whatever nature gave him anyway)
c) Bob (think Steven Goldstein from Brooklyn)
i) Age 25-32 (overgrown child, wrong haircut, teenager forever)
ii) Male
iii) Occupation – tutoring
iv) Education – college, never completes course
v) IQ – very smart (142) but his physical imperfections make him feel insecure about his abilities.
4) Ilana- very interested in money and in fact likes the Idea. (Hey what the fuck we have to lose?)
5) Harry – trying to show that he is ‘mucho’ (think of Ivan) “Fuck it, I will do it!!!” (audience want him to die just because he so fucking ignorant and arrogant) Says to Bob “What are you pussy?” tries to impress Ilana by putting down Bob and making fun of his superstitions
a)
6) Bob – not sure scared, is he religious?, realized that he is losing ground to Harry, seems to change his mind to show that he is no pussy, but from that point on really begins to hate Harry (wishes his death or maybe wont help when needed so Harry will die?)
Decision
John was sitting on his century old couch in his apartment and looking at the wall. (need to describe how terrible his apartment looks)
Trying to figure out what he should do next. On one hand he had the plan of how he is going to become rich and breakout of his routine of dead-end jobs, abusive bosses and credit card debts. However on the other hand the plan required him to max out all of his credit cards and borrow from everyone he knows. Yes the book was expensive, actually too expensive for him but without the book he will never be able to make his plan reality. He slowly reached of an open box of cereal standing by his couch as he was about to eat some, he saw a huge cockroach crawling in the box. With screams, “I fucking hate my life!” he threw box of cereal against the wall. A second later he reached for a phone, dialed a number. As soon as male voice on the other line said hello, he said in a firm but breaking voice “This is John, I will take your book.”
Meeting.
John is sitting on the same couch but now he is not alone he is looking at all of his friends. He is holding bottle of beer and begins by reaching for VSR remote and turns on his TV and VSR. A tape begins to play, on the screen something that looks like a taping of the News or some other TV program. On the screen female newscaster reads: “Now this one should be definitely filed under Strange News File: An undisclosed philanthropist offers $1,000,000 to any individual or organization that provides undeniable proof of paranormal phenomena. He can be contacted at number you see on your screen (number is not clearly visible) 718-325-568
The Waking
When they wake up golem they dig up a hole similar to a grave and the mud creature lies inside (exactly how Jewish guys do it). At the certain time when clay begins to glow. We do not see glowing clay but rather we see light coming from the “grave” and the grave is souraouned by people so we do not see much.. We hear that they are impressed. The main difference between this scene and the one in the beginning of the movie is that in the beginning after glow comes from the grave, camera goes to forest view and then we hear screams. When in modern version as soon as the glow begins to appear we hear and see siren of a parktrooper car ourside the forest and that is why they run to the trooper to make sure he thinks that it is just a quite party and doesn’t see their ritual. They leave only one girl with a camera to film the glow.
They calm down trooper.
Different Scene:
As they talk to the trooper the following scene takes place on the ritual ground. The girl films the glowing clay. She looks through viewfinder on the clay. On her face we see glow becoming more and more powerful. Slowly she takes here eye away from the camera viewfinder and opens both of her eyes wide and they are quickly are filling with horror. And begins to lift her head up as if something tall approaches her. (she herself should be small (since Golem is not taller than main character) and also tripod is very small, she kind off bends over while filming) she wears light summer dress (sarafan). The camera tilts over and falls to the ground to her feat in sandals (child like) and then CAMERA is only on her feat as she slowly steps back, we hear her whining (puppy or child like) and we see slowly the urine begin to drip down her feat. Suddenly the thing made the move grabded her (we don’t see it) All see that her feat quikly lifted up from the ground and hover to the right of the screen and disapper.
THE CAMERA GOES BACK TO THE “TROOPER AND GUYS” CONVERSATION.
The trooper leaves and they turn around and walk towards the ritual ground (they turned their backs to the trooper car)
Inside the trooper car: He drives off. Suddenly a piece of mud hits his windshield. He says something like, “Why, you little fuckers! I think I should teach you a lesson.” He stops his car and gets out with big flashlight. He screams to the guys, “Is one of your fuckers is hiding in bushes?” They turn around and see park trooper as he gets out of the car and holding his flashlight police-style goes towards the bushes (his lights, sirens are still on but without sound, so the whole scene is blinking with red or blue or whatever the lights are). Completely puzzled they silently watch him as he approaches the bushes and suddently says quietly but we (audience) still hear him, “What the fuck?!” Something pulls him into the bushes and then it is all silent. In complete terror they run towards their ritual ground, only to find the girl hanged on the tree (with dress wet from urine, camera broken and when they look into the “grave” they find indentation in the mind size of a human as if something got up from the mud.
Please note they will use one car for the RUN and it will be mostly likely pickup. It will explain why they all jumped on one car and also maybe the main character will be sitting on the top and will fall off and break his leg. Also the trooper car was covering the side of the road from where they came (the siren-lights are still going). They are not brave enough to go into that direction and they is why they go deeper into the forest.
Crazy Music is Playing – Rammstein like
They go through the forest, (main character has the tape)
They hit the tree in the middle of the road and on of the branches gets very deep into the grill. The steam-like smoke comes out from under the hood. The remove the tree (the main character screams in pain but still gives the order to remove the Fucking Tree, his leg is broken)
They removed the tree but car will not start, car is dead.
They grab the main character and run on the road.
Crazy Music is Playing, They are scared cover in mud. Road is dirty after the rain maybe.
They get to an old factory or mill. (They other idea could be is that they run on the beach with mountain on side, so they have to run in one direction only and they get to old factory or old military base or something like it )
They break VERY old, rusted lock on the door and get it, locking the door from the inside with pipe or something like.
Inside the old building
They find one room and put main character there to rest with the tape on his chest, holding it with his hands (can you imagine all the suffering how important this tape is to him now since it is his way to million dollars) Everyone else goes to scout the Old Building for the first-aid-kit and maybe working phone. He is left alone and falls asleep (more looks like he lost consiouse, because we see sweat on his forehead and that looks like a fever)
When he wakes up or comes about, his hands are still on his chest but they are empty. The tape is missing.
Hospital or who knows:
We only see face and of the girlfriend (white background cannot really make out what it is). She looks very tired and just a little bit insane. She is talking and seems that she is taking to herself. She is saying with hear head moving back and forth like in praying motion in Judaism:
“No one will believe us. No one will believe us. But the tape, The Tape. I am sure it is all on the tape.” She keeps quite for a second as if trying to remember something or zoomz out. Then she continues, “the tape… it is very important”
CAMERA slowly movies back and we see that she is sitting in wheelchair wearing stray jacket like one in the mental institutions.
CAMERA moves further to the left-back corner of the room and we see girlfriend sitting by the wall. Doctor on our right, writing something, without looking at Anna. She continues to mumble something –she seems to have argument with someone in her head; from time to time she would smile as if she won an argument (?or frown when lost it?); from time to time she would whimper like a small wounded animal and he continues to write. CAMERA give one close-up of pen writing on paper some doctor gibberish and we cannot even make out. CAMERA makes one shot from his right side and we see that on the side of the table lies the tape, dirty covered in mud. The tap is on completely sterile table as if to show that no one cares. Without lifting his head, he says loudly, “Nurse!” A nurse comes in and wheels mumbling girlfriend out of the room. Doctor continues to write. Some 30 seconds or one minute later he puts his pen down, picks up a piece of paper that he was writing with his left hand and starts looking at it. Without looking he opens file drawer on his desk with his
Right hand (CAMERA gives a shot a little bit from above into the file cabinet and we see that it is filled with all kind of artifacts (video and audio tapes, children toys and dolls) He shoves the tape into the file drawer.
Now CAMERA looks from the bottom up at him from the file drawer. Without looking into it he pauses for a second and then quickly with loud bang closes the drawer. Since CAMERA was inside the drawer a complete darkness for a few seconds and then credits roll with Rammstein-like music on background.
BIF
1) Blood with clay
2) John’s apartment is poor but not dirty. It’s very neat but poor. Old computer (old screen, clean but old. By the way same goes for his cloth)
3) The period between dreams shortens and dreams get more and more real and take him closer and closer to the Golem and the forest (first his hallucinations begin and end in apartment but slowly they all end in forest (getting closer to truth?)
4) John always does research at night because he works hard during the day (sleepy, tired, irritated)
5) Word associations
Wax – candle, burning, bees
Mud – dirty, pulsating mud
Clay – pottery, figurines, oven, burning in oven and then breakes apart.
6) When girl tells story, wee see obsenmided doctor writing notes a camera shows what he writes (we see words like, delusional, hallucinations etc and we see names of medications (drugs) he/she recommends in high doeses 500cc, 1000 cc. etc.) and other recomindation like solitary confinement etc.
7) This group are monsters too just like the golem itself. They are all empty inside waiting to be filled (golem – soul, John – money, some – love, some – vengeance). Who is to say who is better vessel for the soul; John or Golem?
8) Child birth is the closest man got to becoming God.
9) Wax in your wings will melt if you get too close to God Sun. Sun in many religions symbolizes God. Don’t you think they are trying to tell you something here?
10) As Nitzie said “ What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” said Nitzie and died from syphilis. Fuck you.
11) Note: Should I use greek clock philosophy. Turn your clock to the side and time changes. What it means is that anytime is the right time.
12) During ritual show main character looking at a compass but never mention how they placed the body (more mysterious this way)
13) Since Adam, humans are destroyed by greed; pure white soul is filled with filth. Adam who was one with God, became greedy and his soul fell apart. Naked human in the darkness collects pieces of his soul whining, whimpering. What is Hell? Is being not next to God. Hell is to lose hope.
14) There should be FOG during both rituals.