Beowulf (18 page)

Now a SHIT-FACED THANE, leaps onto a table and begins STOMPING his feet and SINGING…

BLUE Rev. 2005-09-11 9.

Hrothgar's MUSICIANS join in…and soon EVERYONE IS SINGING ALONG…

6 THE CAMERA PULLS BACK IN ONE LONG IMPOSSIBLE SHOT…

6

OVER THE FIRE PIT and up through the mead hall chimney (a gaping hole in the roof) and into the winter, MOONLIT NIGHT…

7 EXT. MEAD HALL - NIGHT

7

CONTINUE PULLING BACK OVER the roof of mead hall and into the castle keep…Herot is built of log and stone, with a single tall turret overlooking the sea cliffs. Magnificent for its time, rudimentary by folklore/fairy tale standards.

 

PULL BACK PAST the sharp, pikes of the fortress wall. A lone SENTRY on the wall warms himself by a fire burning in an iron caldron…

 

BACK PAST decaying skulls of boar, wolves and other beasts, mounted on spikes that border the approach to the castle gates (an ominous warning to any would be invader).

DISSOLVE TO:

8 EXT. RAVINE -- SAME

8

A MASSIVE BRIDGE made of logs and stone, spans a wide ravine. In the distance is Herot. The fire at the gate GLOWING brightly.
NOTE: THROUGHOUT THE FOLLOWING TRANSITIONS THE GATE FIRELIGHT WILL REMAIN IN A CONSTANT POSITION (ALA CITIZEN KANE).
WE PULL BACK ACROSS THE RAVINE AND…

DISSOLVE TO:

9 EXT. DARK FOREST -- SAME

9

Move past barren gnarled trees…

DISSOLVE TO:

BLUE Rev. 2005-09-11 10.

10 EXT. THE MOORS -- SAME

10

CONTINUING BACK along the frozen bog, over the dreary, snow covered shrubs. The firelight at Herot's gate is still visible in the distance.

DISSOLVE TO:

11 INT. THE GREAT CAVE - ENTRANCE -- SAME

11

We enter the cave, past it's craggy, dank walls. Now something strange happens. The SINGING from the mead hall becomes louder, tremendously amplified. It ECHOES and reverberates off the stone walls.

WE CONTINUE PULLING BACK into the cave and come upon…A HIDEOUS, BLEEDING, PUSTULAR OPEN SORE…the sore is on the back of a massive deformed cranium…mutilated and covered with scars and scabs. This mangled scalp is attached to some creature of indeterminate size and shape.

 

The SOUND of the REVELRY in the mead hall is DEAFENING.

 

Silhouetted by the moonlight…the creature raises its massive hands to clutch and grasp at the sides of its head, vainly attempting to hold out the sounds of the party.

 

WE MOVE IN ON the creature's misshaped ear…the exposed membrane of the creature's eardrum QUIVERS in rhythm with the THUNDEROUS SINGING from the mead hall.

 

The creature MOANS a GHASTLY WAIL…painful, sad, fearful…

CUT TO:

BLUE Rev. 2005-09-11 11.

12 INT. HEROT - MEAD HALL - NIGHT

12

In a series of shots:

 

The WASSAIL in the hall is reaching a fever pitch. The party is in full Danish sixth century swing…

 

THE WARRIORS continue to SING THEIR SONG. Some are passed out, some are partying full bore, all are drunk.

 

We are in a WASH OF NOISE…

YRMENLAF (30) a tall, dark-haired thane, is chasing GITTE (16) through the hall. GIGGLING, they play something close to hide and seek.

 

YRSA, a curvaceous maiden with auburn hair, sits on WULFGAR'S (50) lap. His ornamented helm and adorned breastplate tell us he's an Officer (Hrothgar's Herald).

 

Wulfgar lifts his goblet to Yrsa's lips, dribbling mead down her ample bosom…he hungrily licks the spilled nectar off her chest.

 

UNFERTH stands behind Hrothgar's throne…pissed-off, looking for someone…

CAIN a young slave boy (10) with flaming red hair hurries though the crowd carrying a large goblet. Running with a limp, he slips on the dais stairs and spills some mead.

UNFERTH grabs a walking stick from Aesher and hits Cain in the head. Cain spills more mead…. Unferth clobbers Cain again…he spills more mead…

BLUE Rev. 2005-09-11 12.

Unferth beats Cain until he gives up, drops the goblet, and runs away.

 

EVERYONE LAUGHS at such good sport…the drunken SINGING continues…

SEVERAL ELDERLY LADIES, unaware of the chaos around them, primly sit eating goose with their fingers. One of them belches with relish.

 

A KNAVE BOY is trying to pull a goose-leg away from a dog. He succeeds, and begins gnawing on it himself.

 

YRMENLAF catches GITTE and they tumble behind an overturned bench…the last thing we see is Gitte's dress fly up over her head.

 

HROTHGAR, flanked by Aesher and Unferth, with Wealthow and her ladies off to the side, surveys his raucous mead hall.

Unferth doesn't answer.

BLUE Rev. 2005-09-11 13.

Hrothgar, as content as any man could be, slips into a drunken catnap.

SMASH CUT TO:

CRACK!!! A TREE LIMB EXPLODES IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA…

13 EXT. - THE MOORS - MOVING - NIGHT

13

We are travelling towards the hall Herot from the creature's POINT OF VIEW. We are about 15 feet above the ground and moving inhumanly fast.

 

THE FOLLOWING POV IS ONE CONTINUOS SHOT:

 

WE'RE RUNNING straight toward a thick, black tree trunk…the creature lifts his hand and stiff-arms the tree…SMASH!! It splinters into a million pieces…

 

WE'RE BOUNDING across the moors covering 30 or 40 yards with each stride…the creature flushes a covey of red grouse…the birds take-off like F-18s. WE easily overtake the lead bird, leaving it flailing in the slip-stream…

 

WE VAULT over the ravine with a single bound…side swiping one of the timber guard-rails, ripping it apart…

 

WE BLAST through a hedge…startling a herd of deer…before they can react, we clip one of them in the rump…sending it tumbling ass over tea kettle…

 

We SPEED toward the castle…mowing down the spikes holding the skulls…

 

OUR SHADOW looms up over the GATE SENTRY and…

 

WE ABRUPTLY STOP!! Standing fifteen feet above the fortress wall and the lone guard. The CAMERA PULSES in rhythm with the creature's labored BREATHING…each RASPY BREATH fanning the cauldron flames.

 

The terrified sentry slowly turns to look over his shoulder…his eyes widen in horror…and…

MASH CUT TO:

CLOSE ON A DOG…GROWLING…

BLUE Rev. 2005-09-11 14.

14 INT. MEAD HALL

14

The dog is at the base of the throne dais, its fur on end, backing away from the great door.

 

UNFERTH notices this, his eyes narrow with suspicion.

 

Everyone else in the hall is oblivious…the REVELERS revel on…

BLAMM!!!!

 

Something of tremendous force RAMS into the great door splintering the wooden frame and buckling the great iron hinges…but the door holds.

 

HROTHGAR'S eyes go from sleepily closed to wide as saucers.

 

THE SINGING stops. WARRIORS reach for their swords.

 

There's a long PAUSE…then…

 

SMAAASH!!!

 

The massive door BLOWS off its hinges!!

 

The mighty concussion SNUFFS OUT THE FIRE PIT and every candle…plunging the mead hall into DARKNESS!!!

 

HROTHGAR rises in his seat, terrified. UNFERTH AND AESHER, draw their weapons. WEALTHOW stands bravely.

 

Past the shattered door, SILHOUETTED against the MOONLIGHT…we see the disfigured black shape of the giant monster…heaving and pitching as it WHEEZES and HISSES. Then suddenly…

 

THE MONSTER lets out an EAR-PIERCING SCREAM as it leaps into the mead hall!! At that same moment…

 

THE GREAT FIRE PIT ROARS larger and wilder than before, becoming a dangerous and ominous pillar of flame!! A HOT- WHITE PHOSPHORUS-TORNADO…rising to the ceiling and whipping around furiously…BLINDING our clear view of the monster!! But we
can
SEE…

BLUE Rev. 2005-09-11 15.

FOUR THANES, swords drawn, charge the beast…

 

THE MONSTER grabs the first thane by a leg and flails him around like a rag doll!! Then it uses the SHRIEKING man's torso to club and pummel the other three thanes…walloping two thanes into the crowd…CRASHING into chairs and tables…

 

THE FORTH THANE is flung over Hrothgar's head and SMASHES into the wall behind the throne…

THE MONSTER, still holding the FIRST THANE by the leg, bashes the mangled warrior on the floor a few times, then tosses him into the blazing fire pit…

 

The fire FLASHES…the burning THANE SCREAMS!!

 

The MONSTER SCREAMS!!!

 

The panicked CROWD SCREAMS!!!

 

MAYHEM ENSUES…WOMEN and CHILDREN flee to take cover…THANES rush the weapons racks, grabbing spears and axes.

 

Aesher takes Wealthow and shoves her down, behind an overturned table…

 

She immediately PEEKS up over the table…

 

WEALTHOW'S POINT OF VIEW:

 

THE FIRE, flaring violently, screens most of what Wealthow can see, however the INTENSE LIGHT projects a large, strobing SHADOW OF THE MONSTER on the walls…

 

THE MONSTER/SHADOW swipes at a thane…sending him crashing into a rack of battle axes…impaling him!

 

ANOTHER THANE is thrown up onto a chandelier…landing on the iron candle spikes!

 

THE MONSTER/SHADOW SCREAMS as it comes up with the red-hot roasting spit (the crispy pig still attached) and skewers three thanes…their cauterized blood sending acrid smoke billowing into the air.

BLUE Rev. 2005-09-11 16.

A PEASANT is hurled through the blazing pillar of flame, his hair and clothes burning…the flaming body flies inches over Wealthow's head, landing on top of a huddled GROUP OF WOMEN. Their clothes catch fire…

 

WEALTHOW grabs a pitcher of mead and splashes it on the women to douse the flames, then scurries back behind her table…

 

SMASH!!! A DAGGER BLADE pierces the table…an inch from Wealthow's face. Wealthow peeks over the table top and sees…a dismembered arm…its hand still gripping the DAGGER HILT…

 

YRMENLAF, the young warrior, comes up from behind Unferth and Aesher with a battle ax and throws it at the monster. The ax hits the monster in the leg but bounces off…

 

THE MONSTER'S SHADOW turns toward the throne platform. Unferth, Yrmenlaf and the King, GULP…in an instant the monster lunges…BUT GRABS AESHER!!!!

 

THE SHADOW/MONSTER lifts Aesher up above its head…there's a HORRIFIC RIPPING SOUND and Aesher's shadow is suddenly TWO SHADOWS, a pair of legs and an upper torso.

 

THE SHADOW/MONSTER throws Aesher's lower torso at the King…but HITS UNFERTH, knocking him to the floor…

 

AESHER'S UPPER TORSO is tossed onto a feast table, clearing it…Aesher's torso lands in front of Wealthow, literally sitting on a silver platter! She covers her mouth to hold back a scream, but sees…

 

HROTHGAR stumbling from his throne…fat and covered with a sheet, holding a sword…

 

YRMENLAF screaming like a berserker rushes the monster, his sword held high above his head…

 

UNFERTH, still on the floor and white with fear, scampers backward, on his hands and knees…right into the piss-pit!!

 

THE SHADOW/MONSTER holds Yrmenlaf by the leg, swinging him around until his leg snaps into multiple fractures. Then it throws him on the floor and begins jumping on him. Madly, insanely, jumping up and down like a kid on a trampoline…Yrmenlaf's blood runs across the floor! (Mercifully, the white phosphorous fire-light de-saturates the color so the blood looks more black than red).