The Spectre (My first script. For fun. Hopefully profit).

The formatting may be a bit off, since the blog won't let me center some stuff and right align others at the same time.





THE SPECTRE
by
JUDAS X. MACHINA

1 EXT. STREET - NIGHT
Garish purple light spills out of side-street porno houses, illuminating a silhouette, and little else, of an OLD MAN leaning against an alley wall. He is waiting. Another silhouetted FIGURE appears and approaches the first. They size each other up as best they can.

FIRST MAN: Corrigan?

The second nods. The OLD MAN (LOUIS SNIPES) reaches up and whispers, memories racing across his eyes. He staggers up to the younger CORRIGAN and whispers.

OLD MAN: You died fifty years ago... It was my fault... You should be dead...

The camera zooms into the eyes of CORRIGAN. Inside is the figure of a 1940's police detective standing in an alleyway.

2 1940's BRICK ALLEYWAY - NIGHT
In the corner of the screen the date 1940, NEW YORK CITY. In the background a police car races by and a man who looks like CORRIGAN squeezes against the alley wall. As the police car siren fades CORRIGAN slinks further down the alley and peers into a lit ground level window.

3 INTERIOR WAREHOUSE

Several well dressed men are discussing business around a card table lit by a single bulb. Business includes gambling and prostitution, and they joke with each other about buying dirty cops. Silently and imposing, the crime boss GAT BENSON circles in the shadows.

HENCHMAN #1: My, but are you the picture.

HENCHMAN #2: (surveying himself) It's a bit tight.

HENCHMAN #3: See How Mr. Benson pays and treats you well, huh?

GAT BENSON: Have you time for something to eat?

HENCHMAN #3: No sir, Mr. Benson, sir. I'll eat after we take care of that detective.

BENSON looks him over with pride.

BENSON: You'll do well here.

HENCHMAN #1: Be loyal and you'll be treated good. Be able to pay your momma's rent an everything.

From outside there is the sound of a scuffle and shouts. A few moments later a fourth HENCHMAN enters dragging JIM CORRIGAN by his collar.

HENCHMAN #4: Mr. Benson. I caught this honest copper hanging around outside, listening to things that weren't his business. What should we do with him?

BENSON: Well. Detective Corrigan. We were just discussing you, and like a good boy you came to us instead of us coming to you. Thank you. Boys, do we have any ideas about how to deal with Detective Corrigan?

HENCHMAN #2: I do, sir. I've had this little idea to drown a man in cement.

BENSON: I like an idea man. Let's go for a swim.

4 EXT. DOCKING JETTY - NIGHT

The four HENCHMEN and GAT BENSON are standing around an oil drum. Behind them is a truck with a small cement mixer. CORRIGAN is inside the oil drum, bound and gagged. Without a word the oil drum is filled with cement and CORRIGAN'S face is slowly obscured. A lid is placed on top and BENSON kicks the drum into the water.

5 EXT. UNDERWATER

We see the oil drum sink to the bottom of the bay. A light glimmers from a crack in the drum and fills the screen. The sound of CORRIGAN'S scream fills our ears and we cut to a black room with a single light.

6 BLACK ROOM

CORRIGAN stands beneath the light face in shadows. From all around him a deep and thundering voice begins to speak. Images of CORRIGAN at varying stages of his life flicker in the background. Good deeds and bad all play in a quiet montage around him. The more recent events in his life are larger than his older memories. We see his promotion to detective, and his engagement to a pretty young woman.

VOICE: Jim Corrigan. You have died. You are welcome into heaven, should you accept it.

JIM looks down at his hands and clenches them. A mania grips his face and he feels for a pulse. His hands drop away as he realizes he is dead. His face twists in anger.

CORRIGAN: NO! No, no, no. I do not accept it. There are good people that need to be protected and dead men that need to have their voices heard and given justice. The Guilty must be punished for their crimes!  I care too much for this world to be bothered about the next. I reject it. I reject you. I refuse to go like this.

VOICE: Jim Corrigan. Your response has deemed you unfit for heaven. Yet your reasoning precludes you from being cast out. The circumstances of your death have also come into play. You were betrayed by men you trusted, and that prevented you from doing your duty. Because of this more innocent blood will be spilled. For this we have an offer for you, Jim Corrigan....

4 INT. LAVISH APARTMENT – MORNING

    A pretty young woman is tied to a chair and gagged. Surrounding her are the four HENCHMEN. GAT BENSON stands in front of the woman, his hands clasped behind his back.

BENSON: Good morning Miss WInston. I apologize for disturbing you this early in the morning, but we need to make this as gruesome as possible, and it would be difficult to sleep through that. We need to send a message to the police department. The message that no one is safe, not even those individuals not directly involved with law enforcement. Especially those who are engaged to police detectives, and are of independently wealthy status. You do understand, don't you Miss Winston?

    CLARICE WINSTON says nothing, though her eyes are overflowing with tears. The HENCHMEN laugh and HENCHMAN #2 pulls out a gun, striking CLARICE. She whimpers. HENCHMAN #2: Mr. Benson asked you a question. A deep and powerful voice filled with echoes and whispers answers for her.

CORRIGAN: She does understand. And you will understand much in the moments to come.

    The HENCHMEN turn around quickly and pull various guns from their pockets and waistbands, pointing it in the direction of the VOICE. A tall man with a dark green cowl stands in front of the guns defiantly. The cowl covers a bone white face that's definition is obscured by shadows. A dark green cloak drapes from his shoulders and dissolves into mist as it reaches the floor. He is a ghost made solid from the knees up, and he glides towards BENSON and his men. They open fire and some bullets go through CORRIGAN while others richochet off the more solid parts of his body. CORRIGAN makes short work of the HENCHMEN, his single touch burning them to ash. He stands in front of BENSON.

BENSON: I don't care who you are or what you can do, I'm not..

    He is cut short as the sound of breaking glass issues from his throat. He tries to speak but flecks of blood and splinters of glass pour out of his mouth. He turns to glass and shatters. CORRIGAN turns away and glides to CLARICE. She is on the floor, still tied to the chair. CORRIGAN sees a puddle of blood flowing from her chest: a stray bullet has killed her. CORRIGAN burns the ropes from her body and picks her up, his rage forming in a deep rumble that shakes the apartment and flows from his lips in an roar that would shake the walls of Jericho. There is a long pause as we see tears streaming down CORRIGAN'S boney white face. Then a single delicate hand touches his jaw. CLARICE has been brought back from the dead. Fade to black.

6 PULL OUT SHOT FROM CORRIGANS EYE. INT. LOCAL BAR.

CORRIGAN and the OLD MAN (LOUIS SNIPES) are sitting in a booth, each with a drink in front of them.

LOUIS SNIPES: It was me. I told them who was looking for them, and they told me to tell you where they'd be. I'm sorry. I followed them to the pier, thinking I could help you out when I saw they weren't going to kill you in the warehouse. But when I saw that they filled cement around you, I knew there was nothing I could do. I'm Sorry.