Final Destination

Awaiting......each of us; a cold...dark...lonely place.

Deny its finality. Dride it's totality. Dread the enescapable

invitability......it will arrive.

The BLACK SILENT SCREEN senses this moment before a distant blues harp

introduces a contemporary band's cover of Blood, Sweat, and Tears' campy,

yet haunting, gospel, "And When I Die."

As the Introduction closes, RESONATES... A FLASH OF LIGHTING!

A CRACK OF THUNDER!

CUT TO:

Int. ALEX'S BEDROOM - NIGHT - CLOSE - BED

An airline ticket is tossed INTO FRAME beside a suitcase; "ERO-AIR. FLIGHT

#180. New York City (JFK) - Paris, Charles de Gaulle (CDG.) Departure:

Thursday 13May. 16H25 - Arrival: Friday 14May. 05H40."

"And When I Die" Continues throughout the MAIN TITLES:

AN OLD TABLE FAN

swivals beside and open window. Outside, a humid spring THUNDER STORM drops

warm, ominous rain. The figure of a seventeen year old boy, ALEX BROWNING,

packing for a trip, passing the fan...

THE BED:

A Paris guidebook is tossed atop the plane ticket. CAMERA PUSHES IN ON THE

BOOK as the fans breezes flip throught the pages.

THE TABLE FAN:

turns, head swiveling away from the bed.

TIGHTER - THE GUIDEBOOK PAGES

stop flipping, REVEALING A GULLOTINE from the Reign of Terror.

As an American passport is dropped beside the guidebook...

THE TABLE FAN:

swivals, returning towards the guidebook on the bed.

THE GUIDEBOOK PAGES

FLIP. FLIP. FLIP. Alex's faint shadow continues moving about the room. The

fan head swivals away, allowing the pages to settle... upon a Louvre

masterpiece, Francisco de Zurbarans Lying-in-the State of St. Bonaventura.

CAMERA CREEPS IN, teasingly on the dark faced corpse. The pages begin to

turn once again.

TIGHTER, OMINOUS ANGLE - THE DESK FAN

There is more of a hint of conincidence as the blades whirl and head

swivels. The boys figure passes, blocking the breeze.

THE GUIDEBOOK PAGES

stop dead on... Jim Morrison's decorated tomb in the Cemetiere du Pere

Lachaise. A pilgrim has spray painted "This is the End." Which in fact, it

is... of the MAIN TITLE

BARBARA:

Alex...

CAMERA ADJUSTS, to fully reveal Alex Browning as he turns toward the bedroom

door. Alex is an average kid; handsome. A high school "everyman."

One the wall amongst Yankee and Knicks posters, hangs a pennant;

"Mt. Abraham High School, New York. The Fighting Colonials!"

Alex's mother, BARBARA, 45, walks in, excited and a bit anxious.

BARABRA (Cont'd)

Tod and Georges dad just called,

he's picking you up at 10 in the morning.

Bus leaves the high school for JFK at

noon.

Barbara moves towards the suitcase to help him pack. Alex's father, KEN

BROWNING, 48 appears, leaning against the door threshold, smiling envoiusly

at his son.

KEN:

My suitcase workn'out for ya

Alex nods and buckles it. Barbara reaches in to tear off an airline baggage

I.D. ticket attached from the previous flight.

ALEX:

Whoa! Whoa! Mom, you gotta leave

that on. It's like... the tag

made the last flight without

crashin' or anything, right?

So, it should stay on, or with,

the bag for good luck.

BARBARA:

Where would you get a nutball

idea like that?

EXTREAMLY CLOSE - THE AIRLINE BAGGAGE MARKER

is torn away from the suitcase handle.

RETURN:

As Barbara picks up the suitcase to place it on the floor... a dozon old

baggage I.D. tickets spill from the outer compartment. She looks at Ken, as

if "you?" The guilty party shrugs.

KEN:

I'm still here.

Barbara shakes her head as Alex smiles at his dad.

KEN (Cont'd)

Seventeen and on the loose.

Ten days in Paris. In the

springtime! Live it up, Alex...

CAMERA INCHES INTO KEN as he winks at his son...

KEN (Cont'd)

Got your whole life ahead

of you.

ALEX:

CAMERA CREEPS IN as, oddly, the words strike him portentously...

CUT TO:

INT. ALEX'S BEDROOM - LATER

The storm has ceased. The room is QUIET.

As if itself a presence, CAMERA CREEPS across the dark and motionless room

TOWARD Alex, sleeping soundly. CAMERA CRANES DOWN to the level of the bed

until Alex is in the f.g. and the room is visible behind him.

On the rear wall, the Fighting Colonials pennant begins to flutter slightly,

as if affected by the moving breeze. The path, of which is continues toward

the bed, rustling the sheets, subtly blowing Alex's hair and continuing OVER

CAMERA.

Even in his sleep, Alex shivers from the passing cold. His eyes open

surprised to be suddenly awakened. He considers for a beat, then looks

toward...

THE WINDOWS:

which... are closed.

ALEX:

puzzled, checks...

THE TABLE FAN:

which is off.

ALEX:

perplexed, rolls over toward his digital clock. It's 1:00 a.m., however...

the middle digit bar in the first zero faintly flickers so this time appears

to read... 1:
80.

AIRPORT P.A. (V.O.)

(overlapping)

Attention airline travelers...

CUT TO:

INT. JOHN F. KENNEDY AIRPORT - MORNING - TELEVISION MONITOR

FLIGHT 180 departs 4:25. Gate 39.

AIRPORT P.A. (V.O.)

This airport does not

support solicitors...

CAMERA ADJUSTS FROM the "Arrival-Departure Schedule" to REVEAL forty high

school KIDS, and four TEACHERS and several PARENTS are gathered inside the

International terminal at J.F.K. Several of the students wear Fighting

Colonial leterman's jackets or hats and shirts displaying "Mt. Abraham High,

New York."

AIRPORT P.A. (V.O.) (CONT'D)

You are not required to give

money to solicitors.

Alex gathers his bags, as does his best friend TOD WAGGNER and his older

brother GEORGE WAGGNER, standing before their father, JERRY WAGGNER. For

Alex, any psychic tension from the night before seems forgotten in the fun

and excitement of the trip.

MR. WAGGNER

Alright, you guys got everything?

TOD:

Yeah, we're all set Dad.

MR. MURNAU, the French teacher (any further description necessary?) and

leader of the class trip waves his arm.

MR. MURNAU

Les estudients, allons en France!

MR. WAGGNER

Does that mean "go?"

Tod shrugs, "I guess." as he moves to his father and gives him a warm hug

goodbye. Mr. Waggner then gives his older son a hug.

AIRPORT P.A. (V.O.

Atencion senores pasajeros. No

es necesario contribuir...

MR. WAGGNER

I'll miss you guys.

Tod and George gives a wave, as does Alex, who is slapped on the back by Mr.

Waggner.

MR. WAGGNER

Take care of those two, Alex.

ALEX:

I will. Don't worry.

The group begins down the airport toward the check-in counter. In the f.g.,

before the boys, strides a girl, CLEAR RIVERS, 17, reading the TROPIC OF

CANCER. The loner in the group, Clear wears dark colors against the

insecerity of her sex appeal. She appears aloof and more wordly then the

other students.

Readying his ticket and documents, Tod flips open his passport, checking out

his photo.

TOD:

I didn't think anything could

worse than my yearbook picture.

GEORGE:

Now you know how I feel haven'

to look at you all the time.

AIRPORT P.A. (V.O.)

Avis aux passagers...

Mr. Murnau stops the group. Excited, he cups an ear with one hand while

raising a finger toward the public address system.

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