Kalifornia Page #2

INT. 70'S CHEVY

The girl pulls a pack of cigarettes out of her purse. She

looks curiously to the driver whose hand is trembling

slightly.

PRETTY TEENAGE GIRL

What's the matter?

DRIVER:

(unconvincingly)

...nothing.

The girl reaches out, steadies his trembling hand... and

pulls the red hot coil to the cigarette between her lips.

When... in a THUNDEROUS CRASH!! The glistening wet rock comes

smashing through their windshield!!!!

EXT. FREEWAY - NIGHT

The CHEVY brakes... Skids across the rain-slicked pavement

and turns a somersault, landing upside down on its hood.

ANOTHER ANGLE:
CLOSER

The CAMERA DRIFTS ACROSS the fractured front end of the

overturned CHEVY. The twisted hunk of metal hisses...

steams... groans. The front tire spins lazily to a halt on

its mangled axle.

IN THE BACKGROUND - HIGH OVERHEAD

We see a man standing on a highway overpass. He's leaning on

the railing and calmly looking down at the wrecked car.

CLOSER:

EARLY GRAYCE, 25, athletic build, big watery eyes, jet black

hair, stands by the railing. Rain streaks down his

expressionless face. He dropped the rock.

EARLY'S POV - THE 70'S CHEVY

Lying in the deserted highway. The Driver crawls out covered

with blood. Still clutched in his hand is the car cigarette

lighter. Its red hot coil extinguishing quickly to a faint

glow.

ANGLE:
CLOSER ON EARLY

Calmly looking down with no pity. Even closer... Water running

down his face. Closer yet... On his eye... And right into

the dilated pupil.

As we enter it -- it's like being in a dark winding tunnel

filled with the hum of dynamos and the loud rhythmic pumping

of powerful machinery.

FROM SOMEWHERE IN THE BLACKNESS

The distant echo of a Woman's voice.

KIM (O.S.)

Are you dead or alive?

INT. APARTMENT - BRIAN'S EAR - LATER THAT NIGHT

Still hearing the whine from some tremendous dynamo, we emerge

from the inside of BRIAN'S RIGHT EARDRUM, pulling back far

enough to see his face.

KIM (O.S.)

Brian?

Brian is distracted, distant, not paying attention to the

game of "Twenty Questions" that he is playing.

BRIAN:

Dead.

KIM (O.S.)

(sarcastic)

Obviously!

NEW ANGLE:

A small party in progress. Graduate student types, smoking,

drinking. The usual. Carrie and Brian stand out in this group,

their look is more stylized, their attitude less complacent.

Carrie, in particular, looks restless.

CARL:

Man or woman?

BRIAN:

Man.

Carrie tunes in and pays attention to the game.

CLAUDIA:

Real or fictional.

BRIAN:

Real.

CARRIE:

Ted Bundy.

Brian's eyes dart to Carrie. The look on his face tells

everyone she nailed it. Brian gets up to get another drink.

Several people laugh, amazed that Carrie knows Brian so well.

CLAUDIA:

What a guess!

CARL:

Doesn't count, she's disqualified.

CARRIE:

Why?

CARL:

Because you've been living with him,

and his thesis for the last year and

a half.

(beat)

He's probably been researching Ted

Bundy all week.

PETER:

Carl, you are the world's worst loser!

Carl looks over to Carrie. She gives him the finger and a

cheeky smile.

CAROL, sitting next to Carrie, asks...

CAROL:

Any word from that gallery?

CARRIE:

Not yet.

CAROL:

Nervous?

CARRIE:

...Apprehensive. Let's not forget

these are the people who banned the

Mapplethorpe show. Anyway,

California's loaded with galleries.

CAROL:

(nods toward Brian)

You mean 'Ted Bundy's' finally agreed

to leave?

Carrie watches Brian disappear into another room.

CARRIE:

...Soon as he finishes his thesis.

CAROL:

Listen, Eric's been "finishing" his

for over three years now.

Carrie lights a cigarette. Her frustration is showing.

CARRIE:

Yeah, well Brian's got 'til the end

of the summer, then I'm outta here.

She gets up and begins weaving her way through the crowded

room. Carol follows.

CAROL:

I'm sorry, but I just can't see you

veggin' out in LA-LA LAND.

CARRIE:

Oh, I don't know... I think that

once I dye my hair blonde, buy a

string bikini and cultivate that

tan... I could be veggin' out with

the best of 'em...

(does a valley-

girl/beach bunny)

Like fer shurr!

Carrie and Carol share a strained laugh.

OMITTED:

Sequence omitted from original script.

INT. APARTMENT KITCHEN - FEW MOMENTS LATER

The room's crowded with people. There's a lot of noise --

"shop talk," banter. Clipped conversations overlap, as we

find Brian with his friend Eric. They are in the midst of

making a blender of margaritas.

BRIAN:

I'm talking about the mind and

culpability of a serial killer.

Someone who has no ability to

distinguish between right and wrong

should not be imprisoned, let alone

executed.

Eric dumps in a handful of ice cubes as Brian pours in the

booze.

ERIC:

Oh, here we go again. Let's just lay

it all at the altar of misfiring

synapses, amok biochemicals and

horrendous childhoods.

BRIAN:

Look, it's a fact, most of these

people suffer from a severe chemical

brain imbalance.

(beat)

That enough Tequila?

ERIC:

Probably not...

Brian pours in the rest of the bottle.

BRIAN:

(to Eric)

The answer is research and treatment

under hospital supervised conditions,

not the electric chair!

Eric looks for triple sec in the cupboards. PETER overhears

them on his way to the refrigerator.

PETER:

Yeah, until it's your mother's head

they find in the refrigerator.

He pulls open the refrigerator door and grabs two beers.

Carrie steps up behind Brian.

BRIAN:

Executing the killer wouldn't bring

my mother back.

CARRIE:

Thank god!

Brian turns to see Carrie now behind him. She wraps her arms

around his neck.

BRIAN:

(sarcastic to Carrie)

Ha, ha.

ERIC:

Yeah, but it'd sure make you feel

better, wouldn't it?

BRIAN:

No, it wouldn't make me feel better.

Peter finds triple sec in the refrigerator.

PETER:

...Looking for this?

Eric takes the triple sec from Peter and pours some in the

blender. He turns it on. It whines.

CARRIE:

(to Brian)

If I have to listen to one more

"tweed" talk about his dissertation,

I'm going to throw up.

ERIC:

(to Brian)

Label it anyway you want, the bottom

line is these people are evil, plain

and simple.

BRIAN:

(continuing with Eric)

Okay, now you want to talk about

good versus evil? Well then let's

start with Adam and Eve and the snake.

CARRIE:

Who do I have to blow to get out of

here?

BRIAN:

(reconsiders)

A... I gotta go.

EXT. LUCKY STREET GRILL

A relic from the fifties with large glass windows. The rain

has stopped but the streets are still wet. Early's piece of

sh*t Grand Prix pulls into the lot. He gets out and walks

into the diner.

INT. DINER - NIGHT

The place is almost empty. Early, still wet from the rain,

walks to the counter and sits down. He calls out to the

kitchen.

EARLY:

Coffee and a bowl of chili, please.

WAITRESS (O.S.)

...Be right there.

The only other customer is an OLD MAN, sitting at the counter

nearby nursing a cup of coffee. His face half hidden under a

rain soaked hat. Early selects a tune from the countertop

juke box.

OLD MAN'S POV

Out of the corner of his eye he sees a bug (from the concrete

block) crawl out of Early's sleeve and onto the counter.

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