Lake Placid

May 6, 1998

Full Pink Draft

NOTE:
THE HARD COPY OF THIS SCRIPT CONTAINED

SCENE NUMBERS, WHICH HAVE BEEN REMOVED FOR THIS

"SOFT" TEXT COPY.

"LAKE PLACID"

OVER BLACK we HEAR the distant but near melodic CRY of a LOON.

SLOWLY FADE IN TO:

EXT. BLACK LAKE - NIGHT

The loon continues its hypnotic call, as the steamy mist lifts

off the dark water, which doesn't even ripple. The loon

continues her nocturnal cry, as we savor the beauty of the lake,

the elegance of the bird, and the haunting echo of her lonely

call... until suddenly the bird is crisply pulled under,

silenced forever. A lone feather surfaces and floats as:

Credits roll over the black lake to Richie Havens singing "I CAN

SEE CLEARLY NOW." Then--

OVER BLACK:

KEOUGH (O.S.)

And they pay you for this? To tag

beaver?

WALT (O.S.)

Imagine.

As we FADE IN a face COMES INTO FOCUS from underwater. It is

the face of WALT LAWSON (Maine Fish And Game) looking down from

a boat.

EXT. LAKE - DAY

Next to him is SHERIFF HANK KEOUGH, paunch, disposition of an

untipped waiter.

KEOUGH:

Ask me, what an animal does in the

wild is his own business so long as

he doesn't do it to man. I think

Mark Twain said that.

WALT:

(dry)

I think he didn't. But since

you've said it, I guess we're

covered.

Keough holds a stare. Walt drops overboard. Keough pulls a

Twinkie from his pocket. Begins to unwrap.

EXT. NEW YORK - MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

INT. MUSEUM - DAY

FIND KELLY SCOTT, pretty, thirty, as KEVIN CAMPBELL, forties,

approaches.

KEVIN:

Kelly.

KELLY:

(warmly)

Kevin, hey.

She beams affection, he exudes a little discomfort.

KEVIN:

Hi. Listen. Could I steal you a

second?

KELLY:

(great idea)

Absolutely.

INT. KEVIN'S OFFICE - DAY

They enter ON THE CUT, he closes the door.

KEVIN:

I had a great time last night.

Again.

KELLY:

Me too.

Reading his look, she suddenly smells it. Her face drops.

KELLY (CONT'D)

(deducing)

That's not what you came to say.

KEVIN:

You work for me. I'm not

comfortable with-- y'know, "us"...

She's a little crushed.

KELLY:

I was working for you when "us"

started, what's--

KEVIN:

I know and I thought I could handle

it but work and pleasure along with

somebody else, it's a dangerous

mix.

KELLY:

Kevin, as long as we...

(suddenly)

What was that last part?

KEVIN:

(sheepish)

The somebody else part?

KELLY:

Yeah, that part. There's...

somebody who's um...

KEVIN:

(feels terrible)

Else.

A beat.

KELLY:

(covering)

Oh. Oh. That's okay. Well. This

uh... this probably wasn't meant to

be, y'know. I mean, I'm... God, I

gotta be ten years younger and you,

you... you're y'know...

KEVIN:

(reading her mind)

A jerk.

KELLY:

(you have no idea)

Oh...

(then)

No, no, I'm not angry I'm not, I'm

just thrown, I'm...

(checks her watch)

I actually have an early lunch,

so...

KEVIN:

It's ten after nine.

KELLY:

Yes, well...

(smiling)

famished.

And she rushes out of the room. OFF Kevin, we:

CUT TO:

EXT. UNDERWATER - DAY

Walt dives down, visibility is lousy. Whether it's algae or

dense vegetation, the water is extremely murky.

EXT. LAKE - CONTINUOUS

Keough unwraps the second Twinkie.

EXT. UNDERWATER - CONTINUOUS

Walt continues to swim.

HIS P.O.V.

Not much to look at. Then suddenly... no, just a snapping

turtle swimming away. Walt descends a little deeper. He loves

it beneath the water, there's a tranquility he can find nowhere

else. Next best thing to meditation. Suddenly, he stops

kicking.

HIS EYES FOCUS:

A black water snake, it must be almost three feet in length.

RESUME:

Walt flippers himself closer, wants a closer look. The snake

seems unimpressed. Then suddenly, the snake lunges at him,

misses. Sh*t. Walt's look says "what the f***?" A beat. Then

the snake swims off. Walt relaxes. A beat. But then... he

looks around, uneasy. He gets this feeling he's not alone down

there. Looks about, nothing but murky water. But he's not

alone, we can feel he's not alone.

He looks left, right... then... four snakes, swimming, hovering,

looking back at him. What's with these snakes? Walt decides

he'll go back to the boat. Then... BOOM. Something hits him...

and it's no snake.

EXT. BOAT - CONTINUOUS

Keough. Oblivious. Waiting. Suddenly-- Walt comes thrusting

up with a scream!

WALT:

Sheriff!!

And Walt is promptly yanked back under.

KEOUGH:

Hey!

Upon which Walt surfaces. He swims frantically for a beat

before he's suddenly yanked under again. Then he surfaces,

thrashing as Keough speeds over with the boat. He takes hold of

him and pulls him on board. Actually... what's left of him.

There's nothing below the waist. Walt is just a bleeding torso,

though still conscious.

KEOUGH (CONT'D)

(going into shock)

Jesus Christ.

ANGLE WALT'S REMAINING HAND

clenching around Keough's arm.

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