London After Midnight Page #10

TITLE:

"They're vampyrs, I tell you,

and I'm going to destroy them --

the way the book says--"

BACK TO SCENE:
He finishes title and turns and runs madly

out of the scene, for the time being a maniac. Burke turns

quickly down from the window to Sir James, indicates off

and says:

TITLE:

"They're coming!"

CUT FROM TITLE TO:

235

INT. LUCY'S ROOM (NIGHT) CLOSE SHOT

Burke and Sir James, as Burke finishes title, indicating

off toward the window. "Who?" gasps Sir James in his

astonishment. Burke replies quickly, his manner brisk and

business like.

TITLE:

"The Scotland Yard men you

wrote for."

BACK TO SCENE:
He finishes title. Sir James' relief is

prodigious. They start out toward the door.

236

EXT. HAMLIN HOUSE (NIGHT) SEMI LONG SHOT

An English car, turning in at the gate, drives toward the

house.

237

INT. HIBBS' ROOM (NIGHT) MED. SHOT

Hibbs, feverishly fingering the pages of the ancient book

until he finds what he wants, reads:

INSERT:

Page in old English:

The one certain method, which never

fails, is to drive a hickory stake

through the heart of the vampyr.

BACK TO SCENE:
Hibbs looks up, looks wildly around the room,

as though there might be a hickory stake there somewhere,

then turns and runs out the door.

238

INT. LOWER HALL HAMLIN HOUSE (NIGHT) MED. SHOT

Burke, opening the door, admitting four burly Scotland Yard

men. With Sir James, they all exit to the library.

239

INT. SERVANTS QUARTERS (NIGHT) SEMI FULL SHOT

Miss Smithson and the other servants are huddled together,

scared half to death. They turn and scream as the door is

flung open and Hibbs, wild-eyed and breathless, bursts into

the room. Seeing who it is they subside. He tells them that

he has got to have an ax and a hickory stake. One of the

men hands him a hand-ax from the wood box by the stove. He

looks at a chair -- it isn't hickory. Wildly, he turns to

the table, inspecting it. With the ax he starts to knock

one of the legs off the table.

240

INT. LIBRARY (NIGHT) MED. SHOT

Sir James sitting at the desk, the four Scotland Yard men

and Burke standing, as Burke is crisply telling them of the

extraordinary events. They listen like good soldiers, but

solid as they are, they cannot escape a gasp or two of

surprise.

241

INT. SERVANTS QUARTERS (NIGHT) MED. SHOT

Hibbs, finishing sharpening the end of a table leg to a

point. With this in one hand and the ax in the other, he

runs out the back door. Miss Smithson slams it after him

and nervously fixes the latch.

242

INT. SERVANTS HALL (NIGHT) CLOSE UP

Miss Smithson nervously fixing the latch. Her hand shakes

so that she has to make two or three attempts before she

gets it. Then she turns, sinks back against the door,

breathing deeply, her eyes bulging. Her whole attitude

conveys that she thinks she had a narrow escape while the

door was open.

243

INT. LIBRARY (NIGHT) MED. SHOT

Burke turns from the four Scotland Yard men to Sir James at

the desk, drawing up a chair to the end of the desk so that

they are facing each other.

244

INT. LIBRARY (NIGHT) CLOSE UP

Burke and Sir James, as Burke sits down, facing Sir James.

He studies Sir James for a moment, then says:

TITLE:

"Have you got a gun?"

BACK TO SCENE:
For answer, Sir James reaches into a drawer

of the desk and takes out a large Army revolver. Burke

looks at it and puts it aside, saying:

TITLE:

"You've got to have one

you can be sure will shoot."

CUT FROM TITLE TO:

245

INT. LIBRARY (NIGHT) MED. SHOT

The group, as Burke finishes title, rising and turning to

the four Scotland Yard men. One of them takes an automatic

pistol from his pocket and hands it to Burke. Burke gives

this to Sir James and tells him to put it in his pocket.

Sir James does so. Burke starts to sit down again.

246

INT. LIBRARY (NIGHT) CLOSE UP

Burke and Sir James, as Burke sits down, facing Sir James.

Burke starts to talk to him and as he talks his eyes take

on an intense piercing quality. He stops talking, holding

Sir James' gaze with his own for a few feet while neither

man moves a muscle. Then Burke turns easily away, leaning

back for a moment, relaxed.

James continues to sit without moving. Burke then reaches

over and picks up a desk clock. He turns the hands back and

sets it down on the desk again. Sir James looks at it.

INSERT:

DESK CLOCK Time: 8:15

BACK TO SCENE:
Sir James looks up from the clock. Burke

tells him:

TITLE:

"At 8:
25, leave here and come

to the side door of Balfour

House."

BACK TO SCENE:
He finishes title, studying Sir James for a

moment, and then rises.

247

INT. LIBRARY (NIGHT) SEMI FULL SHOT

Burke, rising, pays no further attention to Sir James, who

sits staring at the clock. With a gesture to the men to

follow, Burke exits briskly from the library. The four

Scotland Yard men go out after him.

248

EXT. BALFOUR HOUSE (NIGHT) SEMI LONG SHOT

With gate in f.g., as Hibbs, carrying his stake and ax,

comes in, stops for a moment, looking in toward the house

and all around the garden, then starts in toward the house,

slipping from clump to clump of shrubbery.

249

EXT. BALFOUR GARDEN (NIGHT) CLOSE SHOT

Hibbs, coming behind a clump of shrubbery, drops down

suddenly, as though hearing something off toward the house.

250

EXT. BALFOUR HOUSE (NIGHT) CLOSE UP

Door to the side veranda, as it starts slowly to open.

Lucy appears in the doorway, behind her the ominous figure

of the Stranger, with face so white and the bullet wound in

his temple. She stops in the doorway. He stops.

251

EXT. BALFOUR GARDEN (NIGHT) CLOSE UP

Hibbs, in the clump of brush, as he cautiously raises

himself and looks off. He stares, suddenly seeing:

252

EXT. DOOR (NIGHT) MED. SHOT

Lucy standing in the doorway, looking out into the night.

The Stranger directly behind her. She does not move. But

the Stranger takes a step closer to her and leans over with

his face close to hers.

253

EXT. DOOR (NIGHT) CLOSE UP

Lucy and the Stranger, as his ghastly face comes very close

to hers. Still she does not move, but looks off into the

night.

254

EXT. GARDEN (NIGHT) CLOSE UP

FLASH Hibbs staring off. His grip tightens on his stake and

ax, and the look in his eyes is terrible to see.

255

EXT. DOOR (NIGHT) CLOSE UP

Lucy and the Stranger, with his face just behind hers and

very close to her. He whispers in her ear.

TITLE:

"Tell him to go, Lucy. Only

harm can come to him here."

BACK TO SCENE:
He finishes title. Lucy nods solemnly.

256

EXT. GARDEN (NIGHT) CLOSE SHOT

FLASH of Hibbs staring. He starts forward.

257

EXT. DOOR AND VERANDA (NIGHT) MED. SHOT

The Stranger draws back quickly into the room as Lucy steps

out onto the veranda. The Stranger closes the door. Hibbs

comes in below her, on the ground, calling: "Lucy! Lucy!"

258

EXT. GARDEN NIGHT CLOSE UP

Hibbs, looking up at her, saying her name, softly but with

tragic earnestness.

259

EXT. VERANDA (NIGHT) CLOSE UP

Lucy, looking down at him, a large pity in her eyes, as she

tells him:

TITLE:

"Go!........Go!"

BACK TO SCENE:
She finishes title.

260

EXT. GARDEN (NIGHT) CLOSE UP

Hibbs, staring up at her, saying the same. "Lucy! Lucy!"

261

EXT. VERANDA (NIGHT) MED. SHOT

The door opens and the Bat Girl, in her black dress, with

her face so white, comes out softly to Lucy, puts an arm

around her shoulder and slowly starts back into the house

with her.

262

EXT. GARDEN (NIGHT) CLOSE UP

Hibbs, he can only stare at this -- powerless for the

moment to act. His eyes follow them to the door.

263

EXT. DOOR (NIGHT) CLOSE UP

Lucy and the Bat Girl going slowly through the door. It

closes behind them.

264

EXT. GARDEN (NIGHT) MED. SHOT

Hibbs, standing motionless, staring after them as one from

whom the power to move had been taken. Suddenly he starts

out through the brush, along the side of the house.

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