ParaNorman Page #9

ParaNorman 41.

54 CONTINUED:
54

He manages to think this through, and frowns.

Alvin watches curiously as Norman turns his attention to

the book, frowning as he runs his hand over the embossed

leather cover.

NORMAN:

I don’t get it! Why didn’t it

work?

He opens the book and leafs through page after page of

ornate calligraphy and woodcut illustrations.

NORMAN (CONT’D)

“The Story of Sleeping Beauty”.

This doesn’t make any sense!

His mind racing, Norman heads off along the hallway.

ALVIN:

Wait! Where are you going?

56 INT. MR PRENDERGHAST’S HOUSE, STUDY - CONTINUOUS 56

The room remains as before, with Mr Prenderghast’s corpse

lying on the floor. Norman enters with purpose and

approaches it, leaving Alvin horrified in the doorway.

Norman crouches low over the body, holding the book out

in front of Mr Prenderghast’s blank eyes.

NORMAN:

Mr Prenderghast, I don’t

understand! Tell me what to do!

ALVIN:

Dude, what are you doing?

NORMAN:

(points to corpse)

He told me to read from the book

to stop the curse! I thought it

was a spell or something, but...

Norman narrows his eyes as he sees Mr Prenderghast’s

desk, still strewn with pictures and newspaper clippings.

He hurries over and begins rummaging through the mess,

scattering papers across the floor.

NORMAN (CONT’D)

Come on! There has to be

something...

ALVIN:

I really need to get home! I’ve

got like a seriously early curfew.

(MORE)

ParaNorman 42.

56 CONTINUED:
56

ALVIN (CONT'D)

My mom gets really upset when I’m

not...

Something CLUNKS loudly from down the hall, sending Alvin

into a desperate babbling panic.

ALVIN (CONT’D)

We gotta defend ourselves! We

gotta shoot them in the head with

like silver stakes or something!

I’m way too awesome to get eaten!

Norman, are you listening to me?

You really have to do something!

Norman uncovers a couple of faded photographs of the old

graveyard. One is of the seven tombstones, the other is

of the stone marker, which reads “HERE LIES BURIED THE

SEVEN VICTIMS OF THE WITCH’S CURSE...”

Beside the photos is a torn page from an old book. An

engraving illustrates the seven members of the witch’s

trial, solemnly seated at a bench within the courthouse.

NORMAN:

Seven victims...

Frowning, Norman glances up and sees a page from an old

book tacked to the wall. It is an illustration of a

hideous old crone, cackling evilly.

Another THUMP from down the hall.

Norman looks again from the photographs in his hand to

the image of the old witch. There’s something he’s not

seeing... He looks at the pictures in front of him.

Graves. Jurors. Witch.

NORMAN (CONT’D)

Seven graves.

(eyes widen)

The witch’s grave! It wasn’t

there!

He turns to Alvin.

NORMAN (CONT'D)

I was reading the book in the

wrong place!

Down the hallway, another loud THUMP.

NORMAN (CONT'D)

Hide!

ParaNorman 43.

57 INT. MR PRENDERGHAST’S HOUSE, HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS

CLOSE ON the door knob RATTLING furiously, then a CRACKas a mottled hand punches it right through the wood.

A figure limps slowly into the hallway, dragging onecrippled foot behind the other. It stops halfway alongand tilts its head, as if listening, and emits a direMOAN. More shapes appear behind it in the doorway and fanout along the hallway.

57

58 INT. MR PRENDERGHAST’S HOUSE, STUDY - CONTINUOUS

The boys tremble in their hiding places trying not tomake a sound; Alvin crouched behind a stack of books andNorman lying underneath the bed. The footsteps growlouder as the zombies shuffle into the room.

58

NORMAN’S POV - rotten legs step up to Mr Prenderghast’s

body, lying where he fell on the floorboards. Twowithered feet suddenly step right up to the bed.

Something drops onto the floor inches in front ofNorman’s face with an unpleasant SLAP. Norman’s eyes bug

out as he realizes it is a zombie’s dislodged ear. A

weltered arm reaches down to grope around for the bodypart, until Norman pushes the ear, as carefully as he canmanage, back into the zombie’s fingers. The hand retreats

back out from under the bed.

There is a loud SCREAM as Alvin, unable to containhimself any longer, jumps out from his hiding place andmakes for the door. The corpses look up as he disappearsdown the hall, then stagger after him.

Norman takes this chance to follow, but the Dead Judgeblocks his exit. They both stand quite still, staringinto each others’ eyes. The corpse tilts its head, almost

quizzically, and its eyes widen as it notices the bookunder his arm.

Norman steps sideways to run past it, but the corpse doestoo. Both it and Norman step one way, then the other, andback again. Norman feigns one direction and quickly boltsin the other, past the corpse and out the door.

59 INT. MR PRENDERGHAST’S HOUSE, HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS

Alvin reaches the front door and throws it open. Directlyin front of him is another zombie on the doorstep,

opening a mouth full of jagged teeth.

Alvin SCREAMS like a little girl, smacks it ineffectuallywith his spatula, and the door is abruptly SLAMMED in thezombie’s face, a surprised and muffled GROAN coming from

the other side.

59

ParaNorman 44.

59 CONTINUED:
59

Alvin, still screaming, looks down to see Norman beside

him, leaning against the door.

The Dead Judge leads the advance of zombies down the hall

toward them. Norman hears his MOAN.

Norman swings the door back open, the zombie on the other

side moving with it, teeth firmly embedded in the wood.

As it attempts to pry itself free, Norman grabs Alvin by

the arm and they both dart onto the porch behind its

back, headed for the road.

NORMAN:

Come on!

60 INT. MITCH’S VAN - SAME 60

Mitch drives along dark roads. Neil sits behind him

looking bemused while Courtney, in the front passenger

seat, extols her life history.

COURTNEY:

And she said I could totally

consider a career in formation

swimming. But I was like, “I wanna

do something that helps people

less fortunate than me”, thank you

very much, y’know, like the poor

or people who are like dying or

ugly or something, ‘cuz I really

think that ecology and world peace

are like totally important today.

Do you use free weights? Your

deltoids are huge.

MITCH:

I’ve never used deltoids in my

life, I swear. You can test me.

Neil lies back in his seat, eyes rolling.

NEIL:

Kill me now.

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