The Exorcist

EXTERIOR- IRAQ- EXCATVATION SITE- NINEVEH- DAY

Pickaxes and shovels weld into the air as hundreds of excavators

tear at the desert. The camera pans around the area where

hundreds of Iraqi workmen dig for ancient finds. The caption

Northern Iraq appears at the bottom of the screen as the digging

continues. The camera then follows a young boy running bare foot

over the rocky mounds. He comes to a stop and the camera is

positioned in between the boys legs looking at and aging man also

digging.

YOUNG BOY:

(In Iraqi language)

They've found something... small pieces.

MERRIN:

(In Iraqi language)

Where?

YOUNG BOY:

(In Iraqi language)

At the base of the mound.

The boy runs off and the old man pulls himself to his feet to

follow. The old man walks to the base of the mound where another

man who looks in command is there to greet him.

MAN:

(In Iraqi language)

Some interesting finds. Lamps, arrow-heads, coins...

The old man picks up an old pendant and holds it up.

MERRIN:

(In Iraqi language)

This is strange!

The man dusts the pendant and takes a look.

MAN:

(In Iraqi language)

Not of the same period.

The old man reaches into a hole in the rock, moving and re-

arranging small rocks to see what he can find. He grabs a pickaxe

and scrapes out a small sculpted piece of rock crushed into

another. The man takes a dust brush from the man's pocket and

brushes some dust from the sculpted rock. As the dust is swept we

see that it is a face. The old man recognises it and looks

worried. He brakes the sculpted rock away from the ordinary rock

and takes a good look at it.

EXTERIOR- IRAQ- MARKET PLACE- DAY

An Iraqi man walks through the noisy crowd with a tray and up to

the old man's table. He puts the drink on the table and watches

as the old man opens a small pendant full of pills and puts one

into his mouth. The old man is trembling with fear as he downs

his drink. He puts the glass down and looks at the people around

him. The man with the tray comes back to the old man's table and

picks up the glass.

MAN WITH TRAY:

(In Iraqi language)

Something else?

MERRIN:

(In Iraqi language)

No thank you.

The old man stands up and looks at the bus boy. We cut to a group

of workers hitting there hammers on an anvil. The old man walks

in there direction but stops as he sees one of the workers stop

work to wipe his brow. When the worker makes eye contact with the

old man we see that the worker has one eye without pigment,

bleached white as if it has rolled backward. The old man stares

at him and then walks on.

INTERIOR-IRAQ-ARCHAEOLOGIST'S OFFICE- DAY

We see a clocks pendulum swinging, uncovered sculpted rocks of

all kinds and a man sitting at a desk writing up the report on

what they found. The old man picks up the pendant he found and

then the rock head he found and takes a look.

MERRIN:

(In Iraqi language)

Evil against evil.

The man at the table looks confused.

MAN:

(In Iraqi language)

Father...

We then see the clocks pendulum stop over the old man's shoulder.

He turns around and walks toward it. After looking he sits down

beside it. As he sits the man at the desk stands up.

MAN:

(In Iraqi language)

I wish you didn't have to go.

MERRIN:

(In Iraqi language)

There is something I must do.

EXTERIOR- IRAQ- OUTSIDE ARCHAEOLOGIST'S OFFICE- DAY

The two men shake hands and hug. The old man walks away and a

group of people bow in a row.

EXTERIOR- IRAQ- MARKET PLACE - ALLEY WAY- DAY

The old man walks through the noisy, crowded alley way and exits

through the other side. As he exits he approaches a tunnel, in

the distance we can here a bell ringing quite fast. As the old

man gets closer to the tunnel the bell gets louder. When he

reaches the tunnel a horse and cart flies out in front of him,

aboard the cart we see a frightened old women. The old man looks

around as if he was lucky to survive.

EXTERIOR - IRAQ- NINEVEH- DAY

The old man arrives back at that dig site in a small jeep. As he

pulls up two armed guards rush out. When they see who it is the

old man gives them a wave and they slowly walk back to there

quarters. The old man walks up the rocky mound and sees a huge

statue of the demon Pazuzu, which has the head of the small rock

he earlier found. He climbs to a higher point to get a closer

look. When he reaches the highest point he looks at the statue

dead on. He then turns his head as we hear rocks falling and sees

a guard standing behind him. He then turns again when he hears

two dogs savagely attacking each other. The noise is something of

an evil nature. He looks again at the statue and we are then

presented with a classic stand off side view of the old man and

the statue as the noises rage on. We then fade to the sun slowly

setting as the noises lower in volume.

EXTERIOR- GEORGETOWN- CITY STREETS- EARLY HOURS

We are transformed from the blazing suns of Iraq to the dusk of

Washington. As the cross fade is made, the caption GEORGETOWN

appears at the bottom of the screen. We slowly zoom in on a house

in the distance.

INTERIOR- MACNEIL HOUSE- CHRIS' BEDROOM- EARLY HOURS

A small light is switched on by Chris MacNeil, a woman in her mid

thirties, mother and famous actress. She is clad in her night

clothes lying in bed, examining lines from a script. She is

disturbed by a scratching noise that seems to be coming from

outside her room. She looks over her shoulder to hear for it

again. When it does happen again she climbs out of bed and puts

her robe on. She walks toward the bedroom door and exits to the

hall.

INTERIOR- MACNEIL HOUSE- HALLWAY-EARLY HOURS

Chris walks through the dark hallway toward her daughters room,

as she passes the attic hatch she hears the noise again and it

appears to be coming from the attic. She walks into Regan's (her

daughter)

room and sees that the window is wide open and she is on top of

her bed covers. Chris walks in and shivers because of the cold

night air which enters through the open window. As Chris

approaches the window another scratch is heard from the attic.

Chris takes no notice and closes the window. She then walks round

Regan's bed and puts the covers back over her, she tucks her in

and strokes her face.

CHRIS:

(Whispering)

I sure do love you.

Chris kisses Regan and turns away.

INTERIOR- MACNEIL HOUSE- KITCHEN- MORNING

Chris walks into the kitchen in her robe, with a pen in her mouth

and her script in her hands. She is greeted by Willie an ageing,

Swiss house maid.

CHRIS:

Morning.

WILLIE:

Good morning Mrs. MacNeil.

CHRIS:

How are you today?

WILLIE:

Fine thank you.

CHRIS:

That's good.

Chris puts the script and pen on the table and lifts the coffee

pot to pour her self a mug. Willie offers to do it for her but

Chris refuses.

CHRIS:

It's okay I got it, thanks.

Willie returns to making breakfast as the ageing, Swiss, butler

Karl walks in.

KARL:

Good morning Madame.

CHRIS:

Good morning Karl. Oh Karl, we've got rats in the attic you

better get some traps.

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