The Nightmare Before Christmas Page #17

SHOCK & BARREL

No, there isn't!

LOCK:

And Jack said to make him

comfortable, didn't he?

SHOCK & BARREL

Yes, he did!

The three gleefully giggle their hideous giggle.

CUT TO:

EXT. TOWN SQUARE. CHRISTMAS EVE/LATER.

The Mayor gives Jack the grandest possible Halloween send-off:

MAYOR:

...Think of us as you soar

triumphantly through the sky,

outshining any star, your

silhouette a dark blot breaking

the perfect circle of the

moon... We who are left behind

here will surely be thinking of

you.

Jack stands tall beside his sleigh.

THE STREET BAND:

rattles a delicate "Jingle Bells."

THE TOWNSPEOPLE:

look on proudly.

SALLY:

hurries back with a steaming cup of her special sleeping-potion

tea.

THE MAYOR:

blabs on:

MAYOR (CONT'D)

You who are our pride; you who

are our glory; you who have

frightened millions into an

early grave; you who have

devastated --

His speech is SUDDENLY INTERRUPTED BY THE

DESCENT OF A THICK HALLOWEEN FOG.

The fog swirls around the assembled crowd. It licks at the

Mayor. It threatens to engulf Jack, the sleigh, the skeleton

reindeer.

JACK:

Oh no...!

SALLY:

gazes about her in happy wonder. The sight of the fog brings a

wide, welcoming look of hope to her face.

She dumps out the tea -- it eats a hole in the ground -- she

won't be needing it after all...

THE FOG:

swallows everyone.

JACK (O.S.)

I'll never get the sleigh off

the ground in this. The

reindeer can't see an inch in

front of their noses...

VAMPIRE VOICE (O.S.)

This fog's as thick as...

MONSTER VOICE (O.S.)

(finishes the thought)

...Jellied brains.

VAMPIRE VOICE (O.S.)

Yeah...

JACK (O.S.)

(woe increasing)

There go my hopes, my plans, my

dreams... the tall-tales, the

legends, the lies...

There is a thin ghostly bark (O.S.) -- it belongs to Zero. His

little jack o'lantern nose floats in... a tiny beacon penetrating

the fog.

CORPSE VOICE (O.S.)

(dour and slow)

There goes Christmas...

JACK (O.S.)

(morose)

No, Zero... Not now... Down,

boy...

After a long beat...

JACK (O.S.)

(has a sudden idea)

Hey! WAIT A MINUTE!

We HEAR the sounds of RUMMAGING, of Jack MUTTERING:

JACK (O.S.)

Where did I put that book...?

I know it's in here

somewhere... Here it is...

We HEAR pages turned back and forth... Then with characteristic

melodramatic flourish Jack RECITES:

JACK (O.S.)

'Zero with your nose so bright,

Won't you guide my sleigh tonight?'

Barking, Zero swoops with pure joy.

The crowd cheers.

Zero floats to the front of the sleigh and takes position. His

jack o'lantern nose glows brighter and brighter, soon

illuminating the whole sleigh. Jack leaps aboard.

JACK:

We're off!

With a crack of his skeleton whip, Jack and his ghostly entourage

are instantly aloft. In a moment, they are gone...

SALLY:

gapes into the swirling fog. She stares miserably into the cup

she emptied, then back up into the fog-choked sky.

>>>>> SALLY'S SONG

The Street Band materializes out of the fog. They listen to her

mournful song. Moved, they accompany her.

CUT TO:

EXT. STARRY, STARRY NIGHT. CHRISTMAS EVE.

Jack's coffin sleigh whiplashes wildly through the glittering

night sky -- a giddy, out of control amusement park ride. At the

front of the sleigh, Zero exuberantly howls.

FAR BELOW,

peaceful little houses dot the landscape, innocently waiting for

Christmas.

Laughing his best booming Santa laugh, Jack begins his descent.

CUT TO:

EXT. SUBURBIA. CHRISTMAS EVE/LATER.

The coffin sleigh CRASH LANDS on the roof of a little house,

making such a racket that it wakes the sleeping family inside:

the BABY CRIES BLOODY MURDER and we can HEAR the VOICE OF THE

WIFE URGING HER HUSBAND TO INVESTIGATE.

A big grin slashed across his face, Jack pops up out of the

wreckage. He gleefully slithers over to the chimney and JUMPS

inside.

CUT TO:

INT. LITTLE HOUSE. CHRISTMAS EVE/LATER.

JACK'S SKELETAL HAND

drops hideous little toys into the Christmas stockings hung up

along the fireplace mantelpiece.

THE HYSTERICAL VOICES (O.S.)

continue:
("Get the gun!" "We don't have a gun!" "Well, grab

something!"). As does the CRYING of the baby. CLOSE BY:

LITTLE BOY'S VOICE (O.S.)

(sweetly)

Santa?

JACK:

spins around to see A LITTLE BOY STARING UP AT HIM. At the sight

of Jack, the little boy looks stunned.

JACK:

Merry Christmas!

Jack springs over to the boy. The little boy stands frozen in

place. The chaos (O.S.) persists: ("Where is he?" "He's not in

his bed?" "No!" "Check downstairs." "You check downstairs.")

Overhead, footsteps thump to and fro. The baby still bawls.

Jack bends down to the little boy.

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